Our family has been on vacation this week at the beach. We usually take a day out of the sun and go see a movie. This time we saw Tomorrowland. The story centers on a girl named Casey, a man named Frank, and a mysterious world where nothing is impossible. Casey is a dreamer, one who lives in a hopeful manner. Her gift of hope is needed in a crucial moment. One might say that she is the the recipient of a call, one she neither wants nor feels qualified to carry out. 

Aren’t all callings like that? The book of Isaiah gives voice to the difficult nature of God’s calling, “whom shall I send?” That lament is not so much about God finding someone; rather about who will actually go. The biblical story is overflowing with reluctant servants of God. Too often we are reluctant servants who prefer the status quo or are fearful that we are not qualified to do what God would have us do. This week we will meet one such person, Gideon. Gideon is a Judge in Israel during a very difficult time and God has plans to use Gideon to bring life and wholeness to the people; the problem is that Gideon is very reluctant about these plans. What do you think will happen? I hope you join us Sunday at 9 AM and 11:15 AM as Bryant Gibson, Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries,  continues our Unsung Heroes series by taking us into the story of Gideon. I suspect we will see some of our own life and struggles reflected in Gideon.

We will also be having a Town Hall meeting this Sunday at 10 AM in Dunlap Hall. This is a great moment in the life of our church as we debut the plans for the Whitmire Pavilion, located at the main downstairs entrance. I think you are going to be excited at what you see and this facility will be a major asset to our ministry and our community. The architect will be present to walk us through the design with a very realistic 3D presentation. We will also update on other Grace Alive! projects and this will be your first chance to sign up for Small Groups that begin in the fall.

This promises to be an excellent Sunday to invite someone to SSCC. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Grace and peace,

Danny