Welcome to EastsideTALK
Life is busy! I get it! And have you ever noticed how when we are constantly on the go, we can miss some really awesome things that are happening in our lives? I remember one time when I was riding in a car with a group of friends, one of them called out from the back seat, “Oh my gosh, did you see that beautiful bald eagle?” NO! I missed it…wherever my mind was at, it certainly wasn’t on the incredible miracles of nature right there on the side of the road. You see, sometimes, when we’re cruising through life we can miss all sorts of amazing things, can’t we? It’s just part of being human…part of life. We all have jobs or school, vacations we love to go on, and busy schedules filled with weddings, graduations, and birthday parties. Again, we get it! That’s life! But it can also cause us to miss some pretty incredible moments right in front of us. Well, the same thing can happen at Eastside Church. Every week God is doing some pretty awesome things here and we want you to know about it! We want to be the friend who calls out, “Hey, did you see that?” or “Hey, did you hear about what God just did?” So, we decided to launch what we are calling “EastsideTALK.” It’s a way for us to highlight some awesome things that are happening here at Eastside, keep you connected, and hopefully, inspire you with a word that is on our hearts each week. Each weekly edition will have three quick blurbs because let’s face it, you have enough to do each week than read something super long! Am I right? So we hope when you sit down with that morning cup of coffee or have a quick break at work, you’ll take a moment to read EastsideTALK and join us in celebrating the small and big things God is doing all around us!
Celebrating a Volunteer
Have you ever noticed the beautiful plants around our church building and said to yourself, “Self, who takes care of all of those plants?” There are typically some on the window sills in the Worship Center or in our KidZone room. Yes, some are artificial but there are several with real leaves, real stems, and real soil! That means a real someone needs to make sure they are also getting real sunlight and real water…amazing how that works, isn’t it? Well, in this first edition of EastsideTALK, I want to give a special shout out to our very own Evelyn Smout who faithfully brings in and cares for the lovely plants throughout our house of worship. Martin Luther once said, “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” And yes, on plants! Plants remind us of a God who created beautiful things for us to enjoy and of a God who tenderly cares for us just like Evelyn tenderly cares for and nurtures the growth of those plants. So next time you see a plant at Eastside, remember to thank Evelyn for her thoughtful gift to us and that there’s a God who is tenderly caring for you and everything you hold dear.
Inhale so you can Exhale
I recently read a story from a famous author who was a keynote speaker at a big conference. She shared how the conference itinerary was so incredibly busy that she barely had a chance to catch her breath. In fact, she had just finished a presentation when she was suddenly being whisked away to another event. On her way, she ran into another presenter and was surprised to hear that instead of going to the next event, the other speaker was going back to her hotel room to read and take a nap. “Oh, I would love to do that too,” the author said, “but I’ll disappoint others if I’m not at all of these events.” The other speaker responded, “If you never take time to inhale…you’ll reach a point where you have nothing left to exhale.” In other words, if we never take time to rest, we’ll run out of everything we need to do the rest of life well–like energy, creativity, and a fresh perspective.
You see, summer is usually a time for vacations, kicking back, or maybe taking a few day trips. But have you ever struggled to stop, disconnect from work, or felt a little bit guilty or feared disappointing others? Yeah, me too! But you see, God created us to rest…to take time to inhale so we have something to exhale. In fact, that’s exactly why he created the Sabbath. He knew that if he didn’t command us to rest, at least one day out of the week, we would suffocate and burn ourselves out. We need that healthy rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, of resting and working, not only to survive but to thrive! So, as you go on your vacations, remember that you were created for it! And your rest pleases God! (Genesis 2:2; Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 11:28-30)
Life is busy! I get it! And have you ever noticed how when we are constantly on the go, we can miss some really awesome things that are happening in our lives? I remember one time when I was riding in a car with a group of friends, one of them called out from the back seat, “Oh my gosh, did you see that beautiful bald eagle?” NO! I missed it…wherever my mind was at, it certainly wasn’t on the incredible miracles of nature right there on the side of the road. You see, sometimes, when we’re cruising through life we can miss all sorts of amazing things, can’t we? It’s just part of being human…part of life. We all have jobs or school, vacations we love to go on, and busy schedules filled with weddings, graduations, and birthday parties. Again, we get it! That’s life! But it can also cause us to miss some pretty incredible moments right in front of us. Well, the same thing can happen at Eastside Church. Every week God is doing some pretty awesome things here and we want you to know about it! We want to be the friend who calls out, “Hey, did you see that?” or “Hey, did you hear about what God just did?” So, we decided to launch what we are calling “EastsideTALK.” It’s a way for us to highlight some awesome things that are happening here at Eastside, keep you connected, and hopefully, inspire you with a word that is on our hearts each week. Each weekly edition will have three quick blurbs because let’s face it, you have enough to do each week than read something super long! Am I right? So we hope when you sit down with that morning cup of coffee or have a quick break at work, you’ll take a moment to read EastsideTALK and join us in celebrating the small and big things God is doing all around us!
Celebrating a Volunteer
Have you ever noticed the beautiful plants around our church building and said to yourself, “Self, who takes care of all of those plants?” There are typically some on the window sills in the Worship Center or in our KidZone room. Yes, some are artificial but there are several with real leaves, real stems, and real soil! That means a real someone needs to make sure they are also getting real sunlight and real water…amazing how that works, isn’t it? Well, in this first edition of EastsideTALK, I want to give a special shout out to our very own Evelyn Smout who faithfully brings in and cares for the lovely plants throughout our house of worship. Martin Luther once said, “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” And yes, on plants! Plants remind us of a God who created beautiful things for us to enjoy and of a God who tenderly cares for us just like Evelyn tenderly cares for and nurtures the growth of those plants. So next time you see a plant at Eastside, remember to thank Evelyn for her thoughtful gift to us and that there’s a God who is tenderly caring for you and everything you hold dear.
Inhale so you can Exhale
I recently read a story from a famous author who was a keynote speaker at a big conference. She shared how the conference itinerary was so incredibly busy that she barely had a chance to catch her breath. In fact, she had just finished a presentation when she was suddenly being whisked away to another event. On her way, she ran into another presenter and was surprised to hear that instead of going to the next event, the other speaker was going back to her hotel room to read and take a nap. “Oh, I would love to do that too,” the author said, “but I’ll disappoint others if I’m not at all of these events.” The other speaker responded, “If you never take time to inhale…you’ll reach a point where you have nothing left to exhale.” In other words, if we never take time to rest, we’ll run out of everything we need to do the rest of life well–like energy, creativity, and a fresh perspective.
You see, summer is usually a time for vacations, kicking back, or maybe taking a few day trips. But have you ever struggled to stop, disconnect from work, or felt a little bit guilty or feared disappointing others? Yeah, me too! But you see, God created us to rest…to take time to inhale so we have something to exhale. In fact, that’s exactly why he created the Sabbath. He knew that if he didn’t command us to rest, at least one day out of the week, we would suffocate and burn ourselves out. We need that healthy rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, of resting and working, not only to survive but to thrive! So, as you go on your vacations, remember that you were created for it! And your rest pleases God! (Genesis 2:2; Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 11:28-30)