Hello Wesley,
Happy New Year everyone,
We often begin the New Year with hope and aspiration toward a fresh start for something. Gyms are filled, salads at Publix are scarce, and Dunkin Donuts has absolutely no donuts! Because they are cutting back. This might be a great time to make a commitment to a steady reading of God’s word. We live in a society that increasingly believes that truth is what they decide for themselves. Fewer and fewer people believe God establishes what is absolute truth. Christians believe God sets the standard and we should trust in Him. We need to be diligent in learning from His words and much of what we believe is true
comes from the teaching of Jesus and Paul.
I have a few things to offer that I have been working on these last few years:
- Listen to the Bible when you are driving. I use the Bible app on my phone and was able to listen through the entire Bible three times in 2022. Set a goal to listen through one time.
- We are recreating the 27/90 series from several years ago. If you have completed this before, commit with someone to do it together. If you have not done the series, we read through the entire New Testament in 90 days. All of the teaching is recorded so you can actually go at your own pace. There is a short devotional learning for each day and two more thorough teachings each week. We begin January 9. Set a goal to complete the series this year.
- Take notes!!!! Writing something down increases the chances of it doing you some good
tenfold. Get yourself a gift for the New Year, a notebook for spiritual lessons and key verses.
Keep it at your bedside table, bring it to church, set it on your desk at work. - We are planning three series this year in church:
A. Lessons from the Garden part two. These are lessons Jesus teaches using illustrations
from nature.
B. Messianic Prophecies fulfilled. These are Old Testament prophesies Jesus fulfills
C. People Jesus changed: Gospel characters whose lives were changed be meeting Jesus. - One of the disciplines I will be introducing this year will be witnessing to our faith. Begin to
think through how Jesus has changed your life. Take a few notes.
I am looking forward to an exciting year in ministry with you. We press on toward the goal. Our mission is to make disciples who live and love like Jesus.
I love being your pastor,
Ernie