Busyness is a part of life. Still, there are times when everything can feel pretty overwhelming. Between preparing to have a second child, buying a house, packing up to move, raising a 2-year-old, and running a youth ministry, there are times where I feel as though for every one thing I accomplish, two more can take its place. Sometimes in these moments, I can give in to my frustrations and feel burnt out. Something that I have to remind myself over and over again is that God has a plan.

In Hebrews 10:22, Paul reminds us to “ ... draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings … Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds … ”

These words can be hard to process when we feel overwhelmed. If you are anything like me, times when you feel burnt out are the worst times to spur someone else on. We can’t even spur ourselves on! But these truths remain, even when life is hard - when we're waiting and preparing for what is next:

When Paul wrote these words, he was reminding the Hebrews that they needed to stay committed to their faith no matter what, because they knew it to be true. If we call ourselves Christians, we are claiming that we know Christ’s death and sacrifice to be true as well. Because of that, we have experienced a transformed life - meaning we continue pressing forward in our spiritual lives because we know that Christ is more important than anything else.

I know you would probably expect this analogy from Pastor Kenneth, not me - but, in running, there is a term called “hitting the wall.” It refers to when a runner experiences a sudden burst of extreme fatigue and feels as though they cannot continue onward. When life gets extremely busy and will not stop, it can be natural for us as humans to “hit the wall” and give up. As Christians, we are called to more than that. And through Christ, we can accomplish more than that! By holding unswervingly to the hope that we have in Christ, we are relying upon Christ to carry us through our busyness, our hardship, our hurt, and our struggles. And that is exactly how it should be.

When we fully rely upon the power of Christ in whatever we are going through, we can break through any wall we might otherwise hit. By encouraging and supporting one another both in and through our hardship, we remind each other of the one who is carrying us across the finish line.

Wherever you may find yourself today, whatever hardship you may feel, know that you aren’t alone. I am feeling pretty wiped out these days, too. But we can stand up, rely upon Christ, hold on to the hope He gives, and spur each other on towards bigger and better things.

Breaking through my walls,

Pastor Andrew

This Sunday, we'll come together as a church faithfully and prayerfully ready to "promise" our support for our important missions partnerships, both local and global. While we obediently tithe to support our church’s ministry, we also partner together and trust God to provide us with the extra resources for be a part of His mission around the world. How? 

Read our Faith Promise booklet and prayerfully consider how you may partner as well.

Join us in celebration of our pastoral staff Sunday, October 13, after second service. We'll have a potluck buffet in the KiX Building. Please bring a main dish, a side dish, and/or a dessert to share. Iced tea and lemonade will be provided. Notes to the pastoral staff are encouraged.

Questions? Contact Joanna Rojas for more information.

Ladies, you're invited to join us for a day-long outing to the Bishop's Palace in Galveston on Thursday, October 17. We'll enjoy a tour and lunch together. We will meet at the church at 9:30 a.m. and return around 2:30 p.m.

The cost of the tour is $14/person. If we have a party of 20+, the cost reduces to $9/person - so, invite your friends! You will also need to bring money for lunch. Sign up by clicking the link below. Questions? Contact Sandy McHone

Attention all IMPACT guys and dads of IMPACT students! Join us for a fun afternoon of paintball at Paintball Zone Houston on Saturday, October 19. We'll meet at Parkgate at 1:30 p.m. and drive our own vehicles over to the venue. The cost is $30 per person. This covers all equipment and 500 rounds of paint. Grab a friend and sign up today!

Family Fall Fest is a hugely popular community outreach event at Parkgate each year. We offer this event for free, but rely on donations and partnership from our church family. Here's how you can support the event this year. Click the capitalized, bold text to learn more.

1 Zachary Axtell, Lisa Grissinger, Genesis Jackson, Babs Locklear • 3 Jacob Montoya • 5 Mike Aschenbrener, Janet Duncan, Jill Wiess • 6 Angela Alvarez • 7 Michael Pinney • 8 Jane Walker • 9 Rachel Mendoza, Ashley Thomas • 10 Frankie Duenes, Sandra Shaffer, Newton Ward • 11 Molly Pinney • 12 Luke Nawrot, Megan Nawrot • 15 Lisa Heacock, Fernando Pacheco, Jr. • 16 Sylvia Locklear • 19 Paul Heacock, Claudia Votaw • 20 Kylin Manning • 21 Jean Burns, Nicholas Cuellar • 23 Brad Barnes, Susan Thomas • 24 Toni Bowdoin, George Rehbein, Jesse Serna • 25 Shirley DeLozier, Marie Mears • 27 Craig Hackney, Sr. • 29 Liz Hicks • 30 Mike Gonzalez

5 David & Cheva Smith • 8 Craig & Rosie Hackney • 10 Phi & Kayla Thai • 13 David & Frankie Duenes • 21 Mike & Jenni Gonzalez • 24 Mike & Pam Aschenbrener • 29 Robert & Veronica Montalvo