HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Today is the last day of 2025. So, how was it? I’ll leave the answer to you.

I glanced at the corner of my computer screen where it shows the date, and I realized that very

shortly it would read ‘1/1/2026’. My stomach tightened a little.

Lots of emotions come with the end of a year and the beginning of another- terror, hope,

anxiety, excitement, apprehension, depression, happiness- and it’s overwhelming. As I

anticipate what this coming year of 2026 will hold, I have been reminded to pray for God’s will to

be done in my life, by the Lord’s Prayer. We pray this in church every Sunday (no, we are not

Catholics...we are Reformed!), so it comes to mind often during the week.“Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth

as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our

debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” - Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus commands us not to pray like the Pharisees did, who were praying elaborate

prayers in public places to show off, so he gave us the Lord’s Prayer as a guideline. “But when

you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your

Father who sees in secret will reward you.” - Matthew 6:6

When feeling stressed about what will happen in the future, this verse of the prayer is a

reminder that the Lord is in charge of it all, and I am not. “Your kingdom come, your will be

done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)

The thought of what can happen this year is daunting, and yet I rest in the hope we as

Christians have - that whatever happens in this year and the years to come, God is completely

in control. We have no need to be jumpy about battles that may or may not arise in our lifetime.

It is unnecessary to fret over thoughts of bad things that could happen. We are in God’s hands.

His big, strong hands that created the universe. “I will give them eternal life, and they will never

perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” - John 10:28

Tonight, as you light off fireworks and bang on pots and pans, do not be anxious about

the new year. Make it your resolution! God will be right beside us through all, and nothing can

snatch you out of His hands. Happy New Year!!

BE READY

In the Bible, specifically the four gospels and Revelation, Jesus repeats Himself over and over, saying to be ready for the day He comes back. But what does He mean by that?Jesus doesn’t mean we better pack up all our stuff for when He returns. We have to watch for His return, the signs are everywhere. We ourselves must be committed to God, not half way following Him. And we need to prepare others. So, preach the gospel to anyone who is willing to listen.Now, I said that the signs of his return are everywhere, but what do I mean by that? Jesus told us what the signs would be, (Matthew 24:3-14). Some of the signs will be wars and rumors of wars, famines, and Christians being hated. Now these are not all of the signs of the end that’s drawing near, so make sure to read the gospels and Revelation because they reveal so much about the end times.Above, I said we need to be committed to God, so how can we be committed to Him and what does it look like? Faith is the base of it all. We put our trust in Him. We believe in Him. We have complete confidence in Him. We give everything to Him because of that. Our worries, choices, even our life. From there, it just expands to everything else in and about your life.I said we should preach to everyone who will listen, right? Preaching the word is important because if we don’t, if we stay silent, it could cost someone eternal life with God. And who knows, maybe they would’ve converted others. So, make sure to preach it whenever an opportunity presents itself.I hope that everyone finds this helpful. This is so incredibly important, so make sure that you are ready and get others ready.

Your sister in Christ,

Kai

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

We are coming to the end of 2025, and I can’t believe we are almost at 2026. Looking back, it has been a roller coaster, some seasons rushing by, and others moving slower than molasses in winter. I have had struggles this year, maybe you have to, and we are not the only ones. Many have gone through trials, but how they faced them is how they are distinguished from each other. 

This is a season to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, no matter what has happened. If God brings us to it, He can bring us through it, and it is up to us to have a positive attitude towards our situation. 

American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, lived from 1807-1882. He suffered through several tragedies; his wife died, and his son was shot during the Civil War (he did survive). On December 25th, 1864, Longfellow heard the church bells ring out their annual message of “peace on earth, goodwill to men,” but to Longfellow, they did not match the real world. The world he knew was in conflict, and his country was tearing itself apart. Something inside of Longfellow changed; he went to go write a poem that would move him from despair to hope; it was titled I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

In 1872, John Baptist’s Calkin put the poem to music. The fourth and fifth verses were excluded because they are focused on the Civil War. 

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play, 

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom 

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South, 

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said; 

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 

The wrong shall fail,

The right prevail,

With peace on earth, goodwill to men."

Habakkuk questioned God, yet he still chose to rejoice. “ O Lord, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save!  Why dost Thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.  Therefore the law is slack, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4) “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:18)

Like him, Longfellow sees unfairness in the world, but he still acknowledges God’s authority and power. God is always there, He is a living God. As Longfellow put it “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.”

Why should we rejoice in a season like this? You may have different reasons, and there’s no right one to have, but I can give you some for you. We have a God in heaven who is graceful, merciful, and powerful. There is Jesus who came down to earth, to save us all. He is God, He did not have to come down and be born of a virgin, or die on the cross, but He chose to do so, and this is something we can absolutely celebrate all year round and not just in December. 

If you have been having a bad year, you have a new year to start over. That’s not the only chance you have; there are new weeks, new days, even. “The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.”(Prevail means to succeed; become dominant; win out.) So no matter what yesterday looked like, today is an opportunity to choose better, do better, and move forward with hope. If we keep choosing what is right, even in small ways, peace and goodwill can begin with us. 

Merry Christmas!