Midweek Check-in (July 29, 2026)

Good evening, church family!

It’s time to stop for a midweek check-in with a quick story:

A kid named Joseph had some… family issues. His older brothers (there were many) were jealous of their father’s disproportional love for Joseph. Yeah, the dad played favorites. And the brothers noticed.

Joseph didn’t help matters. He bragged of dreams and visions of the brothers one day bowing down to him and showed off a beautiful coat his father gave him. One day, it was too much.

The older brothers grabbed Joseph, held him captive and THEN sat down to figure out what was next. There was no plan, no great strategy. It was blind rage and opportunistic devilry. In the end, they sold Joseph – their own brother – into slavery, faked his death and watched their father mourn as they buried their treacherous secret for years.

Joseph ended up in Egypt, and God blessed him greatly until, through a not-so-direct path, Joseph became a part of Pharoah’s powerful ruling elite. When famine swept through the land, Joseph’s brothers came seeking relief. They found Joseph in charge, though they didn’t know it was him.

Joseph wrestled with his own desires of vengeance but eventually identified himself to his brothers. The long-lost, little brother was now the one with the power to save the family – or destroy it. Joseph chose to save, and his response in the final chapter of Genesis echoes through the rest of scripture.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I God? You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he’s doing today.” (Gen. 50:19-20).

Oh, the faith of that statement. There are some people – let’s call them grumpies – who just seem bent on planning something bad. Whether it’s an attitude problem, a misunderstanding, a long-held grudge or some other source of negativity – the grumpies seem always ready to act, to instigate, to stir things up.

God didn’t prevent it. He redeemed it, as Joseph said, “…just as he’s doing today.”

I don’t know if you have any grumpies in your life. As we learned this past Sunday, “He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45b). As the sun rises tomorrow, know that even as the grumpies linger, the redeeming work of the Lord persists even further. He is the God who produces good, and I hope that’s a comfort to us all today.

Your pastor,

Billy Byler

2026 DISTRICT ASSEMBLY: Woodland Lakes Community Church has long been a part of the Church of the Nazarene, and each summer Nazarenes from all over Kansas gather at the annual District Assembly. This year it will be downtown at Wichita First Church of the Nazarene (1400 E. Kellogg Dr.). All are welcome to attend! Here’s what to expect:

·      Thursday, July 30 – The opening worship service starts at 7 p.m. and will feature District Superintendent Kendall Franklin giving his annual report. I’d love to see a great turnout from our church in support of Pastor Kendall.

·      Friday, July 31 – The annual ordination service begins at 7 p.m. This is a sacred, holy worship service in which General Superintendent Gustavo Crocker will bring a message and we will witness the ordination of three ministers and honor one retiring minister.

·      Saturday, Aug. 1 – The annual EQUIP Day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and features plenary speaker Selena Freeman plus several workshops and seminars focused on specific ministry topics (more info here).

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPLIES: We’re collecting school supplies for the upcoming school year. We want to be a blessing to local students who need some help. Please bring your donated supplies to the church by this Sunday (Aug. 2) then stick around after the morning worship service on Sunday, Aug. 9 to help us pack the supplies in backpacks!

PRAYER: I’d like to know how I can best pray for you. We have a way to submit prayer requests online anytime day or night, which will help me join you in prayer.

JUST FOR FUN: Hey, you read Pastor Billy's midweek check-in all the way to the end! As a reward, check out these crazy stories I came across recently:

·       A Canadian dairy has designed a running vest that lets you churn butter as you jog.

·       Fifty-three years ago a 9-year-old girl put a message in a bottle and threw it our to sea. It washed up last monthand was discovered by a man on the beach in New Jersey.

·       A squirrel ran all over a baseball field for multiple innings during a game Monday night. You will not believe how many people it took to catch it.