My first Christmas in San Diego was absolutely fantastic! No snow. No ice. Not even a cloud in the sky! Who could ask for a better Christmas than sunny and seventy-two degrees! On Christmas Eve we had lunch at a restaurant on Mission Bay, and I went surfing on Christmas Day in the afternoon. You know why? Just because I could!!

But that’s not the only thing that made this Christmas so great! It was so good to be with all of you this Christmas. What a blessing to spend Christmas Eve with all of you at our Christmas Eve services! So many of you have been so warm and welcoming during this season. Thanks to all of you for making our first Christmas in San Diego such a great one!

Next on the calendar: New Year! Which, naturally, brings up the question, “What’s God going to do at Northminster in 2008?” The only person who can answer that question, of course, is God. But we can be sure of this: God has good plans for Northminster!

I believe that God is going to do at least two things in 2008. First, God’s going to use us to reach out into our community, meeting the real needs of real people in Clairemont. Second, I believe that God will bring new people into our church; people who have been touched by our love as we’ve reached out into our community and people who see what we’re doing and want to join us.

So, as we move into 2008, let’s move forward with great optimism! God has good plans for us! “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

–Markus