January 20th, 2026

Dear Friends,

We’ve made it past the middle of January. The days are getting longer. Spring is now, at least, a distant hope. Yet, for many, these last days of January and the early days of February are the darkest of days. Whether its the “down” after the hopeful joy of Christmas, the cumulative effect of all the dark days and long nights, or the difficulties of life that seem somehow much heavier at this time of year, it’s hard to remember who we are, who we serve, and what is our responsibility.

At 5:00 on the afternoon of May 14, 1948, in the main hall of the Tel Aviv museum, a ceremony took place that inaugurated the state of Israel. The next morning, planes from Egypt bombed the city. A coalition of five Arab countries attacked and invaded the new nation on all its borders. This historic people, outmanned and outgunned, were forced to fight for their very survival. Battles raged everywhere. Each day brought new skirmishes and challenges. Set-backs were more common than victories. Chaos seemed to ensue on every side.

Some days later in Tel Aviv, the Israeli General Staff Headquarters came under bombardment from long-range Egyptian artillery. Shells dropped in the courtyard of a little house where the Defence Minister, David Ben-Gurion, was working. One of the sentries at the door was badly wounded. Some of his key leaders begged him to go down to the bomb shelter. Instead, Ben-Gurion contented himself with putting on a steel helmet. He then looked at his aides with a childish expression of astonishment and said, “Look, I’m in the middle of writing something, how can I break off now?” However, when he was told the sentry was wounded, he left his papers and ran out to help carry the stretcher. He did not leave the injured man until he was safely in the hospital. Martin Gilbert writes, “He saw no reason why bombs should determine his way of life — he determined it! And the fact that they were falling on the roof of his house was quite irrelevant in comparison with the urgency of his work.”

I don’t know what “bombs” are falling on your life right now (or if they are) but I do know this. You can’t achieve your goals without overcoming distraction. You overcome distraction by being clear about your objectives and what it takes to fulfill them. That’s why Luke tells us at one point in his gospel, Jesus “resolutely set his face toward Jerusalem.” He knew that it was there, in that city, among his avowed enemies, that he would complete the work his Father had given him to do. He did not flinch. Rather, he walked toward the difficulty. He knew that he could trust his Father for all that was actually necessary. And he did!

Friends, we have the same Father. He is just as trustworthy today. He is just as powerful. The bombs may be going off and people we care about may be taking it on the chin but we must keep our focus. God is enough. He always has been and will be.

Blessings!

Doug