Just what is it about NEW things that get us so excited? I think it is the promise they hold...I just LOVE New Year's Eve...and the promise of a new year!
Isaiah 42:9 "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them."
Ahhh, the saying goodbye to an old year, and the hopes and dreams of a new year. The past year has been a good one for me. We have not had any tragedies, and we have all learned and grown as we should. It certainly wasn't perfect, and there are parts of it that I would change if I could, but overall, it was a good year.
What will 2011 hold for us? Hopefully my children will continue to learn to do Hard Things...to step out of their comfort zones and reach for their dreams and in the process realize that they can do, oh, so much more, than they ever thought was possible. Hopefully they will continue to learn to "Go above and beyond" what is asked of them, and most importantly, continue to grow in their walk with the Lord. I realize we are standing on the edge of the vast canyon of the teen aged years for two of them. I know it has claimed the lives of many families. We plan to hold hands and jump, with God as our hang glider, and the Holy Spirit as the wind that directs us.
As for Marc and I...we have seen too many of our friends and loved ones loose their marriage this year. We plan to be together 'til death do us part, so keeping our marriage working is something that we work on continuously. We know it is an area where Satan is on the attack, so we plan to be aware of this ahead of time, and refuse to let him win even small battles.
In our ministry...God is stirring hearts and souls in our church, and we are excited about it. We have adults and teens alike that are tired of the ordinary, and are ready to attempt great things for God, and expecting to see great things from God in return. We are very excited about the work that is going on in our new teen room :-)! We can't wait to have our first service in there, and make it our own :-)! Many fun memories in the old room, but praise the Lord, we have outgrown it, and now must break in a new one...I wonder how many days we can go without our first spill :-). I wonder who will be the first to make the life changing decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior there?
Wow...exciting things to look forward to in 2011. Maybe it will even be the year that our Lord returns! Until then, we are living on borrowed time to tell those around us about His ultimate sacrifice for them, and how they can have eternal life. So let's get busy and serve the Lord! I'll see ya next year :-)!
