Now’s the Time to Make Changes

Grove Family,

This week, some of you will watch a kid climb onto a bus for the very first time. Others will drop off a senior and try not to think about how few of these mornings are left. Some will be back in a classroom yourself for another year of teaching, already tired before the first bell.

Here's the thing about this week that I don't want us to miss: your family's entire rhythm is about to change. Bedtimes move. Mornings tighten. Dinner gets negotiated around practice. Everybody in the church is about to rebuild their weekly schedule from scratch — which means, for about ten days, the cement is still wet.

So the question isn't whether your rhythm is changing. It's who's setting it. Because if we don't build the rhythm on purpose, the season will build it for us — and it will not build anything that forms our families into people who love Jesus.

You can't drift into discipleship. You walk it out on purpose.

So think now about the intentional habits that you can create in your family. Don’t overcomplicate it; just think of one thing you can start this week:

• The table. One night where everybody eats together, phones in a basket. That's it.
• The bedside. Two minutes at lights-out — one thing you're thankful for, one thing you need God's help with. Your eight-year-old can do this.
• The car. Sixty seconds of prayer before drop-off. Pray for their day, their teacher, and the kid at their lunch table who's sitting alone.

That last one connects straight to Sunday morning. We started The Empty Chair, and the challenge was to write down one name on a card — one person who is not in church — and pray for them. Your kids have empty chairs too. The lonely kid in third period. The new family on the street. Teach them to notice, and you'll have taught them the heart of Jesus better than any curriculum could.

🙏 Pray over our schools

If you're reading this Sunday evening, you can still join us — we're prayer walking our local schools tonight. Check the website for locations and times.

And whenever you're reading this, you can still pray. We created a Back-to-School Prayer Guide that can help you as you pray: churchatthegrove.com/back-to-school-prayer

📅 What's coming up

1. GSM Semester Kickoff — Grove Student Ministry (grades 6–12) launches the new semester at Walnut Grove this Wednesday and Social Circle next Wednesday. If your student isn't plugged in yet, this is the week to get them there.
2. Night of Worship — Sunday, August 16, 5:00–7:30 PM. Both campuses together at Walnut Grove.
3. Covenant Family Membership Gathering — Saturday, August 15, 5:30–8:00 PM at Walnut Grove. If you've been here a few weeks or a few months and you're wondering what it means to call this place home, come find out. Registration required: sign up here

Let's pray together this week

• For every family starting back — for peace on the anxious ones, patience in the tired ones, and grace in the chaotic mornings
• For our teachers, staff, and administrators as they carry a heavy load
• For the name on your card

A resource worth your time

"Habits of the Household" by Justin Whitmel Earley. It's the most practical book I know on this exact thing — turning waking up, eating, driving, and bedtime into moments that form your family. Short chapters. No guilt. Perfect timing for this week. Check it out here.

Grateful for you, church. Let's build something on purpose this year.

— Nathan