Out with the old, in with the new. While it sounds nice, and even refreshing, it is a bit trite and simplified. In order to move forward well into 2026, it’s important to glean and save the valuable lessons we experienced on our 2025 journeys. Shed the negative. Of course! Purge the regrets. Yes! Shake off the self-condemnation. Definitely! But we cannot forget the trials that refined us, the losses that broke us, and the conflicts that challenged us to grow. We need to remember the blessings that gave us gratitude, the successes that brought us joy, and especially the people who brought us healing. The ups and downs, victories and defeats, highs and lows all need to be remembered and put in their proper places. We can use them to forge forward, leaning into our God-given destinies. Yes, He has a plan for each of us. He uses all things, good and bad, to bring us closer to him. So while we reflect and remember the profound events and experiences of this past year, it is helpful to tuck away the lessons learned and growth achieved, while sloughing off the detriment. As we envision this new year, we must see ourselves as whole and loved. We need to know that as children of God we have nothing to fear and everything to be grateful for! The secret is surrender. Bend to His will today, this last day of the year,
​ and continue trusting Him fully every day of the upcoming year.
Happy New Year!
May you experience God’s peace in a brand new way next year.
Much love to all!

Romans 8:28
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Advent Week 4-Love
“This is love, this is love. Incarnate King. Begotten Son. This is love, this is love. You choose to make your home in us.” In the Christmas song “This is Love,” Paul Baloche and Kathryn Scott  beautifully share the expression of Love that God showed the world with the birth of our Savior.
Love is not a mere feeling. It is not an emotional reaction. Love is an action word, a verb.                
Sure, we can love one another in shallow ways, like being kind and courteous, but true love has infinite depth and complete commitment. The willingness to put the needs of another before your own and the ability to place the desires of another above yours are evidence of love.
Loving is easy when it does not require sacrifice. We can give from our excess. We can be kind when we are in a good mental state. We can even help others when all our needs are met. To truly love though will require being generous when we still want, being kind when we are feeling defeated, and lending a hand when we could use one ourselves. Full surrender to God allows and even prompts us to do these things from deficit. Loving others well does not come naturally. That was destroyed at the fall. But God’s redeeming love that is Jesus-His birth, death, and resurrection- show us perfect love. God became flesh, He hurt, He struggled and He sacrificed for us. Even when we did not deserve it, He gave us all of Him. This selfless example of love is our template for fulfilling His commands that we love our neighbors and our enemies.
This Advent season is a perfect time to reflect on how well we are loving God and loving others. Take time to read Psalm 51 and really meditate on the message. Here are just a few verses.
10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Mend fences, apologize, and love like Jesus while you await the celebration of His birth and His imminent return.
1 John 4:7-21
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
LOVE IS AN ACTION WORD….DO IT OFTEN AND WELL!

Week 3 – Joy
“I’ve got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart...down in my heart to stay!”
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Joy is one of the greatest benefits of being a Jesus follower. I know that sounds silly, because the amazing things that a life in Jesus bring are almost too vast to comprehend. Joy, though, is an all-encompassing mindset. It is rooted deep in our souls. Happiness is a fleeting emotion, but joy is a state of being. Joy stays even in the midst of grief, sadness, and fear. Joy cannot be taken from a Jesus follower, because it is a promise, a fruit of the spirit.( Galatians 5:22) In  John 16:22, Jesus says, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”  No one! What an amazing truth to know that despite our struggles, losses, and pain, joy never leaves us.

Jesus tells us even more about this complete joy in John 15:9-11. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

“Your joy may be complete…”
Wow! Complete joy! Never did I ever dream a life in Christ could be so fulfilling. I’ve always believed. I have not always immersed myself in truth or fully surrendered to His will. Many of my life choices have shown that. But growth happens, wisdom comes, and joy resides when you trust God and His glorious plan for your life. I cannot singlehandedly convince anyone to jump into this amazing world of Jesus following. I am not that powerful. But God is. Please take some time every day this Advent season to get to really know God by reading scripture and praying for wisdom.
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king!” Let Jesus be your Lord and King. Cry out to Him for the first time, or for the millionth time! He has already called you. You need only respond with repentance to receive this unspeakable joy! 

