The Woodland Students’ Disciple Now (aka D-Now) weekend is this Saturday and Sunday. This year's theme is “Hey God, it’s me.” The weekend will help students grow spiritually, build lasting friendships, and meaningfully serve our community. The students will spend the night in host homes. Don't blame the sermon if you notice the youth group looking more drowsy than usual. They might have stayed up too late watching movies. 

 The Women in Action group will meet next Monday at 9:30 in Maresh Hall. They meet on the third Monday of each month to prepare Days for Girls kits and Feminine Hygiene kits. 

Matt Allen has a new book out on leadership. Check it out here. The book uses music theory to teach leadership. In it, Matt talks about composing music with only the black notes on the keyboard when he was learning to play the piano. He writes, “Regardless of the notes I played, the sounds blended!” This type of safe experimentation gave him confidence as he learned to play. The five black notes on the piano form a pentatonic scale which has no semitones. Therefore, all the notes “go together.” 

The safe space of the pentatonic scale gave him a safe place to grow as a musician. We all need safe spaces to grow in whatever field we choose. We all need a safe space to grow spiritually where we can ask questions and test out our identity in Christ. That’s something we can offer each other at Woodland. We don’t ask you to sign a creed. The terms for joining are a commitment to following Jesus. We do that with all our imperfection, recognizing Christ doesn’t call us to faultlessness but to faithfulness.  

Sometimes, our vulnerabilities or the imperfections we perceive in ourselves become the strengths God uses to bring newness or healing for ourselves or others. Matt offers this wisdom: “We paralyze ourselves when we bury our vulnerabilities— when we become content with the status quo and don’t venture anything new.” 

Grace and peace,
Garrett Vickrey