Hey, y'all!

We can’t believe it’s already mid-July! We are already starting to see the school supplies being put out, and it’s mind-blowing. It truly feels like we were just saying bye to our students on the last day of school. We are enjoying summer break, and we are sure you all are as well. Now, the countdown begins.

I know, the last thing you want to think about right now is school. The pandemic really made last school year a complicated one. It was hard, it was exhausting, it was boring, it was never-ending zoom calls! You had so much time to yourself with no classmates, and you've changed. You've grown. Now we are going back in person, and you're not the same person who left the halls of your school in March 2020. So what do you do? What do you do when the pandemic has flipped your life and everything about you?

Pastor Dre and Pastor Shawn talked to us about reframing how we think. We can't control how people act when we get back to school, but we can definitely reframe our thoughts, reactions, and experiences. We have the power to react differently. "How do you want me to react?!". Good question. Let's respond in a way that will bring Glory to God. Let's react in a way that our classmates will look at us and say, "Wow, something is different about them, and I want to know what.". Things are going to happen, but you are in control only of your response. You are in control of the thoughts that want to bring you down and trip you up. 

As you prepare to go back to school, remember that it's ok to have changed. It's ok to be different and have different priorities. Start getting into the practice of taking control of your thoughts and reactions when those around you haven't changed. We are praying for you as the school year gets close. We pray that you would be able to reframe your thoughts and experiences and see God get the glory in it all!

We love you!

Jesse and Marissa