By Beth Main
Welcome friends to a new year at Kindred. We are so excited to come back together and have a fresh beginning. This year, the steering team has picked a location for our theme because locations are associated with feelings, comfort, and value. So please come as you are to a relaxed and welcoming place…our Front Porch.
I was hoping to write this while I was sitting on a lovely front porch, sipping a cool sweet tea, enjoying a breeze and, of course, my feet would be up. But not today…. I am writing from the Children’s National Medical Center O.R. waiting room. It is not light and airy, warm and fuzzy, or happy for that matter. And that is exactly why we have picked this theme. Our lives are not easy, restful or healthy. I am reminded that Jesus told us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We do not live in a perfect world with all of our hopes and dreams coming true. We live in the present reality of a broken world (which won’t be broken forever), where life is still messy and disappointing and hard and lonely. There isn’t a soul around who doesn’t need peace in their present circumstances. For me, lately it’s peace of mind as I figure out how to lead Kindred, and not forget critical things while I care for the people God has given me. But for you, it may just be the hope of finally having a peaceful night’s sleep. What a great promise, “in me you may have peace….” Jesus doesn’t make us think that everything will come up roses, but He did create Roses for His good pleasure…and gives us the ability to linger and appreciate His creativity in the design, color and scent. That is the beauty of Kindred. We come together on Fridays to have a respite from the tough stuff of life. We get to eat amazing food (that I never would’ve had the time or energy to come up with), have meaningful adult conversations, hear truth that changes how we perceive life, finally make a cool Pinterest Project, wear pretty clothes just for the fun of it…and even laugh. We get to linger and enjoy a beautiful thing together.
So, why do you come to Kindred? There is no shame in admitting if it is the Brunch Buffet or for a morning away from your toddler. When I first came five years ago, it was because I needed to meet women. I wanted to have friends after a very difficult relocation. I needed girlfriends to become my sisters. What is your biggest need? I pray that you will find what you are looking for, that God would reassure you that you are in the right place for this season of life. Our theme verse is Matthew 18:20, where Jesus promises, “For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.” As we meet together, we are graced with God Himself who comforts us with His love (2 Corinthians 1:4) and “satisfies our desires with good things so our youth is renewed…”(Psalm 103:5).
Please come as you are…come hungry, come desperate, come often…He will be here waiting for you with us “On the Front Porch.”
