Dear Friends,

              What does it mean personally to turn “it” over to a higher power, whatever “it” might be? For me, it is about letting go of the past and taking whatever steps I need to take to be present now and not living in the past, be it memories, grudges, or sad times.  Just let the past be the past and let this higher power take it from here.

              I grew up Southern Baptist, which left me suspicious of religious people and institutions.  That might explain a few things. Okay, a lot of things.  But being Southern Baptist never sat well with me for very long.  I appreciated being taught to love, but never at the expense of others or sitting in judgment of others. But anyway, there used to be a Sunday altar call every week. People would “walk the aisle” and say a prayer with the minister. I would see them later doing exactly what we were told not to do.  And then I would see the same person “walk the aisle” a year later and go back on the rotation again, year after year rededicating their lives.  I sat in judgment of that hypocrisy, pushing back viscerally again and again, not seeing that we are all on some kind of wheel of control and letting go to something that is bigger than all creation.  What was a “rededication” for them is a third step for some and just a commitment to letting go for others. Sometimes we have to let go all over again. And again. And give people a second or third chance and let that Being be the only One in judgment, if they even are.

              I like Cherokee teachings. Joyce Sequichie Hifler is a Cherokee writer who says in one of her books, A Cherokee Feast of Days, that “more of life is invisible than visible.”  I think we forget that when we judge others.  We seriously don’t know what is going on inside of that person or in their lives, nor how they are reacting to it. They, like us, have a lot going on. They, like us, have to let go to a Higher Power, and get back on the road again.  Sometimes it is just time to start over without judging others or even ourselves and just do it.  Let it go.  Fresh steps.  New beginnings over and over again. Fresh.

              There is a lot going on at church that you might not know about.  I’ll include the announcements soon.  But give us a chance.  Give yourself a chance to start over.

Blessings,

Leigh

PS: There is a wonderful and needed training coming up.  It is free.  It takes two days, and you can get CEU credits for attending.  It is called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills) and is put together as a coordinated effort of Veterans Affairs and Klamath Behavioral Health.  It is an in-depth workshop that prepares individuals to provide suicide first-aid intervention using a proven evidence-based model.  It is two days long and will be 8:30 – 5:00 October 8 & 9, 2026.  But there are only thirty participants allowed, so if you want to go, please register now by emailing Jenn Scott .