Below is a letter that I wrote to my church family that went out via old school snail mail. Thought I’d post it here on my blog as well.

Grace Bible Fam!! Can you believe it’s already December!? Crazy! 

The Dallas Cowboys are terrible, but hey, we got Blue Bell back! Praise God 🙂

If your family is like mine, a couple of days after Thanksgiving, it’s all eyes on Christmas. I love it. Time with family, great food, and watching as many Christmas movies as I can leading up to the 25th. I even make my kids watch the old ones with me! 

There’s a lot I love about this time of year, but mostly, l love Christmas because it’s a time to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And it’s not just that He came, but HOW He came. The King of Glory came to this earth in the humblest of ways, wrapped in makeshift cloths, and laid in a manger. A manger – a trough used to feed livestock. 

Sounds funny, but the fact that His first bed was a manger means the world to me. See, Jesus showed us from the moment He was born, that He’ll go anywhere to fulfill His purpose. He came to save vile offenders, sinners – like me. As the old hymn says, “He sought me and bought me, with His redeeming blood”.  I know that’s your story, too. 

One of the things I hear consistently from people who visit Grace Bible is “these people are REAL.” To me, they mean the people of Grace Bible are common, everyday people. Our church family is made up of imperfect people with real struggles and heartaches, in desperate need of God’s amazing grace. We’re in awe that he would grace us with His presence, like he did that dirty manger 2000 years ago. That’s our Savior. That’s our King. 

I don’t know how you feel about Christmas. Sometimes strained relationships, the loss of a loved one, or a painful past can make a joyful time of year feel anything but joyful. You may feel down. You may feel unworthy of Jesus, even at Christmas. Remember, Jesus was right at home in a manger. He’s not put-off by our messes. He brought purpose and significance to a dirty manger. He can do that, plus bring never-ending, God-glorifying, JOY to you and your life. Focus on the fact that Jesus can, and will go anywhere. 

The longer I serve as pastor of Grace Bible, the more I feel at home. There’s no place like HOME for Christmas. Looking forward to it!

Love y’all,
Roy

Better to give your kids the awe of God than to try and wow them with latest temporal toys. Giving gifts to people we love is good thing, but without the love of God in Christ Jesus, good things can become counterfeit “god things”. Presents are fine, but His presence is most important.

Here’s a link to a great post from The Gospel Project on fostering gospel wonder in the hearts of your kids.

http://www.gospelproject.com/2015/12/05/christmas-angels-spoke-to-mary-and-joseph/

Grace Bible has the privilege of partnering with Pine Hill Church on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. My good friend and one of our Deacons, Jason Carney made a video of our most recent trip to them. Check it out at the link below.

Navajo Missions, Fall 2015

Grace Bible Fam! — We’ll be taking a break from our series in John for a few weeks for a special Christmas series ‘The Coming of Christ’

This week, 12/6 — We’ll look at Luke 1:18-25 – The First Coming of Christ, Immanuel — God with us!

The next Sunday, 12/13 — Revelation 21:1-5 – The Second Coming of Christ — The greatest blessing of heaven is still to come!

The following week, 12/20 — Luke 2:22-38 – Simeon, the man who waited for, and understood The Coming of Christ.

Finally, Christmas Eve, 5:30pm  — Colossians 1:15-20, What if Jesus hadn’t come? This is one of my favorite services of the year. It’s a short (no more than 1 hr), but full of meaning and “Christmas Cheer.” If you’re in town, please, invite your neighbors, friends, and family, and join us for Christmas Eve. Last year I wore everyone out with too many It’s a Wonderful Life movie references. I’ll do my best not to do that again, but no promises 🙂

I encourage you to read and reflect over these passages!  As you read pray and ask:

1. What does this passage teach us about God?
2. What does this passage teach about us?
3. What does this passage teach us about our relationship with God?
4. Who do I need to share the truth of this passage with?

Find out what’s going on at Grace Bible Fellowship, including a letter to our church, my daughter’s Kenya trip recap, Navajo Nation mission trip pcs, and MORE in this month’s issue of Grace Notes! Here’s the link:

GRACE NOTES DEC 2015

My daughter Trinity made a short video of her time in Africa. Love seeing her heart for the Lord in action!

Africa 2015 from Roy Layman on Vimeo.

In the wake of tragic events, like yesterday’s act of terror that killed 14 people and injured many more in San Bernardino California, AW Tozer’s daily devotional was especially timely today. My friend Kyle Rigsby, beat me to it early this am and brought my attention to it via text message. First thing I read when I woke up this am! Again, very timely. Check it out:

Evenings With Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings 

My home church, Grace Bible, is a small church in a small town in a day and age that prizes BIG CHURCHES and BIG CITIES.  I read a lot about what BIG churches are doing, but I rarely read about what a small church CAN do, so I loved this post, 5 THINGS SMALL CHURCHES CAN DO WELL

Here’s an excerpt:

“The result of lowered expectations and a general lack of accountability is people who aren’t living up to their full potential. The same thing is true for the small church. We don’t expect too much from a little church because they aren’t full grown yet. Small churches can’t be expected to engage in the great commission, they are lucky to just be alive. The results of lowered expectations and a general lack of accountability are churches that aren’t living up to their full potential.”

  
Navajo translation of the Bible next to me in church on Sunday. A reminder that we serve the God who knows no boundaries, he’s the one true God of of every tribe and tongue.

“…behold, a great multitude…from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” Revelation 7:9

Here’s is a link to a great post leading up to Thanksgiving with lots of ways to Help Increase Your Thanksgiving Appetite 

Well worth a read. Here’s an excerpt: