Happy Saturday church family!

I spent most of the day watching sap boil, waiting for it to reach the right conditions before transferring it to the finishing station. Cooking syrup takes a lot of patience, I’m learning. You can’t really speed it up, and if you try to get something else accomplished at the same time, you’ll end up messing it up. This very much reminded me of life – a solid life lesson – that for many things we must be patient. God has His own perfect timing. And if we try to hurry Him up or force things in OUR timing – we often mess things up.

Slowing down for the day also made me think of the Sabbath and the importance of rest. It is difficult for most of us to rest – there’s too much to do – I’m wasting the day – I’m so far behind . . . The world tells us to be busy busy busy. The devil also wants to keep us busy, distracted, and preoccupied. Taking a Sabbath rest allows us to pause and reflect. Often it clears our minds and calms our hearts, and it re-centers us on the Lord. There’s a reason God commanded it! So I urge you to be intentional in rest, and we’ll see many of you tomorrow!

-- In faith, Pastor Eric

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11 NIV