Christmas Letter from the Walcotts

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from sunny Singapore, where we are definitely not having a white Christmas! We hope that you are all having a blessed and joyful Christmas season.

We have had a fruitful year and rejoice in God’s faithfulness to us over the last 12 months. We are both serving as leaders in Generations youth ministry (part of Cornerstone Community Church), where we lead one of the five zones. Generations has been steadily growing over the last few years and now has over 350 members! Cornerstone as a whole is also growing and it is a great joy to be working with the church.

Personally, Cameron has had the opportunity to speak at a few evangelistic events this year where many people have responded for salvation. He also is active in the church’s teaching ministry and has had the opportunity to do a number of writing projects for Generations. He writes two devotions a week for the Generations website (www.e-generations.org) and also produces an outline for a weekly Bible reading plan. Delia has still been enjoying teaching at East View Secondary School and being able to minister and provide counsel to the young people in the school, most of whom are unsaved and from various backgrounds. Some of her students have been born again and are now in a Generations cell group led by her cousin.

Of course, the highlight of the year for us was the birth of our son, Caleb Clark Walcott, on December 6th. Caleb is a big, healthy baby boy and a tremendous joy to us and our family. Delia is recovering very well from the caesarean surgery. We are enjoying our baby, especially this Christmas season. Cameron’s parents and his sister from Michigan arrived a few days ago and we are having a great time celebrating Christmas, together with Delia’s family.

We look with anticipation to the year 2007. Delia’s teaching contract with the ministry of education ends in July, and we are planning on visiting the States for the last three months of the year. Beyond that, we are seeking God for His direction in the year 2008, with the hope of going to the mission field full time.

You are in our prayers and we trust that you will have a great year ahead. You can visit Cameron’s website (www.cameronwalcott.blogspot.com) for his latest writing and for more regular updates on our lives and ministry here in Singapore. We hope you enjoy the attached photos, and we would love to hear back from you. Merry Christmas from the whole Walcott family!

God Bless,

Cameron and Delia and Caleb

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Let's remember the real reason for the season...the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. God became man, immortality took on mortality, the hands that fashioned mountains now became the hands of a little baby, the Creator of the universe divesting Himself of all His glory to meet the needs of lowly man.

Christmas isn't just about giving, or being with family, or nice memories of celebrations past. Those things are great, but it's about so much more. It's about Jesus, it's all for the glory of God, it's all about the joy God gives us through relationship with the Savior. So let's remember the Nativity, the birth of the Savior.

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:6-14)."

Merry Christmas everyone!

True Vine

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser (John 15:1).

When I was younger, my grandparents lived on a farm in the rural state of Indiana. Their two-story house was surrounded by fresh air, trees, and plants. My sister and cousins and I used to enjoy walking for hours through the fields. As we were walking, we would come across many branches and twigs that had fallen off of the trees. They could be used to throw, to swing, to play with, but you know what they could not do? Grow. A branch can only grow if it’s connected to the tree.

In His seventh and final “I Am,” Jesus declared, “I am the True Vine.” A vine supplies life to its branches and its fruit. It is from the vine that all life flows. It is impossible for fruit to exist if it is not connected to the vine.

It is the same for us in our spiritual lives. If we want to truly live, we must be connected to Christ, the Vine. As we have mentioned previously in this series, Christ is not only the Life-Giver but the Life-Source. We all have our origin in Him. And spiritually, we are dead if we are not connected to Him. Our natural life was His gift, and so is our spiritual life.

Being connected to Christ gives us life, and it also gives us fruit. Just as every healthy branch bears fruit, so we will do when we are in Him. He is looking for the fruit of the Spirit in our lives-love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23). He is also looking for external fruit from us; those people we have led to salvation or greater understanding of God’s ways. But we cannot be fruitful on our own. We are only fruitful if we are in Christ!

So let’s make sure we are connected to the Vine on a day to day basis. Spend time in His Word, reading the Bible and getting to know His character. Spend time praying and seeking Him every day. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. He is the Vine, and that is wonderful news for us. He wants to know us more!

Resurrection and the Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John 11:25).

Lazarus was a good friend of Jesus. His two sisters, Mary and Martha, were among the most devoted followers of Christ. However, he became sick and died, with Jesus not arriving in time to heal him. His family despaired with sadness, but Jesus did not; He knew that God had a reason to allow Lazarus’ death. And the reason God allowed Lazarus to die was so that Jesus could show His resurrection power! Four days after the death of Lazarus, Jesus and His disciples arrived at the funeral. Jesus walked up to the tomb and commanded Lazarus to come to life, and Lazarus did so! Jesus was and is infinitely more powerful than death.

Shortly before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus declared the fifth “I Am,” saying, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” In other words, Jesus does not just perform resurrections; He is the source of resurrection! He does not just give life; He is life, and all true life finds its beginning and purpose in Him.

It is so important for us to realize this concept, that Jesus is life. So often we spend our time thinking about what we want to do, how we want to spend our lives. We think that our life belongs to us, that it is our right to live and to do as we desire. But our lives are not our own! Every breath we take, every action we make, every pleasure we have, comes directly from God. It is only by His grace that we even exist. He is a tremendously merciful God.

And the best thing is that not only do our lives belong to God, but as we surrender to Him we find our greatest joy and purpose. Allowing Him to glorify His name through our lives is the way to true joy and fulfillment.

Since Jesus is the Resurrection, His followers never need to fear death. We can rest confidently that He is all-powerful. There is nothing for us to fear. He can create life from any circumstance. He can bring life even to the dead areas of our spiritual lives. There is tremendous power in knowing Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

It is hard to get somewhere with bad directions. Have you ever tried to reach a location and then realized you’d been given faulty instructions? It’s very frustrating to drive around in circles; was I supposed to turn left at the traffic light or right? Bad directions keep you from reaching your destination.

In the sixth “I Am” from the book of John, Jesus declared, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He is the direction we need for our spiritual life, the One who points us in the way of eternal life. All other directions are faulty; every other religion will fail; only He can show us the way to the Father.

Jesus is the Way. In the Early Church, Christians were actually called followers of the Way. As believers, we should receive all of our direction in life from Him. If we try to direct our only life we will make mistakes, but He can perfectly lead and guide us. He will never lead us in a harmful path but always has blessing in mind for us.

He is also the Truth. In a world full of false advertising and conflicting messages, we can rest assured that Jesus is always true. His Word never changes and He never lies. His truth will abide forever. He not only tells the truth but His very essence is truth. Everything about Him is honorable and trustworthy.

Finally, Jesus is the Life. He is the very source of life, and life emanates from His being. His every word brings us into true life. Nothing would exist without Him; He made everything that we see. If you are feeling dead or sluggish in any part of your being, turn to Jesus and ask Him for His life. He will not turn you away.

This assurance that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life is excellent for us to ponder. As we follow His way, walk in His truth, and live in His life, we know that we are being led to an eternity with the Father. And when we are in His presence, we will always increase in our knowledge of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It will be an eternity of discovery and joy. This is our greatest hope.

If you're wondering why I haven't posted for awhile...

This might give you the answer!
I am very pleased to announce the birth of Caleb Clark Walcott, born December 6th, 2006 at exactly 10:00 PM. He and Delia are both doing great.
Many people have asked me how it feels to be a father, and my answer is great! More thoughts on this will come at a later date, but for now thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. More pictures of Caleb can be seen here.

God bless you all!