Hi everyone,

Often when I’m having trouble with our teen and ‘tween kids, I think back to when I was that age and how I used to regard my parents. I think about how I felt about their tone with me, the boundaries they set for me, and perhaps above all, how they would so unnecessarily and almost constantly scolded me. I use those memories to to help inform myself or at least give myself hints on how to relate to these kids now.

But you know what I found? These kids have it way harder than I ever did.

See way back when I was their age, I didn’t have to worry about cyber bullying. I didn’t have to worry about the evermore present peer pressure that comes from social media. I didn’t have to worry about parents who got their parenting hacks from TikTok. Basically, I didn’t have to worry about the internet at all (because it wasn’t mainstream yet, in case that wasn’t clear).

But at the same time, I didn’t have the internet at my fingertips. I didn’t get to connect with my friends basically whenever I wanted to. I didn’t have endless entertainment always within reach.

It’s like there is good and bad in every generation. Just a different good and a different bad. But still there, nonetheless…

Here are the readings for next week:
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
and a video of them being read:

All Saints Sunday is always bittersweet, for obvious reasons. We dig up the old wounds of losing loved ones, but we’re reminded of the impact they’ve had on our lives, and how we’re better just for having known them.

Still, losing people is hard. In fact, life is hard. Some of the times are harder than other times.

But there are also good times, and we often lose sight of that. There are times of joy, hope, peace, and love. There are times of blessedness.

That isn’t just an often overlooked side note. This is a part of who we are as God’s people in the world. This is a provision for us made evident through the life and teachings of Jesus. This is a promise given to us by the God who created the universe.

Yes, life can be hard. But we are blessed anyway and God will be with us always, joining us together as a family and lifting us up as a community. This doesn’t mean we can’t feel bad for our situations, but we can keep the faith in knowing that we are cared for, watched over, and dearly loved through it all.

Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!