New year coming

It's, quite obviously, New Year's Day. I'm, quite obviously, in a reflective mood. So, quite obviously, I'm going to reflect.

In the past year I’ve spent four weeks in the hospital. Four weeks, after not being sick the year before.

Three times, they tell me, I could have died. Makes for a great reflection. 

Twice the kids came to see me because, well, they thought Dear Ol’ Dad might be kicking off, if you know what I mean.

I’ve lived through all sorts of preponderance of things, but nothing like this year.

And yet, and yet, God was there before I ever took the first step into the Northern part of our state, and God, I believe, walked ahead of me.

The year 2016, I pray, will see the end of my trials, but much more importantly, we will see a new president elected, a new NFL champ crowned, hopefully an end to ISIS or ISIL or whatever the holy heck it is named this week.

And I pray that we all can reflect.

Not all of you can pick up a thread of reflections from a blog site.

But I can.

So, here goes nothing:




Four year's ago at this time I wrote this:

Let's start 2012 with this notion. Let's worship this child. Let's not look for blessings or good acts of kindness or excellent teaching that will turn our lives once and for all. 

Let's simply worship. Spend a moment (or many) in prayer, in praise, in glorifying, in magnifying the name of Jehovah, of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit. Let's stop a headlong plunge into precariousness and let's worship...honor...love...show PROFOUND devotion.

Maybe I am getting more profound and didn't even know it.

Five year's ago at this time I wrote this:

I'm aware I might be writing this for myself, but with a fresh, soaked new year upon me, it might be the perfect time to make those dreaded resolutions.    

I  resolved to find the light this year. Not to set goals in ministry I have no control over (size of church, whereabouts of church, etc.) but to find where God is leading and do my best to be the best person I can be and to follow the light.

Isaiah tells us: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows— light! sunbursts of light!"

I resolve to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with my God in 2011.

And six years ago, as I was merely beginning these blogs, er, columns, I wrote this:

Ah, the first day of a new year, a new decade, my seventh amazingly enough.

I've done a lot of studying this past month that I've spent as a retiree from the world of journalism: time in scripture, time in prayer. I've learned a lot, I think, about how the Spirit works. At least I pray I have.

I wound up in Nehemiah recently, as I've planned a month series of sermons on The Church Moving Forward, and I read this:

Nehemiah was leading a team committed to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem despite tremendous odds. At one point he said, "Face it, we're in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck, its gates are burned up. Come -- let us bild the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer. I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up."

The ones he was giving the uplifting speech to said, "We're with you. Let's get started." They rolled up their sleeves, reading for the good work.

I see so many instances of churches in my area, and I suspect in all areas, having great difficulty financially these days as the recession lingers. People held out for a while but eventually they began to cut back on giving.


What this exercise has taught me is this: I'm slowly learning ministry lessons, slowly learning more about people -- not always in a good way -- and slowly but surely aging. It would be interesting, I suspect, to look at 10 years worth of New Year's writings. If I live long enough, maybe, just maybe.