Run *To* God, Not From Him

Run To God, Not From Him

Church family,

I know this might sound trite, but there is truly nothing like being in the room with people who are chasing after Jesus together.

I'll be honest — I walked into this morning emotionally exhausted and feeling a little defeated. Before the service started, I was sitting with my journal writing out a prayer, asking the Lord to meet me and encourage me once again. Then worship started. As the room filled with voices singing/declaring praise to Him, I was just overwhelmed — by His goodness, His love, and by the way He so faithfully meets us right where we are. He really is that good. This morning was like a balm to my weary soul.

This Week in "The Story of David"

This morning we continued our series The Story of David and talked about what you do when you fall. Not if you fall — when you fall. The big idea we were driving toward is this: repentance restores what sin destroys. But the line that stuck with me most personally was this — confession is the doorway of mercy. We don't clean ourselves up and then come to God; we come to Him honestly, and He meets us with mercy.

If you missed the message, I'd really encourage you to catch it online later today.

More Baptisms!

This morning we celebrate three more baptisms at a church!! It is so incredible to see how the Lord is moving and working at the Grove. So far we have seen 40 people crash the waters of baptism, to put that into perspective all of 2025 we baptized 41 people. 🤯

We Need Your Help — Loving Our Schools

School is right around the corner, and that means we have several outreach opportunities to love and serve the teachers and students in our community. But we need help! We need folks willing to cook or bring food, and folks willing to show up and serve.

Here's what's coming:

• Social Circle Marching Band Dinner (Wed, July 23) — We're serving dinner to the Social Circle Middle/High marching band during band camp.
• Walnut Grove Teacher Breakfast (Mon, July 27) — We're feeding the teachers at Walnut Grove High on their first day back for pre-planning.
• Feed Social Circle Faculty (Wed, July 29) — We're serving the teachers and staff of Social Circle Middle/High as they gear up for a new school year.

If you're able to help with any of these, you can sign up here: churchatthegrove.com/sign-ups

New Website and App

If you haven’t noticed yet, we launched a new website/web app last week. The new site/app is not your one-stop shop for everything Church at the Grove. Check it out here: churchatthegrove.com/this-week. If you have yet to add the new app to your home screen, here is how you can do it:

Family Movie Night — Both Campuses!

Don't miss Family Movie Night on Wednesday, July 29, from 6:30–8:30 PM at our Walnut Grove Campus. Both campuses are gathering for this one — bring a blanket, bring the family, and bring a friend. We'll bring the popcorn. This is one of the easiest invites of the summer, so think about who you could bring along.

Let's Pray Together

• That we would be the kind of church that runs to the Lord with our sin, not away from Him.
• Continued prayers for our search for a Social Circle Student Pastor and a Production Director.
• That the Lord would use our efforts this fall to bring a multitude of people into a relationship with Jesus.

A Resource Worth Your Time

How do you know when God is speaking? Jennie is joined by Tyler Staton for a conversation about hearing God's voice, learning to discern His leading, and trusting Him in both the ordinary moments and the hardest seasons of life. Tyler shares how cancer reshaped his faith, why weakness is where God often does His deepest work, and how even suffering can become part of our redemption. — well worth a listen this week: youtu.be/44wGzmeUHag

Grateful to walk with you,

Nathan