Steps of Faith

‘What step of faith is Jesus asking me to take this week? More like what in my life doesn’t feel like a step of faith right now?’

That was my initial reaction at the end of Pastor Jack’s sermon on Sunday morning.

According to his sovereignty and in his good timing, God is calling my family to move to Hillsboro where we will join the family at Grace Community Fellowship and I will serve as associate pastor.

New church family, new community, new job, new home… that’s a lot of steps of faith for someone who really doesn’t deal with change all that well!

And yet, through the whole process that led up to making the decision to follow this call, Addie and I were met with a surprising amount of confidence and peace.

When, in Luke 5:4, Jesus told Peter to “put out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch,” I can’t imagine his initial feeling was one of confidence and peace. And yet, once Peter and the others saw the impossible catch Jesus provided, “they left everything and followed him,” (v 11).

What moved Peter from confusion—”Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”—to action—”But at your word I will let down the nets”—to giving it all for him?

It was trust in Jesus—the one they had just seen provide in amazing ways.

It was the same thing that gave my Addie and me confidence to take this step of faith: we have already seen God provide in amazing ways.

In fact, we were in a similar situation not that long ago: taking a new job and moving to a new home in a new community and joining a new church family. And now, less than six years later, everything that was once new and scary is what we love and makes leaving so difficult.

God has proven himself faithful time and time again, and that gives us confident hope that he will provide again and again in the future. We don’t have all the answers and we know it won’t be easy, but knowing we are seeking to walk in obedience gives us the hope to take this next step of faith.

So now, I want to join Pastor Jack in asking you: what step of faith is Jesus asking you to take this week?

Once you have identified an action step and you are inevitably stopped in your tracks by fear and doubt, think back on how you have seen God move in your life. What impossible catch have you witnessed? How did he provide unexpectedly for an incredible need? How did he call you out of darkness and into his marvelous light?

Let those truths fill you with trust in our God whose steadfast love endures forever, and let that trust move you to action.

You are the church. Now go be the church.

I love you, Grace!
Nathan Ehresman

Join a Prayer Movement

Some of you may remember a staff journal I wrote in 2020. My car radio was randomly not working and eventually quit altogether. I believed that God was prompting me to pray more.

Well, I’m stubborn and eventually my radio started working again. I started praying less and listening to music and Bott Radio again. 

Apparently, God still wanted me to pray more, and I simply didn’t get the hint the first time.

While my car radio started working again, it started randomly turning on and off, even without the key in the ignition. This was causing my battery to drain overnight and I had to jump start my car several times. Eventually, I decided to remove the fuse for my radio.

Now I don’t have any radio or clock, but my battery doesn’t drain overnight… and I’m back to praying more in my car!

To add to that, in my current seminary class—Spiritual Formation—I recently read a chapter on prayer. In that chapter, there was a very specific challenge to turn off the radio in your car and pray more.

Okay God, I get it!

So, if you pull up next to me at a stop light and I’m the only one in the car, but I’m talking… no, I don’t have a fancy car where I can use my phone through the radio, I’m simply praying out loud.

God is deepening my habit of prayer, and I’m excited about many prayer movements that God is stirring in our church body. In fact, I’d love to invite you to join us in some of these prayer movements.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve added a couple people to our Sunday morning prayer teams. We have a wonderful prayer room in our church facility and I’d love to have more and more people praying during either our 9am or 1045am service on Sunday mornings!

I’m part of a group of guys that gets together most Saturday mornings for about an hour to drive around Newton and pray over our city. We would love to eventually have 5 or 6 vehicles headed out on Saturday mornings to battle for our community in prayer!

On Thursday mornings the Elders have been praying in the fireside room at 6:45, and while we’d like to keep that just an Elder thing, I’ve been showing up at 6am to pray with a friend until about 6:40 or so. I would love to have others join me at 6am in the fireside room on Thursday mornings!

Becky Wheeler is heading up the “Keep Watch” Prayer movement for our schools. She leads a team of prayer warriors in prayer walks around Chisholm, Santa Fe, and the high school once a week. Eventually, they hope to be in these schools before or after school hours to pray. We would love to have more people join this prayer movement!

I’d personally love to connect you with any one of these prayer movements! Just let me know that you are interested and we’ll get you connected!

I believe God is stirring and preparing our church, our city, and other churches in our city for something incredible! Let’s continue developing this habit of prayer in our lives!

For His Glory,
Pastor Kyle

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In Case You Missed It

Here’s a quick recap of our The Heart of Grace “state of the church” conversation with the elders from last Sunday:

• Extend is now Reach. Our missions council has been restructured toward a goal of more focused support with higher church engagement with the missionaries and ministries we support. The Reach Local team focuses on ministries and initiatives in Newton and the immediately surrounding community. The Reach Global team focuses on missionaries, ministries, and initiatives anywhere outside our immediate community.

• Touchpoint Initiative. The elders and staff are launching an effort to personally reach out and make contact with the members of our church family.

