I’ll be the first to admit—I’m an over-thinker. It’s easy for me to get stuck in my own head, replaying conversations, interpreting situations, and second-guessing the choices I’ve made. I tend to analyze and rethink every detail, weighing outcomes, sorting everything into semi-neat categories, and trying to map out what I think is the “right” way forward.

But over time, the Lord has begun to show me what lies beneath all of that. So much of I attempt to take control of what feels uncertain—to hold it together, to figure it out on my own, to soothe my fear and anxiety by organizing everything in my mind.

The ironic thing is that all this self-talk or storytelling I do does just the opposite. For all the effort, it doesn’t bring the peace I’m looking for. Instead, it keeps me striving and circling the same thoughts and narratives in my mind. ​

Our church has just experienced a bit of a baby boom over the last few months. Many of those little ones are the first baby to be born in their respective families. I was chatting with one of the new fathers recently, and he half-jokingly said, “It didn’t take me very long to realize there are so many ways I could mess this up!” 

There are many levels on which this is true. Of course, in those early days where sleep feels elusive and there are the new demands of caring for a baby, parents can find themselves “messing up” by putting a diaper on backwards, struggling for hours over how to install a car seat, or mistakenly putting the baby’s formula in the coffeemaker! But the older a child becomes, even while they are still small, you begin to realize as a parent how many more serious ways you can “mess this up.” As my daughter has grown, so has the weight of what is at stake and my desire to get it right. ​

I am a missionary and spend time in the States in missions’ conferences and hear lots of good preaching about our need to go to the lost and share Christ with them. It is my life’s passion to point people to Christ. But it is easier to speak about that in generalities in relation to the masses of people. I have stood on a street corner in cities like London, Rome, and Bangkok and watched the masses of people move from place to place. I don’t know these people, but I know that, more than likely, the vast majority of them need to hear the truth of the Gospel. How do we make the need to share the Gospel with the masses personal? I believe one answer is found in Matthew 8-9.

I don’t know what your tradition is at the start of a new year, but I often spend some time looking back at the year that has passed and considering what God has done while I anticipate the year ahead and what God will do. This year was no different in that regard, but it was unique in the circumstances for me.

Last year, I was able to spend Christmas and New Year’s with missionary friends in Italy. As I left Italy early in January 2025, I asked the Lord what He had planned for me in 2025. I had plans for the ministry in England, and for enlarging my influence with other ministries the Lord had opened for me as well. I never expected to be sitting here one year later, making plans to leave my ministry in England, which I love with all my heart, to move to another foreign country and start all over again.

Often, as one year comes to a close and a new one begins, we consider the changes we’d like to make or how we can implement new rhythms and routines to better our lives. While I think looking ahead and setting goals is a worthy endeavor for the new year, it is also a great time to pause and look back. For the last couple of years, I have tried to make it a practice to spend time reflecting on the closing year.

What were the high points?
What were the lows?
How did God show His faithfulness?
What lessons has God taught me that I want to carry with me into this new year? 

That last question is something I have really given a lot of thought to in the past couple of weeks. Throughout the past year, God taught and revealed many things to me. ​

I am not one to read a book repeatedly, even if it was really good, because the fact that I know how it is going to end ruins the suspense of turning the page. Maybe you enjoy the familiarity of an excellent story and return to it and collect new pieces of information with each reading.

​Of course, God’s Word is so different from the stacks of books on my shelves in my home. It is the story that recounts His story and how His story intersects and changes my story and yours! It is the one book that I never tire of reading because it is God’s Word! Even with the fathomless truth of God’s Word, there are times when my heart and mind wander, and I struggle to see those truths. Of course, that is no fault of God’s Word, but instead of my own heart, which can quickly be remedied by drawing nigh to God and asking His Holy Spirit to speak to my heart from His Word.

“Joy to the World” is one of the most well-known and well-loved Christmas songs today. But a quick look into its history reveals something surprising: it’s not actually a Christmas carol—and it wasn’t even written about Christmas in the first place.

The song was written by Isaac Watts, who is often called the “father of English hymns” for writing more than 750 hymns! Born in 1674 in Southampton, England, Watts grew up in a very religious family. Even as a young child, he had an incredible knack for writing poetry and rhyme. As he grew, his love and talent for lyrical writing flourished. He eventually became a pastor at a church in London, earned a strong reputation as a preacher, and even devoted himself to training other ministers. But His greatest heart desired to translate the rich truths of Scripture and Christian doctrine into genuine and heartfelt worship and music.