a2f newsletter.

happy wednesday.

thankful for all that we got to experience together this past passion week + good friday + easter. we got an opportunity to be together with iu + uiuc for good friday and had an opportunity to reflect on the cross through the eyes of the crucified criminal. we were reminded how god’s forgiveness is not like our own and it is so readily + freely given even in the midst of deep sin and in the height of the pain of our sin.

afterwards, we celebrated easter with a bang. visiting team from elgin. flowers. an amazing choir. phil’s story. reminder that we don’t need to live controlled by fear. baptism. and then an incredible easter bbq + potluck. thank you all for cooking + contributing. thank you all for doing your part + eating. there was no dish left behind.

it’s a pretty normal week this week. regular fridays. regular sundays. but we are ending the semester (can’t believe there’s only a month left…) on a high with noblemen fort week and new eve commissioning week.

i have currently been displaced from my own home for this occasion but, on the flip-side, me + matt + brian are having a great time staying over together with our kids. go-stop + late night food.

we’re also starting to schedule coffee chats for all of you who signed up for student leadership. tabby + i are definitely looking forward to this and the opportunity to get to know you + hear your story.

and now for your personal viewing pleasure + a midweek pick-me-up. one of our student leaders - ethan - lost his fantasy football league. and the punishment? run a 5k in the purdue fountain. yes, it’s cruel. but here he is doing it.

dj.

sunday. 4/12. 12p. walc 1018.

we’ll be going back to our regular time + regular location for a2f sunday. we’re kickstarting a new post-easter message series. alive (now what?) and talking through both the incredible implications of easter but also why it doesn’t always feel that way on a personal level.

also, just as a heads up, a somewhat big announcement coming your way this sunday 😏.

“this was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.”

i was struck by that line this morning. the third time. and what were they doing?

they went back to fishing.

which is kind of shocking. jesus already rose from the dead. he already appeared to them twice. one of those times included thomas literally touching his wounds. you would think something would’ve changed.

but here they are. back to what’s familiar. back to old rhythms. old routines. old ways of life.

and honestly… that feels very human.

we can have moments of clarity. conviction. even powerful encounters with truth. and still find ourselves slipping back into old patterns. our hearts are slow. slow to process. slow to change. tangled up in fear, uncertainty, disappointment, even failure.

but what struck me most wasn’t the disciples. it was jesus.

he doesn’t show up frustrated that two appearances weren’t enough. he comes again. and again. and again.

patient. persistent. compassionate. willing to meet them right in the middle of their confusion and drift.

that’s his heart. for them. and for you.

so if you’re in a place of doubt. or stuck in a pattern you thought you’d be past by now. or wondering why things haven’t changed yet… jesus isn’t done with you. he keeps showing up.

and the invitation is simple. stay open.

because one day, maybe when you least expect it, you’ll see him clearly and say, “it is the lord.”

until next time.

dj.