Good Friday Morning Melanie!

Every so often, I become frustrated with one of the lingering effects of COVID-19. I had a really nasty bout with COVID in October, 2022. It lasted for nine incredibly miserable days. I eventually got my strength back. My sense of smell eventually returned, as did my sense of taste (although, my sense of taste has been a bit difference ever since.) But my memory never quite came back as it once was. Before COVID, I could write a sermon, read through it a few times aloud, make an outline of it, and then preach straight through without need of notes. Since October of 2022, I need my notes. And, sometimes that really frustrates me. Often on Sunday afternoons, I will say to Kyra, "I hate how much I had to look down at my notes this orning." Kyra will always say, "Jason, no one noticed. And even if they did notice, almost all pastors need notes when they preach." (By the way, I do know that many people experienced COVID worse than I did and that many people have lingering effects worse than I do.)

I mention this in my eNote this week because it is a reminder that sometimes the standards we set for ourselves are unattainable. When our standards are unattainable, or become unattainable, we need to be patient with ourselves and reset some expectations. (Of course, there are some expectations we can't change - like the 10 Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount.) When we have standards that are not explicitly set by God, those standards may reflect an unrealistic perfectionism that we need to reexamine. If God is patient with us when we have trouble with his expectations, then surely we owe ourselves a little patience when we need to reevaluate our own standards!

A few quick things ...

The Forged Men's Breakfast is still on for tomorrow morning - despite the cold temps in the forecast. We'll start gathering at 8:30am for breakfast, worship, teaching and prayer. You don't have to register, but it is helpful if you do. You can register by texting "breakfast" to 859.279.4212. Remember, you are also welcome to bring your Middle School and High School sons.

It is gonna be cold Sunday morning, too, but we'll still be gathering for worship together. Randy Hardman, the Executive Director of Assurance for life and Christ Hurst, leader of our Loving Locally Team, will be introducing us to the Baby Bottle Blessings campaign. I will share an update on the use of funds from our Christmas offering at the Idiwa Community Church in Uganda. We'll also be in week 2 of the Right on the Money series. Last Sunday, we talked about "money as a gift." This week, we'll be exploring "money as a seduction." And, what an amazing job our worship team did leading us last week! So much passion and energy - not just from them, but from the whole congregation! I can't wait to be together again!

Blessings,

Pastor Jason