• New Young Marrieds class. We are creating a space for young married couples to connect with one another and plug into the life and ministry of our church.

• Pastor of Connection & Care. We have a couple exciting candidates to fill this role of connecting people with God, one another, and the church.

• Student Ministry Pastor. It has been a challenge to find experienced candidates, but we are hopeful that God will provide the right candidate in his good timing.

• Financial Update. By God’s grace—and your generosity!—we are beginning 2021 in a strong financial position.

• Question & Response. Do we have any plans for a singles and young adult ministry? What is our plan for discipling high school-aged youth? Could we update our church sign to a digital one? Will the Pastor of Connection & Care help with funeral arrangements? Are there any plans to update the church directory?

We encourage you to take some time to watch the video below for all the details.

Thank you for owning the mission and joining us as we love God, love people, and lead others to do the same!

Divine Delays

We walked into the terminal around 8am at the Wichita airport and we were the only passengers in sight. We went through security, just Courtney and I, and walked toward Chick-fil-A (because, of course). 

We were supposed to fly out of Wichita that morning, but we had no idea how interrupted our schedule would become. Our flight was delayed, so we had to wait for the afternoon. 

We knew we would miss our connecting flight, but maybe we would get to the FEC retreat just a few hours late. Since we had no place to go, we sat and read. Then the moment came to board our plane. We sit in our “be-thankful-for-what-you-get” seats, and wait. And we wait some more. Then we wait just a little while longer.

We sat on our plane for two hours before we disembarked due to our airline’s complete shutdown (which ended up lasting for five days). None of it was going to plan… or, at least, our plan.

Toward the end of Monday, we knew our flight was canceled and we had no hope of making it to our retreat in time. We would miss a whole day and a half.

Do you ever get discouraged when expectations and plans get altered and delayed? Of course you do. It’s disappointing.

Yet, we had resolve and hope. God was aware of what this trip would be like, so we trusted Him.

The next day, we head back to the airport, only to sit slouched in our chair because of further delays. I began to wonder if God really wanted us to go. Lunchtime came around, and I began to pray for God’s purpose in the waiting.

“Is there ANYBODY You want me to talk with? Let me join You in some encounter... please.”

I knew God always had a plan for our waiting, no matter what the reason.

As I passed by the gate counter, I saw Mike. We saw him the day before, so I knew he was in our same predicament. But Mike wasn’t flying for business or pleasure. Mike was on his way to donate his kidney to his son’s war buddy. He looked tired. He looked defeated. He looked worried.

So I decided to take my own detour. I walked up to Mike and asked if I could pray for him.

“I don’t know if you’re a person of faith, but would you mind if I prayed for you?”

He obliged, I put my hand on his shoulder, and I prayed for God to step into the situation and help. I don’t remember my words, but as soon as I said “Amen,” God opened Mike’s heart to share with me.

Here’s Mike on the right:

Turns out, Mike comes by Newton every once in a while to visit a friend (what a weird “coincidence,” huh?). We even talked about meeting at Norm’s and having coffee.

I never wanted to spend an extra day in the airport, and I really didn’t want to miss a whole day of our retreat. But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have connected with Mike, and maybe that was a more important connection than the one we were trying to make at the Dallas airport.

See you guys on Sunday morning, and I hope you come to The Heart of Grace at 4pm in the Worship Center. 

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jack

Spiritual Vertigo

Have you ever experienced vertigo? That feeling of being off balance; how with a sudden movement you find yourself on a virtual roller coaster ride? It's no thrill! 

It's amazing to me how the tiniest parts of your ear can affect the equilibrium of your whole body.

There are not a lot of good remedies for an issue like this. But being still and taking a few deep breaths are immediate needs when things get spinning. Every movement must become slow and focused to avoid falling or injury. 

Our spiritual equilibrium is much the same.

An unexpected trial can set your world spinning—a thoughtless comment can unintentionally spark hurt, a winter storm can ruin plans, job loss can leave you scrambling. Life brings regular opportunities for imbalance in our thoughts, emotions, and relationships.

So when circumstances tip and turn you one way or another, what do you do?

I was reminded this week that my response to spiritual or emotional vertigo should be similar to a physical dizzy spell.

Be still. Breathe. Focus. Take careful next steps.

When worry, anger, hurt, or doubt creep in, I need to stop and breathe—take time to be still in God's presence, shut out distractions, reach out to him to steady me, breathe out my prayers for help and steadiness, stay and rest awhile with him.

Next, I must focus—focus on who God is, on truth from his Word, on praise and gratitude in the midst of everything.

Once I'm centered with the Lord, I can prayerfully take next steps considering how my reactions to this trying situation could affect myself and others around me. I must push on through whatever difficulties I'm facing, making choices that lead to personal and relational health. I can move forward, steadied by God's guidance and wisdom.

