Happy New Year!

And to all, a very blessed new year to come!

(I actually wrote this post on January 1, and consider it the first post for the new year.  But it’s already January 2!  So… I guess I will skip the post for today.  And then again, lol, maybe not!)

Most people partied last night, or went to movies, or spent time with friends and family.  My husband and son went to a friend’s house, to watch a bowl game.  And though it didn’t turn out as we had hoped, it was still a good time of fun and fellowship.

Me?

I stayed home, and pursued the completion of a task:  going through and cleaning out boxes of memories from long ago. I was thoroughly ready to throw out stuff, do away with stuff, empty these boxes and be done with it all…

But God had something different in mind.

What I saw in these boxes energized me, and caused me to look at this coming new year with an added amount of excitement!  Because these boxes held truths about me that I just didn’t remember, or hadn’t ever seen in this manner before.  This all probably sounds confusing to some of you reading this, but right now I’m not going to go into a lot of details.  Throughout this coming year, though, I think it will all come into focus and be explained.  At least, that’s what I’m aiming for!

But briefly, let me share what 2009 was like for me.

This past year was a year of… “judgment.”  Not in a bad sense, but in a sense of evaluation, and of realizing some things about myself.  Certain truths surfaced, and in those revelations, I saw a lot of things that needed changing.  2009 was a year of tears, and a year of regret, and of grieving over things that were lost over the course of my life.

In other words… it was a rough year.

Yes, I lost a good friend in 2009, but at least I can be thankful that we were reunited before he died.  And yes, my mom lost her house, so I lost the house I grew up in and had so many memories from.  The house I called “home.”

But the losses I’m talking about, the things I grieved this past year, had more to do with life decisions and choices I made many years ago.

And I’m not one for “cheesy” sayings, but as I’ve prayed and asked God what 2010 was going to be like, the same saying kept ringing through my head:

“Do it again, in 2010.”

As I’ve prayed over this… phrase… and sought God’s heart on what this really means, hope rises within me, because I believe this year is going to be a year of renewal, and a year of going back to things that I thought were lost completely.  I believe it’s going to be a year of change, but the change is such that certain things will be as they always should have been.

It’s like a phrase I saw on a bookmark while Christmas shopping:  “It’s never to late to be what you might have been.”  This is a quote attributed to George Eliot, and when I saw it, I jumped.  For I felt that God was speaking that directly to ME, as if He was saying, “All those things you thought you had lost… there’s still a chance to pursue them and develop them, and be who you really are.”

And I would encourage you to look at this year the same way. 

I’ve heard so many people say that 2009 was a rough year for them.  Well, if it was a rough year for you, maybe it’s because God was working on some course corrections in your life.  So I would encourage you, seek His face!  Talk to God, and ask Him to show you what this year will be for you.  It’s exciting to think that a new year has opened up before us, and there are new opportunities just around the corner, that will be brighter and more exciting than anything we’ve ever experienced before.

The possibilities are limitless, really, when you think about it.

So please comment, and tell me what you think 2010 will be like in your world, on your path, as the next step to your future.  I can’t wait to hear!

And I’ll be sure to share my journey with you all.

Blessings to you!

Are We Doing What We Are Called To Do?

I read an amazing post by a local pastor this morning, and I have to share it with you.

PLEASE go and read this article by Pastor Chuck Balsamo:

“Drinking Down the Cup of Anarchy”

Over the past week, I have been so burdened for President Obama.  Not angered at him; burdened for him.  There is a big difference between the two.  Do you understand what I’m saying? 

Now, when Obama gets up in the morning, he may not feel a thing.  He may tell anyone that asks, “how are you, sir?” that he’s fine, that things are progressing, etc.  He may not know or even feel that anything is wrong.

But Obama, and our government, and this nation, are all under attack.

Alongside all that, the church, the family of God, is also under attack.  If you read the statistics that Pastor Chuck mentions in his article, the numbers are staggering and the news is grave.

And if we Christians don’t step up and accept our “marching orders” everything that we hold dear is going to vaporize before our very eyes.

And what are those marching orders? 

Not what you think.

Read the following:

“If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and turn from their wicked ways…”  II Chronicles 7:14

THAT, Christian friend, is your marching orders.  THAT is what is supposed to be foremost in your daily activity.  Top on the list.  The first thing you do.  And as one person commented on Pastor Chuck’s site, most of the time all we give to our pastors and our leaders is a half-hearted “bless them, Lord” and we don’t do anything else. 

