Happy New Year! Do you have any spiritual goals for 2023? One spiritual discipline that we can all work on is reading God’s word. Whether you work toward finishing the Bible in one year or two or three, your Christian growth depends upon the nourishment found only in the Word. We have a few additional copies of the yearly devotional if you would like to use one. Personal devotions might seem intimidating, but do not be discouraged. If you are not sure how to start, begin by reading about 10 verses a day. You can begin with any book, but if you are not sure, consider the gospel of John.   Keep a notebook and pen with you to write down what the passage means and how it might apply to your life. The notebook is also a good place to record questions to study and pray requests (and answers.) For our corporate time in the word, I am planning to continue preaching sermons from the book of Acts, then to begin a study of Joshua. Please pray for wisdom for these decisions.

Pray for direction about what you can do to support missions this year. We currently support four missionary families at $125 per month: the Childers in Italy, the Mclvaine family in Cut Bank, Montana, the Ramseys in Ohio (retired), and the Worleys in New Mexico. Missions faith promise is a way that we can allow God to direct our involvement in helping send missionaries. Giving to the general fund of the church, sometimes we call this our tithe, covers the operating expenses of our local church and our efforts to reach our area for Christ. Faith promise is over and above our giving to the general fund to specifically support gospel efforts in other areas.  If God leads us to expand our 2023 Faith Promise for missions budget, we can take on more missionaries. Let us seek God for His will about our personal missions giving and which missionaries we should take on for 2023 and beyond. Here are the missionaries that have visited our church, pray for wisdom concerning which we should take on for support:

John and Marie Hall - Australia - visited December 18 AM

Sam Wilson - International Board of Jewish Missions - October 2

Gediminas and Joana Laskauskas - Lithuania - November 6

Jozsue and Sari Dan - Hungary - September 25

Nathanael and Laura Troester  - The Master’s Craftsman - August 14

Clint and Rhonda Rardin - Mexico - October 12

On January 22, Phillip Peterson will be preaching about local church involvement in missions. Staci and I will be gone that Sunday as we visit Israel January 16-27. 

Memorizing Psalm 46 has been a challenge and blessing in 2022! Whether you are able to successfully recite all 11 verses and earn a Chick-fil-A gift card or not, hiding God’s Word in our hearts is always a good idea. To help all of us improve in Bible memory, here is the 2023 memory passage: Philippians 2:1-11 (see below.) Take some time today to look over this important passage.  Among the topics that it covers are the incarnation of Christ and the importance of humility for Christians.

The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone.   If you have not been baptized or have not joined our church, plan to take those steps this year. Please consider ways that you can be active in making or strengthening relationships with other believers.  Our monthly mens and ladies fellowships are a possibility.  But feel free to connect with others over dinner or dessert or just talking at the back of the church or in the foyer or parking lot.  Look around for people that you do not know well and pray about how you can change that, be purposeful.  The Bible says that believers are brothers and sisters.  That makes us family, but families who do not spend time together drift apart and lose influence with each other.  There will always be people that choose to drift away, but may their departure be over the appeals of their church family to remain connected.  Also consider ways that you might be a blessing to the college students who are with us this year.  They are young and in training and we get to have a small part in that preparation. We will be starting an “adopt a student” for the spring semester. Providing a home cooked meal and a small care package, might go a long way in encouraging them.

Yours for Christ,    

 Pastor and Mrs. Rinehart

Joshua 1:8-9

Philippians 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, :2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. :3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. :4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. :5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: :6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: :7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: :8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. :9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: :10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; :11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.