What happened? I still wonder. My aunt told my mother to thank me and to let me know that she read every word of my letter to Uncle Si and that it meant a lot. Someday I’ll find out. Meanwhile, I don’t want to push God to the back of conversations with the people around me. Lately I’ve been reading tracts, not so much to hand them out as to see how in just a few words people express faith in God. We’re adding more of them to the bookstall when it reopens in August. Pick up one or two to read. How do we speak the good news to people around us? There are as many ways as people—each of us in our own way, adapting to the person, our friend, colleague, uncle, whoever. While many are reading or writing academic articles, I’m happily reading these tracts. One of my favorite tract writers
is Roger Carswell. In one of the tracts he asks, “For you, what would be the best news? To win the lottery? To be given a clean bill of health? To find the perfect partner? To be able to start all over again? To be forgiven for all that is past? “…The good news reminds us that even the enemy, death, has been thoroughly beaten by Jesus who not only died and was buried, but rose again three days later. As the Bible says, ‘Christ is risen from the dead.’” Speaking the good news is not a thing to put off for another day. Prayer plus words and more prayer seems the way to go. It’s hard. It’s scary. We won’t always do it right. But let’s not hide Jesus under a bushel. The light of the world deserves to shine in big and little ways wherever we go.
MILESTONES Marriages
Deaths
• College Church members Ryan Berg and Jacki Halderman were married on Saturday, July 17, in Lake Charlevoix, Michigan. Ryan is the son of members Mark and Cheryce Berg, and the maternal grandson of Stann and Gloria Leff.
• Pray for Lisa (Howard) Kern and family as they grieve the loss of Lisa’s mother, Marlene Vittitow, who passed away on July 16.
• College Church members Addie Teevans and Tate Fritz were married here on Friday, July 2. Tate is son of Kurt and Kristi Fritz, also College Church members. • College Church members Lindsey Befus and Daniel Conroy were married here on Saturday, July 10. Lindsey is daughter of College Church missionaries Matt and Lisa Befus.
Births • Judah Christopher McLeod Smith was born to Ian and Hannah Smith on July 11. Judah joins his big brothers Ian and Ezra. His paternal grandparents are Ian and Laurie Smith.
• Pray for the family of Lillian Daniel who passed away on July 13. • Pray for Rich Wilson and family as they grieve the loss of Rich’s sister, Judith Adams, who passed away on July 12 in Orland Park. • Pray for Roger McDonald, Laurie (Howard) Costley and Kayla Costley as they grieve the loss of Roger's wife, Laurie’s mother and Kayla’s grandmother, Ruth McDonald, who passed away on July 5. • Pray for the family of Betty Faircloth who passed away on January 11. Services were held.
• Savannah Joy Unruh was born to Will and Rebecca Unruh on July 5 in Colorado Springs, CO. Savannah joins her big brother Rhett and her maternal grandparents are Gary and Valerie Chase.
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