What a joy it was on Christmas Eve to not only to celebrate the birth of our Savior but also the new birth, by water and the Word, of a whole household. Christmas does not get much better than that!

 ord, I confess to You that, if I were to stand on my own, all of my faults would keep me from Your presence, and only reveal Your wrath. I am so thankful Lord for Your gift to me, that I can come into Your presence through Your Son, without fear, and look forward to meeting You, Amen.

 Thank you, God, for adopting me as Your child. Thank you for giving me Your love and identity, and the security of knowing that nothing can separate me from Your love. As I live my life in thankfulness to You, help me to share that love with others. In the name of your Son Jesus, Amen.

When we give hurting individuals a safe space to tell their story at gatherings like the cultural exchange on the Navajo Nation, their hurt is no longer hidden within the walls of a house or the confines of a heart. Once that hurt has been exposed to the light, God can do amazing things with it. He can heal it, and he can use it to His glory. He can mend broken families and repair relationships.

Dear Friends in Christ,

God’s mission continues in Navajo, NM.

Native American culture is filled with amazing stories about how things came to be. One such story explains how humans "discovered" fire. In the story, which I have heard attributed to the Navajo, the Karuk, and the Shoshone, coyote feels sorry for the poor humans who suffer through the bitter-cold winters. After hearing a woman crying for the children lost in the cold, he decides to steal some fire from the Fire Beings on Fire Mountain. With the help of the other animals, they steal a small piece of fire and throw it into wood. Coyote then teaches the humans how to rub two pieces of wood together to release the fire. From then on, humans are able warm their families in the winter.

I've always loved this story and the similarities it has to the Christian faith. We, too, were once dying in the cold, separated from the Light, but someone took pity on us and gave us life.