Helping Our Neighbor
Did you know that our heart at Eastside is to “love everyone and serve anyone?” I hope you have heard us say that at least once! I believe that’s the heartbeat of Jesus and I pray that will be our heartbeat everyday too! And we can do that in so many ways, can’t we? One way we are doing that at Eastside is by helping out the family of sweet six-year-old Maddie (Madison) Barthelmes. If you haven’t heard yet, precious Maddie was diagnosed with AML Leukemia back in January and it has been a long, difficult road for this little girl and her dear family…Kaitlyn (mom), John (dad), Jackson (little two-year-old brother), and Jim and Peggy (grandma and grandpa). Kaitlyn and John have been out of work for months, the medical bills increase, and on top of it all, Maddie developed fungal pneumonia. Yeah, like you, my heart aches for them too! So what are we doing to love on this local family and what can we do? Well, a few of our Eastsiders have been over to clean their home, do some yard work, and today a few of us put in a new mailbox for them. They may seem like small things but I know from speaking to the Barthelmes family, they mean more to them than words can express. We have also made a $1,000 donation to them through our Compassion Fund that many of you have given so generously to for such a time as this! And then, in the Fall, our Grace Squad is working on setting up a Fall cleanup day to help them get ready for the winter months. There is also opportunity to give blood if you are interested or donate financially through their Go Fund Me account www.gofundme.com/f/barthelmes. And of course, please be praying for this dear family that our God cherishes and loves and stay tuned for more ways we can love and serve like Jesus!
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ (which is love!)”
Galatians 6:2
“Talk Back” Session
I woke up this past Monday morning, made my coffee, and sat on the back deck waiting for the grogginess to wear off as the sun gradually rose. Then I began to receive an unusual amount of text messages from many of you who watched our Sunday service online or in person. “What did you think about yesterday?” “How are you doing?” “Wow, God seemed to really move but I have some questions. Can you talk?” To be honest, I was still processing the service too. I was grateful for how the Holy Spirit moved in different ways but I had some questions of my own. Questions I would spend the next few days processing with trusted friends and mentors. You see, knowing and obeying the voice of Jesus (like we talked about) is amazing but it also comes with stepping out into unexplored territory…into unusual places. That takes courage but it also takes a humility that can recognize our own imperfections and the many mistakes we will most assuredly make along the way. We will need safe places to ask the hard questions, express our thoughts, and share our own experiences. I hope Eastside can be that kind of church for you…and for me! So, this coming Sunday, immediately after service, we are going to bring back the “Talk Back” sessions. We won’t have them every week but from time to time throughout the year. It’s a chance for you to ask questions about the sermon, share a thought that came to you during worship, or just sit back and listen. Why are we doing this? Simply put…because we value your voice! You have so much to contribute! And one of the best ways we grow in our faith is through conversation. So, if you have a few moments to spare after service on Sunday, I would love to see you there!
Step Into the Awesome!
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:2).
“So what part of this decision are you struggling with? I don’t get it.” A close friend of mine said with a smile and puzzled look on her face. The steam from our coffee cups danced in front of us as the smell of espresso filled the air of the coffee house where we sat. “I think you need to shed the skepticism and step into the awesome!” she added.
You see, I was in the middle of a major life decision that came down to just two options. The first option was going to cost a lot of money and take a long time. The second option (that had just recently surfaced) was going to be nearly free and not take nearly as long to accomplish. The first option was the only option we had in front of us for months. But for weeks, I was praying that God would provide another way, if possible. A road to the same goal that was more affordable and less demanding on my family and me. And guess what? God answered my prayer! He provided an awesome path to the same goal!
Yet that afternoon, I sat there and told my friend I was wrestling, confused, and uncertain about what option to choose. I couldn’t see the way forward! Yet within seconds, she discerned what the real problem was…skepticism, with a dangerous pinch of cynicism. And that skepticism was blinding me from the AWESOME that God had put right there in front me!
“Listen Jeremy, I know that it seems too good to be true. I know that it seems too awesome. But don’t let your skepticism rob you of God’s answer to your prayer! Shed the skepticism and step into the awesome!”
My friends, we all have had negative experiences that have led to feelings of disappointment, discouragement, and heartbreak, haven’t we? And those feelings are real and they are hard. But you see, if we’re not careful they can also slowly erode every amount of hope in our hearts and fill our minds with the kind of skepticism that blinds us from seeing God’s awesomeness right in front of us. But we can’t allow the disappointments of yesterday to rob us of the awesome in front of us today! So where might skepticism be holding you back or blinding you? What awesome things of God might you be missing without realizing it? I pray that you will have the eyes to see! And in the words of my dear friend: “Shed the skepticism and step into the awesome!”
