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Happy Monday and Happy February! I’m grateful to turn the calendar to a new month. January was a doozy. For a lot of reasons. Also, a new month means we’re 30 days closer to more sunshine hours! 

A slow, icy start to things around here today! We got back in the swing of things with a staff meeting this morning. It was good to share in devotions and ministry discussion together again. We spent some time talking about how we can serve and come alongside you in your discipleship during the upcoming season of Lent. It’s hard to believe that it is quickly approaching us!

The Youth Roots schedule is picking up in the new year! Our Senior High Youth Roots depart for the Ski Retreat this weekend. Jr. High Youth Roots are spending a day together at Great Wolf Lodge over the weekend, too! The Caramel Corn Fundraiser was announced yesterday, that will be one of a few opportunities to support the Youth for their summer spiritual experiences - National Jr. High Conference in Juniata, PA and MVMT Conference (Sr. High) in Montana. 

I’ve been enjoying watching the Dream Big wall start to fill up with your prayers and dreams for our church family! On Wednesday Night, our next Roots Night, Pastor Kevin will help the Lil’ Roots “dream big” for our church. He’ll do the same with the Youth Roots on the following Roots Night. I love that these dreams will be from the hearts of members of every generation in our church family!

I’m starting a new class this week, “Reading New Testament Literature” which I’m excited and a little nervous about jumping into. It will be good to get back in the “student” role after a few semesters off. 

I’d also like to say thank you to the many of you who prayed and sent notes of encouragement to Scott and I over the last two weeks as we’ve walked through the passing of my sister, Becca. We kept this quiet and close to our hearts as a family, but are grateful for many of you, our family of faith, as Pastor Kevin discussed yesterday, who helped carry us along. 

 

What WE’RE Learning This Week: A nugget of what our Lil’, Youth and Adults Roots heard this week

Our Family Theme: God’s Design for Purity

Our Root Text: Jeremiah 29:1-7; Genesis 39:1–9; Genesis 2:18–25

Verse of the Month: 1 Corinthians 13:13

How Every Generation Lives This Out: Talk about this as a family… What would it look like to model God’s design for a strong family? What would that include?

 

What I’M Learning This Week: Sharing what I’m reading and listening to lately

The Bible reading I’m using this year ends each day’s reading with a “God shot.” Essentially, a quick summary of where you saw God in the reading that day. I like this because it helps train my eyes to not look for me in the text, but to learn more about the God I’m in an intimate relationship with. 

 

Today my reading was in Exodus 13-15. This is when the Israelites are fleeing Egypt, led by cloud and fire, through a parted Red Sea. My “God shot” from these chapters was in 15:26, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statues, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer” (ESV). 

 

The characteristic of God being a healer is not new to us. But I was so intrigued to see it here in this context. God is being called healer not in direct response to something he just did, but as a promise of what he offers his people. The original language translates healer in this verse as a “physician or healer of both personal and national hurts.” He’s already spared the nation of Israel from what the Egyptians experienced and their slave-ownership. His healing and restoration for the Israelites will just keep coming! “Healing from the damage inflicted by sin and death will come through the Lord’s Anointed, by whose wounds we are healed.” Amen.

 

Make Every Week Count: Parenting, Grandparenting & Spiritual Mentoring Resources

Something to Read: Our devotions in staff meeting today came from this book! *adds to cart* Right Thinking for a Culture in Chaos: Responding Biblically to Today's Most Urgent Need

 

Something to Listen to: New, beautiful worship song for you to enjoy today… Were It Not For The Lord, Journey Worship Co.


Something to Follow: We’ve really been enjoying this “Essentials of Faith” series with the Sr. High Youth on Roots Nights. A new season was released and it seems to pair nicely with Pastor Kevins sermon this week! Essentials of Faith: What Is The Church

 

How Can You Pray? Prayer Requests and Praises from Roots Ministries

PRAY for the 9 senior high youth roots and their 3 chaperones headed out for the Ski Retreat this weekend!


PRAISE for our wonderful family of faith!