I can already feel it. Things are about to get moving at a pace we’re ill-equipped to handle. We’re already growing tired of our pumpkin spice obsession, longing to exchange its orange hues and fall tones with hints of nutmeg for peppermint flavors adorned in green and red. Already. It’s here. The low-level anxiety of what we can’t avoid causes in us a uneasiness we aren’t quite ready to take on this early in the season.

But, before we get to that state, before that predictable moon-sized marketing asteroid locks into its gravitational collision course, streaking through the outer atmosphere, and crashing into our laps with thunderous explosions and bright, blinding lights, we’ll need to consider something for the sake of our humanity. Because we could lose it — our humanity, that is. For so many of us, we feel like we’re barely keeping things together. We wonder how that became OUR job. The pressure is immense. The tasks are many — almost all of them are worth our time, effort, and energy. We take on so many critical things. We do good work. We try hard. We expect a lot from ourselves. We feel that pressure.

But, what if all the things we’re doing for the sake of other people, can potentially cause us lose sight of those people? This Sunday, we’ll step headlong into one of our DNA standard bearers at Mariners MV. We’ll talk about our church in our communities. We’ll give a picture of how, in the early stages of peppermint, inflatable snowmen, and temporary exterior lighting, we can maintain our humanness. We call it “Celebrate Differently.” Every year, I forget how much I need it. It’s a great weekend to bring friends who wonder about the kind of stuff we do here: locally and globally. We’ll give you a chance jump in, step up, and go big in a number of really practical ways. Don’t miss it.

See you Sunday,

Jeff