Hello friends. I’m sure like me you are reeling from the great tragedies that our nation is experiencing in only a few days into 2025. First, the terrorist attack in New Orleans and now this week, the raging fires in California. 

I recall the word of the year that the Lord gave to me personally for the new academic year of 2024-2025. It was the word “Hold Fast” with this Bible verse anchored to it: 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23

Hello everyone! I was reminded about this special vision that I received during corporate prayer time. It was good to read it again since there are a lot of unsettling events that are happening in our country and throughout the world. There’s also a reminder below on why Mother Teresa would stop everything during her very busy day to get away and pray. I sometimes get doubtful thoughts about my work of prayer and intercession. It is good to be reminded from faith-giants like Mother Teresa that prayer is super important in God’s kingdom.

Hello friends. Here are more resources for you to help you start a Bible reading plan in 2025. Before I share them, please read this blog on the personal benefits for you to go deeper into the Bible. 

“It’s important to speak His Word over every aspect of our lives and to reject any words that do not align with His teachings. We must be diligent to read the Word daily. Study His Word. Pray the Word. Believe the Word above anything and everything else. In doing this, we build our house upon the Rock. A house built upon the Rock will stand firm.”

Built Upon the Rockanewthingministries.com

Hello friends. I hope you and your family had a lovely and peaceful Christmas!

As the new year approaches, please plan ahead on starting a Bible reading program for 2025. If it’s your first time reading the Bible, you may want to read the New Testament books first. Harvest ministry’s New Testament Bible has very good references and easy to understand commentaries. It’s inexpensive. Here is the link to purchase this Bible. 

store.harvest.org

Christian publishing company Zondervan has a new Bible. I looked through their pages and I found it very helpful and informative. Please take a look inside their sample pages.

NIV Upside-Down Kingdom Bible – Marketing Pageszondervan.com

I’m starting this chronological Bible reading plan in January if you want to follow this plan. (It took me about a year and half to finish my last Bible plan since I read about five days a week. There are many free Bible plans available online.)

The One Year Chronological Bible NLT, Premium Slimline Large Print (Softcover)

a.co

Hello friends. As Christmas Day approaches to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I hope these resources will inspire you and draw you closer to our beloved Jesus Christ. 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org/whythenativity

If you watch this movie, you’ll see toddler Jesus. That toddler reminded me of this picture that I saved few years ago. 🥹

I recently read an article from a NYC divorce lawyer who said that most clients contact him during the months of December and January to proceed with divorce. His thoughts on the reasons why are not important. What’s important is that we have a heads-up on this vulnerable time frame for marriages. Knowing this, please make sure that you pray and plan ahead.  

Hello friends. 2024 year has been rocked by more scandals and big exposures in the evangelical Christian community. I’m not going to summarize every scandal but I want to share a few resources for your review. Please make time to hear these podcasts because foreknowledge is essential in order to keep you safe in a church community. 

The topic of Christian cults came up in our parent prayer group because a former student of IU came into our Facebook group to warn us about a local church who actively recruits in the student community. She was involved with this church group and she informed us that ex-members are now working together to warn parents and students about this church.

From their church website, they appear biblically sound but ex-members say that the leaders are very controlling and isolate their members from their families and friends. That is a very big no-no! In addition, the church leadership is exposed for sexual misconducts and other dark secrets. This exposé report is written by the student newspaper. Thank goodness for brave young student journalists.

Here is the article – https://specials.idsnews.com/members-allege-spiritual-abuse-high-rock-church-bloomington-network/

Warren Buffet has been in the news recently. He is 94 years old. He is a very wise and successful man in investing and business management. I thought his advice in this article for parents was very good. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/25/warren-buffett-one-thing-all-parents-should-do-with-their-estate-plan.html

This exert from Warren Buffet’s article on CNBC stands out to me:

“In his letter, Buffett recalled that over the years he witnessed “many families driven apart after the posthumous dictates of the will left beneficiaries confused and sometimes angry. Jealousies, along with actual or imagined slights during childhood, became magnified.” 

I was just thinking about how much practices, anticipations and studies that football teams do before their games. Likewise, if your family get-togethers are not the easiest then please pray ahead for peace and unity, and your self-control. Please practice in your mind what you will do if the conversation goes the wrong way. Stakes are high in family relationships and so, sometimes it’s better to not talk about matters that divide the relationship. I think the same goes for church members too since we are a spiritual family.