To All,
Time marches on toward the inevitable return of Jesus. We are yet another year closer to that anticipated day!
Throughout this past year, many exciting things have happened at Encourage to Faith Ministries. I am grateful. Nevertheless, to God’s children, here in the waiting, so much of what is valuable and fulfilling in life seems to be increasingly subsumed by a world in disarray. At such times as these, it’s easy to get distracted by temporal matters and miss the eternal triumphs that are happening all around us. But we mustn’t ever forget, we are the ultimate victors! (Rom 8:31-39) All the more motivation to draw close, even now, to the Holy Spirit within in order to “let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16). And for followers of Christ, those encouraging words portray, not a burden we “have to” fulfill, but a privilege we “get to” walk in every day. Amen and amen!
This past year at Encourage to Faith Ministries, I have been blessed to walk with numerous men in the varying stages of their faith journeys. I have journeyed alongside these men as mentor, friend, and encourager of their faith—which is most fulfilling of all. And through the good times and the challenges, the reward of seeing these men grow closer to Jesus and of seeing the increased spiritual fruit in their lives is beyond words. I can only say, the privilege has been mine. In the coming year, my goal is to again walk individually with ten men in this way, teaching them, praying for them, and endeavoring to sharpen them as they grow closer to our Lord and learn to live out their God-given purpose.
Along those same lines, I am grateful that writing messages of encouragement through blogs, books, and other mediums continues to be a central part of this ministry. Writing the messages God puts on my heart is something I love and never seem to tire of doing. As such, I am excited to announce I have completed a second book—a follow up to last year’s Encourage to Faith. In keeping with the “encouraging” theme, this one is called One Hundred Encouragements to Faith: Reflections for the Heart and Mind of the God-thirsty Soul. It is available now—just in time for Christmas!—at http://amzn.to/2zv9L1R. I am already at work on the third book in this series, this one about loving God and loving others—no small subject, that! It’s sort of a “so I’ve come to faith, now what?” book. It’s early yet, but I’m excited about how the book is taking shape.
In all, your commitment to pray for and support this ministry is what keeps our mission moving forward to spread the message of God’s sovereignty and love. And if there’s anything more important than that message, I can’t think of it. Please consider supporting our ministry efforts for 2019 by visiting https://encouragetofaith.org/partnership/. There, you can view an illustration of how your contributions directly impact individuals seeking to grow closer to God.
In Imagine Heaven, Pastor John Burke wrote, “Life is all about learning to love God and trust him while we can’t see him, because then we will forever choose to love and follow him throughout eternity when we can see him.” That is is a good summary of what this ministry believes and seeks to advance in the hearts of others. And as we come to the conclusion of yet another astounding year, that is the heart of the message I most desire to leave with you.
Thank you. Please pray for us. And please let me know how I can serve you in the coming year. God is good.
Grace and peace to you all,
Kevin Murray