December 2024 Newsletter
“Merry Christmas!” and “Happy New Year!” from our family to you and yours.
Let Go(d): Releasing Ourselves from Everything
I want to start this newsletter with a message I just shared at our church in my “hometown” in Tennessee. This was a powerful, life-changing message for me when I received it, and I believe it will also put someone else on a new trajectory that will change them forever. Liz also led worship this week, and if you want to see the full live-stream, you can see that here.
Pastors' Meeting
I had the opportunity to share at the pastor’s meeting for our local Baptist association this month. There were about 20 pastors there. I mostly shared about Thailand, answered questions they had, and let Mary Ella play piano for them.
As the year comes to a close, would you consider giving a one-time gift to Transformation Ministries? Your donation goes towards ministry work and proclamation of the good news of Jesus in Thailand and beyond. In the coming year, we are hoping to designate 50%-80% of all donation money coming in towards ministry work, and away from our own personal finances. If you’d like to become a regular monthly partner and help us give generously to work happening in Thailand, you can do so here.
Mary Ella’s Birthday Party
Speaking of Mary Ella– she turned five this month! I am so proud of this little girl, and I still can’t believe that God has entrusted me to help raise and teach her as her dad. This year, she chose to have a Dr. Seuss themed party, and invited kids from around town. Aside from 3 cousins, every kid at her party was a friend she has made since coming back in September, through either ballet class, the local library club, children’s choir, or church.
Christmas Parade
This month, we got to be in the town Christmas parade. Thankfully, it wasn’t TOO cold (there have been some really cold weeks, but overall this winter has been decently mild). This was Mary Ella’s first parade, and she got to experience it by being in it!
Church Christmas Dinner
We had a church Christmas dinner that Liz led some Christmas music for.
Christmas Ballet
Mary Ella’s ballet group performed at a small event we had for the town. Speaking of cold, that WAS one of the VERY cold nights!
Children’s Choir
The kids’ choir performed one Sunday morning, and they did amazing! Mary Ella even had a solo.
Faith Marriages in Action
I am still recruiting for the marriage enrichment research study program. That is a mouthful, but it’s a really cool opportunity if you’re an active Christian married couple who has thoughts and experiences to share. The program is a five month commitment and you will be paid a monthly stipend for participating if you qualify. We are also accepting referrals and paying for those, and you don’t even have to be in the program to qualify for that added bonus.
Plans for 2025
Right now, our plan is to go back to Thailand and apply for the DTV visa, which is a new visa Thailand just opened, that we can qualify for. If we can get it, we will move back to Bangkok, which is what we have wanted to do for several years. We are still going to give it 6-12 months before we decide if this is where we need to stay “long-term.”
Our stay in Tennessee this time has been clarifying and healing in many ways. God has healed and released me from some burdens that I was still carrying. I am confident that this next year, God will finally show us exactly where we need to “settle down” whether that’s in Bangkok or somewhere else. In the meantime, we will enjoy our time there.
Here is a video that analyzes one of my favorite parts of Thailand, which is the cafe culture there:
Christmas Pictionary!:
Speaking of videos, here is one we made for Christmastime!
Reflections on 2024:
At the end of every year, I like to review everything I did during the year, but equally important to me is what I learned. Here is a list I made, including a number of the books I finished this year (my total this year was 33, a new personal record):
I learned more about communication than I ever thought possible through my sales & business coaching program, as well as the books I read while in it.
I learned the importance of holding plans with an open hand, and being careful about who I share them with, especially specific details.
Some of the books I read this year focused on people of great competency and vision (Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Mastery by Robert Greene, Good to Great by Jim Collins, etc.). I have learned that there are actually very few exceptional people in the world, and that most people are just winging it. As one of my mentors said “most people are bad at most things.” You may think this is a pessimistic view of the world. However, for someone like me who used to trust people more than I should, this was a helpful correction, and gave me more confidence in everything I do, realizing that even if I’m not amazing, I’m always in good company.
Too many people invest far too much emotion in what others think of them. Part of my journey this year has been about freeing myself from the expectations and judgments of others. Now when I hear friends getting bothered because someone said something that triggered them, I have the resources to help them see that they really should not allow the words of immature people to affect them. One of the books I read this year that addresses this topic was The Courage to Be Disliked by Kishimi and Koja. I didn’t agree with everything in that book, but many of the ideas were powerful. Boundaries by Henry Cloud was another great book for dealing with difficult people, and this one is written from a biblical perspective.
As far as podcasts go, the most impactful this year has been Hubberman Lab. He had an episode about how certain parts of the brain grow when we intentionally challenge ourselves and put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, which totally changed my perspective on doing hard things. That reminded me of another book I read this year, called Extreme Ownership by Jacko Willink , which gets at the root of excuse-making and how we should never participate in it.
I read some great theology and apologetics books this year, including The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser, Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle, God Rest Ye Merry by Douglas Wilson, The Mission of God by Christopher J.H. Wright, and The Case for Christ by Lee Stroble. The last one deserves another read at some point.
Ironically, the most impactful books I read this year were from an author I wouldn’t be able to recommend to everyone because many his presuppositions can be so whacky. However, the central theses in his books are so life-changing, that two of my favorite books were from the same author, David R. Hawkins, Letting Go and Power Vs. Force. Here's an interesting video summary of Letting Go from Russell Brand, who, by the way, became a baptized Christian just this year!
One final honorable mention, in terms of books, is Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. This was the only book I read on marriage & family this year, but it was an excellent one that genuinely touched my dad heart at times.
THANKS FOR BEING PART OF THE TEAM!
By God's grace, we have witnessed many lives transformed, and some family legacies changed forever. But the story is not over yet, and we are anticipating and believing for even greater things moving forward. Consider becoming a financial supporter so you can play a significant role in sharing the gospel, addressing root causes of poverty, and creating Christian resources.
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