Are you experiencing some spiritual vertigo? Is life leaving you spinning? 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult… Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:1-3, 10a

Juli Dirks

Uncovering Treasures

A couple of months ago I was digging through a box of my old childhood treasures and came across a journal that I had written in. I was maybe 12 years old and you can imagine what types of things were recorded.

There were some friendship woes and general happenings that only a pre-teen would find worthy of writing down in a journal. One sentence caught my eye, “I want to be an archaeologist when I grow up so that I can prove the Bible is true.” That sweet girl really knew nothing about the Bible at that time.  

As I have shared before, I did not grow up in a Bible-believing home. What little I did know came from a conversation that I had with my Grandaddy one evening. He shared about Jesus and what heaven looks like, and that He is coming back again. Grandaddy never talked with me about Jesus again; he passed away not long after. Those words are etched in my memory to this day. 

I often heard the dialogue from those around me that disputed the Bible’s authenticity. Imagine the confusion that comes from hearing such conflicting messages! I wanted so badly for what my Grandaddy told me to be real because it sounded so wonderful.

During Habits of Grace, we have been focusing on connecting with God through His Word. The sermons have challenged me to really dig deep and connect with God in a more intimate way. I have been a part of many Bible studies over the years, but I haven’t read the Bible all the way through. 

My goal for this year is to complete a chronological reading plan and it is exciting to know that there are many people in our church family doing the same! 

I am so thankful that I don’t have to be an archaeologist to prove the Bible is true—although visiting Israel would be really awesome!

What that little girl didn’t know was that reading God’s Word is like being an archaeologist, there are so many treasures to uncover and the relationship with the Lord that comes from it is priceless.   

See you this Sunday!

Casey Teater

Spiritual Hearing Aids

“99% of babies who fail the first test go on to pass on the second one.”

That’s what a well-intentioned nurse told us after our baby Claire failed her newborn hearing screening. And we took it to heart and didn’t worry… until she failed the second test too.

How much can she hear? Can she hear at all? Will she ever hear?

Those were our initial worries, and we have been on quite the journey over the past nine months to get answers to those questions.

Ultimately, we found that she can hear some, but there are significant gaps in her hearing. And the answer to fill in those gaps was one I had no idea was even a possibility for a baby: hearing aids.

So yesterday—after nine months of wondering how much of our voices was getting through to Claire and praying fervently for God to make a way for her to hear—we went to get her hearing aids!

Our hearts burst with joy (and my eyes burst with tears) as we saw her respond with a smile to our voices. She was so alert and interested in taking in her surroundings, and she seemed so happy—happy to finally fill in the gap in her experience of the world.

Sometimes, it can feel like there is a gap in our experience when we read the Bible.

I know this is God’s Word, but how can he be speaking for me through this collection of anthologies and poems and stories and letters written to people who lived thousands of years ago in an entirely different culture in a different part of the world?

Just like I am incredibly thankful for Claire’s hearing aids that fill in the gaps in her hearing, I am thankful for our spiritual hearing aid—God’s Holy Spirit—who opens our eyes and ears and allows us to truly hear what God is saying through His Word.

God’s Word is living and active (Heb 4:12), because the same Spirit who inspired the writers of the words back then is illuminating them—bringing them to life—for their readers today.

The hearing aids help Claire hear, but they don’t work unless we put them in her ears. The Holy Spirit does the work of speaking to us through the Bible, but we have to put ourselves in a place to hear from him by reading the Bible.

Are you putting in your spiritual hearing aids? Are you taking up the challenge to create a pattern of consistently connecting with God through His word so that you can hear the Spirit speak directly from God’s heart to yours through the words of the Bible?

I have been thankful for our Habits of Grace series, which has outlined the reasons why we listen to God’s Word and given us tools and patterns to do so well. And I’m excited for this Sunday, when we will wrap up the series with a look at passing on God’s Word.

I love you, Grace!

-Nathan Ehresman

Elder Connection: A Letter from Our Elders (January 2021)

[Editor’s Note: This is a special-edition Staff Journal written by Doug Stucky, one of our Governing Elders. This letter from Doug is part of an effort from the elders to create an open line of communication from the hearts and minds of the elders to you, the church.]

Greetings Grace Family,

I pray that this note finds each of you well. In this time of such uncertainty in our world it is such a blessing to know that we serve an amazing God who loves us, cares for us, and wants to have a personal relationship with us. We need to remember that He is in our yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He covers us with His grace, love, and forgiveness each and every day. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as an elder! It is an honor and privilege to serve with an incredible group of men that have a heart for the Lord and a desire to selflessly serve our church body. I am also thankful for our wonderful pastors, church staff, and volunteers. This is not an easy time for the church, and it is such a blessing to have the opportunity and options to meet in person or remotely to reach our church body and community with the good news of the gospel of Christ.

We are blessed to have pastors that are so devoted to fervent prayer and fasting. We are in prayer each week for the Grace family, our town, our country, and our world. As we meet each Thursday morning before work for a time of prayer, please join us in praying for the Lord’s direction and leading for our church.

