Christmas Season, 2021
News and Miscelanea...
Early Christmas present…!
My son Jeremy and his wife Bety are the elated parents of Mathias — “Matías” en español… born December 09, 2021. Actually, we’re all elated and looking forward to holding him in our arms soon!
Home from the hospital… again.
From her recliner with her favorite blanket, hot beverage and Bible... where I find her every morning when I wake up… Carol says: “So glad to be home and in my happy place!❤️”
Carol’s week began early Monday morning with another ambulance ride to the hospital. She just got home Friday evening. We’re thankful her situation resolved without surgery. We are thankful for this quiet weekend to catch up on rest. Please pray for her to gain her strength back again.
Carol’s book…
The Friday before the commotion, the author copies of Carol’s book arrived! It is the story of her daughter’s cancer journey and home-going in May, 2020. We are busily revising, hoping to have the final product in hand soon to give to April’s family and friends. We’ll let you know when it is available on Amazon.
Greg’s book…
Published July, 2020… Part of why it took years for this compilation of essays to see the light of day was my desire for the book to be as timeless as possible. The truths wrapped in the “eternal Gospel” are the constant in our equation, regardless of when or where we live. The vicissitudes of politics and the unrelenting struggles for power have no influence on them whatsoever.
I pray for clarity… composure… Christ-centeredness — for each of us… and for each day of our allotted time on earth.
La Laja…
The Christmas season can obscure the Christmas reason. It’s a great time to ask ourselves if our conversion to Christ was a bedrock moment. In the Yucatan Peninsula, brickmasons call it “la laja” (a very local usage of the word). You can’t start the foundation for a house until you find “la laja”… bedrock.
If Jesus is “la laja” on which we’ve built our lives and eternity, then there is nothing now or in the future that will force us to turn away from following him.
“Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”” (Mark 10:28, ESV) Jesus’ disciples had walked away from everything… in an instant… no explanations, no guarantees, no incentivizing with promises of future reward.
We owe Jesus the same caliber of unconditional surrender… right now. Jesus will be all we have. But he will also be all we need… now and forever.
Bedrock… the only thing to build a life on!
Blessings to you and yours this holiday season… 💙🙂