Sunday, December 12, 2021
Good Morning Family Worship Center
This is Pastor Josh and family and first things first...Thank you for your prayers, support, meals, drop byes, everything… Truly we are experiencing what it looks like to be a family of believers.
For those who don’t know, we have suffered an astounding loss in the family as within the matter of 5 days, we lost my father who was a rock in my life, and both my grandfather and grandmother. This was my first loss in life throughout the entirety of my immediate family. So it has been an emotionally overwhelming time to say the least. Sometimes in life, you get dealt some uppercuts that really sting you. Following that metaphor, this particular uppercut had me waking up on the mat wondering how long I had been knocked out.
I want you to know that we are getting along. The shock of what has transpired is wearing off and the reality of the situation has been a bear to deal with. We have taken these last couple of weeks to simply breathe in and breathe out. And for that, the family and I want to say thank you for allowing us the grace and ability to do so. I am thankful for friends like Jayme Montera and Ps. Forrest that have been so present in this time to continue to make church happen.
All of that said, I have a friend who told me just recently that in this season I need to slow down to the speed of wisdom. So, in that counsel we are following that advice and allowing some people to fill the pulpit in the upcoming month. The family and I will be present again this next Sunday, but you will be hearing from some other speakers and pastors. I will be in and out of the office a little bit more than my normal office hours to really clear the head and grow into this new normal.
Now, I have had countless people ask me this question. “What can I do for you? Please let me know how I can help.” Well, I’m going to let you know how you can help. First of all, keep coming to church and secondly, BE. THE. CHURCH. With our losses and then you add on the losses that the Romero/Chavez family has had, the church is short handed in many areas as they are also grieving the loss of 2 family members. So…What can you do for me? You can help serve on Sunday mornings. We need people to be front line greeters as they help people park. We need help manning the doors on the weekends. We need help in the back with Summit Kids as 1/2 the team is currently dealing with loss and aren’t at church. If you can play an instrument, we need help on the praise team as we are down instruments. I need the church to be the church and serve one another. If you see people go to the altars, go pray with them. If you see people missing from church, give them a call and check in and love on them. If you see a need, fill a need. That would help us out more than words can truly say!! If you are seeing that you can help… simply let Ps. Forrest or Sandy know. We won’t leave you hanging, we’ll help you figure out what you can do to help.
The only way a church gets through a season like this without having to reboot all things is for the church to be the church. And I believe that you can do a great job in this season and the next as God has already equipped you to do this great work of furthering His kingdom.
All this said, I want to say thank you again. I am not abandoning ship. We aren’t going anywhere. My father and grandparents passing isn’t making me question my calling to Him or this region. My desire and heart is simply to be a healthy pastor to lead a healthy church forward. I know and have heard from many people that rushing back into work mode to fill the void of sorrow, grief and mourning will only prolong the pain and recovery. So, again…slowing down to the speed of wisdom, I am going to take this time and recover so I can lead well on the other side.
Know you are all in our prayers as we seek the face of God in this season. I look forward to spending Christmas Eve with you, and I also look forward to being back in the pulpit February 6th. You will hear some great speakers and leaders between now and then.
Again, Pastor Jayme… thank you so much for loving FWC during this time.
Ps. Josh and Family.