I am sending out a Christmas letter and card<\/b> with a family update by snail mail, but I wanted to\nreflect further here on what 2022 meant to me individually.<\/p>\n\n\n
If 2022 had a theme <\/b>for me, it was this:<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cGo Learn<\/b>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n
I used to tell my teenage students that although they may\ndislike school<\/i><\/b>, we all love<\/b> to learn<\/i><\/b> (as long\nas we are learning stuff we deem important and valuable). Learning is<\/i>\nfun.<\/p>\n\n\n
So here is why 2022 was so enjoyable<\/b> for me:<\/p>\n\n\n
Wesley Biblical Seminary<\/b> \u2013 Come April I will be\nhalfway through my doctorate of ministry <\/b>program. I still don\u2019t know exactly why God\nhas me in this program. (I have no desire to write some egghead dissertation to\nstore on a library shelf; and it will be weird if anyone calls me \u201cDr. Gross\u201d\nwhen I am done.) What I do know is this: the classes, reading, and papers have\ndeepened my spiritual life.<\/p>\n\n\n
What more could I ask?<\/p>\n\n\n
Well \u2026 this is a nice bonus: Although most of my classmates\nare pastors, I have been amazed at how the material relates to my work with\nMission Resource.<\/p>\n\n\n
The first week of January I have 4 days of intensives on campus in Jackson, Mississippi.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
Mission Resource<\/b> \u2013 Since joining the staff last\nJanuary, I have learned much about microfinance <\/b>and entrepreneurship. Much has been written about how so many of our efforts to battle\npoverty end up being counterproductive. Sometimes even damaging.<\/p>\n\n\n
Microfinance \u2013 done right \u2013 is both generous and\ncompassionate<\/b>. Mission Resource has\u00a0a unique\nmodel in which we work alongside local pastors (primarily in Ghana<\/b>) to offer\nsmall, affordable business loans as a tool which the Lord often uses to lift congregants out of\nextreme poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n
My 3 weeks in Ghana this fall were a highlight of my year.\nFor one thing, it was a huge mental relief to gain this assurance<\/b>: I had hitched my wagon to an effective and Spirit-led ministry. I saw firsthand how loans keep dignity intact and promote effort\nand perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n
What Mission Resource has been doing for 20 years<\/b> is spot on\nand, God willing, I will be a part of the good work God has planned for MR over\nthe next<\/i><\/b> 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n
Writing<\/b> \u2013 I have been honing my writing skills and researching how I might use them for an additional revenue stream \u2013 perhaps through ghostwriting.\n(Maybe my exposure to the entrepreneurial heart of Mission Resource has infected\nme!)<\/p>\n\n\n
My goal is to move from being a drain on Mission Resource\nfunds to being the ministry\u2019s most generous supporter in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n
Book writing and publishing is another learning curve, but\nit\u2019s fun. I have a book of my own in rough draft and a friend who has me\ncollaborating on his book, so there are opportunities to get started \u2013 just not\nmuch pay. (Yet.) I am hoping in January to see both projects progress substantially.<\/p>\n\n\n
The Bible<\/b> \u2013 My personal Bible study time each morning\nhas been the best thing about 2022, hands down.<\/p>\n\n\n
For the first time in my life, I have a consistent and\nsubstantial morning time in Scripture. This has led to greater confidence in my\nown theology and a renewed awareness of the presence of the Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n
There is something to learn or to be reminded of each day. I\nhave had several opportunities to preach this past year and I find preaching\nnow energizes me – It stirs my spirit. And I have been told it is often useful to the\ncongregation as well. \ud83d\ude09 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n 2023 will bring changes. <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n The biggest possible change concerns my job status.<\/p>\n\n\n Throughout 2022, Mission Resource has paid me a salary. (It\u2019s\nmodest \u2013 I don\u2019t get my own private jet yet \u2013 and, thankfully, the Lord has\nprovided us with good insurance through Melissa\u2019s teaching job.)<\/p>\n\n\n But in 2023, I don\u2019t want to take more from Mission Resource\nthan what comes in for my personal support. Being now convinced of the goodness and effectiveness of our work through Mission Resource,\nI can hardly bear taking any part of my salary from funds that could otherwise be\nput to use directly in Ghana.<\/p>\n\n\n I have a calm assurance that God has a plan \u2013 either to\nprovide enough supporters<\/b> to enable me to continue full-time at Mission\nResource or to provide a part-time salary<\/b> elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n A portion of my support has been given\nalready \u2013 several friends have started giving monthly<\/b> or given a special gift <\/b>over\nthis past year! That is a true blessing. Thank you so much!<\/p>\n\n\n As the end of the year approaches, if you are looking for a\nChrist-centered ministry you can trust with financial gifts<\/b>, I encourage you to\nlook at Mission Resource. And if you are open to supporting my work with MR, it\nis easy to make a gift through our website right HERE<\/a>. There is an option at the\nbottom of the page to designate your donation for my support.<\/p>\n\n\n Thanks<\/b> for taking the time to read this.<\/p>\n\n\n I pray you and your loved ones will have a blessed and\nmeaningful Christmas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am sending out a Christmas letter and card with a family update by snail mail, but I wanted to reflect further here on what 2022 meant to me individually. If 2022 had a theme for me, it was this: \u201cGo Learn\u201d. I used to tell my teenage students that although they may dislike school, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4898,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4897\/revisions\/4898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}