January
2016
Dear
Praying Friends,
Recently our son, Joshua wrote a text to his friends
about the New Year. I was so blessed
that I wanted to share his words with you:
“May we live each day for the Lord, live each day as
our last, not in the sense of doing crazy stuff because it’s on our “bucket
list” but in the sense of “How can I do more for Christ today?” Let us always remember as we read our Bibles,
as we witness, or even as we struggle with sins or trials, that no matter what,
God is in control. He is our Lord; we
owe our lives to Him. So, may we do more
for Christ this year, not to simply make and break New Year’s resolutions, but
to live each day with a different type of resolution: to make Jesus the center of our
joy, because there is no more happier place or more peaceful place than exactly
where God wants us to be. Never forget
why God has us here, not to live for ourselves, or follow our hearts or our
will, but to meditate on His perfect Word and follow His perfect will day by
day. When we do that, we will show
Christ clearly to others. People see
more than we tend to think, the question is, what do people see in us? Do they see us, or do they see Christ? I hope and pray that this year, more than
ever, I will show more of Christ and less of Joshua Hale. We must die daily to ourselves and let Christ
live through and control our lives as Paul the Apostle said. May God bless you and may Jesus always be the
center of our lives, because when He is the center of our lives, He will be the
center of our joy.”
He turns 18 next month and, Lord willing, will
graduate from high school in May. Our
little boy has grown into a godly young man. We are so thankful to every one of
you who have faithfully prayed for him down through the years and ask that you
continue to pray for him as he seeks God’s will for his life. Most of all, we are thankful to the Lord for
the 18 wonderful years we have enjoyed with our son. May God use Joshua in His service for His
glory and honor!
Thanking God for Joshua,
Mark Hale
