Pastor's Note - December 15 
This week I was talking to a member of the church and was reminded of a John Piper quote, which I think came from his twitter account years ago. The quote is; “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” God is always at work. But we are not God, and have limited ability to see what He is doing. This is a comfort for us in our struggles and discouragements. While we may be discouraged about our health, we never know how God may be using our condition to sanctify and humble us, and work joy through trial. While we sorrow over destructive choices our kids make, we never know how God may be writing their own story of redemption and grace. While we are discouraged over the seeming fruitlessness of our ministries, we never know how God may be using words we spoke or mercy we have shown to produce Gospel fruit in others. While we may feel like failures, we may need to be reminded of the glory of perfection that awaits us in glory with Him. Remember Joseph, and how he went through years of betrayal and trial and pain to learn that what others meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). Remember the other Joseph, who learned that what at first seemed like the scandalous betrayal of his bride was actually the incredible blessing of the birth of a savior. Remember that God is both sovereign and caring. He is powerful and above all, and has the whole world in His hands, as the old song goes. With all that power and control, He is working all things for the good of those who love Him, as Romans 8:28 reminds us. Don’t trust that you know all that God is doing. Trust that He is doing good beyond what you can perceive.