Dear Church Family,
               I  have an admission to make which may not surprise you.  The last couple of years or so has been difficult in many ways.  I’ve been dealing with several medical issues which have caught  me off guard and caused me to have to make some not always so welcome personal adjustments.  In the midst of this we’ve been anxious about the unexpected health crisis of our son, Toby
               For most of my life I have been blessed with good health which has allowed me to be very active and enjoy  work, family life, and recreations to the fullest.   To be sure, I am grateful  there has been nothing life threatening or debilitating and I am  glad to be wrestling with these changes while still enjoying ministry in your midst, for you have been wonderfully supportive and caring.   But these challenges do require some spiritual recalibration and looking afresh at expectations at this stage in life.  Lynn will tell you I do better on some days than others. 
               Faith is not lived in the abstract, but emerges out of ordinary experience.  So I thought this Sunday I would share a bit of how my own faith is being shaped in this crucible.  I am a work in progress, as I’ve been my whole life. God is working out his purpose and drawing me closer as I learn to walk with him in new circumstances. 
               The sermon is titled “Hallowing One’s Diminishments” and the texts are Isaiah 46:3-4, 9-11 and 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.  We’ll be singing two of the hymns which speak to me most personally, “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” and “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.”
See you in church,
Rich