BIG EASY...

The past few months have been packed full and we have felt stretched a little thin…so, we decided to head south to find some warmer weather and a family adventure in a new city.

We got both in New Orleans!

There are plenty of stories to share, but one of my favorites happened while we were walking on the beach. The kids were collecting shells and tossing around a ball while we made our way down the shoreline. All of a sudden one of them discovered a jellyfish and then within a few seconds a large shell that had washed up on the beach. It was upside down and it had a long stinger…at first, we thought it was a Sting Ray, but the hard shell and crab-like legs didn’t match. Our best guess is some sort of crab…however we still don’t really know what it was.

We sprang into action and got it back in the water where it belongs and watched as it drifted back out into the Gulf of Mexico.

We don’t know whether it survived its time on the beach or not, but we know the situation was dire…and its only hope was to be rescued.

Over the past several months, I’ve had meetings with people who might have felt similar to our unnamed sea creature. Due to life decisions, it seemed they were fighting for the life of a relationship or reputation and on rare occasions even worse.

What if we could provide help before they washed up on the
beach in a desperate situation?

What if instead of fighting for their own lives they were healthy enough to fight for others?

As a church, we believe God has called us to double down on our shepherding, and instead of waiting for more desperate situations to come to us, we have resolved to be available to support each of our members and regular attenders in pursuit of spiritual wellness.

This Sunday, New Year’s Day, I am super excited to begin a new sermon series entitled, “Spiritual Wellness” where we will explore what it looks like to be changed by the mystery of the gospel of Jesus. This week, the sermon is titled, “Spiritual Growth: Who am I becoming?” from Ephesians 3:14-21.

There is so much more I can’t wait to share. I look forward to seeing you at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.

So excited to focus on our spiritual wellness in 2023,
Troy