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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 WEB

RHM December Newsletter - 2015

Hi there,

Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has been happening here during the last month and I hope that you will take the time to read it. There are a lot of exciting things going on at Refreshing Hope.

Jesus is the reason for all seasons and we should stay close to Him all year, but I especially love the Christmas season. Yes, I know there are those that hate Christmas, just as they were the offspring of Mr. Grinch. But at our house, we celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus. He was born on the earth and none of us know exactly when, so one day is as good as the next.

My wife Sylvia was born on Saint Patrick’s day. When that day rolls around, I am not concerned about Saint Patrick, for it has now been overwritten by my wife’s birthday. Likewise, we celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus here, whether it is or not.

The beautiful white snow always reminds me of God’s forgiveness. He said “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient,You shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:18-19).

Jesus made this possible for us. We can now come boldly before the throne of grace and receive mercy, no matter how bad we have messed up in our life. There is always a second chance with God. As long as we live, we should never stop getting up. Don’t lay in the mud. When you fall, get back up and take another step.

 California coast along Hwy 1 - 2012

Road Trip: Sylvia and I will be traveling to Southern California for Christmas and spending time with her family there. We plan to drive and to see the country. It is 2,800 miles one way. Our current plans are to take Interstate 40, though snow could cause us to take the 10. One of our favorite places to stop is the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo Texas. We will be taking a lot of pictures and posting them on the website for those that want to keep up with us. 
 

Guideposts: Several months ago Guideposts Outreach contacted us about sharing some of my devotionals with their readers, and in return we will be sharing some of their writings with our readers. Guideposts was founded by Norman Vincent Peale in 1945 and after looking deeper into his work, I find that we have a lot in common.

We both want to restore hope to the body of Christ and spread the good news of Jesus around the world. God is not dead, He loves you, and He has a plan for your life today. We are excited to partner with Guideposts Outreach and have created a special area on our website to share their booklets. We will also be sending out a few emails to tell you more about it. Please take a few minutes to look them over and leave your feedback at the bottom of the pages in the comment section. 
 

Online Church: This is the first Christmas of our online church and we have grown to 2,801 members. Many people have found new friends and encouragement, and we love the feeling of community that is growing there. People openly pray for each other all over the site. It encourages me to see God’s people walking with others instead of alone. 
 

We have added two new groups over the last month: 

Passionate About Education: This group will focus on supporting students,parents, educators, and anyone who wants to share ideas, problems, experiences, as well as suggestions for websites, free online materials , strategies, etc. Learning happens everywhere, not just in a school setting!
 

Spiritually Single: This group is for the Christian spouses of “pre-believers”. The purpose is for sharing the burdens of our Christian brothers and sisters who walk this path.
 

We have tweaked and restructured some areas of the website. There is now a "Pastor's Corner", which contains the devotional, teachings and other areas pertaining to Pastor Dion. We have also merged videos, photos, etc. into a "Multimedia" page. Finally, we have tweaked the "Blogs" page so you can better find the posts from our member bloggers, especially for mobile users. You can click on the names to see their list of blogs, and there is now a subscribe link for each blogger so you can subscribe to their posts. 
 

If you are in need of prayer, be sure to send in your needs to our prayer network. We and our prayer team will be honored to lift you up!
 

Thank you so much for sticking with us, and for all who have supported us throughout the month with prayer, encouragement and financial resources. I pray that the Lord richly blesses you and that you are covered with His presence as you read these words. May He guide your every step and fan the flames within you. May the Lord lead us all into everything that He has for us as we follow Him one step at a time, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. 
 

Please leave your comments below and let us know how we are doing!

Pastor Dion

 
Our mailing address is:

Refreshing Hope Ministries
P.O. Box 67
Conway, SC, 29528