Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!






I pray that you are all blessed this holiday season! There's a lot of stuff going on around here and I don't get to post very often, but I am working for all of you and trying to keep up.




First of all, I have a new email address. It is now:




gmsmith101@excite.com




My former server, Visto, with whom I have been for over 5 years, is closing down. I think I have to write to about a thousand people, so if you get a "group" email, please don't feel bad. I generally like to write personal notes to everyone, but this is too much.




We have been working very hard to come up with a suitable curriculum for "Eqipped to Minister." We have some excellent resources coming available to us and we want all of you to take advantage of them. These courses will be very affordable (price of books, s&h, plus a nominal donation, probably $15-20 per course, which includes responses from us and certificates of completion) and very thorough. We will be using studies and texts from some very fine theologians and scholars. I hope to hear from you all once we post them.




Christmas is a hectic time of year for all of us. Between the holidays, this ministry and the weddings, I haven't sat down for about 3 weeks. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am exceedingly pooped. I have just begun a new seminary course from the Evangelical Protestant Church, and I'll let you know how the materials are as I go along. Right now, the only book I have from them is geared specifically toward denominational stuff, but is actually quite informative. I'll keep you posted.




Deron and I are working on a wonderful Bible study from Precept Ministries (Kay Arthur's ministry--check it out--www.precept.org) on the subject of covenant (a favorite around here, obviously). It's an excellent, well researched program and I recommend it highly. I plan to start teaching it in January or February in the Charleston area. If any of you that are close by are interested, call me.




For myself, I am working on a study of Romans. I read Romans about once a year or every other year (I think we all should read Romans through every now and then), but this is the first in-depth study I've done in a long while. I'm using materials from Ligonier Ministries (the ministry of R.C. Sproul, my former pastor). Check out their site at www.ligonier.org. You will be greatly blessed.




I know some of you will understand this: As I get older (pushing 40 now), Christmas is not as exciting as it was when my kids were younger (my children are 18, 15 and 13). They get less gifts, I can't afford as much as I used to spring for when they were little, there just isn't as much FUN as there used to be. Often, it feels like a chore to make merry--shopping, cooking, writing cards and letters, the endless housecleaning. I remember thinking more than once this year, "I just don't have TIME for Christmas this year!"




How ridiculous is this? How dare I say I don't have time for Christmas? Why should I, of all people, feel weary and burdened? The nerve of me! Today, I see this with new eyes: I have the opportunity, now that my children are older, to reflect on the beauty and joy of Christmas.




I will remember on the meaning of the Christmas season. I will remember that, even though I was in sin, dead spiritually, that the Lord Jesus humbled Himself and came from His heavenly home in the form of a newborn baby to a poor family, to live a sinless life and to die 33 years later--FOR ME. I didn't deserve it, I didn't do anything to earn it, but He did it anyway.




So even when I'm exhausted from buying gifts, wrapping gifts, hiding gifts, buying turkey, stuffing turkey, cooking turkey... I know it is I who have received the greatest gift of all.




I love you all, and am praying that you all have a Jesus-filled Christmas.




God bless you all,


Gladys