Hope for a New Year

To be honest, I've somewhat dreaded the arrival of 2009. It's hard to say exactly why, maybe it is the fact that I have ended up with more responsibility in this new Indiana Conference than I had planned and this year is the time all the work has to be completed. Regardless of the anxiety (there hasn't been worry, just dread!), 2009 has come anyway and right on time.

Now, I'm looking forward to the year. I know, that's a big turn around from the earlier paragraph, but what's the point of dread anyway? I've learned through the years that dread doesn't really help much and in fact, if we just turn and face the things we are dreading, we often find out that these things weren't that bad after all, and many times turned into great blessings! So it's going to be a good year and I'll tell you why...

It's a year of possibilities. Now I know that every year can be called that, but it's been a common experience that years past have been filled with impossibilities, negative consequences and attitudes. We will finish our building phase this spring. With it there will be some significant changes to the look of our ministries and the way we function week to week. There will be a new way to enter the building, but more importantly, I'm going to be focused on the new way we will be leaving it!

It's a year of making our lives easier. Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I'm not suggesting we all retire to a little place on the water, rather my theme for the year is one that makes life simpler. This year we are going to Simplify. What I mean by that is we will focus on the basics and the necessities of the faith and of being church. We will throw out what doesn't need to weigh us down and be left with a simpler, easier life, both at home and at church. We make things too complicated. We create organizations that are overly complex. And the more complex life is, the harder it is to enjoy and manage. It's not how life was meant to be. It's not how Church was meant to be. This year, we will find a better way on many levels.

Yes, 2009 has great potential. The possibilities are nearly endless. It only takes our facing them one at a time with courage and faith. God has led each of us down a path, so there must be a good reason and a good lesson on each one. We must simply remember the reason each (Christian) year begins not with January 1st, rather with Advent and Christmas, because we need to remember the promise of Christmas, Emmanuel, God is with us. And with that promise there is great hope for a new year...heck, with that promise, it's great hope for any year!

Peace ><>
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