Dear Family,
How are you doing?
Change is always tough and so very good for all of us, but still hard. We are anticipating a change when I will no longer be your pastor here. It means that we will be bidding one another farewell, which is the tough part and unimaginable! But it also means turning to welcome a new part of life. The thing about any transition is that there are three parts to it. I wrote about these on 7/12. It is published here.
The key is to stay in community in this time. We sometimes play games emotionally. The hard emotions we tend to numb. We eat the chocolate muffin, we open a beer, we get out the chips, we turn on the TV. We think we are just numbing the negative emotions, but forget in the process that actually we cannot choose what we are numbing. And as we numb the negative feelings, the sadness, the fears, the grief, we are also numbing joy, love, peace, and the sense of God’s presence. All the positives go away as we seek to numb the negatives. This is no way to go.
So, could we make a deal?
When you want to numb, you call someone you know in the church or outside of it, and just say: “I’m hurting.” A friend needs no other information in order to say, “Hey, tell me about it.” And then listens.
If you do this, I promise, this year will produce what God intends: a people who have grown closer to one another and to God.
You don’t know who to call?
Call Virginia at the office 503.643.8070 and she will be happy to connect you to someone who will be there for you.
If you believe you would be willing to receive such calls from your brothers or sisters in the congregation, could you let Virginia know in the office? Thanks.
We are in this together!
Brian