Dear First Pres,

   My neighborhood’s Operation Clean-Up is happening in a few days. There are piles beginning to form with yard trash and random odds and ends all up and down our street. We’re starting our pile and I’m so looking forward to the day it’s all GONE. 
   It’s a fitting beginning-of-the-year sort of activity, clean up and purging. Not just for my home and yard. It’s good for my heart and my soul as well. This first Sunday of 2020, we’ll celebrate communion together. You could call it God’s Operation Clean Up since as a community we bring our pile of sins before the Lord and He says, “It’s all GONE.” Isn’t that amazing?
   I’m also looking forward to this coming Sunday’s Eat Downtown After Church fellowship event. We get to be a blessing to our business-owning neighbors, especially if we tip generously. And, it's a great way to build community among us over a meal. There are two dining times: 11:00 am (after the Education Hour) and 12:30 (after our 2nd service). I hope you’ll sign up right here. 
   Slightly ironically, this Eat Downtown event is the day before the 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting begins. So feast Sunday and consider some kind of fast for Monday! Let me share with you a couple of recommended resources that might enhance your 21 Days’ experience:

  • 21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer by Jim Maxim
  • Revival Starts Here by Dave Clayton

   I especially enjoy attending as many as I can of the community-wide services hosted by a different church each of the 21 days. We get to host the service at 6 pm Saturday, January 11. (They are at 7pm weekdays & 6pm weekends at a different location each of the 21 days.) The daily devotional that we’ll be sending out will have all of the locations as does the Pray Fresno website. 
   This tradition helps me keep my focus on Christ at the beginning of the year. Doing so with the Body of Christ in our community encourages me. There’s so much I don’t know about what lies ahead for us in 2020 - but I know the One who knows. He has given His best promise that He will be with me, and with you, whatever comes. That, my friends, gives me strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow. 

Grace & Peace,
Terry