What a year it has been! It hasn’t turned out quite the way we might have hoped, but good things have happened. We stand firm in the conviction that Our mission remains. In anticipation of great things to come, we have made some small property improvements with more planned for next year. Special thanks to John and Jay Gibson for providing for our new sign.

The highlight of the year was our outreach back in march. With help from our friends at the Dallas Baptist Association and the Send Relief organization, we held a community cookout to let our neighbors know that we are still active and welcome them to join us. Though heavy rains did put a “damper” on the event, we still had sixty visitors and 5 people pray with us to receive Jesus as Lord. We call that a success!

We are saddened to have lost a long-time faithful servant of the church this year, but happy to say that this time only to Arkansas. When Cathy finds a new church home, I hope they appreciate the treasure they have gained. Several of us have battled various injuries and illnesses, but we are all here, and thankful for it. As we prepare to roll into 2025, let us continually seek to know God and to make Him known.

How do we come to know God? I’m guessing all the church folk will have answers to that question ranging from a basic Gospel presentation to the thoughtful and very personal reflection of those who have known Him longest. They might all be correct. god is infinite. His own will be learning more about him forever.

A few months ago as I was praying, an idea occurred to me that I believe came from the Holy Spirit. It took some time and study to develop, but I am finally ready to share it with you. I am certainly not the first to explore it in this way, but it was fresh to me, and I think you will find it beneficial.

We may think of God as being somewhat remote. If we’ve been taught correctly, we know better. WE know that His Holy Spirit lives within us as believers,, that He hears us when we pray,, that He guides and protects us, and most of all that He loves us. But most of the time, we can’t feel Him. We can’t see Him. He usually doesn’t speak to us so that our physical ears Hear Him. How are we supposed to know Him?

Here’s a great place to start, assuming for our purposes that You have already chosen to follow Him. Look closely at the life of Jesus. We reveal ourselves through our emotions. I can tell you a lot about myself. most of us are really good at that. But it is in those times when the feelings come out that we really begin to know each other. What makes us sad? What makes us angry? What brings us joy?

As we read the accounts of Jesus’ life, we can see the kinds of things that moved Him. He told his disciples that if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father. He also said, “I and the Father are one.” So, if we look at the things that moved Jesus, we learn the heart of God. We learn what pleases Him and also what displeases Him.

I did not include a central passage this week because we will be all over the place. We will explore the Gospels as well as some other key passages to get to know God a little better. It is my hope and prayer that you will be blessed and encouraged to pursue your own relationship with Him to new depths.