Have you ever been so thirsty that nothing mattered more than finding something to quench your thirst?

Earlier this year, I found myself in a situation where I was thirstier than I had ever been. I was in the hospital due to lung-related issues and needed a procedure performed under anesthesia. They gave me the typical “no food or drink after midnight” instructions ahead of time—no big deal. However, after the procedure, when I awoke and needed the help of a BiPAP machine to keep my oxygen levels up, I started to experience extreme thirst. Each minute the BiPAP mask was on my face, forcing pressurized air into my nose and mouth, I became more and more desperate for even just an ice cube. It would end up being five hours before I was allowed to drink some water.

I wish I could say that during those hours I leaned into the Lord’s presence with prayer and great faith, but aside from a few desperate prayers, I honestly thought of nothing more than quenching my thirst. It was weeks later, as I was feeling much better and reflecting on how God faithfully carried me through that situation, that I had the deep desire to thirst for the Lord with the same intense thirst I felt that day. I cried out to God, “Help me thirst for You more!”

Psalm 42:1–2 (ESV) As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I used to read this Psalm or sing the hymn, “As the Deer,” I pictured a grassy valley and flowing stream with a nearby doe gently approaching the water for a drink. Now, after my experience and through digging into these Scriptures, the image in my head is one of an exhausted deer approaching a mostly dried-up stream with weak but determined steps. As she navigates the dry, rocky terrain of the once grassy valley, she occasionally collapses on her hind legs and waits for the discouragement to pass and the strength to keep moving towards the water she desperately needs.

Are we desperate for the living water Jesus so freely gives? Do our souls thirst for intimacy with God more than anything else? Perhaps some days. And like my rollercoaster recovery from my lung issues, we may have days when that thirst is high and days when it’s low. There may be days when our to-do lists or the troubles of this world diminish that thirst, but also days when our hearts’ deepest desire is for the only living God and His righteousness.

In the days ahead, my prayer for you, our faithful partners, is that you will thirst for the Lord and His righteousness and be blessed.

Together in Christ,

Natalie Harper
CFO/VP for Administration

It’s time for a New Year’s resolution check-in. Did you make one, and if so, how is that going?

A few years ago, I heard someone being interviewed on a podcast about New Year’s resolutions. They gave some statistics stating that 43% of people quit their resolutions by the end of January, and only about 9% keep their resolutions for the entire year. Wow! That’s not very encouraging, and it begs the question of why bother making a resolution to begin with.

The podcast guest went on to say that he no longer makes resolutions but instead comes up with a yearly theme to live by. This idea really resonated with me, and I have adopted this as an annual practice.

The Bible is full of encouragements and exhortations like this one in Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” If you are like me, keeping all of Scripture’s exhortations and commands at the forefront of my mind can sometimes feel challenging. I’ve found it helpful to listen to the Spirit’s prompting and focus on one or two areas in particular that will keep my heart centered on Christ and “things above.” My yearly theme is born out of this.

Last December, I began to pray through what my theme would be for the coming year and settled on “be more curious and less judgmental,” which came from these verses:

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. Colossians 3:12–13

Even though we are already halfway through the year, I encourage you to consider choosing a theme, perhaps from the verses above, to help keep you centered on Jesus in the coming months. Let’s press on together as we seek to set our minds on Him!

Paul Bradley
VP for Affiliate and Foreign Military Ministries

“Really, God?”

Am I the only one who asks that question from time to time? Over and over, I have found myself in new environments. Military moves, different ministry locations, and changing seasons of life bring new relationships and variables, and it can be so easy in those moments to feel the weight of change.

There are days I wish my circumstances were more comfortable or that I had more or less of something. At times, when an obstacle lies in my path, I am once again faced with the decision of how to respond to it. When I am walking in the Spirit, I desire to live fully where the Lord has placed me. But when I walk in the flesh, it’s easy to find reasons to complain or resist, and then I miss what God wants to do in the present moment.

As a family, we have been searching the Scriptures for those things that God commands us to do. It has been both rich and challenging. The four most common commands we find in Scripture are these:

• Give thanks
• Praise the Lord
• Rejoice
• Do not fear

When we examine our present circumstances through the lens of these four commands, our entire perspective changes. We find that our hearts and minds stop searching for answers, and we find purpose, peace, and power from the Lord, sufficient for us in the present moment.

Whatever circumstances you find yourself in today, I invite you to approach them with these four clear and loving commands of God in mind. May you find His power, His peace, and His purpose this day. You are right where you need to be.

By His Spirit,
Dave Hutchings
VP for Field Ministries

I wonder what birthdays were like in Bible times. Did the Apostle Paul’s mother throw a celebration for him each year as he grew up? I also wonder what birthdays were like for the OCSC/Cadence missionary families who served overseas in the 1950’s. My Burundian friend Isaiah was in Colorado last year on his birthday, and we had a celebration for him. He had never been given a birthday cake and treating him to this American tradition was fun.

In this day and age in our Western culture, birthdays are often given a lot of attention. I celebrated my 48th birthday earlier this year while on a trip to Ukraine, which meant it was quite a bit different than normal. Of course, my family threw me a birthday party when I returned home, for which I was grateful. (Read more about the visit to Ukraine at Cadence.org/Ukraine2024.)

This year, Cadence is celebrating its 70th birthday as a mission organization! We don’t want this significant occasion to slip by without taking time to remember what God has done over the years in the lives of Cadence staff and the military communities they serve.

Gift-giving, an important aspect of birthday celebrations in the U.S., is something we read about in the Bible. We have many examples of people offering their gifts at the altar, which were acts of love and sacrifice. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the idea of gift-giving to illustrate God’s goodness revealed through answered prayer (Matthew 7:7–11). Paul wrote to the church in Rome that salvation through Jesus is a free gift of grace (Romans 5:12–21).

Your gifts to Cadence are acts of faith and reflect the goodness and generosity of Jesus. So, on behalf of our staff and the whole of Cadence, as we celebrate our significant birthday, I say, “Thank you!” Your gifts are a strong source of encouragement to all of us.

We are grateful for your faithful partnership in 70 years of sharing the gospel and our lives with the military.

With gratitude,
Brian Kleager
VP for Strategic Partnerships and Public Relations

We invite you to celebrate our 70th birthday with us!

Reminisce with stories and photos on our History page.

Get involved with the Cadence Alumni.

Support the ongoing mission of Cadence with a birthday gift through The ’54 Fund.