I don’t know where you live, but where I’ve been for the last week, the weather is dangerously hot. I pray the Lord will watch over those who do not have adequate shelter and water to drink during this extreme heat.
I just returned from another trip to Meridian, Mississippi, where I worshiped last Lord’s Day with the small band of disciples who meet on 7th Street in that city. They asked me to preach, but when I’m with a small group of hearers, what I do is not really “preaching” — it is simply “speaking from the heart.” I discussed with them the Lord’s provision of “strength for the journey.” God does not remove all the hardship from our lives; instead, He provides the strength we need to get to the destination He has in mind. The brothers and sisters in Meridian always encourage me, just by their example of endurance and refusal to buckle under the weight of difficult circumstances.
As I have mentioned previously, I am planning to move to central Indiana sometime next year to live near my youngest son and his family. Before I move another 120 miles further north, I want to travel as often as possible to visit congregations in the south who mean a great deal to me — not only the group in Meridian but also congregations like Pine Lane in Bessemer, Alabama, who help with my financial support, and the congregation in Helena, Alabama who have encouraged me for so many years. It remains to be seen how many such trips I can make, but I want to do this as often as I can before distance becomes a greater hindrance.
To be quite frank, I miss the days when I was on the road as much as I used to be. I have always enjoyed long-distance driving. I call it “windshield time.” For me, it’s a time to think, pray, reflect, meditate, and draw strength from time away from the “activity” that dominates our lives. Obviously, I can’t get the writing done if I’m on the road too much, but I’ve discovered that a certain amount of “windshield time” is necessary for me. Without it, the writing suffers. But where is the right balance? I’m not sure I know, but I do believe I need to dial things back in the direction of more time on the road, as the Lord may permit. I’d appreciate your prayers as I make these decisions.
The book on Walking in Christ is coming along nicely. I feel rejuvenated after the trip to Meridian and plan to be at the writing desk first thing tomorrow, typing away. It still looks like the hard copy of the book can be published shortly after the beginning of next year — and I may be able to start the daily emails for this book on January 1.
I want to make you aware of a change I’ve made in my plans to write something on Ecclesiastes. For many years, I’ve known that I wanted to write on this great book in the Old Testament, but I’ve had a hard time deciding what form the writing should take. Recently, I’ve decided that rather than writing a “commentary” on Ecclesiastes (which few people, if any, would read), I would rather publish a book of essays on topics, texts, and themes in Ecclesiastes. I’m already writing some of these essays for Substack, and when enough of them have been written, I’ll publish them in book form. As indicated below, the new name for this work will simply be Essays on Ecclesiastes.
Thanks again, to all of you, for your support, emotional encouragement, and prayers. Your financial support is needed, of course, but more than that, the spiritual relationship you extend to me is my life’s greatest blessing.
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
WRITING GOALS
Pray with me that I will be given the ability to finish these works by January 1, 2040
- Walking in Christ — Book 6 in the WordPoints Daybook Series. Target: March 2027.
- Going Home — Book 7 in the WordPoints Daybook Series. Target: November 2030.
- Seeking God in the Psalms — a 52-lesson study — theme for each week, studies for Monday-Friday.
- Essays on Ecclesiastes — wrestling with the message of Ecclesiastes and its relevance for us today
- Encountering Christ — what the Scriptures teach about Jesus Christ . . . and why we should believe it.
