Pastor Weekly - 1/7/26
Hello ICC Family!
About 20 years ago I remember getting a call from my mother (from the other side of the world) saying that dad had fallen off a ladder in the garage and broken his wrist. I assume my initial thought was the same that most other people would have… “Why in the world is dad on a ladder at his age?!?” The clearest memories I have of my grandparents were their love for watching game shows, how their houses would always feel like 80 degrees, and my parents fighting with them to stay off of ladders.
Yesterday, the weather was so nice that I had to get outside for a while, and cleaning out the gutters from the annual fall of leaves and pine needles has been on my to-do list. Unless you are going to hire somebody else to do this for you (which is not a feasible financial option for most people) this task is going to involve going up on a ladder. In the past, I have done this by climbing up and grabbing out the leaves and needles and other gunk by hand and putting it in a bucket. You clear out as much of the gutter as you can reach, and then you climb down, dump the bucket, and move the ladder 4-5 feet over and do it again. The process is slow and tedious and involves going up and down the ladder about 50 times, which seems unadvisable if one is worried about falling off a ladder…
Last year, I discovered a way better option - that doesn’t involve hiring somebody else to do it or investing however many thousands of dollars it costs to have gutter guards installed by one of the hundreds of companies that leave leaflets at our door. You climb up the ladder just one time, get up on the roof, and take the leaf blower up with you! And then you just blow off the roof and blow out all of the gutters. You do have to walk fairly close to the edge of the roof the whole time, so when it comes to safety… it is probably a toss-up of whether it is safer than repeatedly climbing a ladder. But this method is so much faster and WAY more fun! The only problem was that the whole time I was wondering what my daughters would say if I fell off, though. Am I at the age already where they would say, “Why in the world is dad on a ladder at his age?!?” And how old should I be before I admit that perhaps I am?
That is an impossible question to answer, but I think the subject is appropriate in following up last Sunday’s service talking about how God wants to do something new in your life and in our church in 2026.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19
At first glance, the Bible would seem to encourage taking risks and being adventurous…
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
But we have to be careful… these verses don’t really tell us whether it is a good idea to go up on a roof with a leaf blower. You could take them out of context and convince yourself that the Bible is all about risk-taking. But the Bible never tells us how daring we should be. What it does tell us, however, is to pray and ask for courage. And wisdom. And boldness. And when it comes to matters of faith like in these verses above… we should be the boldest, bravest, and most daring people alive. This attitude and mindset doesn’t have any cutoff date when it comes to age either. Every week as I talk to the folks at Pinewood nursing home, I try to encourage them to figure out what new thing God is doing in their hearts and lives, and then figure out a new way to be a blessing to others. Even in their situation, where their food and sleep and exercise is monitored, and even the thought of climbing a ladder would get them in trouble, spiritually they can be as risk-taking and adventurous as any young teenager. If they can be spiritually bold and adventurous in the year ahead, so can we. So, as you think about all that God could possibly do in and through you in 2026… definitely climb up on the roof. And don’t forget to take the leaf blower with you.
It would be great to see many of you for fellowship meal and discipleship tonight. The young adults will be starting again next week. Don’t forget men’s fellowship Saturday morning. And then a new sermon series starting on Sunday! New things all around!
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
About 20 years ago I remember getting a call from my mother (from the other side of the world) saying that dad had fallen off a ladder in the garage and broken his wrist. I assume my initial thought was the same that most other people would have… “Why in the world is dad on a ladder at his age?!?” The clearest memories I have of my grandparents were their love for watching game shows, how their houses would always feel like 80 degrees, and my parents fighting with them to stay off of ladders.
Yesterday, the weather was so nice that I had to get outside for a while, and cleaning out the gutters from the annual fall of leaves and pine needles has been on my to-do list. Unless you are going to hire somebody else to do this for you (which is not a feasible financial option for most people) this task is going to involve going up on a ladder. In the past, I have done this by climbing up and grabbing out the leaves and needles and other gunk by hand and putting it in a bucket. You clear out as much of the gutter as you can reach, and then you climb down, dump the bucket, and move the ladder 4-5 feet over and do it again. The process is slow and tedious and involves going up and down the ladder about 50 times, which seems unadvisable if one is worried about falling off a ladder…
Last year, I discovered a way better option - that doesn’t involve hiring somebody else to do it or investing however many thousands of dollars it costs to have gutter guards installed by one of the hundreds of companies that leave leaflets at our door. You climb up the ladder just one time, get up on the roof, and take the leaf blower up with you! And then you just blow off the roof and blow out all of the gutters. You do have to walk fairly close to the edge of the roof the whole time, so when it comes to safety… it is probably a toss-up of whether it is safer than repeatedly climbing a ladder. But this method is so much faster and WAY more fun! The only problem was that the whole time I was wondering what my daughters would say if I fell off, though. Am I at the age already where they would say, “Why in the world is dad on a ladder at his age?!?” And how old should I be before I admit that perhaps I am?
That is an impossible question to answer, but I think the subject is appropriate in following up last Sunday’s service talking about how God wants to do something new in your life and in our church in 2026.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19
At first glance, the Bible would seem to encourage taking risks and being adventurous…
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
But we have to be careful… these verses don’t really tell us whether it is a good idea to go up on a roof with a leaf blower. You could take them out of context and convince yourself that the Bible is all about risk-taking. But the Bible never tells us how daring we should be. What it does tell us, however, is to pray and ask for courage. And wisdom. And boldness. And when it comes to matters of faith like in these verses above… we should be the boldest, bravest, and most daring people alive. This attitude and mindset doesn’t have any cutoff date when it comes to age either. Every week as I talk to the folks at Pinewood nursing home, I try to encourage them to figure out what new thing God is doing in their hearts and lives, and then figure out a new way to be a blessing to others. Even in their situation, where their food and sleep and exercise is monitored, and even the thought of climbing a ladder would get them in trouble, spiritually they can be as risk-taking and adventurous as any young teenager. If they can be spiritually bold and adventurous in the year ahead, so can we. So, as you think about all that God could possibly do in and through you in 2026… definitely climb up on the roof. And don’t forget to take the leaf blower with you.
It would be great to see many of you for fellowship meal and discipleship tonight. The young adults will be starting again next week. Don’t forget men’s fellowship Saturday morning. And then a new sermon series starting on Sunday! New things all around!
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
Posted in Pastor Weekly