North Van Etten Community Church

09/11/2026

07/17/2026

Dearly Beloved,

Grace and Peace to you.

Hope

In hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope,
for who hopes for what one already sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
we wait for it with patience.
—Romans 8.24-25

Behold this mystery: severed flesh knows how to heal.
Sundered tissues reach out for each other,
join hands, embrace, reweave a wholeness.
I know this. I trust it. This is my hope.

The sower goes out to sow in hope,
not with some magical power of wishing,
but the sure knowledge of how seeds work.
There will be setbacks, and a harvest.

Hope is not wishing for a certain future,
but trusting in the grace that is present.
Paul is wrong. I hope in God's salvation
because I do see it. It is already here,

the grace that spawns forgiveness,
the courage that seeks justice,
the love that reaches out, that risks boldly,
the patience that endures.

One may hope for something yet to come,
but we hope in something already here.
There will be setbacks, failures and disasters.
But grace is not future tense. Already present.

Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

07/15/2026

Dearly Beloved,

Grace and Peace to you.

Wheat among my w**ds

The ants I wish to banish from my house
are such encouragement of industry,
teamwork and perseverance.
Even as I mitigate, I bless.

The knee that wakens me in pain
is sore because it's healing.
Hobbling, I praise the miracle.

Sometimes the trucks that run the rumble strip
on the Interstate play a note right in tune
with our wind chimes. I sing along.

Purple vetch grows in the ditch-sides,
the lot corners, the w**d patches.
I take a mouthful of the little purple blossoms
with humble thanksgiving.

Look for it.
Grace is a small masterpiece of art
in a really big frame.

Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

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06/25/2026

June 21, 2026
CALL TO WORSHIP *
L: When we feel abandoned and alone, unable to find a way out of the wilderness that surrounds, we cry out to God…
P: And God listens to us.
L: When we feel discouraged and defeated, unsure we will ever really be able to make ends meet and worried that no matter how hard we work, it will never be enough, we cry out to God…
P: And God listens to us.
L: When we feel lost and forgotten, unable to find the words for the grief, isolation, and despair that we feel, our hearts cry out to God…
P: And God pays attention to us.
L: As we gather in this place and time, remember: You are not alone. God knows where you are, and God listens to the cries of our hearts.
ALL: May we also listen to one another as God guides us toward the cool, refreshing waters we need to continue on our journey as the family of God.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, December 2025

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