spotlight

DEvotional: “Fall”

Hello Maple View Family,

Sadly, summer is ending, and fall is on the way. Pumpkin-flavored everything has already invaded the shelves, along with Halloween candy and decorations, and even Thanksgiving and Christmas decor is starting to show up. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike fall, but I do hate what comes after it. It’s that I love summer, and every year around this time I find myself holding on to the last days of summer and hoping for more warmth and sunshine before the air begins to cool and the leaves begin to change.

As I think about how I hold onto summer, my mind wanders to what else we may hold onto. How often do we hold onto things that are outside of our control? How often do we lean on our own understanding and try to control the outcome of every situation?

This leads me to Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs in the Bible are short, memorable sayings that offer practical moral guidance and wisdom for daily living. Proverbs express probabilities and general rules rather than absolute promises. Here, Proverbs 3:5-6 is teaching us the wisdom of fully trusting God, giving up our self-reliance, and acknowledge Him in everything so He can guide our path.

Trusting the Lord with all your heart, means your whole heart. This is actively choosing to place complete and utter confidence in God rather than in earthly security or wealth. We are warned to not lean on our own understanding, because human perspective is limited and finite. When we rely on personal judgment, logic, or worldly definitions of right and wrong we see that life doesn’t make sense. So, in all your ways acknowledge him.

To acknowledge means to recognize God's ultimate authority, presence, and moral standards in every daily decision, rather than compartmentalizing faith to a few areas of life. When we do this He will make straight your paths. This is a promise of divine direction and a successful, stable life aligned with wisdom. It does not mean an absence of hardship, but it does mean that God will successfully guide the journey of those who submit to Him.

As we enter a new season, maybe we need to ask ourselves what we are holding onto. Is there something we are trying to control that we need to surrender to God? Is there a situation we are trying to figure out on our own instead of trusting Him? Is there something in our lives that we need to place completely in His hands?

The changing seasons remind us that change is inevitable. Try as we might, we cannot stop summer from ending, we cannot keep the leaves from falling, and we cannot control everything that happens around us. But we can choose where we place our trust.

We may not know what the next season of life will bring, but we know the One who will be with us through it.

So as the leaves begin to change and the air begins to cool, let it serve as a reminder to trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean less on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in every part of your life, and allow Him to direct your path.

We don't have to know what tomorrow holds when we know who holds tomorrow.

Closing Prayer:

Dear, Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the beauty of Your creation and for the changing of the seasons. As we move into another season, help us remember that You are with us through every season of our lives.

Lord, help us to trust You with all of our hearts. Forgive us for the times we try to take control of things that belong in Your hands. Help us not to lean on our own understanding, but instead to seek Your wisdom and Your will.

Help us to acknowledge You in everything we do, in our families, our jobs, our relationships, our decisions, our struggles, and our plans for the future. When we don't understand what You are doing, help us trust through the knowledge that You do.

Guide our paths, Lord, and give us wisdom when we need to make difficult decisions, peace when we face uncertainty, strength when we face hardship, and faith when we cannot see what lies ahead.

As the leaves change and fall, remind us that while our circumstances and seasons may change, You never change. Help us to let go of what we cannot control and place our confidence completely in You.

It is in Your precious and holy name, that I pray and ask these things.

Amen.

Eric Vance

Lead Minister

MV Teens

Hello Maple View Teens and Families,

What a month August was! While we only had Sunday evening service the first week of the month, we had some amazing trips and times during Destination Unknown on Wednesday nights. We went to Scoops in Pembrook, the Wytheville Community Center, had a birthday party for me, and capped Destination Unknown off with a trip to the Hazelwood’s house.

The month of September will be a great one for MV Teens as we continue to walk through Romans during Sunday School. Wednesday Nights will see “Welcome Back Wednesdays”, and our Sunday evening MV Teens kicks back off on September 20th.

Barbara & Danny Hazelwood are extremely excited for youth services to start back on September 20th. Several of the teens have volunteered to lead devotionals for September and October. Please make sure you check the Sunday Night schedule on the bulletin board in the chapel hallway.

For our last bit of news and announcements, we are happy to announce that sign-ups for TCTC (Tennessee Christian Teen Convention) are NOW OPEN!!! The deadline to sign up is October 4th. You can sign up by contacting Eric via phone, text, e-mail, or just a good old face-to-face conversation.

We are praying for a great fall and new year for our youth. A year that will see change and growth. A year that will see new faces and new friendships. A year where Jesus changes everything in the lives of our kids.

In Christ,

Eric Vance,

Lead Minister, Maple View Church of Christ

mv kids

August was packed full of fun, fellowship, and special moments with our MV Kids! We wrapped up our Summer Splash N’ Play activities with one last swimming trip to Randolph Park and celebrated our minister, Eric, with a surprise birthday party! The evening included wings, pizza, ice cream cake, a piñata, capture the flag, and even a clown (shoutout to Brynley! 🤡) making balloon animals!

We also had an extra-special reason to celebrate when one of our former MV Kids—now a MV Teen—Sage, and our very own Miss Kaitlyn were baptized on the same day! What a blessing to watch members of our Maple View family publicly proclaim their faith in Jesus! ❤️

We joined our church family for Worship Out Loud at the park in Princeton, and throughout the month our kids learned an important truth: we are masterpieces, created by God! We talked about how God made each of us intentionally and uniquely and how He has good things for us to do.

Now we’re heading into September! 🍁 We’re looking forward to Fall Kick Off, where we’ll celebrate the start of our new fall curriculum, settle into the back-to-school season, and enjoy even more opportunities to learn, grow, and have fun together.

We’re so thankful for another wonderful month with our MV Kids and can’t wait to see what September brings!

-Rebecca