These have been very busy days of ministry, advancing the reach of our church. We experienced beautiful times of worship together each week, and served community meals weekly and on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days. Our annual church meeting last Sunday, January 4, refocused the church budget to more fully address our church’s call to provide good food and groceries for our neighbors and opportunities for conversations and meaningful relationships to develop as we proclaim the Good News of God’s Love in a broken and hurting world. While still a challenge, the 2026 Church Budget represents an almost 12% decrease from last year.

In the other business at the meeting, our church has agreed to a ministry partnership, beginning this month, with a bi-lingual congregation, Preparing the Way Church, under the leadership of Pastor John Peńa and his wife Lisa. This active congregation is relocating from Broken Arrow, by way of 31^st and Mingo in Tulsa, to our area to increase their outreach to the Hispanic community. Many young families are included in this group of about 80 to 100. They are very excited. More details will be published next week.

Our Food Pantry Ministry room has been refurbished and reorganized with a new (for us) freezer and a combination refrigerator-freezer, and tables and shelving. Faith Stephens, our director, is hard at work developing new sources for obtaining consistently good food and produce. Our team is working to learn the systems for keeping up with needs of our neighbors and providing for follow-up and referrals. Volunteer training will be offered soon. The Clothing Ministry continues strong.

Thank you for allowing me to serve alongside some of the most faithful, hard-working people in the kingdom of God. All that lies before us must be bathed in prayer and met with faith. Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

I have a Bible passage to pray over you for this Christmas season. It is taken from a prophecy of the coming Messiah. It is a truth for today and promise for tomorrow.  

Arise, shine,   (name)   , for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.  (Isaiah 60:1-2)

I am committing to pray these verses with your specific name in mind, as far as I know it. I invite you to pray this for those you know. There is nothing magic in this prayer. It is simply the majesty of God at work through the hearts of His people. There is deep darkness all around us. Our God, who is Light, has brought His light to us through Jesus, whose birth we are celebrating. Embrace the Light within you.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Your Light has come.  And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

What are your Christmas traditions? We all have them, whether we call them traditions or not. They may revolve around cherished ornaments, special foods, or gift-giving. Our church has the tradition of observing Advent with the lighting of the weekly candles and scripture readings. We also have the tradition of our 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with the observance of the Lord’s Supper. The Christmas Eve service includes carols and special songs, interspersed with Bible readings, and a reading of the Story from the Gospel of Luke. Following the Lord’s Supper there is the passing of the peace and light of Jesus. Another Christmas Eve tradition is the reception and the time to linger and enjoy the sweet fellowship, renewed friendships, and homemade goodies.

Christmas time is partly about being home with family and dear friends. The separation of miles and circumstances, heartbreak, or the loss of a loved one often turns this holiday season into a difficult time for many. When financial pressures, stressful relationships, and dreary days are added to the mix, darkness can blanket the soul.

You probably know someone who is quietly experiencing a sad or lonely Christmas this year. A Blue Christmas Service is the name given to a Christian time of prayer and reflection, usually held around the winter solstice, for those who have experienced grief and loss during the year. This year our Blue Christmas service will be Wednesday evening, December 17, at 6:30 p.m. following our community dinner. The Blue Christmas also acknowledges those who are separated from “home” at Christmas time, such as those in prisons, those in military service, missionaries, homeless, and the displaced immigrant neighbors. Join us, in person or in spirit, as we intercede for all who may be having a melancholy Christmas this year. In addition, our church will be providing dinner from 12 to 2 p.m. for anyone who would like to share a meal together on Christmas Day.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Spread peace and light.  And let’s experience the love and power of God together

If you were to ask our oldest grandson, Carter, to name his favorite restaurant, he would say, Raising Cane’s. He loves their chicken and their sauce, and their sweet tea too. His first job out of high school was at Raising Cane’s. When interviewing for the job, he sold the manager on the idea that Cane’s was the best chicken place anywhere, and don’t forget about the sweet tea. He still works as a part-time fill-in for them. Raising Cane’s advertises that they have one motto and one mission. Their motto is One Love. The one love is fried chicken. Their one mission is to serve the highest quality fried chicken possible. To that end they only serve chicken tenders and one set of sides, and of course, sweet tea.

Do you have a personal mission or motto? Creating a personal mission is not an easy task.  It involves knowing who you are, your place in God’s love, and the tug on your heart. It can become deep spiritual work, so most people do not attempt it. But if you are ready to take the next step of spiritual work, consider spending some time forming your own spiritual action plan. Your mission should be specific enough to stay on track, yet flexible enough to apply to most situations. It is best to keep it simple. The oldest personal mission statement I grew up hearing was this one: JOY—Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. Other examples are: Be kind to everyone I meet and myself. Treat everyone with compassion and respect. Create new opportunities. Be a person of prayer. The one I created for myself years ago is: Be a blessing to God today, and for generations to come.

Jesus reminds us of the two-fold commandment, which is a great starting point for developing our mission: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…And love your neighbor as yourself.  (Matthew 22:36-40). One Love. One Mission. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Live your love. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

I have spent the past few days trying to get things ready. It’s the change of the season—winter is coming. I have been winterizing the yard and the faucets, checking the plants and the bushes, checking the furnace, putting away the summer stuff, getting ready for cold and ice. Also rearranging the stuff. Do we really need all these things we have in the boxes? So many decisions wear me out. Christmas is coming, that means deciding about the Christmas decorations, outside as well as in. Are we ready to put up a Christmas tree? What does the Christmas gift list look like this year? Christmas cards, write a letter, or just skip it all together? I know of people who have been Christmas ready since Halloween. The Black Friday Sales seem to have started weeks ago. Our mailbox is filled with everything but personal mail. Anyone need some extra catalogs?

This Sunday marks the beginning of the Advent season, celebrating the promise of the coming of Christ into this world. Churches will echo with the biblical proclamation to Prepare the Way of the Lord, as foretold by prophets and proclaimed by John the Baptist. It is our call to pay attention to our God as He ushers in His Kingdom into the everydayness of our lives. It is not too hard to lose sight of the message of Christ at Christmastime because of all the busy-ness and materialism of the holidays. By the way, the word holidays is derived from the term holy days. Amid all the decisions to be made, the work to be done, and the money to be spent, Jesus is showing us a better way of living. The Kingdom of God perspective reminds us that Jesus never had a Christmas tree; His tree was a cross. Jesus never wrapped a Christmas present; His gift was the Word made flesh. Jesus never sang a Christmas carol or wished anyone a merry Christmas; His salutation was “follow me.” Jesus never signed a Christmas card; His love was written in red on a cross. When Jesus burst forth from the grave, He conquered sin and death itself. This is more than a Christmas story; it is love and life eternal, and a call to right relationships.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Prepare the way of the Lord. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.