I wrote a short “From the Pastor” article for our digital and online newsletter over at UM4GI. It’s quoted below.

Every year we get an amazing gift, and it’s not even for Christmas! As it turns out, the gift IS Christmas. Because every year we have the opportunity to remember that Jesus was sent to this world to experience its joys and challenges just as we do. And we’re reminded that we can welcome Jesus into our lives constantly and consistently.

This doesn’t mean it’s easy. Recommitting ourselves to Christ may be an annual or a monthly or a daily necessity. And we face challenges that may cause us to question everything we know about our faith and our God.

I have recently faced my own challenge as I have continued my work toward full Ordination in the United Methodist Church. One of the papers that I spent these last months writing did not pass examination and I will not be ordained this year. And as challenging as this is, I choose to recommit myself to ministry and to life in the church.

I invite you to recommit yourself to the God who calls us all and equips us all and redeems us all and strengthens us all. Let us journey, not because the end is in sight but because the journey reminds us that God’s strength and God’s love in Jesus will always redeem us.