Hope Is An Anchor

The other night we took time as a family to walk through a Live Nativity that was presented by the Episcopal Church in our part of Jacksonville. Their presentation began with God revealing Himself to Moses at the burning bush. A God who speaks through a burning bush is eye catching, even powerful but it is hard to relate to personally. Contrast that with the arrival of God in flesh, a baby born to a young couple in a simple rural community. That kind of revelation is something most of us, if not all of us can relate to.

Although Jesus’ arrival is often presented with some dramatic flair, such as Mary and Joseph being denied access to any home in Bethlehem or relegated to a lowly barn or worse a cave. It is more likely that Jesus entered the world in a simple common room surrounded by Joseph and his extended family. Seemingly some other visiting family member had already been put in the guest room (the inn) and so the common living space, which was filled with people and some animals were Jesus’ welcome party. Most of the world even today can relate to that kind of humble revelation. (Read, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey if you are interested in re-thinking some of the traditional views presented in Luke 2.)

One of the stained-glass windows in the older Episcopal church caught my attention that night. It was a picture of an anchor with the top of the anchor shaped into a cross. Anchors have been a symbol of hope for centuries. Jesus came into the world fulfilling God’s covenant promise and bringing hope to the nations.

Hebrews 6:17 – 20 says it so beautifully, “God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

As you know we have been on our regular home assignment since July. The past 6 months have flown by for us. We have enjoyed being in the States to connect with so many of you our support team. This will be our first Christmas in Florida since we departed for Indonesia over 23 years ago. We have certainly noticed how serious people take decorating for the holiday here in FL. Some of our favorite decorations have been bright flamingos, and Santa riding an alligator!

We are encouraged as we see Dina and Abby begin to flourish in this season of transition. They have both gained some work experience, as well as driving on their own, and learning to navigate some normal adulting tasks. We truly give glory to God for His kindness and the care He has shown to us through many of you.

Looking to the year ahead, we have some unique opportunities we would like to share with you. Although we still have about 10 months of accrued home assignment available to us, instead of staying on home assignment status we are going to return to full-time ministry starting in January. That means we will remain in Jacksonville for 2026 and serve Ethnos 360 and the field of Asia Pacific in an itinerant ministry role. This role will have us continuing to serve the tribal teams that we have been working with over the past many years. What this means is that we will jump back into full-time ministry serving from a distance. This will allow us to remain in the States and support family needs here for a season and stay fully engaged in ministry.

Along with that we also have the opportunity to help out more at Christian Family Chapel which is our local church here in Jacksonville. I will be fitting in where there is a need. I worked at Christian Family Chapel back in the late 90′ before joining Ethnos360. Also, Andrea and I both have done a variety of internships with the Church in the past. We are excited to be a blessing for the body.

We believe taking on these ministry roles will allow us to maximize the time we will be in the States as we help our young adult daughters during this new chapter in their life. Thanks for your partnership with us. We want to make the most of the time and opportunities God has set before us. Roman 7:4 has been my meditation over the past several days, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”

If you have any questions about this or would like more details please feel free to reach out to us.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Hope-FULL New Year!