I am very excited by what is happening in our church! The Lord continues to bless us in so many ways and I believe we are on the cusp of a revival. I know that many of you are interested to know the status of our pastoral searches. Certainly, our goal was to have these positions filled this past year. Who would have known that we would be dealing with a global pandemic! However, this time has allowed us to wait on the Lord for His timing to bring the individuals who will help lead our church body and youth program.

I want to encourage each of you to make plans to come to the Heart of Grace church meeting on the 28th of February. It will be a wonderful time of sharing by the Grace elders and staff concerning our pastoral searches, new vision for missions, new elective ministries, and a financial update. We will also have panel Q&A to answer questions from the church body. We are excited to share this time with you!

In difficult times or when faced with tough situations, my grandmother used to say, “This too shall pass.” What a blessing to know that there is no tragedy we’ll face, no adversity we’ll encounter, and no hardship we’ll endure, where the Lord is not with us, holding us up with His mighty hand. I am truly excited to see where the Lord is going to take us, and I do believe the best is yet to come! 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve!

Doug Stucky

Restore

Earlier this week I gave my testimony at the Elder meeting.

I don’t consider my testimony to be the most exciting thing. I can’t put a finger on a date when I became a Christian. As far back as I can remember, I remember knowing that Jesus was my Savior and that He died for me. I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember, and God has graciously spared me from a lot of hurt.

I don’t have some amazing story of being saved from a life of drugs, alcohol, or promiscuity, but when I share my story, I’ve come to love sharing the low point in my past when I was addicted to pornography. It reminds me of how great God’s love and grace are. It has also allowed me to receive confessions from brothers who are entangled in porn, and to walk with them in steps to recovery.

After sharing that part of my story at the Elder meeting, one of the Elders asked me how I found freedom from that battle.

For me, it was a number of things.

Memorizing Scripture was a huge part of my road to recovery. Prayer was vital! Accountability from my brothers in Christ was essential. And the road to freedom felt like it started with my confession to my brothers in Christ. For about a year it was a secret sin. No one knew that I was struggling with it. I hid it, and I was ashamed.

My experience has shown me that there are men and women all around me with hidden struggles with things like pornography, alcoholism, or depression.

Maybe that’s someone you know.

Maybe that’s you.

Shame and guilt are heavy, and the sin remains hidden. You feel alone in your struggles, and you feel hopeless and stuck.

Like me, without a community of believers holding you accountable, encouraging you, pointing you to truth, and praying for you, you will probably remain stuck. 

If this is you or someone you know, I want to share some encouragement with you.

We are starting a new small group called Restore that is focused on recovery. We’ve got a good team forming, we’ve got great curriculum lined up, we are praying hard, and we are planning to kick off on Friday night, February 5th in the Fireside Room at 6:30pm.

If you know someone that could use this group, please let them know. If this is you, I beg you to come and participate in this group. There is freedom in Christ. There are others that are struggling, and there is strength in walking together through these struggles.

If God has brought you through a struggle like this, or you have a passion for working with a recovery ministry, we’d love to have you join the Restore team.

Our prayer is that this would grow from a small group for our own church family into a ministry that opens up to our community, but we still need more volunteers before we reach that point.

I’m so excited for how this will reach and serve our community. Thank you for prayerfully considering being involved with this group!

I love you church, and I’m looking forward to Sunday!
–Pastor Kyle

Only Jesus

And I, I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus

And I, I've only got one life to live
I'll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus

The words to this song by Casting Crowns make me stop and think every time I hear them.

Our world says, "make a name for yourself". Even in Christian circles you hear, "leave a legacy".

I agree, leaving a godly legacy is a good thing. But this song made me think. Is my godly legacy something I should really be focusing on? Or should I be more concerned about Jesus’ legacy? The answer seems obvious.

I heard this song again yesterday, and it felt especially meaningful. Both Ryan and I have just lost our last grandparent within a month of each other. There's something hard to swallow about the finality of a whole generation in our families that's now missing.

We were both tremendously blessed with two sets of godly grandparents who had strong influence in our lives and our faith journeys. None of them set out to make their mark on the world. They simply lived lives of faithfulness to God.

While we'll treasure our memories of them, and special heirlooms that are passed down to us, what we can really treasure is the lingering imprint of Jesus they all have left behind—how Jesus' influence in their lives has spread to ours. Each of them, in their own way, despite struggles and failings, left Jesus' legacy.

Years from now, when I'm no longer on the earth, what do I want my daughter and grandchildren to remember about me? What's really important? Not my money, my things, my successes, or even my ministry work. Not me at all, really. Only Jesus.

My prayer is that, by God's grace, my greatest accomplishment will be that I was able to "step aside", get out of his way in a sense, and allow God to work through me to accomplish what I could not on my own so that my life points to Jesus.

And I, I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus…

We look forward to seeing you Sunday, in person and online! Join us as we kick off our Habit of Grace series.

