Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2004 has been a full year! Here’s just a partial list of the projects God has graciously allowed me to work on, either alone or with the rest of the Staff Development team:

• Coaching a new Keynote staff woman raising her initial support
• Writing four new classes on verbal communication
• Training and evaluating new teachers & communication coaches
• Coaching summer project students and new staff in public speaking skills
• Coordinating a 3-week training session
• Planning and running an elaborate team building day for the entire Keynote staff
• Continuing the major training reorganization we began last year

I feel incredibly blessed that I can do a job I love to help change lives for eternity! I see life-change in both those we train to become musical evangelists and those who come to Christ through their ministry. I see it in people like Zach, who participated in our summer project this year, and later wrote this to us:

“While reading through my journal, I consistently see God’s love and faithfulness. Those just happen to be my two biggest areas of weakness (coincidence? I don’t think so). He completely broke me and revealed to me all of the doubts that I didn’t even know that I had. God’s love became very real to me like it had never been before. God revealed to me that although I’m not perfect, although I make mistakes, even with my sin nature, with God’s help my heart is capable of love, of compassion, of actually caring if complete strangers go to heaven or hell. That may not sound like a very profound thought, but after 19 years of being more or less alone, cynicism and self-centered self-preservation took its toll on my love and compassion for others.

“This summer wasn’t about learning how to use my musical gifts and interests to share God with others. This summer was about God giving me a new heart and teaching me evangelism’s prerequisite: love. This summer was about being healed from my past and getting up from where I had fallen and, with God at my side, continuing to run the race that God has promised that we can finish. The biggest thing that I learned this summer didn’t really set in until I had gotten home: God will continue his good work in me until completion. God doesn’t let go. Thank you all for being willing to be used by God to change people’s lives, to change my life.”

As I look forward to more ministry opportunities like these in 2005, I’m also trusting God to provide the resources I need to continue serving Him. Beginning in January, the charges for my medical benefits are going up by a significant amount. What’s more, I just learned yesterday that my car needs four tires and a new head gasket. I estimate the total of all these expenses to be over $3,700. Would you consider giving a special year-end gift to help cover my car repairs and/or increased health insurance costs? If God leads you to help, you’ll find instructions for several giving options on the Contributions page on my website.

Thank you for all you already do to help change lives like Zach’s through your partnership with me! May the Lord bless you abundantly as you walk with Him in the coming new year!