Midweek Check-in (Nov. 12, 2025)

One year ago this week my family and I finally moved into the house we purchased here in the Wichita area after a few months of commuting from our previous home in Winfield, KS.

If you’re standing in the street in front of my house, you won’t see my house. There’s a tree. A big tree. A bent tree. It is literally bent. I don’t know why or how, but part of the trunk runs parallel to the ground for several feet before making a 45-degree turn upward and finally sending out its branches to reach for the skies.

It's so unique and so noticeable that the street that our house sits on is named Bent Tree Ct. And it’s all because of the massive, not straight tree that sits in our front yard.

The tree blocks the view of my house. It’s pointless to decorate the outside of the house with Christmas lights because no one would see them from the street anyway. And I know I’ll have way too many leaves to rake soon. But I don’t mind. The privacy is nice, the shade is wonderful (my house faces south) and, as you know, I love a good tree!

And then… last night happened.

As many of you saw, Tuesday night the skies lit up with a rare, beautiful display of colors. The northern lights (aurora borealis) dropped far enough south to brighten the Kansas skies. So I walked down my driveway, stood in the street and looked at my bent tree.

Here’s the photo I took. And here’s the scripture that immediately came to mind:

Heaven is declaring God’s glory;

the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

I stood there amazed at the beauty I was seeing. I hope you were able to catch a glimpse of God’s canvas as well. If not, I hear the northern lights might put on an even bigger show tonight! Don’t miss it!

Your pastor,

Billy Byler 

CHRISTMAS AT WOODLAND LAKES! Mark your calendars for these events and services coming up at the church.

·      HANGING OF THE GREENS: Help us decorate the church for the Advent and Christmas seasons followed by a soup supper on Sunday, Nov. 23 starting at 4 p.m. This is always a fun time with the people of the church!

·      CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SERVICE: Join us Sunday, December 14 for an evening of familiar Christmas songs and worship.

·      CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE: Bring the entire family for Christmas Eve at Woodland Lakes with a candlelight service, traditional Christmas hymns and a reading of the Christmas story.

EMBRACE GRACE: The next launch of our Embrace Grace classes begins soon. Embrace Grace is a ministry to help single, pregnant ladies navigate the journey of pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood with weekly classes that provide education, support, encouragement and prayer. If you or someone you know would like more information, please contact Sherilyn Elder.

CRAFT CONNECTIONS: The next meeting of the Craft Connections group is a Thanksgiving potluck on Monday, Nov. 17, 6-8 p.m. at the church. Bring your appetite for some chicken pot pie, cranberry salad, pie, brownies and cranberry Sprite! Feel free to bring cups, napkins, plates, utensils and water to share.

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:

·      The world’s biggest spider web was discovered in a cave on the Albanian-Greek border. It has 110,000 spiders and stretches for more than 1,100 square feet.

·      We enjoyed our Veterans Day Celebration on Sunday and, of course, Veterans Day on Tuesday. The observance of Veterans Day started thanks to a shoe repairman from Kansas!

·      With only 43 days until Christmas, stock up on these, uh, “unique” coloring books that feature animals with mullets. Just $9.99 each on Amazon.