Happy New Year! Here’s my Top Ten list for venturing forth into 2023:

1. In a world which desires 15-second answers to every question, don’t settle for easy answers to complex issues. Be willing to search deeper.
2. We must be willing to change our minds when new information comes. Darwin showed it is not the biggest or strongest that survived, but the ones which could adapt. Adjust sails when necessary.
3. Rather than burning or banning books, try reading them.
4. Be willing to share your time, talent, and treasure. Sharing helps develop an attitude or gratitude. And gratitude always works.
5. Be intentional about getting along with others and cooperating. Fostering cooperation builds community.
6. Work for equality for all people. Everyone? Yes, everyone.
7. Be intentional in word and deed in respecting others’ rights. Try turning self-interest into team building.
8. Science is our friend – embrace it.
9. Appreciate and value different cultures and art. Listen, view, and experience to learn.
10. Care for the planet. Make decisions in life and in the voting booth to preserve and protect nature. 

Shalom, Paul

1. “Good resolutions are simply checks drawn on a bank where they have no account.” —Oscar Wilde
2. “May your dreams get fulfilled as well as your bills. Best of luck with the New Year, dear.” —Unknown
3. “May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.” —Joey Adams
4. “You know how I always dread the whole year? Well, this time I’m only going to dread one day at a time.” —Charlie Brown
5. “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” —Anaïs Nin
6. “If you want an interesting party, combine cocktails and a fresh box of crayons for everyone.” —Robert Fulghum
7. “May the New Year bring you courage to break your resolutions early! My own plan is to swear off every kind of virtue, so that I triumph even when I fall.” —Aleister Crowley
8. “New Year’s is just a holiday created by calendar companies who don’t want you reusing last year’s calendar.” —Unknown
9. “I was going to quit all my bad habits for the new year, but then I remembered that nobody likes a quitter.” —Unknown
10. “I’m a little bit older, a little bit wiser, a little bit rounder, but still none the wiser.” —Robert Paul

This Sunday, January 8, we will experience Jesus’ baptism. Read Matthew 3:13-17. I will be preaching. A significant part of God’s approach is revealed in this text.

Bring soup with you each Sunday!


The Annual Meeting will be Saturday, January 28, 9:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. Come and hear about our plans for 2023 and vote on our 23-ministry budget and slate of officers.
 
Check the church website for any and all church meetings.