It's certainly been awhile. My last message here was... Easter! Sheesh. Despite my best intentions to send encouragement and support twice monthly, at this rate I'm lucky if I make it twice a YEAR! 🙄. But that's going to change. Maybe you can help. More on that in a minute.

First, I mainly wanted to share the beautiful video above in hopes it would bless you. One of our Healing Care Ministries team members in Spain sent it a few years ago and I was so moved. It was filmed in her hometown of Girona and her sister, cousin, and many friends were in the choir. You'll see almost the whole town came together for the project and it exemplifies what Christmas is about: The advent of love and light coming into the darkness.

The song, Carol of the Bells, actually originated in Ukraine as a folk song called “Shchedryk” and it wasn’t about Christmas at all. The song was a New Year’s carol about a swallow flying into a home and proclaiming blessing for the coming year. Written when Ukraine was in the midst of the first World War, this little bird brought hope as a sign that the oppression, the pain, and the long, cold winter would not last forever. The English lyrics to the melody were added years later, transforming it to the version we know today.

The Jewish people before Jesus' birth had been looking for their own signs of hope in the midst of pain. Having had no recognized prophet for 400 years, they were feeling God's apparent silence while enduring the harsh and cruel Roman control. They may have been back from exile, but they definitely weren't free. Faith and hope must have been difficult in the midst of this confusion and oppression.

But God. In a humble manger on a dark night, Light entered the world. The unexpected answer to a centuries-long ache. God didn't just send another message. Or even salvation alone. He sent HIMSELF. Relational. Intimate. Humble. PRESENCE.

Christmas is such a great reminder that no matter how dark things may feel at times, His light will always find us. With this in mind, as I watch this video, I can't help but feel the stirring of fresh hope. A small bird’s carol, a baby’s cry in a Bethlehem stable, a single candle in a town in Spain… all reminding us of the same Truth:

May you be overcome with laughter, love, and His light today.

The darkness will not win.

Before you go, I said I wanted to get better at checking in next year. Anything YOU want to get better at doing regularly in 2026?

I'm thinking of hosting a gathering (online) next month.

It would be FREE and I'm not totally sure of the specific content yet. But overall, I just want to start the year connecting. I'll share how God's been working in my life and what I think He's calling me into for 2026. And you can share the same - or not. Whatever feels comfortable. Either way, just as that sweet little town in Spain demonstrates, amazing and beautiful things can be accomplished when we work together. So let's encourage each other and see what God is up to.

Let me know if you may want to join. No commitment, I just want to get an idea. Again, it'll be a FREE, small, one hour(ish) get-together. Just reply to this email if so.

In the meantime, Merry Merry Merry Christmas!

and know that Jesus and I both are

Celebrating YOU!

Maggie. 💜