This past week has been great for our household, since my kids were on Spring Break, and that meant quality family time.  We even got to have some extra bonus quality family time by having Sara Stewart (who’s kinda like an extra bonus daughter) over for pizza and a movie one night.  I’ve always felt bad for those parents who look forward to their kids going off to school so that they can get rid of them -- my time with my kids is usually the highlight of my day...

Before I forget to say this, let me start this Update with a hearty Happy Resurrection Sunday!  I really do have to be careful, or else I’ll forget to mention stuff like that.  It’s not that it’s not important -- it’s just that once a holiday is over, I’m off and running, thinking about what’s coming up the next Sunday.  And that’s a shame, really...

Welcome to Holy Week!  I’d like to encourage you not to think of Easter as a “Sunday morning thing” so much as a celebration that you’ll want to spend all week leading up to.  In fact, here at First Covenant, we don’t even call it “Easter” -- we rather prefer to think of it as “Resurrection Sunday” (to remind us of just what exactly it is that we’re celebrating, and to help us make that one more step of removal from baskets, bonnets, bunnies, and chocolate in our minds)...

So, roughly half of our church family is sick.  But that’s only Peoria in microcosm, because roughly two-fifths of Peoria is sick with this nasty sinus/throat infection thing.  I’ve heard many people chuckling mid-week about how much more they enjoy being with me, now that I’ve essentially lost my voice.  Go figure...

It’s becoming a joke around here that I don’t really preach any more, and that’s a stinkin’ lie -- it’s just worked out that we’ve had other really great people who’ve felt burdened to share from the pulpit several times already this year.  But in general, I love preaching, and I appreciate every chance that I get to share from the Word of God.  I mean, as a pastor, I really only do work the one day each week...

The warm weather is finally here -- and so is that pesky time change.  It’s amazing how many FCCers were stumbling around like zombies this Sunday morning, trying to adjust to having lost an hour’s sleep this week...

Here in Peoria, we experienced some warm weather, then ice storms that shut down schools -- while elsewhere in the United States, people are still digging themselves out of inches and feet of snow.  Hopefully, this Update finds you warm and safe in your home, wherever that is...

I hope that this Sunday Morning Update finds you healthy and joyful this week.  I say “joyful” because that’s a decision that you and I make, whereas “happy” is merely a reaction to your circumstances.  But life is far too important to allow your perception of it to be buffeted around by your circumstances -- instead, let your perception of your circumstances be dictated by your decision to find joy...

We had a nice, warm time in our worship service this week here at First Covenant this week, even though the weather is getting colder and colder outside.  First of all, we thanked everyone who had worked so hard on our annual Valentine’s Day dinner (for once, actually on Valentine’s Day) fundraiser for our Youth Group this past Saturday evening.  The Intersection Restaurant of Love was as beautiful as ever, and the food and service were spectacular, as always...

Every once in a while, we get to see the familiar faces of people who’ve been part of our church family, but have had to move on because of work, etc.  This week was a veritable flood of “old home week” interactions!  Rick and Liz Schmalzried came into town to celebrate Rick’s 50th birthday by going to Alexander’s Steakhouse... which also brought back Frank and Faith Zosky to celebrate as well... which had absolutely nothing to do with why Zach Malmgren just happened to pop in on the same day...

Hello, and welcome to the “Spring” portion of January’s weather (not that I’m complaining, mind you -- it got awfully cold there for a while).  Here at First Covenant Church, this was a weekend for remembrances.  First off, it’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend, and that really should mean more to us than simply getting a day off from school or work...

I hope that this edition of the Sunday Morning Update finds you and your household doing well.  Yes, I know of several FCC families that are down with some sort of illness of one kind or another, but hopefully, you’re at least feeling better by now...

Man, this month sure feels a lot like January, 2014 did!  We had to cancel that first Sunday morning worship service last year because of crazy cold temperatures -- but this year, those crazy cold temperatures (-30° F with the wind chill) came on Wednesday instead of Sunday, so we were able to get together to worship this week just fine...

From all of us here in the First Covenant Church family, let me wish you a Happy New Year!