Update From Parts Unknown

The Sunday Night Check-In for December 28

It’s time for the Post-Christmas-Sunday Night Check-In! Thanks for stopping by for a moment. Welcome to new subscribers! This is the last Sunday Night Check-In for 2025, and I appreciate those of you who have visited with me over this year! I’m looking forward to the coming year.

There will be changes here that you’ll notice. Brief devotionals will begin January 5th, Monday - Friday, as we contemplate the letter to the Colossians. Those used to show up on The Holy Lens newsletter, but they will have a new home here. I know some will unsubscribe, and I hold no ill-will. We all have a limited amount of screen time. That’s one reason why I appreciate all of you so much.

At Forsythe, we had a beautiful Christmas Eve service orchestrated by Daniel Kirkendall. We will not meet on New Year’s Eve. Christmas has now passed, and all eyes are turned toward a new year. We are in the middle of an expansion of our fellowship hall, so some things are upside down (I’ve been out of my office since July and hope to be back in a renovated office in a few months!). Daniel Kirkendall will be preaching at Forsythe this Sunday, and Gary Davis will be teaching my class. I’m grateful to be able to leave for a weekend and know that Forsythe Church is in good hands.

GIFT!

As an end of the year gift, my first book, Jesus Likes You: Fifty Words for Stronger Faith is available free of charge for just a few days. If you haven’t picked this one up yet, I’d love for you do that. And if you wanted to tell your friends about it, that wouldn’t hurt my feelings.

LINK to purchase on Amazon

You may know that Jesus loves you, but did you know that JESUS LIKES YOU? Jesus Likes You is a book of fifty encouraging devotional readings aimed at helping readers grow closer to God. Each chapter is brief enough to be read in a short amount of time but rich enough to be thought-provoking and faith-building. Each of the fifty devotionals are centered on Scriptures that are both familiar and challenging. Jesus Likes You is ideal for morning devotions or evening readings for Christians who enjoy reflecting on how the Bible relates to everyday life.

If you read it, I hope you enjoy it. My newest book is SEVEN SIGNS, SEVEN DAYS. There are a few books for 2026 that are already completed, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. I’ve learned a lot over the past few years of being self-published. There are many authors on Substack, and many of them have been a blessing to me. There is no shortage of new books, and I am deeply thankful when someone spends precious time reading something that I wrote.

I’m writing this ahead of time because the marvelous Mrs. Maggy and I are on a break, enjoying some time out of town in parts unknown! Our goal is to rest and recharge. This is not a trip with non-stop activities planned. Naps are likely. We are looking forward to a new year and want to enter that time with energy and vision.

As I type this, I do have a few books I expect to finish before the end of the year, but I will not reach my goal of 100! I was slack for a few months and didn’t read as much. But I have no regrets. Currently, GoodReads tells me I have read 73 books. I expect to finish a few more by the time the year rolls around. If I have 75 books on the list, that’s pretty awesome!

One of the last books of the year is The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power by R. A. Torrey, originally published in 1924. Keith Roberts gave this book to me over a year ago, and I am finally finishing it. I love this book. I didn’t necessarily agree with every page, but I found so much rich teaching about prayer. It is heavily highlighted and has a few markers in it. It is a treasure.

A few of the other books are Peter Marshall’s Keepers of the Springs and other Messages (a small volume with a big message). And The Magician’s Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1) by C. S. Lewis. I’ve never read the Narnia books, but I wanted to read them all. That’s one goal for 2026. I also have some other C. S. Lewis books I want to read.

Well, thanks for spending a few minutes with me. I’ll return to other miscellany in the next Check-In (Lord Willing!). I hope that in these in-between days, as Christmas has passed and a new year is ahead, you will find peace and hope to be your companions. So, this night owl has done his work (a few days in advance!). If you read this far, bless you! Take care, friends. Work hard, smile often, rest well, and stay connected. The world needs you now more than ever!

John E. Dobbs’ Amazon Author Page