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Well, hello again! It has been a while since I’ve visited with you this way! Much has happened over the last several weeks! I am anxious to catch up with you and share all that has been going on!

On August 24th I returned home with our Sr. High Youth Roots Crew who had headed west to the MVMNT Conference. What an incredible week! A really great group of teens paired with an exceptionally well done conference - God moved! If you were here with us yesterday, the group shared about their experiences as well as highlights from each speaker. You can watch our highlight video/slideshow HERE. If you want another glimpse of what the conference was like, you can watch or listen to Louie Giglio’s message, The Glorious Why, on YouTube or on Spotify. This was collectively one of the favorite messages of the six speakers we heard from. I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to take these teens to this conference. It was spiritually transformative for all of us, me included! Thank you to those of you who covered us in prayers and supported us financially! 

We came home and hit the ground running for FAMJAM! Talk about another fantastic weekend!! I am so grateful for the many, many, many of you who helped make that weekend of worship possible! God’s presence was evident on our own little “mountainside” that weekend. We had 16 preschoolers, 27 elementary, 8 teens and 77 adults registered this weekend! 9 of those elementary friends responded to the gospel message! 4 worship services, 1 weekend! What a blast!!! If you’re like me, you’re wanting to relive some of that weekend, check out the FAMJAM Celebration Slideshow again! Don’t forget to save the date for next year, same tent, same goal! We’ll be worshipping together as God’s big family on August 7-9th, 2026. 

So what’s next?! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ll be taking some time to catch my breath here and there over the next few weeks. I’ve planned a quick trip to Florida in a few weeks. Before then, I’ll be doing some relaxing in my flower garden and probably in the tobacco field too! While I’m here in the office, we’re gearing up for Wednesday Roots Nights, launching October 1st. For all the guys out there, get excited for our discipleship event, just for you! Mark your calendars and get registered for Next Man Up on Saturday, September 6th from 3-6pm. An energetic and passionate crew is working hard behind the scenes to get that ready for you!

What a summer. I’m tired but I’m grateful. This MGCB family is truly a gift. As Paul says… “I have not stopped giving thanks for you.”

 

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

Our Family Theme: Genuine Faith

Our Root Text: James 2:14–26

Verse of the Month: James 1:22

How Every Generation Lives This Out: Discuss how genuine faith leads to action.

 

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

The “theme” of the MVMNT Conference was “Dust to Glory: Made from Dust, Built to Last.” This theme references Ezekiel 37, in the valley of dry bones. The prayer of the conference was for dead bones to come alive in the hearts of teens and adults alike. 

This passage was like a deep breath to me. I of course was praying something similar over each of our youth attending this conference; asking God to make himself so real to them in that place. But just as God says to Ezekiel, “I will make breath enter you,” he did. 

I floated in my kayak on Flathead Lake on the last night of our trip. Our group was doing jumps and flips off their paddleboards not far from me. We were the only ones out on the water at this particular area so it was relatively quiet. We had just finished waiting out a short rain shower on the shore, so from where I was floating there was a sunset getting ready to really show off for us. 

In his own way, God said to me, while he popped the sun back out of the clouds for the rest of the night, “dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! I will make breath enter you…” What a gift to go into that week, not fully admitting my own lack and need - my own dry bones and getting to leave much more alive. Thanks be to God, I got to move into the rest of the week, into FAMJAM and live out of a deeply refreshed soul. 

He knows our every need. 

 

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

Something to Read: Something short to read every day! Grab these Lunchbox Truth Scripture Notecards before your kids hop back on that school bus!

Something to Listen to: Worship was one of the profoundly impactful experiences of the MVMNT Conference for our teens. Here’s a few songs that were fan favorites, if you will.

Something to Follow: The Dear Mushka Shop has a lot of great gospel-centered treasures. Maybe there’s something to encourage someone you love as they head back to school or starting new routines in the fall!

 

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

PRAY for a safe and healthy last few weeks of summer!

PRAISE for all the ways God has blessed our church family over the past few months!