Merry Christmas from Poppy Smith

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIENDS!

I wanted to share just a little
news with you about this past year.

 I will be heading to California
for the holidays with some of my family.

How about you?

Will you be with family, friends, or maybe having a just-me special meal, time of remembering, watching some nostalgic movies on tv, or….?

Whatever your personal situation, I hope your awareness of the presence and love of Jesus, God’s Son, is powerfully real as you mull over Who He is and all He has blessed you with.

 As I reflect on 2023, it seems I bounced from one health issue to another!

I’m so grateful that all went well, and I’m blessed with good healthcare, strength, and a joy and delight in God’s goodness.

How about you?

Our bodies are a wonderful gift from our Creator, deserving of special care and attention, but we are more than our bodies. We are eternal beings, beloved of God, precious in His sight and purchased by the blood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Just thinking of these amazing truths fills me with joy and excitement!

 2023 also brought new direction from God.

From primarily traveling and teaching about the reality of God for many years, my time is now focused on encouraging, coaching, and giving spiritual counsel to women individually or in small groups, in person or via Zoom. Watch for information about a new group being formed starting in January. I’m excited to offer Christ-centered, Biblical support to women who want to
know God and know themselves.

How about you?

Have you sensed God redirecting your path? Opening some new avenues of growth or ministry? Closing some doors you thought would always be part of your life? Like a crab that outgrows its old shell and forms a new one,
suitable for its new self, so our lives move forward through changing circumstances. How might God be nudging you? I’d love to know what’s happening.

No matter how 2023 has been for you, may you welcome Christmas Day and 2024 with a heart that echoes these words from a Puritan prayer written many years ago:

“I can of myself do nothing to glorify they blessed name, but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee…. Every good work or thought found in me is the effect of thy power and grace, that thy sole motive in working in me to
will and to do is for they good pleasure.” Amen.

With much love in Christ,

Poppy