Did you know that our heart at Eastside is to “love everyone and serve anyone?” I hope you have heard us say that at least once! I believe that’s the heartbeat of Jesus and I pray that will be our heartbeat everyday too! And we can do that in so many ways, can’t we? One way we are doing that at Eastside is by helping out the family of sweet six-year-old Maddie (Madison) Barthelmes. If you haven’t heard yet, precious Maddie was diagnosed with AML Leukemia back in January and it has been a long, difficult road for this little girl and her dear family…Kaitlyn (mom), John (dad), Jackson (little two-year-old brother), and Jim and Peggy (grandma and grandpa). Kaitlyn and John have been out of work for months, the medical bills increase, and on top of it all, Maddie developed fungal pneumonia. Yeah, like you, my heart aches for them too! So what are we doing to love on this local family and what can we do? Well, a few of our Eastsiders have been over to clean their home, do some yard work, and today a few of us put in a new mailbox for them. They may seem like small things but I know from speaking to the Barthelmes family, they mean more to them than words can express. We have also made a $1,000 donation to them through our Compassion Fund that many of you have given so generously to for such a time as this! And then, in the Fall, our Grace Squad is working on setting up a Fall cleanup day to help them get ready for the winter months. There is also opportunity to give blood if you are interested or donate financially through their Go Fund Me account www.gofundme.com/f/barthelmes. And of course, please be praying for this dear family that our God cherishes and loves and stay tuned for more ways we can love and serve like Jesus!
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ (which is love!)”
Galatians 6:2
“Talk Back” Session
I woke up this past Monday morning, made my coffee, and sat on the back deck waiting for the grogginess to wear off as the sun gradually rose. Then I began to receive an unusual amount of text messages from many of you who watched our Sunday service online or in person. “What did you think about yesterday?” “How are you doing?” “Wow, God seemed to really move but I have some questions. Can you talk?” To be honest, I was still processing the service too. I was grateful for how the Holy Spirit moved in different ways but I had some questions of my own. Questions I would spend the next few days processing with trusted friends and mentors. You see, knowing and obeying the voice of Jesus (like we talked about) is amazing but it also comes with stepping out into unexplored territory…into unusual places. That takes courage but it also takes a humility that can recognize our own imperfections and the many mistakes we will most assuredly make along the way. We will need safe places to ask the hard questions, express our thoughts, and share our own experiences. I hope Eastside can be that kind of church for you…and for me! So, this coming Sunday, immediately after service, we are going to bring back the “Talk Back” sessions. We won’t have them every week but from time to time throughout the year. It’s a chance for you to ask questions about the sermon, share a thought that came to you during worship, or just sit back and listen. Why are we doing this? Simply put…because we value your voice! You have so much to contribute! And one of the best ways we grow in our faith is through conversation. So, if you have a few moments to spare after service on Sunday, I would love to see you there!
Step Into the Awesome!
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:2).
“So what part of this decision are you struggling with? I don’t get it.” A close friend of mine said with a smile and puzzled look on her face. The steam from our coffee cups danced in front of us as the smell of espresso filled the air of the coffee house where we sat. “I think you need to shed the skepticism and step into the awesome!” she added.
You see, I was in the middle of a major life decision that came down to just two options. The first option was going to cost a lot of money and take a long time. The second option (that had just recently surfaced) was going to be nearly free and not take nearly as long to accomplish. The first option was the only option we had in front of us for months. But for weeks, I was praying that God would provide another way, if possible. A road to the same goal that was more affordable and less demanding on my family and me. And guess what? God answered my prayer! He provided an awesome path to the same goal!
Yet that afternoon, I sat there and told my friend I was wrestling, confused, and uncertain about what option to choose. I couldn’t see the way forward! Yet within seconds, she discerned what the real problem was…skepticism, with a dangerous pinch of cynicism. And that skepticism was blinding me from the AWESOME that God had put right there in front me!
“Listen Jeremy, I know that it seems too good to be true. I know that it seems too awesome. But don’t let your skepticism rob you of God’s answer to your prayer! Shed the skepticism and step into the awesome!”
My friends, we all have had negative experiences that have led to feelings of disappointment, discouragement, and heartbreak, haven’t we? And those feelings are real and they are hard. But you see, if we’re not careful they can also slowly erode every amount of hope in our hearts and fill our minds with the kind of skepticism that blinds us from seeing God’s awesomeness right in front of us. But we can’t allow the disappointments of yesterday to rob us of the awesome in front of us today! So where might skepticism be holding you back or blinding you? What awesome things of God might you be missing without realizing it? I pray that you will have the eyes to see! And in the words of my dear friend: “Shed the skepticism and step into the awesome!”