(This letter was written to the 704 Church community and copied here for others to read)
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!
We spent the week with my family down in Gulf Shores - 10 adults, 16 grandkids from 3 to 20 years old! It was full, to say the least. :) Now we're spending a few days at my brother's house outside of Tampa, FL and will go watch the tide on New Years Eve!
I wanted to bring to mind two thoughts for you to consider as we step into 2025.
The Future Building of 704
First, many of you have given significantly to the building fund over this past year. Early on we asked if people would give 'an ear of corn' - equating to $10,000. We got to hear some stories, like Angie Gotta's. She had an idea of how to invest some into making natural soaps and then used the profit to give an ear of corn. For Angie and Dave, the $10,000 in profit came way sooner than the end of 2024. Now Angie has a whole shop in their garage and she has created countless products that are natural and organic and smell really good, too!
Kris and I were encouraged by her and Dave's radical generosity and asked if we could make adjustments to our budget to contribute an additional $10,000 above our regular tithe. Many of you know, but Kris began to look into an Amazon program that allows social media 'influencers' to create product review videos. There is a small commission she earns anytime someone watches one of her review videos and then purchases a product. Full transparency - we didn't know how much this program would bring in, nor if it would stay consistent throughout the year. We gave almost all of her first couple of months' earnings - $1,000 and then sought to contribute $750 each month of 2024 to give our 'ear of corn' towards the building fund. Through Kristen's persistence in finding new products and creating new reviews (and many of you that invited her into your homes to review products) she created over 600 review videos last year. Each month the program brought in more than $750, and just yesterday (12/29) we gave our last $750 towards the building fund - rounding out our 'ear of corn'!
I think both of those stories (Angie's and Kristen's) are ways that God works through our creativity and then births something even bigger than we originally intended. Angie's business is growing and Kristen's Amazon program continues to generate revenue month after month. It requires more than their creativity - it has required them to stay consistent and diligent in their work.
It brought to mind Micah 4 - where God challenges us to out give Him. A business idea to give towards Kingdom work turns into a consistent opportunity for more.
I know many others that are contributing as well. As we approach the end of 2024, I want to thank you ahead of time for your generosity towards faithful tithing in and through your local church, and the radical generosity to give above and beyond your tithe towards our future building.
Not to mention the generous $50,000 contribution and $50,000 matching program that runs through the end of March. The idea of our own building is becoming more and more a tangible reality!
Second, New Years Resolutions.
The last few years Kris and I have done something called a past year review. We review everything we did last year and then schedule and plan for the coming year. This year we're working through a process called "Compass" where you look over the last year, 'close the door' on 2024, and then look ahead to 2025. It's been quite a year. This is a time for Kris and I to make resolutions for the coming year - we’ve had a mix of successes and failures - but it’s a really healthy practice to reflect on the past and plan for the future. FWIW, there’s an unofficial holiday titled “Quitter’s Day” - The second Friday in January is known as “Quitter's Day,” when people are most likely to throw in the towel on their resolutions.
Whatever your thoughts on resolutions, a related Biblical practice is around vows. Reading through the Old Testament, you'll see the people of God making vows to Him. You'll find other calls to 'keep your vows' - and not just marital vows!
I have been percolating on that idea. What are the vows I can make for God? For me, it's brought an entirely different mindset from 'new years resolutions'. Normally we gravitate towards health, fitness, and learning. Maybe kicking bad habits, starting new good habits. But as I've thought about vows, it has brought me into an element of prayer with God asking Him 'What are you calling me to do this year? How are you inviting me to live for you this year?' Maybe it's to read the Bible in a year. Find a small group. Surrender a leisurely activity. Attend church more consistently.
The Bible also warns us of 'vows' that are completely void of honoring God. I was reading in Zechariah this past week and stumbled upon these verses in chapter 7
4 Then the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, are you not eating for yourselves and are you not drinking for yourselves?
For seventy years they had been fasting every fifth and seventh month, but Zechariah challenged them - were you fasting for God or for your self? When you celebrated by eating and drinking - was it celebrating God and His provision or just celebrating self?
The wildly brilliant God we serve calls us to practices/disciplines that are both spiritual and physical. Fasting is good for your body, but is to be primarily pursued for spiritual purposes. Celebrating good food and drink are a great way to celebrate, but they are to be centered around God’s provision of those great gifts.
It's made me consider seriously what I can do, changes I can make, adjustments, things to remove, things to add - all around the driving question: What do I change in 2025 to honor God? Perhaps getting healthy with exercise or diet is a way to honor God with your body. Maybe eliminating bad habits and starting new ones is a way to honor God with your time. Joining a Life Group, faithfully prioritizing and participating in Sunday worship are ways to honor God with your heart and mind.
Whatever you’ve been thinking about for resolutions in 2025, I want to challenge you to run them through that question: What do you change in 2025 to honor God?
The best advice is to make these vows, or resolutions, with one another. Find some friends or invite your spouse into these to share them for encouragement and accountability. It’s a gift to have other blood-bought brothers and sisters to walk alongside you, particularly when you’re purposing to make changes in your life to honor God more fully.
Perhaps you will experience what Zechariah adds in chapter 8:18
“Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, gladness, and merry appointed feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.’
May your 2025 be full of joy, gladness, and merry - as we seek truth and peace in all we vow to honor Him.
