JANUARY 2023

We just enjoyed another Christmas season. A time to enjoy family and friends. A time to give and to receive. Now that a new year is upon us we move forward yet again. Let us not leave behind the importance of the impact that this little Jesus child has had on everything, yes everything since His birth over 2,000 years ago.

The shepherds heard
The glorious proclamation
That the Savior was born - 
And with their hearts,
They rejoiced in the gift of
God’s amazing love.
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Worthy ONE
EMANUEL
God with us
THE WORD JESUS
Prince of Peace
Light of the world
The Shepherd
The risen One
LORD
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This Christmas season and in the new year,
May you rest in the deep assurance
That in knowing Him you have everything.
God’s Blessings to you.
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For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given:
And the government shall be upon His shoulder:
And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
            Isaiah 9:6 KJV
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This Christmas, may your be reminded 
of the MIRACLE of Christ’s birth,
And may the HOPE the LORD brings
Follow you into the new year.
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For unto you is born this day,
In the city of David, a Savior,
Who is Christ the Lord.
            Luke 2:11
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JESUS
He came not to a throne, but to a manger.
He lived not as a king, but as a servant.
He chose not a kingdom, but a cross.
He gave not just a little, but everything.
            Holley Gerth

Time to enjoy another Christmas season. A time to enjoy family and friends. A time to give and to receive. Now that a new year is upon us we move forward yet again. Let us not leave behind the importance of the impact that this little Jesus child has had on everything; yes everything since His birth over 2,000 years ago.
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Some verses from Christmas cards PART I
Of the dozens and dozens of Christmas cards and greetings, we share some of them with you now and some in January 2023.
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May the BEAUTY of the SEASON
Reflect the MIRACLE of Christ’s birth,
And may it fill you heart now and in the New Year.
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We have joy because Jesus came …
We have hope because He’s coming again.
May that joy and hope be yours …
not just for a season 
but in each day of your life
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LONG AGO ONE SILENT NIGHT,
God revealed His glory bright,
His Own image came to man
For Salvation’s matchless plan.
JESUS, SAVIOR, SHEPHERD, KING -
Lord of all to you we bring
Praises, wonder, thanks, and love
For this gift from God above.
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    REJOICE
In the SPIRIT of Christmas which is PEACE,
The MIRACLE of Christmas which is HOPE,
And the HEART of Christmas which is LOVE
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Enjoy the wonder of the season, with plenty of time
To be refreshed in God’s most precious gifts -
The warmth of friends and family, and lasting love and peace.
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Do you ponder the refreshing verses on the Christmas cards you receive? Take time this year with a cup of tea or coffee or wassail and enjoy the verse and personal notes from your family and friends. You will be refreshed and energized for the New Year that lies ahead.
Blessings to you for health and happiness in all of 2023 and beyond as you embrace the LOVE and HOPE provided by our Savior, Jesus the Christ. yes the Christ of Christmas.

In the study of Philippians in the LifeGroup of our church (a home Bible Study) we this week focused on the second chapters’ first four verses. The writer, Paul had observed the church at Philippi was theologically sound, devoted, moral, loving, zealous, courageous, prayerful and generous. It did face the danger of discord usually generated by only a few people. It’s interesting to note the same thing is true today in our world. We experience conflict and discord not only in our world, country, state, county and city where we live but also in our churches.

So, it is not surprising at all that Paul shares in a concise and practical way the importance of unity in the body of Christ.

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

Further study led me to the prayer of Jesus as recorded in John 17. Jesus prayed in three focused ways in this prayer. 

• He prayed for Himself - vs. 1-5
• He prayed for His disciples - vs.  6-19
• He prayed for us (all believers) vs. 20-26

This passage of Scripture as translated in “The Message” focuses on what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi in our study this week.

I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind--
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.

Notice the phrase, “those who will believe in me”, that’s you and me. And the “goal” as stated is for all of us to become one heart and mind.
THINK about it. Ponder these things. Consider how to be of one mind with Jesus.       
​            That’s the take-away to the study in Philippians 2:1-4.

How important is your church building to you?
​The Bible tells us the church is the body of Christ. Colossians 1:24

Our partner in Indonesia is making an impact in the lives of people. Here is the latest project we are supporting with your gifts this quarter 2022.