Juli Dirks

Connecting with God through His Word

“I will give you $100.”

The room froze. Samuel and Russell stared at me, eyebrows raised and shocked at the offer.

Courtney quickly turned her neck and gazed at me with a smirk.

Today was the day. I had thought about it for a while, going back and forth in my mind, unsure of whether this was the best solution (or honestly, even a good idea).

Courtney and I have been reading through our Bibles for years, and we’ve encouraged our kids to do the same. But it hasn’t been an easy habit to start.

They go to Awana on Wednesday night, memorizing Scripture and thinking through Bible stories. They enjoy Sunday School and learn from the experience and knowledge of their teachers.

But nothing is a substitute for personal Bible reading. Each of us, no matter how young or old, need to hear from God. We need to connect with Him through His Word.

We all need His voice in our lives on a regular basis. So I threw down the parental ace of spades.

I offered $100 to my oldest boys if they read through the Bible each day this year.

So far, the monetary reward has sparked a new motivation. They have been far more diligent to read than ever before. They haven’t missed a day so far!

But I know this is only a temporary strategy to get them started. Most of their rewards in life will be personal accomplishment, contentment, and growth.

This year, our Habit of Grace is Connecting with God through His Word. Our original plan was to begin this upcoming Sunday, January 10th, but Courtney and I both tested positive for COVID-19 this week and will be spending some time quarantining at home. So far, we are both doing okay, and the kids have had a couple of runny noses. We appreciate your prayers and look forward to reuniting with you all soon.

I love you, Grace.
Pastor Jack

Renewed Wonder

Strings of colorful lights. Little green Christmas tree cookies. A Christmas movie marathon with my cousins. Monkey bread for breakfast. Being so excited about opening presents that I can’t sleep.

These are some of the traditions that made Christmas a magical time for me as a kid.

Coordinating family schedules. Coming up with enough gift ideas to satisfy grandmothers. The perceived pressure to reciprocate a gift, even though gift-giving is not my love language.

And these are some of the traditions that have taken the magic out of Christmas for me as an adult.

But this year feels different. This year, some of the magic is coming back.

At times, this year has seemed like Narnia under the reign of the White Witch: always winter, but never Christmas.

So why this year to rediscover a sense of wonder about Christmas?

(And, before you ask—no, it’s not because we have been watching extra magical bad cheesy Christmas movies this year… even though we have.)

Really, I think the answer lies in the same reality that prompts the question: God has used the challenging circumstances of this year to open my eyes to the depths of meaning in the Advent season.

The weeks of Advent are an annual time of expectation, of waiting in anticipation. But it is not the same anticipation that kept me up late on Christmas Eve…

Advent is a time to remember the brokenness in our lives and the world around us; we wait expectantly during Advent because we are reminded of our dire need for a savior.

But we take heart because that savior has come: Jesus, the eternal second person of the Trinity, took on flesh and was born of a virgin. Being fully God, there was no sin dwelling in him; he was not condemned from birth the way every other human being since Adam and Eve has been. And yet, being fully human, Jesus—the second Adam—was qualified to die an atoning death as a representative for all of sinful humanity.

Because of his victorious resurrection and triumphant ascension, we trust his promise to come again and redeem all things. And that is why we wait with hope, why we wait with expectation, for that glorious day.

In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is excitement when the ice begins to break because it means Aslan is on the move—the Savior is coming.

We may not have reasonable hope or expectation that the brokenness of this world will improve, but we do have hope that it will not endure forever.

Advent is meaningful because it is not forever; Advent is meaningful because it is followed by Christmas. The struggles of this year may will last beyond 11:59pm on December 31, but they won’t last forever. The struggles of this year are meaningful because they are not forever. The ice will break and a new Christmas—the second advent of our Savior—will come.

When I look at it that way, it’s no wonder that this was the year when God renewed my sense of wonder!

More than before, I identify with the spirit of yearning that characterizes Advent. And more than before, I am so grateful for Christmas, for Jesus’ first coming, and the hope it gives me for his second coming.

And that’s why I have a sense of wonder about Christmas again this year.

This new outlook on Advent has breathed new life into many Christmas hymns and vaulted them to the top of my favorite songs list:

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
–O Come O Come Emmanuel

Come, thou long expected Jesus
Born to set thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in thee
–Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
–O Holy Night

I mean… come on!

As we are just a week away from Christmas, I pray that God uses these final days of expectant waiting to renew your wonder at the fact that our Savior humbled himself in order to save you from the sin within you and around you.

I love you, Church!

Merry Christmas,
Nathan Ehresman

This Is Jesus

Rejoice He is with us!  Rejoice Hope is here!

These are lyrics from a new Christmas song called “This Is Jesus” that we introduced this past Sunday. It’s sung to the tune of “Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing,” but with Christmas lyrics.  

This is Jesus King of Glory, come to rescue from the fall.
Son of God who comes to save us, Prince of Peace and Lord of All.