YOU are the only one that will know if you’re really praying deep prayers over your leaders.  Only you will know if your prayers are half-hearted, lacking conviction and passion and true concern.

So… are you praying?  And if not, then I have to ask… WHY NOT?

Why would you turn your back on the one thing God has asked of you?  Praying for your fellow man is the highest act of love you can offer.  You are sacrificing yourself by giving up YOUR time to pray for someone else, who desperately needs your prayer covering.

And if you don’t think the pastors of this country, the leaders of this country, and the president of this country, need your prayers, then you need to rethink your thinking.

And how dare any of us look at God and say, “well, it won’t matter if I pray or not.  Things are too far gone.”  How dare we do such a thing! Because when we do that, we are telling God that He can’t help.  Do we honestly believe that God can’t save our nation???

I know my words sounds passionate, and even biting.  But if you’re offended, you will just have to be offended.  This is important.  We as Christians are allowing ourselves to be deluded into thinking that we can criticize and talk and berate and judge those that lead, and those that shepherd us, and we are not realizing that we are playing into the schemes of the devil himself when we do these things.  As Paul said in some of his letters in the New Testament, “brethren, these things ought not to be.” 

I know that our government leaders, President Obama included, are not doing things the way I would like.  I know that things have happened that I disagree with.  But in all of that, these are still my leaders!  He is STILL my president! And I am bound by God’s Word to pray for the man!  It is what we are ALL called to do.  We are called to pray for ALL in authority, not just those who are members of the political party we agree with.  We are called to pray for ALL of our shepherds, not just those that preach sermons we want to hear.

And if we allow ourselves to ignore that calling, then we have no one else to blame but ourselves, when this nation’s pastors and this nation’s leaders follow a path that is unhealthy for the future of this nation, this land that we love.

The call is out, the marching orders have been posted.

Are YOU doing what you are CALLED to do, Christian friend?

Today’s Cookie Crumb:

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”  I Timothy 2:1-4

And So… I Wait…

Well, the decision has been made.

The lighthouse run is postponed until the Spring.

Yes, I am a little discouraged, but not to the point that I am giving up.

Upon evaluating where I’m at, and what’s been happening, the wise thing to do is put it off until warm weather comes again.

SO….

I continue to train, and prepare myself even more so mentally (I’m already prepared and pumped!), and continue to be more fit than what I am now.

This is the crisis point, you know?  Do I allow myself to get so discouraged that I give up?  Or do I look to the future, and trust God that there is a reason as to why the spring would be better than now?

I choose the latter.  When things don’t work out for now, that doesn’t mean they won’t ever work out. 

It’s like prayer; just because you don’t get “yes” right now, doesn’t mean that “yes” isn’t ever going to come.  God has His reasons for saying, “Wait.”

So I wait.  But I actively wait.

And by “actively waiting” I don’t mean just keeping myself busy.  The hard part about walking out a plan is keeping yourself on course when the goal seems out of reach.  That’s where “staying power” really has to be strong.  It’s not the last 500 yards of a NASCAR race that are hard.  It’s running lap after lap after lap after lap after lap…. left turn, left turn, left turn… you get my point.  Can you continue, be constant, be consistent, during the long stretches when it all looks the same?

Yes, you can.  And so can I.

So no excuses, no reasons to quit.  It’s not over yet, and I don’t plan on giving up.

And you shouldn’t either.  For whatever reason, your plans may have to change.  Don’t give up on your dreams, your visions, your goals.  They’re still out there, even if right now they look like they’re out of reach.  Push toward them, in faith, and don’t give up!

 

Today’s Cookie Crumb:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”  II Timothy 4:7

Throwing Off the Blanket

It feels a little chilly in here… does it feel chilly where you’re at?  Think a blanket would feel good right now?

When the weather starts to turn cold, that’s the first thing you think of, isn’t it?  You want to get warm, so you can feel better.

I’m the same way.  To me there’s nothing better than a nice cup of warm tea, and a nice, soft blanket on a chilly day.

 There are other things, though, that can be “chilly,”

Still Preparing…

I’m still preparing for the lighthouse run.

Even though…

I’ve been six weeks without exercise, and had six weeks of stressful situations on my plate, and it was all things I either couldn’t help or couldn’t avoid. 

I’ve been looking at the end result of six weeks without any forward progress.  And you know as well as I do, when you’re not moving forward, you’re actually moving backward instead of standing still.  So now doubt is trying to set in.  I’m thinking, Should I still do this thing?