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FROM PASTOR KAREN:
Are You Discoverable?
It’s interesting to notice how our language changes over time. When you hear a word used in a new way, it may make you pause and think of what it now means. I’ve noticed a tendency to change a noun into a verb. “I need to conversate with you.” Evidently it has been a trend for several years. You can find advice on how to do it in online articles and YouTube videos. There’s a word for it. Verbing. It goes the other way too, sometimes, although I don’t see anyone calling it nouning.
One particular word has caught my attention. It happens as I connect devices to my phone, like a speaker, for instance. The phone has to be in discoverable mode. It has to have the right options chosen and be ready to acknowledge the other device. And in this case, the speaker has to be in pairing mode. It looks for a phone that is discoverable. Of course, you know the Bluetooth feature has to be on for this to happen. But, if done correctly, it works very well. And if something is not set correctly, it doesn’t work at all, no matter how many times you try.
Stay with me. There’s a point I want to make.
As we approach Easter on the very last day of March, our hearts turn to the life and actions of Jesus in his last days. It may very well make us feel a certain kind of way. Possibly sad, worried, concerned for the world, emotionally connected to Jesus. During this season of lent, as we brace ourselves for the accounts of the torture and crucifixion that Jesus went through, our hearts are opened. We are discoverable.
And guess who is in pairing mode? That’s right, Jesus himself looks for discoverable hearts. Either for that initial pairing, or a renewed sense of love and commitment to our Savior.
Some devices need to re-pair, and be re-discoverable every so often. An hour, or till the battery runs down, just two possibilities. Perhaps we are the same. Let’s see if we can allow ourselves to be re-discovered by our Lord in this season before Easter.
Many blessings,
Pastor Karen Johnson
Interim Pastor
FROM KEN AND DARBY …
7/9/2022
Dear church family,
As you know, I was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in February of 2020. Since then, it has been my blessing and privilege to continue serving as your Pastor despite my increasing physical difficulties and the weakness and fatigue that come with this disease.
However, after much consideration and in consultation with my doctor, Darby and I believe it is time for me to step away from working and take care of my health, so I will be taking a Medical Leave of Absence beginning Monday, July 25, 2022. We anticipate that the leave of absence will run for three months, during which time we will be working on getting the necessary approvals for long-term disability.
We have already discussed this with the church leadership, and the Search Committee is exploring options for bringing in an interim pastor. I know you will be in good hands and that God will lead all of us in these decisions.
Going forward, Darby and I hope to continue worshipping with you on a regular basis, and Darby to continue working part-time for the church, at least as long as these arrangements seem appropriate to our needs and those of the church.
Please know that I am deeply grateful for your prayers, your love, your gifts, and the many ways members of this congregation have helped us. You have shown us extraordinary grace through this difficult period, and we thank you all.
God bless you!
Pastor Ken