I wanted to end the year off with a personal note for all who read this. It has surely been a crazy year, has it not? From the political craziness of the election, to racial tensions rising, and the global pandemic, 2020 has been a year we’d all like to forget.

Even in the midst of a year that has been filled with sorrow, death, pain, social and political unrest, we need not forget that God ordained it all. I know some may not believe that, but I wish you would. A God who is sovereign over all is also sovereign over hardship. He was sovereign, after all, over His only Son being killed on the cross.

That’s neither here nor there. Even during a chaotic year, the Lord has shown grace to my family in tremendous ways. Not only through watching Jovi, our little girl (who is now a year and a half!) continue to grow and be healthy, but through moving into a new home that we love, a new job for me (since March), and a new dedication to writing—through my blog and my upcoming book. God has lavished His grace on us in ways we don’t deserve.

To date, my blog has received more views than it ever has before. I don’t know the comparison to other blogs—and that doesn’t really matter—but my blog this year has received roughly 10,000 views altogether. I don’t say that to say Look at me! but to say Look what God has done! For me, that’s something I am ecstatic about and thank the Lord for His grace. I pray my blog continues to grow—not for my sake but for the readers. I will always fight the temptation to only look at numbers but I continue to ask the Lord to humble me and not make it about me, but His glory.

And the book. My forthcoming book Gospel Smugness: Displaying Christlike Character in Evangelism will most likely be released in summer 2021. I’m aiming for sometime in July but it’s not official yet (you will know when it is!). Things are still coming together: interior and cover design, endorsements, and eventually an official book promo video. I am so excited to see how the Lord might use the book.

The page count will come out to be about 115 pages. I wrongly thought it would be about 170 but didn’t account for the fact that books are single-spaced, not double-spaced. It doesn’t really matter and is actually better. Moreover, once the table of contents is set, you can expect to see that soon if you like!

I’m learning a lot from the book process for future endeavors, as I very much plan to keep writing books (I’m already playing with future ideas). This first go-around is teaching me the what-to-dos and what-not-to-dos of the book industry.

And for Shale, my wife, the Lord has blessed her with being in her fifth year as a teacher. It’s surely been a crazy year due to COVID, but it’s going as smoothly as it can. She’s an amazing teacher and an even better wife and mother.

All in all, I’m grateful for the Lord’s grace. I know many are suffering, many are in pain, many do not know what will happen next. May we not forget that the Lord is in control; may we not forget that the Lord reigns and is not surprised by any of this. May we find immense comfort in the fact that God is on His throne and has not blinked an eye, but is working everything out for those who love him (Romans 8:28).

And this time of year, may we not forget that God condescended to us in the person of Jesus Christ, as an infant, to be with us. God is with us.

Merry Christmas!