Jesus left His holy throne for us. He humbled Himself and took on flesh. He came to rescue us, that we might be called His own. He brought light to our darkness and hope when we were hopeless!

What a beautiful mystery, that the God of creation would become man to save sinners like us. Who could fathom it?  

This Christmas season we rejoice because God is with us! We rejoice because Hope came to humanity some 2000 years ago!

Even in the Christmas season, our hearts are prone to wander and get caught up in the things of this world. But God is here, and His love continues to pursue us!

I pray this song will encourage you this Christmas season with its truth. May our hearts be filled with wander at the birth of our Savior! May our worship through song be pleasing to Jesus, our King of Glory!

I’m looking forward to singing with you this Sunday, and excited to continue in our “Dressed for the Season” sermon series.

For His Glory,
Pastor Kyle

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My RightNow Media pick is an Advent series from J.D. Greear:

Now and Later

Now and Laters.

Does anyone remember these chewy, jaw-breaking taffy squares? It's been awhile since I've eaten one (I think the watermelon flavor was my favorite), but they came to mind as I was reading through I and II Thessalonians this week.

I know. Weird, right?

In these two letters Paul is writing to a church that is facing much persecution for their faith. He reaches out to them to encourage them to endure and stay faithful, and to address their concerns and confusion about Christ's return.

It felt timely to me that my read-through-the-Bible schedule landed me in these books right as Advent season is starting and our current sermon series will focus on patience this Sunday.

But then, when is God's Word not timely?

What I've been struck with is the balance a follower of Christ must aim for—the balance of Now and Later.

The Christian life is so much about balancing the Now (relationships, work, service, growing in Christ, struggles) with the Later (Christ's return, our heavenly destination). It's like trying to keep one foot firmly on the ground in two different worlds.

Paul calls us to be committed to our life here, making the most of our time waiting for Christ's return to work hard, love others, and intentionally grow in Christlikeness. At the same time, we keep our hearts anchored in the hope of Heaven. Be present in the Now and in the Later.

This is easier said than done.

I can find myself swinging too far one way or the other—getting caught up in the worries and tasks of Now, or longing so hard for Later that I withdraw because Now seems too long and too hard.

I loved the reminder to keep my heart balanced between the two. As I pondered how that looks for me, here are some things that came to mind:

• Live with anticipation, not anxiety.

• Live with confidence, not confusion.

• Live with faithfulness, not idleness.

• Live with hope, not despair.

I hope that this 2020 Advent season will remind you to patiently endure and actively serve the Lord right Now, while relishing in the hope of our Later with Christ.

Steady on, my friends!
Juli Dirks

Puzzling Seasons

There are 43 quintillion possible configurations of the Rubik’s Cube. That’s 43 with eighteen zeros attached to it. That means you can have the same cube look different in 43 quintillion ways, and yet it is still the same cube.

However, did you know that the fastest “cubers” can solve a randomized cube in under 10 seconds? A couple of people have even solved it in 5 seconds... FIVE!

Sound impossible? Well get this, any cube can be solved with just 20 moves! You can look it up. It only took mathematicians about 30 years to figure it out.

So, this year we got one of our sons, Samuel, a Rubik’s Cube for his birthday. None of us had ever solved one, so it didn’t take long before we bought two more—one for me (Jack) and another for Russell. We thought it would be fun to learn how to solve it together. 

At first I was intrigued, learning about how Erno Rubik created the game “on accident” when trying to create a new puzzle back in 1974. Then I was determined.

We successfully searched the World Wide Web for some insights and lessons and spent one of my “off” days watching YouTube videos. We learned a few classic strategies, memorized about 5 algorithms, and eventually solved our first Cube. What an accomplishment! I don’t remember what it felt like when I first learned how to ride a bike, but I bet it’s similar. 

Samuel’s gotten pretty good at it. He can solve his in just over 2 minutes now. That’s not too bad for beginners like us! Still, we would have to learn a hundred more algorithms before we could solve one in under 30 seconds. Not a current goal of mine.

But what would be worth the time it takes to become great?

Many accomplishments take hundreds and even thousands of hours to achieve. When it came to the Cube, my ultimate aim was doing something fun together, which often feels like a more difficult puzzle to solve. 

I am in a season of parenting young children right now, and different seasons require extra effort and intentionality. Some seasons may feel like a giant puzzle that you’re trying to solve. 

Maybe you feel like you are just turning a bunch of pieces and not seeing any results. And if you’ve ever played with a Rubik’s Cube, you know what I mean. But persevering in whatever calling God has given you is worth the intentionality and effort. It may have 43 quintillion different variations, and sometimes it seems impossible to “solve,” but we can trust Him to guide us and turn the pieces of our lives.

Galatians 6:9,
Pastor Jack

Introducing Jenni DeMarce as Office Administrator!

