Staff Spotlight: Natalie Ringham
FAMILY: dad Bill, mom Christine, brother Nathaniel
HOBBIES: going on walks with new puppy Minne, creative outlets like knitting and scrapbooking
FAVORITE BOOK RIGHT NOW: Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons
GUILTY PLEASURE: Netflix Christmas movies
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CAROL: Silent Night
CPC is where I found my community and my faith. I was baptized here, confirmed here, and did a summer internship here. When the Student Ministries Coordinator position was posted this summer, I just felt called to come back to this community again and use my degree in Event Management to serve students and coordinate camps and programs.
Like so many, I am definitely in a season of waiting and upheaval. I’m transitioning from college into true adulthood, and it can make me anxious and sort of panicky. This is the first time in life where there aren’t expectations of where I go next. I’m a planner, and every plan I’ve made in the last eight months hasn’t been able to happen. It’s been really defeating. But at the same time, I have been learning a lot of patience and how to let go of my need to have a plan. I’ve never experienced the kind of trust this requires before. I’ve been finding the maturity and gaining the spiritual development to hear where the Lord’s calling me for the first time in my life. I’ve learned that I can’t plan out my future, that I need to let go of my timeline, and in this season of waiting for a new start, I can live in a way that is actually so glorifying to the Lord.
Lately, Jesus has been nudging me to be more open to change and saying yes to things that might be out of my comfort zone. I don’t have to stick to my to-do list, and I can choose in the moment to make memories and be a part of a community. Being in a community that fosters faith and conversations about faith has been huge for me lately, helping me find my purpose, giving me encouragement, and keeping me from being just stuck in a rut alone.
It can feel like the weight of this world is held on all of our shoulders right now. I’m the first to admit that every little thing stresses me out. But if I choose to have Jesus matter most, I can start to change my perspective and let Him carry the weight for me. Devotions, journaling, praying, and reading really help me take this choice into my daily life. Having Jesus be at the center of my days helps my rhythms, gets me out of my head, and lifts the stress off of me.
I’m realizing I can let Jesus hold the heaviness of what’s happening in our world and society. I can choose to love people, even when we disagree. I can let Jesus work through and speak into the decisions I make daily if I’m letting Him matter most over anything else in my life. Jesus already won and died for all of our sins. All we have to do is ask for forgiveness and love others. In the season I’m in, a lot of friends have actually been asking me recently, “Why Jesus?” And I can confidently answer, “Because He saves.” Nothing else in our life has to matter if Jesus matters most.