Few Thoughts January 4, 2019 LOS ANGELES DISTRICT

Greetings and Happy New Year 2019!   Have you made the error by writing in “2018” on a check or document you have had to sign on these recent days? Sometimes it can take a while to get used to changing the year in our brains. At least for me it can be difficult.  I hope you have been enjoying a great start to the New Year! I’ve always wondered: How long do we greet someone with " Happy New Year!"  Here we are on January 4, and I am still hearing people say, “Happy New Year!”  In fact, if you notice up above, that is exactly how I opened these Few Thoughts. This could be my final greeting for 2019 in this way; though, I really do wish the very best for all of us this entire year of 2019.  Did you do anything out of the ordinary on New Year’s Day? I did! I searched for a phone number to the principal of my boarding school in the Amazon Jungle from the town of Pucallpa. I discovered that he was now living in Indiana. I had not spoken with him since I was in the 7th grade way back in 1974. There were several things I remembered about him that influenced me in several ways:  One time he caught me engraving my name into the wooden porch of the school’s classroom with a magnifying glass when I was in the fourth grade. Earlier that day, we students discovered the power of the magnifying glass and I thought I’d go BIG by burning my name in the porch. When he discovered what I was doing, he didn’t yell at me, did not spank me, did not discipline me in any way. All he did was -- with folded arms and looking over my shoulder -- say, “Let me guess, after that letter ‘e’ will be another ‘g’ and then a space and then you will burn the letters G-A-R-M-A-N. So Greg, I think it would be better for us to make a giant sign that reads, 'Greg Garman was a student here at SAM Academy,' that way everyone who comes to study here years later will know that you were here.” I packed up my magnifying glass and slowly walked away. I will never forget that lesson.I watched as he would spend time in prayer walking around the campus praying and reading the Word. He often prepared his sermons by walking around the campus.  So after finding his phone number, I called up Mr. Porch to thank him for the influence he had made on my life. What a joy it was to speak with him after all of these years.

ENCOURAGEMENT:  After John was put into prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the Good News of God.  “The time has come, He said, The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Good News.”  As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman.  “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”  At once they left their nets and followed Him.  (Mark 1:14-18)  Some of the most interesting things in scripture are to read the “firsts”. First actions, first words, first miracles, first commands… And in nearly all four Gospels the first words recorded from the mouth of Jesus are the words “Come and follow” . The message of Jesus is an inviting message for everyone. He calls us all to follow Him. Yet, I love what Mark mentions in His writing.   Jesus’ message is very clear. His message is one of repentance, for He reminds us that the time is NOW. God’s Kingdom has come. And the only means of entering His Kingdom is through faith ( “believe” ) and repentance. And in 2000 years, that message has not changed. As we begin this New Year I am focusing on this great calling of our Lord. He came into His ministry with an evangelistic calling. His first items of action were to call along His side, others, who would help Him in spreading this truth. And He called Andrew and Peter to become “fishers of men.”    As I’ve been praying and thinking of the church here in America today, I am more convinced that this is one of our greatest needs. We need to prepare people in our churches to become “fishers of men.” Our message needs to be one of reminding people that God’s Kingdom has come and we must repent and believe in order to take part in His Kingdom. For this reason Jesus went from village to village, house to house, synagogue to synagogue. He spoke with the masses and He spoke to individuals. He went into rich and wealthy homes and met with the poor. He ate with tax collectors and with fishermen. He walked with Pharisees and with foreigners.    May we recognize that in 2019 we are called to evangelize the world! The entire globe… all people. The time is NOW. And may the Lord help us in our bold approach to be witnesses for Him. These are the greatest days for the church, so let’s take advantage of all that the Lord is giving us.  Let’s Go!

Church Ministries:

Alhambra :  Pastor Eleazar Torres shared some photos with me of their wonderful Christmas program they enjoyed last week. May the Lord bless this church in the days that lie ahead!

NewNaz :  I was invited to preach this last Sunday, which was the final Sunday in 2018, in the church I had pastored in for 22 years. Thank you, Pastor Josh Johnson for this privilege to “come home”. What a joy it was to see so many familiar faces and to share the Word back in my home church. Leslie and I enjoyed being back here together, where she led in the worship and I preached.

Upcoming Events:

May you have a great weekend and an awesome start to your 2019 Services!  I love you and I hope to see you soon.   Very blessed, Greg A. Garman Los Angeles District Superintendent Church of the Nazarene