Friends,

We enter this month into the second half of Ordinary Time – a period of the church year that lasts from Pentecost in early summer until Advent in December! In our Sunday School class we will study the book of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. The sermons will focus each Sunday on the Jeremiah passage studied during the Education hour (more or less). People are sometimes reluctant to spend time with the Old Testament prophets; we often believe that there is no grace in the Hebrew Scriptures, only judgment. However, the book of Jeremiah is ultimately characterized by hope – the hope of restoration, and the hope of faithful relationship with a God who is gracious and merciful. In a world that often seems bereft of hopefulness and mired in chaos, I believe the message of Jeremiah is one we all need to hear and study this fall, so join us when you can!

On a personal note, let me share with you a bit about our household situation, since many of you have asked and may be wondering. When I accepted the call to be your pastor, JR and I committed to live within the geographic area of the church – that is, within the boundaries of Lake Travis ISD. Since March, we have been in the process of building a home in Hudson Bend. The builder has made steady progress and it looks like we may be able to move in sometime toward the end of the year (December or January, 2020). Until that time, we are temporarily living in housing provided by Austin Seminary for furloughed mission workers and for faculty or staff who relocate to the Austin area to work at the seminary. We appreciate the generosity of the seminary to make this housing available to us this fall, although it makes our commute to and from the church about ten minutes longer! We look forward to being settled into the Lake Travis community full-time very soon.

Peace,
Pastor Jack