Dear Logos Family,
“I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” Psalm 122:1 (ESV)
My son-in-law Nate is a young Christian. Most of his family are not believers and Nate was not raised in church.
When Nate was in his 20s, he started attending church with his grandmother who was a devout Christian. Nate was experiencing some personal challenges at that time and he knew “he needed God in his life.”
Now Nate is married and has a son. His son’s name is Jimmy and he is my first grandchild. Nate and my daughter Hannah attend a Calvary Chapel in Ellensburg. I am so happy that they attend church regularly again after a long hiatus due to the virus.
One of my on-going prayers for Nate is that he will come to deeply value male Christian fellowship and friendship. I am still in close contact with a couple Christian men that I met in high school. One of them is like the man described in Proverbs
“….there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)
I’ve had many close male Christian friendships throughout my years in ministry. Wherever I have lived I have sought out fellowship among Christian men. I’ve needed the support and encouragement friendships provide, and others have needed it as well. Even now there are several men I meet with regularly who provide mutual encouragement and accountability.
Fellowship in the Lord is not something we can take for granted. It has to be cultivated. And it takes effort to build Christian friendships that are meaningful. Fellowship is “more valuable than gold, sweeter than honey from the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:10)
In a few weeks we will celebrate Easter. Some of us will be home worshipping on zoom and some will be in person. By Easter we will be in “Phase 3” which means gatherings can occur in places like restaurants and houses of worship at 50% capacity. For Logos that means most of us can gather in our church building while still practicing necessary protocols.
I want to encourage all that are able to come and be with us in person for Easter Sunday service. A few from confirmation class will be brought into church membership and we may have a baptism. These are things worthy of celebrating together as a community of faith.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bill