What time is it? Would you pause whatever is going on in your life right now to think about time?
The Bible has a lot to say about time, and I suppose that one could argue the fact that the whole concept of time began with the first three words of the Bible…“In the beginning.” And today, in your world and mine, we’re referencing time with comments like, “only a few days now until Christmas,” and then the New Year, and then…Time!
Ecclesiastes 3:1 references it like this, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”
Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-16, “So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for His purposes.”
In Ecclesiastes, the writer deals with the reality of time and, in Ephesians, Paul speaks about the stewardship of time, which is each of our responsibility; every year, every month, every day, every moment, as God calls each of us to “live our life for His purposes.”
As we live each day of this holiday season, I encourage each of us to pause, to be grateful for each day God gives us, and to recommit to live with an incredible sense of God-purpose, each day and each moment ahead, on purpose, and in purpose for God.
Speaking of time, let me encourage you to go to the nmministry.net website and take a look at the 2023-2024 Network Calendars which were approved by our Presbytery. I know each of you have a lot on your calendar, but I urge you to give attention to the Network calendar as you’re planning your church calendar, personal vacations, etc, and let’s purpose to be engaged in all of the ministry events planned throughout the year.
Let me take a moment to highlight a few important things coming up as we kick off the new year:
• Registration for our Annual PK (Pastor’s Kids) Retreat, January 14-16, is now active HERE. If you are a pastor in one of our churches & have children between the age of 12-18, please register them today for this FREE event. Also, see the information about Leadership Tour in January and plan now to attend the event near you.
• In February, there is a wonderful Youth and Children’s Pastor’s Retreat, The Gathering, planned as well as our Men’s Conference for all of the guys!
• Our Next Generation Ministries will host the annual Fine Arts & Fusion Conference in March, Network Conference will happen in April, and before you know it, summer will be here and all the Kid’s Camps and Youth Camps will be in full-swing. Then, as we wrap up summer, General Council and National Fine Arts will happen at the end of July and the first few days of August.
As we live these final days of 2022 and look forward to Christmas, let me take this opportunity to wish each of you a wonderful Christmas season! Becky and I are so humbled and blessed to serve you and every church in New Mexico. We love you all, and pray that every moment of the season will be blessed by God.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Pastor Mike & Becky
It was a wonderful time in the history of Israel. Through the leadership of King David, the Ark of the Covenant had been returned to the Israelites and we find in the record of 1 Chronicles 16 that David was so moved by the moment that he began to sing out unto the Lord a song of thanksgiving.
There is so much to unpack in this portion of scripture, so as we enter into the Holiday Season, I want to share a few insights out of David’s psalm that is absolutely relevant to us today.
First: We need to have a present day appreciation for our Lord. Verse eleven reminds us that He is our strength and that we need to seek Him for that strength as we go through the day to day matters of life. The first time I heard the following statement was in a sermon by Pastor Chuck Swindoll; he said so truthfully that “we either are coming into a valley season, or we are in a valley season, or we are coming out of a valley season.” I would add, “to come out of that valley season, we must rely on the strength of our Lord.”
Secondly: We must keep a reflective appreciation for what the Lord has done in our lives. Verses twelve and fifteen address the truth of what He has done for us as well as what His presence means to us. King David had a first hand knowledge of the Lord’s faithfulness. The thought of our Lord’s ever-faithful presence is sure to bring a song from the heart to the lips of His children. I would encourage you to take some extra special time over this next season and reflect on all that He has done for you!
Lastly: Verse 23 reminds us that we should have a continual appreciation for our Lord. I know it is so easy to affirm Him during the good times, but I believe that affirmation and appreciation through the tough times is a required reflection of the heart. As our spirit senses the difficulty of the current season in our society, we can learn from King David and the Israelites this lesson…keep the Lord in the right place and do not take your eyes off of Him. If we do this, then we will be a person with a song of thanksgiving!
May you and yours have a most blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration! Please Note
NEWLY CREDENTIALED:
CertifiedMarcus Moreno, Roswell Jamin Murphy, Silver City Kory Murphy, Silver City LicensedTori Thompson, Albuquerque
TRANSFERRED IN:
Roger Griffith (O) Los Lunas
Paul Tibbets (O) Las Cruces Deborah Tibbets (L) Las Cruces
TRANSFERRED OUT:
James Gillelan (O) N. Texas David Henry (O) N. Texas
The National Office has recently sent out renewal forms. All ministers are required to renew their credentials by the December 31, 2022 deadline. Please renew on line at AG.org. If you are not able to renew online, you may complete and mail your paper copy to the Network Office prior to deadline. Fees must be paid in full before your renewal will be processed.
General Council Fees: Ordained $300, Licensed $240.00, Certified $120.00
NM Ministry Fees/Tithes: Ministers are required to pay 10% of their tithe (salary & housing) to the NMMN minus the above General Council fees. If you do not receive a ministerial income you must also meet the minimum requirements to NMMN: Ordained $300, Licensed $240, and Certified $120. This is in addition to the General Council fees listed above.
Renewals received after December 31, must pay a late fee of $50.00. Any renewal received after January 15, is lapsed and requires the minister to apply for reinstatement. Please contact Devonna (505) 899-5399 or email dcummins@nmministry.net if you need further assistance.
Fred
Hi, I’m Gail Owen!
I have the privilege of serving as the NMMN Women’s Director also called VIVID. In case we haven’t already met, here is a little about me: I’m married to Dereck Owen. We have pastored Tucumcari First Assembly for the past 21+ years. Like many serving in the local church, my responsibilities have been so varied that it is hard to come up with a title for what I do day to day. During my time in ministry, I’ve experienced the extremes from ‘I can’t believe I get to do this’ to ‘I want to quit.’ Besides Jesus and His calling on my life, what has sustained me is relationships… many were built through NMMN.
The greatest gift I have received through our Network is connection with others in ministry. Those connections have led to relationships that offer support, partnership and idea sharing that equip me so I can return to my family, church and community to make a bigger impact. That's what I want to see available to women across our Network.
These ideas are bigger than what I can accomplish on my own so, I’m assembling a team. Ladies, if these ideas resonate with you, I would love to chat with you. Call or text me (575 )403-6680.
Here’s a few things I’d like to get on your radar:
1. If you are a woman leading in any area of your local church and you are new to the Network, your community, or a posi1on, would you text me? At VIVID, we want to surround you with support and encouragement star1ng TODAY!
2. In January VIVID will be hos1ng a Book Club for the purpose of leadership development. Ladies, I hope you’ll join me!
3. Ladies, I cannot wait to see you at Network Conference. April seems far away but would you mark your calendar and consider coming?
4. Let’s bless our missionaries this year with the best Christmas gi\ ever! Send your Touch the World offerings to NMMN ASAP.
Pastor, you can pass this informa1on along to your wife and other women leading in your church. I look forward to serving the women of NMMN! Gail
(575)403-6680 cell gowen@nmministry.net