We are so thankful to God for (quickly!) providing Jenni DeMarce to serve our staff and our church as office administrator. Jenni has already started working in the office part-time, and will begin full-time on Monday, November 23. Here’s a quick interview to help you get to know the newest member of our team:

Tell us briefly about yourself and your family.

I was born in Pennsylvania. I met my husband, Jason, in 1990 at New Tribes Bible Institute, Jackson, MI, where we later served on staff from 2002-2015.

We have two wonderful children, Tabetha and Ethen, a beautiful daughter-in-law, Emily, a two year granddaughter, Clara, and two chihuahuas, Daisy and Diesel. We bought our first house in Elbing and absolutely love our little town.

Tabetha lives here in Newton and works at the hospital. Ethen and Emily are in training with Ethnos360 with plans to be in full-time missions within the next couple of years.

A little fun fact: Emily is Chuck and Sharon Voth's daughter.

How long have you and Jason been at Grace? How have you been involved since you got been here?

Jason and I have been attending Grace since October 2019. In early 2020 we attended a Starting Point and shortly after that Pastor Kyle asked us to join the tech team. We have since enjoyed serving once a month back in the sound booth. We have also plugged into a wonderful small group.

Why did you pursue this office administrator position at Grace?

I have been working remotely from home for the past 2 years and though I enjoy the flexibility, I miss working and interacting with people. When I heard about the position I wrestled with whether or not I could leave my current job. After a couple weeks of prayer and some different people encouraging me to seriously consider the position, I submitted my application, excited about the possibility of being back in ministry as an office administrator again.

What excites you about serving the church in this way?

I am looking forward to getting to know more of the Grace family and being able to serve the staff and church with the adminstrative gifts God has given me.

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Jenni has proven to be a quick learner already and we are so excited to have her joining the team and serving in the office.

Please join us in praising God for providing for our needs from among the gifted people who make up our church family! And, as you call or stop in the office and meet Jenni, take some time to introduce yourself and give her a warm welcome to the staff team!

Update from Pastor Kyle

I Speak Jesus

Our nation needs Jesus.

I’m sure all of you can agree. There is so much brokenness, hatred, addiction, and darkness in the world, but in the name of Jesus there is wholeness, love, freedom, and light.

It’s not politically correct anymore to speak about Jesus. So we need boldness, and we need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak His name.

In several passages in Acts, we see Christ-followers being told not to speak about Jesus. We seem them being mistreated and beaten, but continuing to speak the name of Jesus! By the name of Jesus they healed, they declared salvation, and they pushed back against the spiritual forces of evil. Their commitment to preach Jesus is inspiring and challenging to read.

Our newest song, “I Speak Jesus”, is all about speaking the name of Jesus. We want to speak the powerful name of Jesus over darkness, over strongholds, over fear and anxiety, and over depression. We want to speak the name of Jesus declaring peace, declaring hope, declaring healing, and declaring freedom.

There’s power in the name of Jesus to break strongholds and to shine through the shadows.

As we unite and sing the name of Jesus, I pray that fear would be replaced with peace and hope, that depression would be replaced with joy, that addictions would be broken, and that the spiritual forces of evil would be restrained. 

The bridge of this song says,

Shout Jesus from the mountains
Jesus from the streets
Jesus in the darkness over every enemy
Jesus for my family
I speak the holy Name
Jesus!

I pray that we wouldn’t just speak the name of Jesus when we are together, but that we truly would speak the name of Jesus in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our homes, and in our places of work.

Like the early Christians in Acts, I pray we would be unashamed to speak the name of Jesus, even in the face of increasing persecution. 

As always, I can’t wait for Sunday! We’ll declare the name of Jesus together through song, we’ll spend some time praying for our country, and Jack will share about the armor we have against the spiritual forces of evil. I can’t wait to gather with you!

For His Glory,
Pastor Kyle

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My RightNow Media pick is Redeem the Screen. It’s all about our idolatry with our screens. It’s a timely challenge and biblical reminder of our dependency on screens.

Elder Connection: A Letter from Our Elders (October 2020)

[Editor’s Note: This is a special-edition Staff Journal written by Audrun Siebert, one of our Governing Elders. This letter from Audrun is part of an effort from the elders to create an open line of communication from the hearts and minds of the elders to you, the church.]

Greetings Grace,

Here we are, eight months deep into the COVID pandemic. Who would have thought this would have gone on for this long with no end in sight? It is wearing thin! It seems even as believers we are all responding in very different ways to this cultural moment. The political divisions in our country have begun to seep into the church. As the body of Christ, called to be one in unity, can we be gracious enough to respect each other’s opinions and their resulting actions? As elders, we are praying that God will give us wisdom as we seek to bring unity to this body of believers in a difficult time.

The elders are working on creating a vision for the future of Grace Community Church. Where is God leading us as we minister in this world and in this community? In light of the Great Commission, what should this Church look like and how should we minister as God’s feet and hands? 

