These employees have reached the following milestones this month, and we celebrate and appreciate their longevity with us. Congratulations! Britainee Serrault – 5 Years, Cindi Hollerich – 5 Years, Derek Newlin – 2 Years, Galen Allen – 2 Years.
Merry Christmas. Hope you and your family and friends have a good celebration of Jesus and His coming to our rescue.
Seems wrong in a way to celebrate the birthday of One who has always existed. Jesus has always been. What I like to celebrate is that at Christmas Jesus became knowable to me. Before His birth as an ordinary human, He was an unknown power and power source that literally made the world go round. But He was in the background. At His human birth He retained His authority and power but became knowable to you and me as a human being. He experienced life like we do. So, He became the go-to One. He had human experience together with His absolute authority with the power to enforce His authority. One of the things I like best is that with His absolute authority He had absolute love for us. Nothing, as the Bible tells us, can separate us from His love. Not even the unimaginable sacrifice of going from perfect heaven to a fallen earth and its people stopped Him from showing us His absolute love for us.
I consider Romans 8 verses 38 and 39 to be part of the Christmas story. Those verses read, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Take comfort with me in this final part of the Christmas story as recorded at Romans 5:8, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Merry Christmas to us all!
Thank you for the banking you do with Guaranty and for your friendship. I’m glad God gave me you to serve as customers and I’m glad He made us friends.
Happy celebrating Jesus and His love for you and the New Year of 2025 He gives us to live for Him.
Doug Johnson
President
Acts 17:26. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
It hardly seems possible, but the year of 2024 is winding to a close. There have been quite a few dire “prophecies” about what would occur in these great United States this election year, from financial disaster to the end of democracy in America. Yet, as I write this, life goes on as usual for most of us as we prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas and soon New Year’s. The stock markets look good, there is no martial law in the streets, and the violent protests never came to be. The real question I ask myself, is why did God choose to bless me with life in rural Kansas, in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, in the year 2024 AD?
As we look at Israel, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia and many other nations on this Earth at this time, we see all is not good, equal, and fair. Upon returning from the Dallas-area two nights ago, I recognize even all those in America don’t have the same blessings I have. So why did God choose us to receive the blessings we have living here in rural Kansas?
The simple answer to this question is, I don’t know. As with many things on this Earth, we may not fully know the answers until one day when we stand face-to-face with Jesus. This much I do know, Luke 12:48b tells us: “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
As we approach Thanksgiving with grateful hearts, may we experience a heart of giving as we enter the Christmas season. And as we face the upcoming New Year, may we resolve in our hearts and minds to use the blessings of our God-given place in time to live lives worthy of what the Lord has given us…may we choose to be a blessing to those around us and those far away as we enter the year of our Lord, 2025.
Shannon McDowell, JD, CTFA
Vice President & Trust Officer
Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed. Proverbs 15:22
We would like to take this time to thank you for the privilege of being able to serve your investment and insurance needs this past year and to wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season.
We look forward to being able to continue our service to you in a new year filled with happiness, good health, and prosperity.
Your friends at the GSB Financial Resource Center.
Your Bank (“Financial Institution”) provides referrals to financial professionals of LPL Financial LLC (“LPL”) pursuant to an agreement that allows LPL to pay the Financial Institution for those referrals. This creates an incentive for the Financial Institution to make these referrals, resulting in a conflict of interest. The Financial Institution is not a current client of LPL for brokerage or advisory services. Please visit https://www.lpl.com/disclosures/is-lpl-relationship-disclosure.html for more detailed information.
Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Guaranty State Bank & Trust Co and GSB Financial Resource Center are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using GSB Financial Resource Center, and may also be employees of Guaranty State Bank & Trust Co. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, GSB Financial Resource Center or Guaranty State Bank & Trust Co. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are: Not Insured by FDIC or Any Other Government Agency, Not Bank Guaranteed, Not Bank Deposits or Obligations, May Lose Value.