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Today is the last day of January and what a month it has been. We had the inauguration of a new president, challenging weather, and the Eagles looking like a team of destiny. My mother always said that January is the longest month of the year. Well, it may seem like it but today we turn the page on January and start looking to February. 

This was a quiet week for me and one I needed after a few very busy weeks. Ruth and I left for Harrisburg late yesterday and will return tonight. I had not seen my daughters since Christmas, so it was time for me to get away for a couple of days. Our youngest daughter Tessa is making wedding plans and they finally locked in on the date of October 10, 2025. That’s a Friday but they are ok with that, and they like the sound of 10-10-25 as their wedding date. Ruth and the girls are doing much of the planning, but they are counting on me for the wedding service. My good friend Roger is a pastor in the Harrisburg area and is doing the premarital counseling for Tessa and Everett. Looking forward to spending some much-needed time with the family.

I was able to visit with Emma Dubble, Bunnie Bledsoe, Charles and Edna Wagner, and Sheila Mull this week. In addition, I got some much-needed sermon preparation work done for the Dream Big series. My devotions were in Leviticus which is a tough book talking about all kinds of sacrifices the Israelites had to offer to the Lord. I am so glad that Jesus became that once and for all sufficient sacrifice. Hebrews 10:1-18 triumphantly proclaims that, unlike the sacrifices prescribed in Leviticus, our Lord’s sacrifice was not only necessary but entirely sufficient for the atonement of our sins.

The new directories are out, and I am praying through the directory Monday through Thursday morning, roughly a page per day. We kicked off our Dream Big series talking about strategic, powerful prayer. Prayer and Share triplets have started meeting and we shared with you some questions to spark your praying and dreaming for Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren. The Dream Big board is up in the gathering area and there are a few dreams there already but lots of space to fill. If God gives you a dream, pray about it and if you feel you need to write on the dream big board, you can do so anonymously. Remember we are claiming that promise from Ephesians 3 that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). So, let’s Dream Big for Mechanic Grove and the glory of God.

Our Wednesday evening Bible study continued this week with 1 Corinthians Chapter 4. This chapter talks about apostles of Christ who Paul says are simply servants of the Lord. The problems in the Corinthian church were many and Paul corrects them on their tendencies to revere man and follow their favorite pastor/teachers. Paul even calls them arrogant!  The Corinthian church was young, spiritually immature and they were worldly in so many ways. Paul calls them to focus on Jesus. That’s a good message for the church then and still relevant today. As we Dream Big together, let our focus remain on Jesus and His Church!

On Sunday, that furry prognosticator will let us know if spring is right around the corner or if we can anticipate six more weeks of winter. Looking at the forecast, I am pretty sure we can count on six more weeks of winter. One good thing is that the days are getting longer, and spring training is now just a few weeks away. I am thinking February is going to be a great month with an Eagles Super Bowl victory and the start of baseball. God has great things in store for us as we continue to pray and dream big.

On Sunday I will be sharing a message entitled “The Family of Faith” from 1 John 1 as we consider how the church is family. While many of us are related biologically, we are all related by blood—the blood of Christ. We will be sharing about what it means to be the family of God and how we can dream big about fellowship opportunities that bring us together as brothers and sisters in Christ. 

So, enjoy your Friday and your weekend. February is here and I am looking forward to a great month of praying and dreaming big with you. Come Sunday, let’s gather in celebration of the One who promises to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine! It is Friday…but Sunday’s coming!

Pastor Kevin