Right after Christmas there's this time, just before the new year, where almost nothing happens. In our frenetic American culture, it's truly a unique thing to experience. And at the church, it's nice to have. We've been going at a fever pitch until we reach Christmas and so there's a nice lull waiting on the other side. Almost nothing happens; but of course, there is still Ministry happening.

On Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25th, we had our Room in the Inn Ministry. Maybe you're saying how could a ministry happen on that day? But of course, that is the most beautiful ministry to happen on that day. Room in the Inn, named after Mary and Joseph's inability to find a place to stay on December 25th, is the most appropriate ministry to happen on that day and in our church. Homelessness doesn't take a rest just because it's a holiday. A dozen or so ministers will see that those who are unhoused find a place to stay in our church. They are literally doing God's work.

This is who we are. We give up our lives because our Lord gave His life. Just because that ministry or that day is inconvenient doesn't mean it shouldn't happen. In fact, that's kind of the point of ministry –– it molds us. If it were easy, could it really form us? In the same way that a bodybuilder must lift heavier weights or a student must learn more difficult mathematical equations, we take on more as Christians. The more we learn about who our God is the more we realize what He has done for us, and that appreciation encourages us to deepen our relationship. Our lives are to look like our Lord's. He avoided nothing in order to give us everything.

So, where is God leading you? What does the new year look like for you and your spiritual journey? How will your faith grow this year? There are an untold number of ways in which we can engage with our Lord and what He is doing for His kingdom and our church. The most important thing you can do is to pay attention to what you're doing. Are you taking steps out of your comfort zone? Are you developing habits of devotion that create the foundation for Spiritual growth?
Are you surrounding yourself with other Christians so that you can transform and be transformed together by the Holy Spirit?

If you don't know where to start, I would encourage you to experience God with the new Wednesday Bible study class called Experiencing God. I'll tell you this is the real deal. The class will be intense and meaningful –– not just a Bible study to go through the motions, but in fact a way to learn how to grow in our faith.

Now, maybe you can't make it on a Sunday to a Bible study or to Wednesdays Ablaze. I get it. My whole life seems more chaotic by the day. More and more I wonder if I've married a wife or an Uber driver for a very select clientele. But my wife and I agree that it is in the inconvenience that our children see the importance of what we do.  And our Lord agrees that it is by the inconvenience that we are transformed. This work of the Spirit, that we call sanctification, happens in the struggle, outside of our comfort zone, and it is what we focus on.  From my perspective the most important thing we can do is start the new year on the right foot and seek our Lord.

Let me encourage you to make time. Find a Sunday School class, a Wednesdays Ablaze class or a small group to be a part of and grow with our Lord and His people.

Blessings in 2026!
Pastor Ryan