Hola Kelsey Family,

I apologize for not getting an email out last week. That was my Focus Week in Kansas City, and the time got away from me. 

This weekend, we're wrapping up our Lenten Worship series, Hope in the Ashes. Taking the time to slowly reflect on the message of Lamentations has been helpful for me, and I've heard it's been meaningful for others as well. Has there been one of the last several messages that has stood out to you?

Next week is our final Lenten Dinner. It's good to be in fellowship with the church. Having time to visit and break bread together is an important part of being God's church. Last night, we even got to see someone who hadn't been able to make it on Sunday mornings in a while. It was such a joy to see how everyone else welcomed them.

Now is also a good time to remind you that Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday are approaching. Easter, especially, is a wonderful opportunity to invite someone you know to church. Easter is one of those days when people who don't usually attend might consider attending. A personal invitation means more than we realize. 

By this time next week, I'll have all our Holy Week and Easter Sunday plans finalized. What a day of rejoicing it will be!

I'm praying for you today, Kelsey. If there's anything in particular you want me to know, please contact me. See you Sunday.

Stay blessed...john

P.S. Would you forward our email to someone from Kelsey. I'm not sure everyone knows we send this out every week. 

This week, I want to invite you to pick up (or pick back up) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It’s a short novel that imagines how a person might slowly drift away from God. Often, it's not through some dramatic rebellion, but through small, unnoticed compromises.

Lewis reminds us that the greatest danger isn’t usually a sudden fall, but a slow fade. As you read, you may begin to recognize how easily distraction, comfort, and routine can numb what once felt alive. In many ways, it reemphasizes what we talked about in this week's message. But it also gently opens the door to awareness, and awareness is where return begins. If you’re willing, read it this week, and ask God to show you not just what you’re reading, but where you might be drifting.

The Screwtape Letters is a classic, well-known book. I even led a Sunday School class on it for our Kelsey Youth. If you haven't read it, I think you'll appreciate it. 

No one wakes up one morning and decides to lose their soul. It happens slowly. One compromise at a time. In this message from Lamentations 4, we discuss spiritual drift, the consequences of forgetting who we are, and the hope God still offers. Even when the gold has grown dim, God is not finished with us.