Dear Friends,
"The depths of our misery can never fall below the depths of mercy." -Richard Sibbes

I tend to gain weight when I'm stressed out, and well, this year has been pretty stressful. So, I gained a few pounds this year! Recently I've been trying to lose what I have gained and I thought I would try what was called the "smoothie diet". In this diet you are supposed to drink two smoothies each day and then something sensible for the third meal. I really like smoothies and I thought I could do it. So off I went with some renewed motivation and I did pretty well. But before long I realized that I was always hungry on this diet, and I found myself snacking more. I also found myself eating not very sensibly for my third meal. My inner dialogue was pretty funny as well. I'd say stuff like, "I drank two smoothies today, its Ok to have a donut before bed". Or "I'm going to have another smoothie later, I'll go ahead and eat some french fries now. No harm no foul. I am conquering this diet like a champ." I told myself some lies and I believed those lies, because well, I drank two smoothies. And then on top of it all, I was gaining even more weight. It is time to start a new strategy!

The reality is that we all tell ourself little lies and big lies about ourselves and the world. We can make ourselves believe all sorts of things and these things can be really harmful to ourselves and others. We can make ourselves believe that nobody loves us, or cares for us, or that we have the worst life imaginable. Or it can go the other way. Some people will say that they are the most important person in the world, or the best person, or the most righteous person, or any other sort of self-grandiosity. But in the gospel we get a true picture of who we actually are. We are sinners and we are saints. The person that doesn't think much of themself needs to remember that they are saints. The person that makes too much of themself needs to remember that they are a sinner. In Christ, we are sinners and saints. We are loved in spite of our failings and our sin. We are created in God's image and we have dignity, but we are not the center of the world. And for all of this, and more, I am thankful that God tells us the truth about us.

Here is what is going on at Providence this week...

Circle One
We will meet Wednesday, September 30 at 10am. Read Chapter 6 “Kitchen Service”.
To encourage social distancing, we will meet on the patio outside the narthex and will be serving chicken biscuits from Chick-Fil-A.

40 Days for Life
40 Days for Life is an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses. Join us each week on Tuesdays at Noon and Thursdays at 3pm on State Street. For more information, contact Pam Miller (pandhmiller79@gmail.com).

Children’s Sunday School Teachers
We would like to resume Sunday School on October 18 for a 6 week fall semester for our kids.
In order for this to happen, we need 6 Children’s Sunday School Teachers to help with three of our classes. If you are interested, there will be a Teacher Training on Sunday, October 11 at 9:15.
All teachers will be required to do a background check before working with the kids.
Sign up at this link.

Drive-thru Baby Shower: October 3rd
Ladies of Providence are invited to attend a drive-thru baby shower for Kelsey Govero on Saturday, October 3rd from 10-11:30am in the Providence Courtyard.
Kelsey is registered at: https://www.babylist.com/baby-kelsey-govero.
Please join us in helping Luke and Kelsey welcome baby Wyatt Govero (due November 5th).

Discover Providence
If you are new to Providence and would like to take the next step into the life of our church, Discover Providence is your first step. This is a four week small group experience. We begin on Sunday, October 4 at 4:30pm on the patio outside of the foyer.
Register here.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and I hope to see you soon!

In Christ,

Ian