Christmas Letter 2022

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

From

George and Jeanne Miller

Dear Friends, 

We wish you, our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We send our greetings, trusting you are rejoicing, in the Lord as you celebrate His birthday with family and friends. 

This year started off with a bang, on January 1^st, when Jeanne fell and broke her elbow. Jan 4 had surgery replacing the humeral head with titanium was the first of 3 joint replacement surgeries, including both knees.  She’s practically a bionic woman.  She get’s around well all things considered.  

Alister

We have two additions to our family tree.  A grandson, Alister Joel Wesley Miller, by adoption,  (he’s been ours since birth but his gotcha day was this past summer) and a Great Grandson, Thomas James “Tommy” Nelson just in time for this Christmas letter.  That makes our total grands 32 and our greats 2.  What a clan!

Jessica & Reid

 This year we attended graduation parties for 3 of our grandkids (Hunter from college – Ransom & Josh from high school).  In 2023 we have many graduating from all levels, since our 32 grandkids range in age from 2 to 30 years old.  We took a trip to Alabama to meet Jessica a granddaughter, her husband Eli, and their son, Reid, who also graduated from Kindergarten this year.  We had a wonderful visit and stopped to spend the night with Dean & Rebecca (nephew & niece) in Lufkin, TX.

Hunter

In September we attended the beautiful Quinceãnera for a niece Rebecca.

We made a few visits to Owasso/Tulsa, OK to visit Nancy’s mom Virginia Sides.  We said our final goodbye as she passed away in the early morning hours after our last visit.  Her wonderful memorial service, remembering a life well lived, was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Quinceañera

VBS with kids

In addition to traveling around we are busy as pastors of the Carnegie Church of the Nazarene.  Our house is across the street from the church.  When near Carnegie call or drop in for a visit.   prayers for workers were answered when Maureen Koeppel and her daughters relocated to Carnegie.  She has been a great help in our church.  Maureen (along with husband & daughter) held our fall revival in 2021.  Soon after they returned to Washington State, her husband Chris passed away.   So imagine the excitement when I received her message inquiring about relocating to Carnegie. 

Craw Fish Broil

Crawfish Broil was to celebrate Josh and Ransom's graduation, but they are not in any of my photos.  Go figure!

Maureen & girls with G & J & Eddie

Our church has had the opportunities to host a number of people.  We held 2 revivals this year.  Eddie Stark and his wife Margaret held our spring revival.  We hosted Heriberto “Eddie” Espiño for the fall revival.  For kids program we were glad to have our kids, Geoff and Churie Miller along with their family, come and hold our summer VBS program again this year.  The Monumental Vacation Bible School was a success, along with the STEM enrichment time held during the summer, which attracted 20 children to the 4-week program.

Eddie Espiño

Maeve

We had Missionary friends visit this year and share in our church.  In February David and Sylvia Potter, missionaries to Vanuatu, spent nearly a week in their travel trailer and shared in our worship service.  Maeve Eugenio, a Filipino student in Pt. Loma, CA, who I knew from PNC (Philippine Nazarene College) came for 6 weeks in the summer.   While she was here her father, Mark Eugenio, a dear friend and the director of PNC when Nancy and I were there, came for a visit and to share in our church.  Mark and wife Jasmine are assigned missionaries to the SE Asia field.

Jeanne’s Mom, Mary Whitehead, has lived with us for the past two years.  When she came to our house she was put on hospice, but recently she was reevaluated, and ‘failed’ hospice because she was thriving and doing so well she no longer qualified.  However, currently she is in the hospital, but she seems to be returning to her normal self.  She wants to “go home” and she doesn’t mean our house either.  Pray for her as she talks all the time about wanting to go and be with Jesus.  She doesn’t know why Jesus is leaving her here.   Pray for Mom whenever you think of her.   

 

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

Women of Bible Quilt

May God’s blessing be upon you as you look forward to 2023.  We do not know what lies ahead but we do know who holds our future.  We rest in his loving arms.

Added note not in prayer letter:

The women of the Bible Quilt was finished by Cousin Sue.  It was Nancy's dream quilt, but Nancy got sick and then passed away when it was just started.

One boy saved in the summer program was baptized this year.

 

Sermon June 12, 2020 "The Kingdom of Heaven is Like"

The Kingdom of Heaven is like:

Introduction:

Last week I preached from 24^th chapter of Matthew about the signs preceding the rapture, end of world, apocalypse, etc.  Today my message will be from 5 of the parables Jesus told to illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven would be like.