​Growing up, watching  the annual Miss USA pageant was a must. My mom loved everything about it, but I absolutely loved the evening gowns. For a few hours, we entered a glamorous world of beautiful women, singing and dancing, and beautiful costumes. It was fun girl time! I do remember a common question and answer during the interview segment of the competition. The emcee would ask how the contestant would use her platform or how she would like to impact the world, and the answer would typically speak of achieving  “world peace.” Now, growing up just slightly after the Vietnam War, peace to me meant no fighting, no wars, no military draft, and safety. I am sure that’s also what those young ladies were referring to. But as I grew up and grew into my faith in Jesus Christ, peace took on an entirely different meaning.
When Adam and Eve defied God in the garden, their peace with God vanished. Walking and talking with God, trusting Him, and cooperating with His creation quickly ceased as they were sent out of Eden. What a dark day.
But we know our merciful God still desired humankind to be at peace with Him: for our relationship to be restored. So He designed a sacrificial system whereas His people, tarnished by sin, could offer sacrifices of animals and grains to appease His disappointment and wrathful anger. This system came with glimpses of prophecy that a one and done final sacrifice was on the horizon. God hinted at the promise of restoration through Jesus Christ all throughout the Old Testament. We are blessed to be here after the prophecy was fulfilled. We don’t have to imagine what in the world He was referring to. We know Jesus! We know His death and resurrection saved us! The Holy Spirit lives in us when we declare His lordship. God has made a way for true Peace. The Peace that passes all understanding is truly ours in Christ Jesus.
So while world peace sounds nice, it will not come to fruition in this era for this earth. True peace is found when we surrender ourselves to the One who created us. The One True God, in three persons, gives His ultimate peace to us in a beautifully wrapped package of salvation. The kingdom starts here, despite the wars and conflict. It starts in us individually and lasts for eternity. This peace makes this life bearable, allows us to share the Gospel of Christ, and gives us new life.
May we focus on God’s peace this week, as we wait in hope for the upcoming Christmas celebrations.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

​Advent – Week 1- Hope
The Advent season should be one of deep meditation as we focus on the waiting and ultimate fulfillment of prophecy. We place an Advent wreath on the table of our home each year to remind us of the Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love that God sent us in His son, Jesus.  The weeks leading up to Christmas allow for deep reflection and a sort of grounding for me. While the sheer excitement of Christmas is just around the corner, I don’t want to miss the recognition of my need for a Savior.
“A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn.”
These familiar lyrics from “Oh, Holy Night” shed some light on the anticipation and celebration that God’s people experienced at the birth of Jesus Messiah finally arriving.
A weary world rejoiced at His birth, just as my weary heart acknowledges my need for grace every day. A new and glorious morn awaits, and the hope in my heart for Jesus to return is not unlike the hope God’s people had as they waited for the promised Savior.
Hope is a powerful thing. It enables us to continue to move forward as we fix our eyes on the promises of God, looking forward to eternal life with Him and experiencing His daily providence and Holy Spirit guidance. Hope overcomes fear. Hope sustains the weary. Hope heals the hurts of the world.
Our only Hope is Jesus Christ. His birth, death, and resurrection have appeased the wrath of God and given eternal life to anyone who believes in Him and turns from their sin. What a merciful and mighty God we serve!
“Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”
So, in preparation for Christmas, may we recognize our shortcomings, confess our sin, rejoice in Hope, and fix our eyes on heaven! Let us enter into this season with grateful and hopeful hearts.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will be ruler over Israel.”
 

​Change is inevitable. Sometimes it is welcome, mostly it is not. The circle of life sounds smooth, seamless, necessary. In reality it is a painful, jagged ring of pain. Love only to lose. I miss my mom. Yes, I know having her for all my 59 years was a gift. I know that living just shy of 90 years is a blessing. But it still stings. My days are different. My evenings, empty. My heart is broken. She was more than my mom; she was my confidante and best friend. Our time together in the last years of her life was not for her benefit only. She still ministered to me. She still gave me sound advice. She still made me feel loved and respected. I needed her as much as she needed me.
So tonight I remember…
 I recall her warm smile, her gratitude, her unfailing love. I feel her safety, her trust, her tenacity. I miss her reminiscing, her sharing, her stories.
And tomorrow I move forward…
I know her peace came from God. I know her joy came from complete trust in Him. I know she trusted Him with her life. I know her story lives on through my siblings and me.
To grieve hard is to have loved deeply. It’s the price we pay for going all in. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks for the best life a girl could ask for.
In loving memory of Dorothy Kirkpatrick Kuhta Smith
4/18/1935 – 3/4/2025
Forever in our hearts. Eternally with Jesus. 
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