2022 IN REVIEW: GO LEARN

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:

“Go Learn”.

I used to tell my teenage students that although they may dislike school, we all love to learn (as long as we are learning stuff we deem important and valuable). Learning is fun.

So here is why 2022 was so enjoyable for me:

Wesley Biblical Seminary – Come April I will be halfway through my doctorate of ministry program. I still don’t know exactly why God has me in this program. (I have no desire to write some egghead dissertation to store on a library shelf; and it will be weird if anyone calls me “Dr. Gross” when I am done.) What I do know is this: the classes, reading, and papers have deepened my spiritual life.

What more could I ask?

Well … this is a nice bonus: Although most of my classmates are pastors, I have been amazed at how the material relates to my work with Mission Resource.

The first week of January I have 4 days of intensives on campus in Jackson, Mississippi. 

Mission Resource – Since joining the staff last January, I have learned much about microfinance and entrepreneurship. Much has been written about how so many of our efforts to battle poverty end up being counterproductive. Sometimes even damaging.

Microfinance – done right – is both generous and compassionate. Mission Resource has a unique model in which we work alongside local pastors (primarily in Ghana) to offer small, affordable business loans as a tool which the Lord often uses to lift congregants out of extreme poverty.

My 3 weeks in Ghana this fall were a highlight of my year. For one thing, it was a huge mental relief to gain this assurance: I had hitched my wagon to an effective and Spirit-led ministry. I saw firsthand how loans keep dignity intact and promote effort and perseverance.

What Mission Resource has been doing for 20 years is spot on and, God willing, I will be a part of the good work God has planned for MR over the next 20 years.

Writing – I have been honing my writing skills and researching how I might use them for an additional revenue stream – perhaps through ghostwriting. (Maybe my exposure to the entrepreneurial heart of Mission Resource has infected me!)

My goal is to move from being a drain on Mission Resource funds to being the ministry’s most generous supporter in the coming years.

Book writing and publishing is another learning curve, but it’s fun. I have a book of my own in rough draft and a friend who has me collaborating on his book, so there are opportunities to get started – just not much pay. (Yet.) I am hoping in January to see both projects progress substantially.

The Bible – My personal Bible study time each morning has been the best thing about 2022, hands down.

For the first time in my life, I have a consistent and substantial morning time in Scripture. This has led to greater confidence in my own theology and a renewed awareness of the presence of the Spirit.

There is something to learn or to be reminded of each day. I have had several opportunities to preach this past year and I find preaching now energizes me - It stirs my spirit. And I have been told it is often useful to the congregation as well. 😉

 

2023 will bring changes.

The biggest possible change concerns my job status.

Throughout 2022, Mission Resource has paid me a salary. (It’s modest – I don’t get my own private jet yet – and, thankfully, the Lord has provided us with good insurance through Melissa’s teaching job.)

But in 2023, I don’t want to take more from Mission Resource than what comes in for my personal support. Being now convinced of the goodness and effectiveness of our work through Mission Resource, I can hardly bear taking any part of my salary from funds that could otherwise be put to use directly in Ghana.

I have a calm assurance that God has a plan – either to provide enough supporters to enable me to continue full-time at Mission Resource or to provide a part-time salary elsewhere.

A portion of my support has been given already – several friends have started giving monthly or given a special gift over this past year! That is a true blessing. Thank you so much!

As the end of the year approaches, if you are looking for a Christ-centered ministry you can trust with financial gifts, I encourage you to look at Mission Resource. And if you are open to supporting my work with MR, it is easy to make a gift through our website right HERE. There is an option at the bottom of the page to designate your donation for my support.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I pray you and your loved ones will have a blessed and meaningful Christmas.