As you might know, I read through the Bible every year and have done so for the past 20 years. Sometimes on New Year's day I talk to the Lord particularly about speaking to me through the now familiar passages so that I really do see something new, something more - so that I really do hear from Him, through His living word.

Someone said to me a long time ago that what Job feared came upon him - that God deliberately and specifically, in order to rid him of his fear, brought exactly that into his life. That thinking of course has come from the enemy of our soul and its effect is to make us afraid of God and afraid to be honest with Him about our fears.

I have read many reports, from inside and outside of the church - I've listened to statistics and heard the alarms and I have had to remind myself to stay with the Lord and to trust, simply trust, that He is in control.

It's snowing and has been for a while now which has meant that most of us have had time at home that we didn't expect. For me, unlike so many others, that has been a great blessing as I have been able to do some extra reading and studying and to get ahead in the writing of material for classes and conferences.