Life at ReCAST Church hasn’t been dull.  At least not yet.  Maybe a day comes in the life cycle of a church when the fun, the glory, and the celebrations are in the past, but a church with as many young families as ReCAST has all kinds of opportunities for fellowship and fun.

I delight when I see families getting together in genuine relationships.  And just yesterday I was made aware of several young families getting together in a couple of different venues to hang out.  During a time of swimming in the afternoon, some of the children chased down a water snake, and one brave boy picked it up.  He was the brave snake hero.  He actually got bit, but it was just a harmless northern water snake.  He was so proud that he has shared about his adventures with the beast, and his bravery has spread through the ranks of some of the children at church.

Then in the evening at an ice cream social hosted by some friends at ReCAST who own an airstrip, several families took a walk to the pond where we caught some frogs and watched the snapping turtles.  I helped a couple of kids catch a frog, and one was holding the frog in his hands for a long while.  So I told him that he might want to put it back into the water.  Instead of walking back to the place he caught it and gently releasing it, he yeeted it out into the pond, and it nearly landed on the snapping turtle’s head.  The snapping turtle was glad and gulped down the frog in one bite . . . In front of the parents and all the young children.  The parents all gasped, the kids all looked to the parents.  And someone belted out, “circle of life!”

I noted that yesterday was a great day of community for some families at our church.  It is great to see young families making memories together.  I look back at families that we did life with when my children were young and am grateful.  And it is a joy to see that continue on as families at ReCAST are raising their kids together.

Who could’ve predicted that frogs, snakes, and snapping turtles would show up in the fellowship of the church?  But it is such a delight to lead a church where families are making memories together.  And to brave Sir Philip the snake handler, and Sir William the turtle friend, I say, ‘I am glad for boys like you at ReCAST Church!’  And to the families that hosted these community events, I am thankful that you share your lives with others.  And I’d like to say that no animals were harmed in the making of this blog . . . But that wouldn’t be true.  How about a moment of silence for mister frog.  He gave it all so that our fellowship could be memorable.