Greetings to each of you in the name of Jesus Christ. I am writing this on the second day of this new year, 2023. I pray that you are well and that your work in the Lord is going well.
As the old year came to a close and the new year began, I received a number of communications from readers expressing appreciation for the daily readings that I send out in various ways. Reading a portion of a larger work every day of the year requires discipline, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me at the personal level to have so many readers who read the pages from these daybooks every day for a whole year — and then, amazingly, start over again the next year. It very often happens when I meet people in person or get an email from them, they will say, “We start every day with you,” and now that I’m beginning to get some of the audio recordings done, they will say, “We listen to you every morning at the breakfast table.” For a writer, it doesn’t get any better than this, and I am both humbled and very grateful for the privilege of getting to think about spiritual things with you each morning.
A special tribute is in order to the Southside congregation in Pasadena, Texas where they read through Obeying the Gospel as a congregation last year, and linked those readings to their congregational theme of “The Gospel Is for All.” Southside has supported me generously for many years, and I have long enjoyed their friendship, but 2022 was a special year for our relationship, as I got to share with them each day as they pondered the subject of evangelism.
I have begun to write Walking in Christ, the next volume in the WordPoints Daybook Series, but I did not make as much progress as I had hoped to make last year. At this point, about a fourth of the book has been written. So I will shift into high gear now and hope to be much further along with that project by the time we finish 2023.
Plans are proceeding for my (possible) move to Meridian, Mississippi. I will, Lord willing, be going to Meridian for 7–10 days a month this year, as I test the possibility of making a complete move there to live on a full-time basis. I am both excited and nervous about it. I truly hope that it works out so that I can move there, but I have no idea how the “testing” period will turn out. I have determined to keep my mind open about it, and after a reasonable time, make a good decision as to whether it is feasible. At the very least, I look forward to enjoying a couple of Lord’s Days each month with my dear, dear friends in the congregation at Seventh Street in Meridian. They are always so welcoming. It would be a delight to be there with them on a more extended basis.
I am enthusiastic about the work that I have laid out for myself in 2023. I hope that I’ve set goals that are challenging but not overwhelming. It’s always hard to get the balance just right. But whatever the Lord may make possible in this work in the coming year, I want you to know that it is through you, my supporters, that any of this is able to be done. I am profoundly grateful that we can be connected in this special way. And as I thank God for your fellowship in my work, I’m always seeking His blessings on the work you are doing in your locality. We may be in different corners of the vineyard doing different parts of the work, but it is all the Lord’s vineyard. I thank Him daily for the privilege of being on the same team with you. Won’t it be wonderful when the final harvest is gathered in!
Gary Henry — WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
WRITING GOALS
Pray with me that I will be given the ability to finish these works
- Walking in Christ — Book 6 in the WordPoints Daybook Series. Target: November 2025.
- Going Home — Book 7 in the WordPoints Daybook Series. Target: November 2028.
- Seeking God in the Psalms — a 52-lesson study — theme for each week, studies for Monday-Friday.
- Ecclesiastes — a full-scale commentary on the text of Ecclesiastes.
- Encountering Christ — what the Scriptures teach about Jesus Christ . . . and why we should believe it.
