Year in Review

Winter Solstice is a good time for reflection and review. It marks the shortest day in Northern Hemisphere and it marks the day when darkness becomes shorter and daylight begins to increase. Darkness and sorrows of 2023 are passing away and many look forward to a brigthter 2024, though wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue to take its horrific human toll. Wars are instruments of Satan to kill destroy and annihilate human beings created in the image of God.

No Christians should glorify wars no matter how righteous the cause and just retaliation appears in the first place. It leads to a slippery road of killing which breeds for killing and sowing of hatred against the opposite warring parties for generations to come. Only the Gospel of love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ could mend human hearts bent on fighting and revenge. 

But my year in 2023 has been an extraordinary year by any measure. The beginning of year was filled with much uncertainty despite releasing my Galatians commentary with the first 200 copies sold out in no time. The year ends with another book published with 100 copies sold in 6 churches and I shall be preaching in my 7th church and my 11th sermon in 7 weeks. If a forthcoming wedding sermon is counted by year’s end I would have preached 14 sermons for just the last two months of the year. So in terms of writing and preaching it has been a bountiful year. 

By the first quarter of 2023 my short term future was decided upon when I took up a position in a local seminary. When my former College reorganized its faculty and I was left out I knew I had to take temporary shelter elsewhere. Even David served the Philistine for a season when he was persecuted by King Saul. How long O Lord does my suffering continue? Will You deliver me from the reproaches that were meant for You but fell on Your anointed one ?