I have never felt so compelled to preach messages like these before.  However a pastor should speak life/hope/and healing into whatever situation is going on around us.  I don’t need to tell you that there is a lot of hatred everywhere we turn.  How do we navigate through what is going on?   I’m quite sure from reading accounts of those martyrs during the first 3 centuries after Christ it was terrible then.  However our New Testament was written during the first century and Jesus said we are to Love our enemies.  That’s taking it to a higher level.  I’m sure it was really tough during the reformation period when the Bible translators, reformers, and their followers were hunted down.  It is tough in many countries outside of the USA even today when Christianity is repressed and actually in some countries there are laws against conversion to Christianity.

The difference in the USA today is our government is wealthy, or at least they have an unlimited debt ceiling.  The developing world is suffering with the Covid shut down.

My fear or humble observation is the government is viewed as our savior and has Trillion of dollars to bale us out.  When we replace Jesus our legitimate Savior with government we are in trouble. 

For that and many other reasons I believe quiet possibly we could be living in the last days.  As I said in my message last week no one knows the day nor the hour of Jesus’ return, the rapture, or the end times.  I would like to share 5 parables of Jesus when he spoke about the “Kingdom of Heaven”.

1^st: Thief in the Night.  Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV) 

                ⁴²  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  ⁴³  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  ⁴⁴  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 

• No one knows the day or hour
• To be constantly ready
• He will come at an hour when you are not ready.
• This message is for any believer

Questions to Consider:  Is       (insert your name)       ready for the Lord to come?

What changes do I need to make to be ready?

2^nd: Faithful and Wise Servant:  Matthew 24:45-51

⁴⁵  "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷  I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 

⁴⁸  But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' ⁴⁹  and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰  The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.  ⁵¹  He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

• Those the Lord has entrusted to be managers over His Household.
• He may doubt that the Master is coming or even may not care and carries on business as usual.
• This pertains to those the Master (Lord) has called to be spiritual leaders over others.  (Pastors, Missionaries, Bible Teachers, etc.  If their conduct is not exemplary of Christ and men/women of integrity, their place will be with the hypocrites.  (actors)

Question to consider:  What has the Lord entrusted to you?  

3^rd: Ten Virgins:  Matthew 25:1-13

¹  "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  ²  Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴  The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
⁶  "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' ⁷  "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸  The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' ⁹  "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' ¹⁰  "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. ¹¹  "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' ¹²  "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' ¹³  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. 

• The Ten Virgins were part of “The Bridal Party” – (The wedding can go on without them.  It is up to them to be ready for when the bridegroom is ready there is no waiting for those unprepared.)
• All the Virgins were waiting for the bride groom.
• The 5 wise were prepared for a long wait.
• Each virgin only had enough oil for herself.
• In this story there is no second chance, once the door is closed.
• In fact they were told, “I Don’t know you.”  
• What a tragedy [for the five] to follow & serve the Lord for their entire life and miss out because they had not prepared.

Questions to consider:  How is my lamp burning? How’s my light shining?

Is my oil running low?

4^th: Talents: Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴  "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵  To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶  The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 

¹⁹  "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰  The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' ²¹  "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 

²²  "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' ²³  "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 

²⁴  "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' ²⁶  "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 

²⁸  "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 

• Judged by the increase of what you do with the talents you have;
• Faithfulness not your ability.
• The one that is faithful will receive more.
• The one referred to as wicked and Lazy was not corrupt or dishonest, but he wasn’t productive.

Question to Consider: How am I investing my resources into the Kingdom?

5^th: Sheep and the Goats: Matthew 25:31-46

³¹  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴  "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 

³⁵  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷  "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰  "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

⁴¹  "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' ⁴⁴  "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' ⁴⁵  "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
⁴⁶  "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

• Sheep (righteous) Goats (sinners, unsaved).
• Judged by actions, because actions are a reflection of the heart.
• If the heart is right the actions will be right.
• Can a sinner do good?  -  Absolutely!
• Can a righteous person act dishonestly and wickedly?  I’d say NO!  But at least not without feeling a serious remorse and regret.

Conclusion of the matter:

• The Lord is the owner of the house and we are residents and we need to be on guard because we do not know we he is returning
• The Lord is the master and has chosen faithful and wise servants. to oversee his affairs, all we have to do is be faithful and genuine.
• The Lord is the Groom and knows when He will return for His bride, all we have to do is to be always prepared.
• The Lord is the master and everyone has talents to use to grow the kingdom, all we have to do is be faithful. 
• The Lord is the Shepherd and when he comes everyone will face judgment and the sheep (righteous), will be separated from the wicked (hypocrites), all we have to do is pass the test.  Here’s the ouch part.
• Six (6) criteria separating sheep from the goats.

1. Did I feed the hungry?
2. Did I give something to drink to the thirsty?
3. Did I welcome strangers?
4. Did I clothe the naked or those needing clothes?
5. Did I visit the sick?
6. Did I visit those in prison?

Jesus said we should do these things just as if it were our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ standing in need. 

I am so glad Jesus is the judge and not me, and we are saved by Grace.

