Hello Church family,

I want to open with a bit of honesty if I may. I am so grateful for all the ways that we can communicate with each other from afar. I can’t imagine living in a day when these things were not available. However, I miss seeing your faces and being together as we worship The Lord and learn more about Him through His word. I can’t imagine how sweet it will be to come back together as a body when all this passes on. I yearn for that day!!

It is actually quite hard to write this newsletter without knowing where we actually stand in the middle of this virus outbreak. I don’t know what current events, news, or medical trends will look like as you read this. So let me just share something that I know will apply to whatever situation we find ourselves in.

I recently began looking back through the book of Genesis because I find it so encouraging and interesting. It is such a good read and full of so many reminders of God’s character toward a struggling and sinful people. I highly suggest it.

I was reading through the story of Joseph at the end of the book and was reminded of something incredible. GOD IS ALWAYS WORKING AND HE IS ALWAYS SAVING AND REDEEMING!

Joseph had been through so much. Fractured family relationships, betrayal, sold into slavery, hard work, temptation, lied about, abused, forgotten, jailed, culture shock, basically anything bad you and I could think of. Toward the end of the story, in Genesis 50:20, we see this incredible line and truth, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Now I don’t have the right to disregard the context of what is taking place here. These were words spoken from Joseph to his brothers, about living during a famine. However this doesn’t remove the ability for us to use what we know about God’s character from the scriptures and apply this truth and these words to our lives and situation today.

We have an enemy and he is like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) who is coming to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) This is all he does and he is always doing it. He is constantly seeking to harm or tear down. In His infinite goodness and complete knowledge of all things past and present God is currently allowing it….and even using it for His purposes to accomplish His will.

God’s goal in all of Joseph’s hardships was saving lives. He achieved that. In our day He is interested in the same. God is in the business of saving lives. Physical lives, yes, but even more than that He is interested in eternal and forever life, for everyone. (2 Peter 3:9)

His main method of saving people and granting eternal life is by sending His word out to them and knowing that it will do what it is supposed to. It will not return to Him void! (Isaiah 55:10-11) I am not sure about you, but I have been paying attention to social media trends since this whole virus/quarantine thing came to be. The one thing that stands out is the vast amount of posted scriptures, sermons being preached, prayer concerns, and praises. HIS WORD IS GOING OUT LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!!

I truly pray that as a child of God you take great joy in knowing that despite how today looks or feels that God is in control and He never veers away from perfection. He has this!! I am so grateful to be a part of His family because of the love He showed me through the death and resurrection of His son Jesus. For that reason, and regardless of where we currently find ourselves, if you are reading this then we have one task to do.

PRAISE HIM!!

For His Name’s sake,
Brock

“Nothing is a surprise to God; nothing is a setback to His plans; nothing can thwart His purposes; and nothing is beyond His control.” - Joni Eareckson Tada