In the birth narratives of Jesus Christ found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, there are some unsung details and unsung heroes that deserve our attention these dark days. And these examples, I believe, can and should strengthen us to stand strong.

It was a long drive back to North Carolina from the West Coast since our last newsletter; but by the grace of Almighty God, we made it . . . just in time for an incredible Thanksgiving gathering with about 50 of our local brothers and sisters in Christ. This gathering definitely defied the wishes of North Carolina’s Caesar, uhh, I mean Governor. And it definitely was a superspreader, a SUPERSPREADER OF GRATITUDE & JOY.

You would think we Christians would actually learn Israel’s lessons and apply what we have learned when times get tough. After all, says the Apostle Paul, these things were “written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (I Corinthians 10:11). They are a WARNING to us. We say we trust the LORD, but instead, do we not really fear man and take matters into our own hands with our MANY INVENTIONS?

My friends, there is no greater arrogance or high-mindedness than for a generation that doesn’t value or even know its history, and certainly hasn’t learned from it, to stand in judgment of those more righteous than they who faced very difficult and complex circumstances in a very different day and time, to stand in pious judgment by simplifying what was very complex and difficult at the time to understand. I believe the greatest sin of America today is the same sin that germinated Sodom’s destruction: “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness” (Ezekiel 16:49). And these things produced ABOMINATION.

One morning, not long ago, I was continuing my reading through the Spanish Old Testament, one chapter at a time. With a good cup of coffee in an old "I Love Cats" (I do actually) mug and a homemade yogurt recipe with chia seeds and fresh blueberries from our bushes, I came to Isaiah 50, my Spanish chapter for the day. And therein, I found great comfort for these dark days.

America is a train wreck right now, and undoubtedly, like for me, many of your plans have been trainwrecked these past couple of months. Maybe your future plans, like mine, are trainwrecked for the summer. Is it possible that God sometimes wrecks our ministry plans to minister to us or even to do something as simple water a widow’s garden? Perhaps an answer can be found in this newsletter that I pray proves a blessing to you in spiritually dark times. When there is societal trainwreck, what Christians need to do, instead of lining up with agitators on one side of the tracks or the other . . . what we need to do is PAUSE and REFLECT, just what we would assuredly do the moments after watching a train wreck in real time.

Thankfully, two thousand years of church history teaches loudly that crisis presents a unique window of opportunity for revival, a unique opportunity where ears are more apt to hear the Gospel, even in an insane asylum run by the inmates. We saw and experienced this ourselves along a nearly 10,000-mile preaching and seed-sowing circuit that started back on March 2, before Covid became a problem and things started shutting down. By the time we reached California, the shopping malls had slammed shut. But before that, as fearful talks of closings and shutdowns became commonplace, God’s Divine Hand of Providence put us in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time on numerous occasions.

The news that the heavenly hosts brought to the shepherds was from a far country. So was that brought to Jerusalem and Bethlehem by the wise men from the east. "For unto you is born . . . a Saviour" (Luke 2:11), and "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2) wasn't fake news, it was good news and as cold waters to a thirsty soul. In the same vein, what follows is a bit of encouraging news to hopefully brighten your holiday, some from home and some from far countries.