Summary about George and Nancy Miller (and now apdate including Jeanne)

Early life:
George was born and raised NW of El Reno, OK.  The Miller family lived at the Darlington State Game Farm, a farm operated by the Oklahoma Wildlife department primarily for the purpose of propagating Bob White Quail, until dad's retirement.  Mother worked as a home-maker and we always had a large garden.

The Miller's, dad, mom, and 2 sons, faithfully attended the Olivet Church of the Nazarene, a rural church located 4 miles from our home.  George graduated from the 8th grade at the Mt. View School (Officially Darlington but used the old Mt. View school building).

George attended and graduated from Bethany Nazarene College (BNC) [Now Southern Nazarene University (SNU) after completing a year of internship at OU Health Science Center.  It was at BNC that George met and married Nancy Sides.  They were married for 47 years before Nancy's passing on Good Friday 2018.

Upon graduation with a degree in Medical Technology, George begin work in the VA Hospital in Muskogee, OK.  They lived for only 6 months in Muskogee, but in that time a couple of important events occurred.  It was here that George and Nancy joined the Gideon's International and in the church were introduced to the Caravan Program, a scouting program of the Church of the Nazarene.  We served faithfully in these two ministries during our brief stay.

After the 6 month stay in Muskogee, we moved to Carnegie, OK where George served in the hospital lab and X-ray dept for 16 years.  While in Carnegie we were active in the local Church of the Nazarene and in the local Gideon Camp.  We held many positions within the church including  Sunday School teachers, board members, caravan directors, & children's pastor, to mention a few.

George and Nancy as children both felt the 'call' to be a missionary.  We filled out application and attended our church's screening process with anticipation of becoming missionaries and we were rejected.  After the initial shock we poured ourself into serving at home and in our home church.  We did have an oportunity to be a part of our church district's Work & Witness trip to the Dominican Republic.  This was only a 2 week trip but we experienced cross culture ministry, although only as visitors or working tourists.

A few years later George's life changed when he served as a counselor at boys and girls camp. It was here, following a Thursday night service that George was sanctified holy as he completely dedicated his life to the Lord.  It was following this camp that George and Nancy began the children's ministry and became affectionately known as Uncle George and Aunt Nancy.  We purchased a van for use with the ministry.  In addition to being children's minister at our local, we held 4 or 5 children revivals.

In 1987 we accepted a volunteer position to serve in the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Manzini Swaziland [now eSwatini].  God provided the resources and finances for this miraculous trip, as George and Nancy along with their eldest 2 children Gloria and Greg went on this trip.  It was on this trip that our call to serve was reconfirmed.

It was Sunday night January 1, 1989 while setting in a 1st Sunday night missionary study service that my call was reconfirmed.  It was not an especially moving service, but I (George) was in tears as this homesick feeling came over me.  Monday, being the observed New Years Holiday, I was off work and in a spirit of prayer.  I prayed, "Lord, if it is your will, you open the door and we'll walk through it."  The wait was not long as Tuesday morning a secretary from our International Headquarters called asking if we were availabe to go to Papua New Guinea on a 2-year specialized assignment contract.  My immediate reply was "Yes" and then I explained.   God worked through many miracles but on May 5 we arrived in Port Moresby the capital city of Papua New Guinea.  Our children Gloria was a senior in high school, Greg was a Junior, and they both lived in a hostel and attended boarding,  Geoff was in the 2nd grade and Gary was ready to start kindergarten.

Our 2-year contract was extended to 4 years.  Then during our first home assignment we were granted a career assignment [now Global Ministry].  We served 10 years in Papua New Guinea in the hospital lab/x-ray as while as district advisor, Christian Religious Education teacher, and even planted a church.  Then after our 2nd term and enough education to meet the church's ordination requirements, we were transferred to the Solomon Islands where George served as District Superintendent.  We started a Bible College campus were George and Nancy were teachers and George was principal.  After 15 years in the Solomon Islands we were transferred to the Philippines where Nancy served as English instructor and George was the Chaplain at Philippine Nazarene University (PNC).  This was our final assignment and our only position that we entered with an exit date in mind since retirement was based on my (George's) age.

It was while serving in the Philippines that Nancy was diagnosed with a terminal illness Arterial Pulmonary Hypertension (APH).  She was placed on Oxygen 24/7 and so our travel her teaching was challenging. We enjoyed 47+ years of married life before her passing and 27 years of overseas missionary service (that includes the 3 years or so of home assignment).

Jeanne and I began dating in December 2018 and within a few months we were engaged.  After a short engagement we were married on April 7, 2019 following our worship service at church.  An intesting side note is we were in District Assembly on the weekend of our marriage.  We attended the district meetings on the Saturday before our wedding and then were back in service, celebrating our honeymoon, on the Monday following.