Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Happy New Year!
Well, 2016 is over. For some this may be a blessing and for others they will look back at a year that brought much joy. As we consider 2017, many have hope for a better year.
Author Rick Page, states in his book Hope is Not A Strategy, that hope, along with faith and love, are essential to life. As you look back at 2016, I’m sure you can find moments when you were successful and when you failed. Failure can be a great learning experience, one that leads to future success, but only if there is reflection on what went wrong, and how it might have been done differently and more successfully.
When I look back at 2016, I see many areas in my life where I had success and many areas where I failed. When I examine my failures, I try not to look at things through the eyes of the old Winnie the Pooh character, Eeyore. Eeyore, always saw things in the negative light, never had hope or faith in anything greater than himself.
As men and women of faith, we have hope that God is with us. Through prayer we know that God will provide us with all we need, regardless of our circumstances. As its stated in Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
We must lean on our faith to seek God’s greater plan for our lives. When we are aligned with God’s plan we may find our lives to be less stressful, less worrisome and thus we’re able to live with the excitement and energy of the Winnie the Pooh character, Tigger. So, let’s commit our lives to be more align with what God is calling us to do, to live with hope for a better tomorrow, whiling knowing through our faith that God’s plan is always sufficient.
In closing, please know that this NLS Board is here to serve you. So, if you find that your Secretariat is struggling and doesn’t see hope for tomorrow, please reach out to us and let us help. We have many resources to help you build, strengthen, and grow your community.
God loves you and so do I,
Your brothers in Christ,
Steve Gielda
National Lutheran Secretariat, President
Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.
