Merry Christmas.

This Christmas season, I pray we could notice the power and presence of Jesus. After all, this is the time when we as a church celebrate God's entrance into the world and into our lives. With this incarnation, by entering into the world through the baby Jesus, God has turned the world over, flipped it on end, shellacked it with glory, and slathered it in grace. The presence of Jesus is everywhere, yet we spend much of this time of the year hustling and bustling, and He goes largely unnoticed.

The old Christmas carol reminds us to that we can hear silver bells above all the bustle...if we listen. God has infused this world with Himself, and His power is evident in a million different ways. But it is up to us to take notice. Jesus is evident in the way iron and steel are hammered and formed so that a ringing tone is produced. He is evident in the way sound waves travel and the way gravity works to cause articles to hang. Not only does Jesus ring the bells, He also is the motivating energy behind everything, and as the apostle Paul put it - Jesus holds everything together.

The now-almost-cliché phrase says, "Jesus is the reason for the season." To that I say, amen and amen. However, there is more. Jesus is the reason for any and all seasons. If you are like me, regardless of the season, I tend to "busy" myself with life and forget about actually living. My heart drifts off, my mind clouds over, my soul atrophies, and I miss the Reason. Yet, the power and presence of Jesus is everywhere. He holds our chair to the ground, floats boats on the ocean waters, pumps enough electricity to illuminate cities, and warms our heart with a loved one's glance. It is amazing how many different things are held together by the Spirit. So no longer will I miss out on the bells.

These winter weeks have been a wonderful time of reflection and rejuvenation following a wonderfully full fall. I am anticipating more of the same in the spring. Again I will be touring with Ray Boltz while still doing a good number of concerts on my own. And once again, I am blessed to get to travel and play music with Joe Curet and Brad Layher.

In January, we will be filming a live concert that will be put on DVD. Mark Robertson will be playing bass with us for that venture. I am not yet sure when it is coming out, but it will be real soon. Also, forthcoming is my next studio recording. I will begin work on it this next year, and it will be out at the end of 2004.

I am also learning to adapt to a whole new way of life. On November 15, I was blessed enough to marry my beautiful best friend, Paula. This is not an afterthought or a last-but-not-least statement. Rather, it is more of a foundational statement upon which everything else rests. Jesus, of course, is the rock upon which I stand; yet our love provides my life with a firm footing I have never before experienced.

As always, it is a blast and a blessing to get to be a tiny part of building God's kingdom. I thank you all so much for your prayers and support and I look forward to seeing you somewhere, sometime along the road.

Peace of Christ,
Mitch