September 7, 2026
When There Aren't Easy Answers
Church family,
This has been a heavy week.
On Wednesday we learned that Crystal Williams passed away after a year-long battle with brain cancer. Many of you have been praying for Crystal and her family for months. That same afternoon, we also got word that Randy and Carol Whisenhunt's son, Jason, had tragically passed away as well. Two families in our church, on the same day, are walking into the hardest season of their lives.
Please pray for the Williams family and the Whisenhunt family. And if you can, show up for them.
Funeral Services
Crystal Williams — Tuesday, September 8, at our Walnut Grove Campus. Visitation with family and friends from 1:00–3:00 PM, with the service beginning immediately after at 3:00 PM.
Jason Whisenhunt — Saturday, September 12, at Caldwell and Cowan. Time to be announced; we'll get that to you as soon as we have it.
Help provide food for after funeral services
Both of these losses came far too young, and I keep coming back to how fast life can turn. Everything is running smoothly and then the phone rings. A diagnosis. An accident. One minute changes everything.
I wish I had simple answers for you. I don't. Some of what we walk through in this life doesn't get explained on this side of heaven, and I've stopped pretending otherwise. But not having answers is different from not having anything to stand on. Here's what I'm holding onto on weeks like this, and what I'd offer you to hold too:
1. God is still on the throne. What blindsides us never blindsides him. Nothing about this week caught the Lord off guard. He is still ruling, still reigning, still good.
2. He is working all things together for our good and his glory. We rarely see it in the moment. But he's working a plan bigger and better than anything we'd have drawn up ourselves.
3. When we grieve, God comes near. He doesn't stand at a distance from our tears. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). "The Lord is near the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18). Near. Not watching from a distance.
4. He comforts us through each other. God rarely sends comfort out of thin air. He sends it through a meal on a doorstep, a text, a hand on a shoulder, someone willing to sit in the quiet with you and not fill it with advice. If you feel useless in the face of this week, you're not. God wants to use you to provide comfort to others.
5. Death is real, but it isn't the end of the story. Paul says we grieve, but not as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). For those who belong to Christ, the grave is a door, not a destination. Crystal and Jason are not lost to God. And a day is coming when he wipes away every tear and death is finished for good.
I don't have many answers, but I do have the promises of who God is and what he's doing. When you're in a hard season, cling to those.
This is exactly why community matters
When life falls apart, it's usually the people you've built around you who help you stand back up and keep moving. Community groups don't solve every problem, but they put people in your corner before you need them.
Our fall semester groups launch this Sunday, September 13. If you haven't looked at the catalog yet, do it today. churchatthegrove.com/groups
Events & Opportunities
- Community Group Fall Semester Launch — Sunday, September 13. Both campuses. Get signed up at churchatthegrove.com/groups.
- 20th Anniversary Celebration — Sunday, September 20, 4:00–7:00 PM at The Grove Park. Twenty years ago a handful of families met in a middle school cafeteria. Both campuses, one park, one evening, with food, worship, and room for the kids to run. Nothing to sign up for and nothing to bring. Just clear the evening and come.
Would you pray with me this week?
- The Williams family and the Whisenhunt family as they grieve, plan services, and face the weeks after everyone goes home.
- Our search for a Student Director and a Production Director. Pray the Lord sends the right people for both roles.
- Our community groups launching this weekend — for leaders as they open their homes, and for the person still deciding whether to sign up.
Grateful for you
Nathan