Hello Kathryn,

Happy New Year!!

I hope that you had a great holiday season and that you are renewed, refreshed and ready to have a great year in the Lord! This is the first newsletter of 2023 and I am excited about what God has in store for you and for the Truth Project.

This year our family did something different for New Year’s. We decided to go on a cruise for the last week of the year, soak up some sunshine and take a break from Winter. It was beautiful weather and so relaxing. I love the beach and it felt like paradise.

During our vacation, I read a book by Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker. The book is about the power of prayer and drawing circles around our biggest dreams and greatest fears. Mark says, “God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be exercised in response to prayer. Simply put, God won’t do it unless you pray for it. We have not because we ask not. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked.”

This book really has renewed my prayer life. I am not one of those that sits for hours and prays, or one who uses fancy words. My prayers are simple and much like a conversation with the Lord. Actually, I talk to the Lord throughout the day because I need Him moment by moment at times. This book really built my faith in that God still answers prayers. Not that I doubt that God answers prayers but when we see the proof in someone else’s life it can really encourage us.

We can often get discouraged when we have prayed for certain things or people for many years and don’t get an answer. I prayed fifteen years before the Lord answered my request. I know that a lot of you have this same issue. Lord how long until…? Keep the faith. God is working when we don’t see Him working. He heard your prayer the first time you prayed it. The waiting period will not go on forever. The reproach will not last forever. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Remember, He will not answer your prayer unless you pray about it. The greatness of God to me really is how He is concerned even with the most minute details of our lives. He is concerned with what concerns you.

Until next time,