Thank you for the lovely birthday card and kind messages!

Dear Congregation,

Thank you for the lovely birthday card and kind messages! I had a very nice birthday on Wednesday spent with my daughter Jory, along phone calls and texts from kids, grandkids, and friends. Then Bianca and Tracy surprised me when I came to the office the next day with over-the-top decorations in my office, flowers and gifts! (See picture.) I feel very blessed to serve CCC with such great partners in ministry!

I must admit that the thought of a coming birthday doesn’t come now with the excitement it did when I was a child hoping for a new bicycle! However, I am determined to change my thinking about my own birthday from the negative to one of gratitude for the years with which I have been gifted. Not everyone is so fortunate, as we all know.

As we remember the familiar opening words of Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” we are assured that our time is in God’s hands. We also can read in verse 14a, “I know that whatever God does endures forever.” Grounding ourselves in the assurance that life has a rhythm created by God and trusting that all will ultimately be well because God loves us, can counteract any angst we have as the number of candles on our birthday cakes increase.

The peace of Christ be with you on your birthday and every day!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Candy