Entering the Sleepy Months

Dear Church, 

In the months of July and August the gears of SBC are shifted down down down:

• No Sunday School
• No Systematic Theology classes (Christianity 202 – discipleship basics – will still meet both four Weds).  
• No Men’s Meeting
• No regularly scheduled prayer meetings – though there will be impromptu meetings: STANDBY

But we don’t totally shut down: 

• Weekly worship never stops until the Lord returns!
• There is an ad hoc business meeting this Sunday after worship to vote on expending funds to renew upper parking lot.  Remember to put your questions to the deacons before then.  
• There’s also the quarterly business meeting after worship on the 7/26. 
• And there’s a baby shower for Sam on 1 August at 10 at Tina’s.  

I have seven words of pastoral advice for these two months, incredibly all starting with ‘G’:

• Get out of here!  If you’re able, take a trip or two.  Get out of town and step away from your normal routine.  
• Get healthy.  Eat better.  Take longer walks.  Ride bikes.  Get into the forest or to the beach.   
• Grow in grace.  Don’t vacation and rest away from God.  Don’t use free time or time away with the boys to dabble in worldliness… that’ll hurt you bad, more than you know.  But rather lean into more time in the Word and prayer.  Make spiritual course corrections.  Identify those little common procrastinations and illicit indulgences and SKILLYFULLY KILL.
• Go to church every Sunday morning.  If you’re away from here (and do…go!) visit another congregation.  Take notes on how they worship and on evidences of their common life and bring back tips and tricks for SBC.
• Give consistently to SBC.  Drop a token amount into the plates of churches you visit but continue to send in your tithe to SBC.  If you haven’t yet started, learn to give to your local church in a way that’s planned and principled and generous.  I can explain how – just ask.  
• Give up looking at your phone so much.  The latest phone stats are horrible – Americans are averaging five hours/day hunched over staring into the 1.5”x3” abyss.  20 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE SNATCHED JUST LIKE THAT.  In this regard, what does it mean for Christ to save someone?  Use the summer months to cut way back.  I’ll tell you that I’m working toward transitioning to a dumb phone.
• Get to know your area.  In these low-key months, have a few more conversations with your neighbors, learn a little more about the history or businesses of Somers or Ellington or Stafford or Springfield or…

Affectionately, 

Colin