Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
— Hebrews 10:23

A hospice chaplain, each day I walk with the dying — men and women of all ages. Sitting at their bedside, I hear stories of life and love, ups and downs, highs and lows, funny stories, sad stories, wins and losses, victories and defeats. Like stepping into a time machine, I have stormed the beaches of Normandy, witnessed the Japanese Imperial Air Force swarm the skies above Pearl Harbor, and sat alongside a little girl in the mud and mire of Auschwitz. A box of Kleenex nearby, we weep.  Not in sadness, but in thanksgiving for the Savior who never let the candle go out, guiding us to a brighter tomorrow.

2016 slipping into the rearview, let us look forward to a new and exciting year knowing the same God who kept the candle burning through the ups and downs of yesterday is faithful. The finish line is yet before us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12:1-12