The Joy of Glory

*Every year, I write a letter to our church reflecting on what the Lord has done in my own life and in our midst over the previous year. Below is the letter I shared at our annual meeting on January 26, 2025.

My Dearest Shades Valley,

This past year is hard for me to describe. The only word that comes to mind for me personally is “unsettled.” I am a creature of habit, and I like it that way. I could eat the same thing every day, do all the same things, and lay down to sleep perfectly satisfied. But unfortunately, there’s this thing called time. Time has a way of unsettling things. My little children aren’t so little anymore as Levi has outgrown me. More than that, the majority of my kids are now in the youth group, and I feel like I’m still playing catch up. Where did all my toddlers go?

You’d think that twenty-one years of marriage would really make things settle into a routine, but Holly and I keep changing. I was once the social butterfly of our family, but she has grown into that role while I’ve become an old curmudgeon who just wants to stay home. I exaggerate and I kid, but there is some truth to what I am saying.

In so many ways, 2024 made me feel unsettled, like I was losing control, and perhaps that’s one reason I locked in on a health journey as a new routine, a new comforting thing I could control.  But it wasn’t just my family life that God was unsettling. In 2024, we finalized Brad’s part-time hours here so he could also do part-time counseling. And if that wasn’t enough of a shift in my work routine, John-Mark went on Sabbatical about the same time Joely went on maternity leave.

My head was left spinning and by the end of the summer, I was reeling from the busiest season I’d ever seen at Shades. But I believe God was doing something through all of this “unsettling.” He was preparing me for something new. A new phase of life with my family. The Lord refused to let me settle into being comfortable and putting things in cruise control. He roughed up my routines to revive my engagement with my wife and kids. He shook me to wake me, so that I might not long for what once was, but might love what actually is the gift in front of me. God was preparing me and serving my family.

God was also preparing me for a new phase of life at Shades. Refusing to let me phone it in, keep it comfortable, be satisfied with what is good even if it is not what is best. The Lord unsettled me so that I might pay better attention to our discipleship needs. And, as you know, we are aiming to meet those needs in 2025. I am so thankful for all the men and women who helped to develop and refine our discipleship plan. I know there are others who would love to have been involved in the planning, which is why I am thankful the plan is unfolding in phases. This allows us time to talk and make tweaks… time to think and to dream… time to pray, try, revise and redo.

Shades, I know that new things can be unsettling! I feel unsettled is all I’ve felt for the past year. But, I believe that was God preparing me to serve you when things feel unsettling. And ultimately, I believe through the unsettling, he is doing something good. I know that is true in my family.

As comfortable as I was having kids, I wouldn’t go back in time if I could, because I love the gift of my teens (and my tween). As much has Holly and I have changed over time, I wouldn’t dream of hitting rewind because I don’t want to miss who we are right now. I can look back on my family and see that God has been good, but it is the unsettling that forces me to see he is doing something good. 

And Shades, I believe the same is true for our faith family. We can look back and see that God has been so good. But, in 2025 I want to see, I believe we will see, that he is doing something good… even when it feels unsettling.

I love you all,

Pastor Jonathan