Join us, Summer is coming

It’s sunny outside and it’s time to come together. I don’t have to explain to Oregonians what winter is like here in the Northwest. Days are short, the trails are wet, and people are a tad more damper. Well, all that is changing in the coming months. We get to celebrate what might be the best summer place in the world. I’ve been to many parts of America and some places around the world, and I can’t think of a better place to live than Oregon in the summer.

I don’t know if you sense it, but there is a general malaise over our community. Ever since the Covid lockdowns, things have not really come back to “normal”. People seem to be on a bit of an edge. Lives seem a bit more disconnected. There seems to be an overall negative view of life and such. I can’t help but wonder if so many of these problems can be attributed to the fact we are more isolated and lonely. I have heard from pastors that church attendance is down still. Churchgoers have gotten comfortable staying at home, and our churches feel a bit more empty.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10: 24,25

Life and business have a way to keep us isolated. We have so many things to do and accomplish. In our business, we can often forget what is truly important to us, our relationships. I have often preached on the three priorities in our lives; God, family, and friends. In reality, what is more important than those? I want to encourage all of us to make it a priority to put our relationships first. Summer is almost here, and many trips and

walks around the park is calling out to us. Let’s take a break in our lives to enjoy what is important to us all.

Reach out to the church family. Invite people over for a good time. Enjoy God’s creation, just “waste” time doing “nothing”. As I’ve read on a bumper sticker, “A Bad day of fishing is better than a Good day of work”. We get to live the summer of 2023 once, so my advice to you all is to make it the best, full of friends and love.

Connected to the Vine

Pastor Danny Kim