Dear friends,
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2020! I went to the gym today and it was packed with people who I would imagine want to get in shape or stay in shape? Perhaps they are hoping that 2020 will be a great and happy year? They are off to a good start from a physical standpoint but how long will their good intentions last? Your guess is as good as mine!
What about you? What are you hoping for in 2020 and this new decade? I am uncertain about a lot of things; however, I think I am on solid ground when I say that following Jesus is not just “a way” to a joyful abundant life but “The way.”
I sometimes ask people, “What is the most fundamental question in all of life?” (How would you respond if I asked you?) If they say I don’t know and they ask me I usually respond by saying, “Why is there something instead of nothing?” Many people today honestly don’t have a clue about the origin of the universe let alone the meaning of life. To be very frank, following Jesus must be everything to us, or it is nothing. His reign and His Kingdom must control the whole of life or none of it!
On this first Sunday of 2020 we begin a new series we are calling, “New Code for Life.” We will focus our hearts and minds on the most extensive teaching of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 5-7! I read it out loud today and it took me 14 minutes. If you just read it but not out loud then it will take you about 10 minutes. Would you consider reading it out loud just 1 time between now and Sunday? I wonder, I just wonder what would happen if we all read it every day between now and Easter and begin to live it out by the Spirit of God? Perhaps we would all be stunned?
By the way we want to thank you for your generosity to Valley this year! We have tried to communicate with you some of our needs and our General Fund giving for December has exceeded budget by almost $72,000! Also, our spending for the year is $85,000 below budget. This puts us on track to end the year with nearly $290,000 in the General Fund! Thank you for your generosity. We thank the Lord and are looking forward to 2020. We are confident that He will expand His Kingdom rule in our hearts, in Silicon Valley and beyond!
Because His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom,
Glen