January 2022

Happy new year! I hope your Christmas was truly a time of joy. I marvel at the excitement we have, regardless of our age, for the holidays and the “something special” of Christmas. We, as Christians, know that the true something special is the reconciliation, peace, and hope that baby Jesus gifted us that first Christmas.

And now, as 2021 has come to an end, I find myself reflecting on God – not only the loving, caring God that sent his son Jesus to be born and die for our sins - but GOD, the Creator of the universe, the ONE true God – omnipotent, omniscient, all being, all-powerful God.

I don’t know about you, but I think somehow in the last few months (or perhaps the last year or two) I seem to have forgotten how big and powerful God is. It isn’t that I have had a faith crisis, but rather, between COVID, political upheavals, societal changes, unemployment, inflation, supply chain issues, and all the “he said, she said” in the media and beyond, I think I lost touch with the fact that God is in control, He is sovereign, and He reigns over ALL. He is the Alpha and Omega. God is the one true God.

Somehow, amid so many day-to-day things, I found myself relating to Jesus as a person while omitting the fact that Jesus came to earth, fully man AND fully GOD.

I’ve been ignoring the GOD part.

The powerful part.

The sovereign part.

The God, the Creator of the universe part.

I have been making God smaller while making man, our world, and my worries bigger. I have been thinking of God in my image, instead of the fact that I am made in His image. . .

He is the potter; I am the clay.

And so, whether or not you are a new year’s resolution person, maybe you’ll join me this year by getting back to the bigness of God – the awe, the wonder, the “woe to me, for I am undone” praise of God the Almighty. To get us started here’s a lesson from Tom in his Who is This? series is entitled “God, Savior, King” shown below.

January 13 will mark the 3rd anniversary of Tom’s first breath with Jesus. How amazing is it that God is still using Tom’s teaching to share His love and truth with so many? In the last three years, thousands of listeners have clicked into Tom’s lessons on the Priority Living website at https://www.prioritylivingaz.org/archives, countless bible-study and small church groups continue to use Tom’s lesson series for their discussions, and several churches throughout the US are utilizing Tom’s series “God’s Plan for Salvation” to lead their congregations. Is God powerful or what? Amazing!

On a personal note, for me, although the bittersweet acceptance of Tom’s passing eases with each year, I must admit that I miss him more each day. . . and I know many of you do too.

But God. He gives us His peace and comfort each passing day. All praise to Him.

As we begin this new year, I hope you will join me in gratitude and praise to God. He is our Lord and Savior. He is good. Always.