We, as individuals and as a body, are the “church.” And, as we repeat each Sunday: “Now, go be the church.” But what does that look like for us as individuals and for us as a body? As elders we are trying to flesh that out for our church body. And as we search for new pastors to replace Loren and Steve, this is an opportune time.

Being down to two pastors is hard for everyone, especially Pastors Jack and Kyle. Please pray for them as their workload has become heavy. As difficult as this is, it is also a time of opportunity to set the direction for the future as we search for the right men that God has prepared for these positions. Please pray that God will guide us to the right men and that we will be patient as we wait on God’s leading.

As a long-time farmer (and still a farmer at heart), I believe this is “planting time” for Grace Community Church. The seeds we are sowing today will provide the harvest in the coming years. Let us sow carefully and with all due diligence as we search for new pastors.

Please pray for us as elders and staff that God will guide us to the right individuals to fill these positions and that the men to whom God leads us will be open and willing to serve. And please pray that we, as individuals, will be willing to carry our share of the load as we offer our talents and abilities as leaders in Sunday School, Awana, and on our boards and counsels. Remember, God doesn’t always call the qualified but qualifies the willing!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as an elder for the past five years. It has not always been easy, but it is a privilege and opportunity. Please continue to pray for me as well as all the elders and staff, that God will continue to grant wisdom, unity, and peace. May God continue to open our spiritual eyes to what it means to “be the church” in this time and in this community. 

In Christ,

Audrun Siebert

Suffering, Comfort, and Hope

I'll be honest, writing these staff journals is hard!

I don't always feel like I have something amazing to share. I mean, I'm no pastor. What if people think what I have to say is silly? What if I don't communicate my heart effectively?

This time, again, I had a hard time landing on just what to share.

At a staff friend's suggestion, I went back to my prayer notebook searching for some inspiration and asked the Spirit to guide me. I landed on a page where I've been collecting Bible verses that have jumped out at me and spoken deeply to me during prayer time over the last few weeks. I had been revisiting these verses and praying through them. 

What I noticed this time was a progression I hadn't seen before—God leading me through his Word. So cool! I wonder if you'll notice it too.

2 Corinthians 1:8b-9

For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.  

Hebrews 6:19a

We have this HOPE as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. 

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Galatians 6:9-10

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we DO NOT GIVE UP.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

Acts 9:31

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Did you see it? 

This year, and especially these last few months, have brought many times of feeling utterly burdened beyond my strength. I've had no choice but to rely on God. But while I felt at times I was sharing abundantly in Christ's suffering, God also comforted me abundantly and led me to hope.

Hope reminded me who I was working for and led me to gratitude. Hope implored me to keep going and not give up, especially for the sake of God's people. And hope provided a picture of what God wants to do at Grace and in the Church worldwide.

This was, and continues to be, such an inspiration to me! I literally get chills each time I read through these verses. I hope it will encourage you too. 

Please join me in praying that God will bring peace to our church and among believers, and that he will strengthen and build us up. Pray that we will live reverently before the Lord, comforted by his Spirit. Pray that we would grow and multiply as we love God, love people and lead others to do the same.

See you Sunday, Church! Pastor Jack will be talking about getting dirty and smelly. 😊

-Juli Dirks

Unexpected Friendship

I texted one of my neighbors at 6am: “It’s Monday...does that mean I’m headed to the gym alone?” He shot back, “Not today.”

At first, I took that as, “I’m not going today.” But before I backed out of my driveway, he opened my passenger door and jumped in the seat. I was startled, but glad.

We have been hitting the gym 3–4 times each week in the mornings, and it has been good for my health. I can tell that I have more energy and feel better throughout the day.

But that’s surprisingly not the best part. I find myself most looking forward to spending time with my neighbor.

What’s shocking is, he doesn’t go to church. Anywhere. 

He’s just a regular guy with kids and a job… and a pastor as a neighbor. 

Now, my family and I have been praying for years that God would help us be good neighbors and witnesses. We have faithfully prayed for our neighbors by name. We have welcomed them into our home, enjoyed food together, and we’ve invited them to church services and Awana.

But I would never have guessed that God would open the door for a mutual friendship.

To my shock and surprise, my don’t-go-to-church buddy has encouraged me in my walk as a pastor. He has passionately challenged me about my “path” as a Christian man, husband, and father. And he has motivated me to continue exercising. 

Clearly, God has been speaking to his own heart. Gratefully, God has brought me to his neighborhood.

What began as a simple prayer and church sending, has turned into an unexpected friendship and opportunity for an everlasting relationship.

Would you pray for me, that God would overcome my weaknesses and inabilities and open the door for the Word? Would you pray that I would grow in my walk as a friend and neighbor?

This has been a great blessing in my life, and I believe there is more to come.

This Sunday we'll think about the disaster that occurred when Jesus tried to convert His hometown. Why did His attempt “fail”? What made them so angry?

Guess you’ll have to gather with us to find out... see you then!

Galatians 6:9,
Pastor Jack