In early 2026, my plan – my dream – is to guide us together through some very practical ways to go about our two foundational activities as Christians: reading the Bible, and praying. Of course, they aren’t “activities,” like playing tennis or dusting the furniture. Both are personal relationships, rich with mystery, wonder, and some confusion – like all relationships.

On our side, Bible reading and prayer take time and practice, and a certain suspension of crude logic, an uphill battle against our ever-shortening attention spans and compulsion to be productive. On God’s side… well, on God’s side, God’s already there with us, in the book, enveloping us in spirit as we struggle to pray, readier to be tight with us than we are to be tight with God. Maybe it’s a struggle for God. I like that idea. God’s not just passively waiting, but trying this and that to get our attention and make space for the relationship.

Anyhow, we’ll get a little preview, a running head start here during Advent (which is, after all, month 1 of the Christian year!). Over the 6 emails I have left to send you this month, we will look at 6 characters in the story of the birth of Jesus and ask things like How did they pray? How did they read Bible? What might God be saying to us and asking of us as we read about them? and How might we pray with and into their relationship with God?

Should be fun! We’ll start with Isaiah – and you might look especially at Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7. Then we’ll think about Elizabeth (Luke 1 and 2), then King Herod (Matthew 2), Joseph and Mary of course, and finally Jesus himself.

You can forward any of my emails to friends or family – or they too can subscribe simply by emailing me at james@mpumc.org and asking to join our free distribution! Thank you for reading my words – which are only fruitful to the degree to which they drive your attention to God’s Words, and into a prayerful relationship with God!