Our coming New Year sounds futuristic. We are a quarter of the way to the next century. How could this be I thought as I reminisced about President Carter. An exemplary ex-president. A man who demonstrated each day of his life that it is not what you say but what you do as a Christian.

The Christmas Tree came down today. The Santa Claus and Nativity Scenes were stored for next Christmas. Cold weather is in the forecast although you could not tell it today as I walked in the woods. Soon we will be shivering.

2024 has his walking stick. He is heading for the exit. 2025 is but a babe. He is at the door ready to emerge onto the stage. He has big ideas and bigger plans. 2025 is much like us. The sky is the limit. Reality bites. A year can play ‘Bitey’ with us at times. ‘The best-laid plans of mice and men suddenly come arye.’

Life is a game of chance. From the moment that the doctor slapped our butt…we are risk takers. School and then more school…then the School Of Hard Knocks… There is a reason we old people have white hair or no hair at all. We have seen a lot…

The minister sets his cap to help people. His heart is full of faith and often a calling. Yet the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune slow his pace. People misunderstand and mistake his motives. The call to the Gospel is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Yet the faithful carrier of Christ’s teachings trudges on to deliver the Good Word.

So it goes with our lives…we seek to make a difference. We 2025 to be better than 2024. Helping those less fortunate than we are is our creed. Heal the earth. Heal the broken…feed the hungry.

Months fly by quickly. Soon we will hear the bells again. Christ came to deliver peace, build homes for the homeless, and live a life that inspires those watching to want what you have.