January 3, 2025, 4:00 PM
Greetings in Christ and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!
I hope and pray that the new year will be filled with many blessings.
I love the passage of scripture found in Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) that says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
That is a great passage for the New Year!
Is there something in your past holding you back from going forward into the future? Let it go!
God is in the restoration business and specializes in making "ALL THINGS NEW."
I pray that you will be involved in growing closer to Jesus in 2025.
If there is anything we at First Christian Church can do to help you with that, I pray we will.
Two things are coming up that I am excited about.
First thing: Our first worship service of 2025 will be this coming Sunday, January 5th.
Sunday School starts at 9:30 am and Worship starts at 10:30 am.
I will be preaching a message about leadership in the local church. It is also the time that we install our leadership for the upcoming year.
The men serving as Elders in 2025 are as follows: Arthur Abshire, Bob Clark, Brian Cobb, Joe Esenbock, Mike Meadows, and Steve Smith.
The men serving as Deacons in 2025 are as follows: Jeff Elam, Rob Elam, Rafaelito Fraden, Joey Milburn, and Philip Reed.
Please pray for these men and their families.
Second thing: After breaking for the Holidays, we will resume our Wednesday night meal and Bible study this coming Wednesday, January 8th.
We'll kick off the year with a special guest speaker. His name is Taylor Davis. I met this young man a few weeks ago at the McDonald’s on Harrodsburg Road. He's one of the most impressive young men I've met in a long time.
Taylor, still in his twenties, lives here in Lexington and is a financial advisor for Meridian Wealth Management.
He recently wrote a book about the Parable of the Talents called, "A Parable for the Republic." I have a copy and am currently reading it. He's done a very good job of writing it!
Davis is also a national news commentator, public speaker, devoted husband, and adoring father. He is known for unapologetically leading, speaking, and living with zeal for his faith in Jesus. Taylor's mission is to equip, inspire, and mobilize Christians to multiply their talents and combat the ever-increasingly secular thinking that he believes is certainly evil but is merely a symptom of lukewarm Christianity.
You will be blessed by coming and hearing Taylor share. I can't think of a better way to begin the New Year!
I am aware that some winter weather will be starting to roll in this weekend and will continue into next week.
In the event of bad weather and we are forced to cancel services, please watch for the cancellation announcements through one or all of the following methods: 1) The local network television stations, 2) The Email Blast, and 3) the Prayer Chain.
Rather than seeing the start of another year as an unknown to be feared, my prayer is that you and I can trust in God’s sovereignty over all. There will be a lot of new things: new blessings, new trials, new failures, and new victories, but He will guard them all.
The question is this: Will we look to Him who not only KNOWS the FUTURE but HOLDS the FUTURE? I pray we will.
May God bless and I hope to see you again soon!
In Him,
Greg H