We strongly believe our next project should focus on a small church in Pollo village located in Kupang called Isa Almasih.
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Our attention was instantly pulled to the concerning condition of this church.  Simple buildings made of palm branch walls usually don't last long especially with a roof of palm leaves that invite termites. The church is already slanted with evidence of a termite infestation.

Founded in 2008, this little church measures 5 x 9 meters and is the only place of worship for several miles. It includes 14 families with a total of 67 people living in the Village. As always, despite the conditions, the congregants come together and rejoice in the Lord with all their hearts. How can we not honor such a spirit?

“Currently the congregation has a very simple building with a palm leaf roof and walls made of palm branches. Every time the congregation worships, it is difficult because the roof has leaked and when it rains water enters and wets the congregation while worshiping. Even though the church is simple, the congregation is still diligent in worshiping. The congregation here really needs a helping hand for the presence of a permanent building so that people can worship properly.”   Said Pastor Sefnat Paanea Liu.

October 2, 2022 will be World Communion Sunday. A supporting church to our ministry asked me for photos that reflect people either praying together or taking communion or participating in a worship service. They will put the photos together in a slide show to be used in worship and place it on their website. It will be amazing to see the photos provided by the dozens of ministries they support.

This gave us an opportunity to share an incredible experience I had some years ago. For the first time ever the millions of Dalit people in India were invited to New Delhi to hear about other religious beliefs to encourage them to change from the oppressive hinduism that prevented them from experiencing the religious freedom they desired. I was invited as a representative of the press partly because I had a current visa to the country.

The word "Dalit " means "oppressed" or "broken" and is the name members of this group gave themselves in the 1930s. A Dalit is actually born below the caste system, which includes four primary castes: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriya (warriors and princes), Vaishya (farmers and artisans), and Shudra (tenant farmers and servants). India's Untouchables were the Dalit.

Here are two of my photos from that event when people by the hundreds of thousands heard about Jesus for the first time. One million people were invited yet the government closed the railway system entering the city. It was a mess.

This might be a time for you to be thankful for the religious freedom you enjoy. And it might be a good time to pray for those who have not jet heard the name Jesus. Might someone share their faith in the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah, Son of God.

In years past as the owner of a business I made it a practice to make sure personal communications happened. It might be a personal thank you to someone or to write to someone about something of interest to both of us that would maintain friendships. It might be to ask a favor. It might be to make an introduction to two of my friends and contacts. Usually that results in a win-win situation. It makes a day a rewarding day. And there was always a business opportunity to be explored.

One way to make this happen was to set a goal, a discipline to writing and sending five letters a week, one per work week day. Those five letters were beyond the ongoing business that needed constant attention. This came to mind the first few days of September as I considered writing this BLOG. Cleaning my email Inbox and Sent messages files is vital to work clean. 

I try to keep the Box as current as possible. It serves as my TO DO LIST almost. If it is in the Inbox it keeps my attention. With the volume of my communications it is almost impossible to keep it current. 
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I recall a time in our early married life I worked one Christmas time at the local post office sorting mail. It was during my break from college at the main office in San Luis Obispo, California. My assignment was to sort piles and piles of incoming mail to the surrounding cities. Piles and piles of mail were placed below my feet under the slots for the cities. I would grab a bunch and place them in the alphabetically organized slots. It was almost impossible to get all of the stack below me clean. New batches arrived constantly.

​Social Media is the title of this months BLOG and our email communications are more and more important in our daily lives. Seeking wisdom will guide us through the myriad of communications before us.

Here is a passage from the Bible to guide us. "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."  James 1:5 NASB

If you are struggling with a message that needs to be sent, ask God for wisdom. The verse above is a promise. 

Just moments ago I asked a friend about a health issue she is dealing with. Her immediate response what to ask me to pray. She knew my relationship with God was much better than hers. She said so. It reflects my local testimony of my faith in the God we serve and more importantly reflects her knowing she needs prayer.

​Let your friends know you pray. It opens doors like it did today for me. I will pray for her and it gives me a chance to followup and ask her, not just if my prayer worked but if she enjoyed comfort knowing a friend was praying for her.