Dear Faith Family and Friends:

I had a Christmas Countdown Candle in my office this past year. It was both exciting and depressing to watch the candle burn down the 25 days of Advent to Christmas. The year of 2022 was a lot like that candle with our ups and downs. There are several lessons we can learn from 2022:

• Trials come to all of us. Some seem custom designed for each of us.
• Every trial has a life-cycle. Kinda like the flu.
• The outcome may not be to our liking but it will be for our best.
• The ultimate purpose of trial is to help us recognize our weakness and see the strength of Jesus Christ.
• God is always faithful. He always has been and He always will be. He will never leave or forsake His people.

As we look to 2023, it is easy to become discouraged and negative. Let me urge you to trust God to make it your best year ever! In fact, Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Just when things seem hopeless, God does His miracles. He wants to do that in your life, your family, your work, your community, and even our nation.

He is already doing some exciting things at Faith Lutheran Church. I am so excited to see the progress on the storage room in the Fellowship Hall as that means we are one step closer to having a Prayer Room in the East Wing. We are also stepping up the plans to make it possible to have simultaneous worship in the Fellowship Hall with a new sound system, screen, etc. That means more room for prayer, worship, and outreach. These are three of my favorite things.

Let me urge you to do the following:

• Pray that God will guard us against the enemy. Satan always has something up his sleeves.
• Resolve to explore your faith and know Christ better in 2023.
• Resolve to lean upon Jesus Christ and trust Him.
• Remember that Faith’s ministries and missions must reach out to people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Jo and I pray for you daily. We look forward to the Journey of faith travelling 2023 with you!

Pastor Don Treglown