Year end letter

 It doesn’t seem possible that next month, on December 12th, we will celebrate 45 years of being on the road. God has been so good to us, and we marvel at how quickly time seems to pass. Fall is now in full swing, and the colder weather is certainly reminding us of it!

It doesn’t seem long ago that we left Colorado and made our way to Kansas. Whenever we’re in Kansas, we park our rig at our daughter and son-in-law’s place in El Dorado. We always enjoy being there and taking time to be with the two grandkids who live nearby. Our home church is also there, so we’re able to slip into a few services and simply be regular church members for a change—something we cherish.

As Thanksgiving approaches this week, our hearts are full of gratitude for God’s continued protection and good health. I’m nearly fully recovered from shoulder surgery, though I was advised to keep up therapy exercises through January. And praise the Lord—Mary has had no lingering side effects from the mini-stroke she had in April. We are doing GREAT, and we know God’s hand has been on us.

Just before leaving Colorado, we had new tires put on the rig—ones that were highly recommended to us. The truck is running wonderfully, and we’re praying it will carry us safely through the miles ahead: Arkansas, then Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and one stop in Kansas before we head back for our 34th year at Silver State Baptist Youth Camp.

Since our last letter, the churches we’ve visited have been incredibly gracious. We’ve seen the Lord move in the services, and we praise Him for the decisions that have been made. One moment in particular stands out: a man in one of the churches—a man they’d been praying for a long time—raised his hand during the invitation after an afternoon concert. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and was gloriously saved. The pastor later commented on how unusual it was, given how many services the man had attended without ever responding.

I explained that we’ve seen this happen many times over the years. Some people can become calloused to hearing the Gospel through preaching, even though they love being at church and around God’s people. But they come to a concert expecting only music, and suddenly the Gospel message strikes their heart in a fresh and powerful way. I’ve always believed that Gospel music is a form of preaching—another avenue for sharing the Good News. The Holy Spirit uses it to convict, the Word is heard and received, and hearts respond.

We give praise to God for the way He continues to move through the message in music.