merry christmas and a next year that really is new

I am getting ready to enter into the time freeze of the Christmas season. Our Christmas eve services are upon us and I really look forward to a night of sharing the season with everyone. I think we are in a good place as a church. There is kind of a new buzz in the air right now- a sense of joy and real purpose. That's a God thing.

My prayer is that your next year really is new. I pray that you will start thinking new thoughts, dreaming new dreams and like Joseph and Mary you will dare to believe God for the most outlandish miracles and that they will take you in the most unexpected directions.

I pray that our church this next year will become more missional, more "LP2C" oriented. I pray that something completely unexpected and new will happen, and that we will all look back and say "wow- God does immeasurably more than we could ask or even imagine!"

I pray that God does a new thing in our IMB and in our convention. I have a growing confidence that a grass roots movement is starting to form and that people from around the country are beginning to stand up and say "it is time for some new thinking!" I am praying for new wineskins

Too many people get stuck in the same thought patterns, thinking the same thoughts over and over again. They continually loop around to a fixation on old ideas. Let this never happen to us. The word "disciple" means "learner". When we stop learning, we are no longer disciples.

So I pray that we will learn some new and incredible things next year! Let's dare to be different and to think new thoughts and dream new dreams. Let's join God in His creativity and make the next year a NEW one!

P.S.- my son wants all of you to come out and support the CRBC 14 year old basketball team that plays on Saturday nights at the Lighthouse. Last year they were the "CRBC squirrels" and never won a game. This year, they have changed their name to "THE RAGE" and last Saturday won their first game! Rock on raging squirrels!