End of the Year

It's Sunday after. The late December day is warm, sunny and breezy under a blue sky. The year is ending. Feels like another day in a standard week, but the calendar turns.

I make no resolutions except to be purposeful in knowing Jesus more, and learning to love. If He increases in me, I decrease and the world becomes a better place.

A man I know died and went to heaven. He encountered the King of Kings who asked, "On earth, did you learn to love?"

What an amazing question. He loved. We are to be like Him. Love is a choice. Simple and straightforward. Choose love. It's patient, kind, forgiving, bears offense and keeps no record of wrong. It uplifts and upholds. Love believes and hopes.

Have you forgiven an offense? Then you've loved.

God is love. (1 John 4) Not God is like love, He IS love, the very definition. How can we do or be less? The rock group Foreigner sang, "I wanna know what love is."

Seek Him.

Love does not mean we allow ourselves to be bullied or walked on. Love is not an ethereal concept that evades our grasp. Love is not unsanctified mercy. We show mercy when we should speak truth and call it love. No.

But always, grace, grace.

While my resolve is simple, yet difficult, I have goals. To write with grace and beauty. Frankly, the only way I know is to sit at His feet.

Be faithful to prayer and fasting.

I want to be found in His presence, to stand in His council. My good friend Susie pointed out this verse, Psalm 25:14.

The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.
My eyes are continually toward the LORD

Goodbye 2007. You brought me good times and bad. Disappointment that stirred both anger and jealousy in my soul. But, in this I gained hope, grace, faith, the abililty to be abandoned.

I am a blank slate. Jesus, paint on my heart whatever You will. If this life is an intership for eternity, then so goes my reward.

Grace, grace.

Merry Christmas 2007

Note to self: Update address book. Only two addys are valid.

I've resolved this year to send the annual Christmas letter. I'm always close to a deadline in December, thus frantic.

Besides, I blog all over kingdom come: web site, MySpace, Shoutlife, Xanga, Facebook and one new blog site I can't even remember so I feel like our life is "out there."

Tony guest blogs for me from time to time. He has great insights on life and faith.

Last summer, after twenty years of youth ministry, Tony handed off youth church to a younger man and is now focused on teaching, administration, house churches and a downtown outreach.

He picked one of the hardest areas in Melbourne - a drugs and guns type of community - to knocked on doors asking, "How can we pray for you?"

In the last year, the work has grown to a multi-level outreach with small home churches being formed.

I still lead worship on Sunday mornings and at Fire Dweller, and head up a Dream Team in a down town coffee shop. We put up a sign - Dreams - and wait for customers. It's free, fun and very successful.

The multi-church prayer ministry, Fire Dweller is going strong after five years with good changes coming in '08. While Tony is the leader, he is one of the best team players around.

My day job is writing fiction. I had four books released in 2006, one in 2007, and two more coming in '08. Look for Sweet Caroline in February and Love Starts With Elle in July from Thomas Nelson.

I love my job! If you want to know more or read excerpts visit the Books page.

In March we took the Fire Dweller band to Poughkeepsie for a prayer and worship conference. We had a blast.

In May, I flew to northern New Hampshire for a book signing.

In July, I attended a writer's retreat and retailer's convention followed by Fire Dwellers' summer conference, In The Fire.

September, baby bro Pete, Tony and I visited big bro Danny. Opening college football weekend. Fun! A few weeks later I went to writer's conference in Dallas.

In October, Tony and I took a few days in the South Carolina lowcountry - research for me, relaxing for him.

November I traveled to Nashville, meeting up with a friend for another friend's wedding. And got to hang out with my Thomas Nelson colleagues.

Tony flew up to meet me in Indy and we did a whirlwind family tour - his parents, Thanksgiving with my sister and her family, followed by a visit to my mom, grandma, Pete and his family in Knoxville.

We lost our loving dog Jack in '06, but Pal is thrilled to be an only dog-child. Red, our 15 yr-old cat still thinks he's a dog and does pretty much whatever he wants.

It is our prayer that God will do exceedingly above all that you ask or think in 2008.

With love, Tony and Rachel