Happy New Year

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Boone, NC with all the snow outside with my family and some friends as 2010 makes its debut.

What does this new year hold for you and yours? How will you begin this new year? What commitments will you make for the coming year? What habits do you want to get rid of? What habits do you want to cultivate in your life? What kind of re-engineering of your life needs to take place in light of the reality of the great God and Savior we serve and in regard to the kingdom we are a part of?

All of these questions have bombarded my soul, especially being here on a little vacation with my family.

I have contemplated the parenting of my children, how I can serve my wife and children for the glory of God this new year, how I can lead our family toward greater kingdom impact, what I desire for my children to be and do as they grow up, what I will pray for them about, how I will seek to train them in the scriptures, how we, as a family, can be more kingdom of God oriented in our decisions--that's a lot to think about--then, I have remembered that I can't do any of it in my own strength or wisdom or common sense (whatever that means)...

This morning, I started a new Bible reading plan, and where should it begin; yep, at the beginning--Genesis 1 & 2. Then it sent me to Psalm 1.

That's when it hit me again--Psalm 1:2-3--delighting in the word of God and meditating on the word of God as the fundamental & sufficient nourishment for my own soul and the "counsel" (v. 1) that I desperately need in order to stay faithful to Jesus in this new year in all that he has called me to do.

And, this morning I began reading "Why Pray?" by Philip Yancey, whom I have never read anything by before. This book is an excerpt of a larger work of his (which I might have to consider purchasing). So far I have been challenged, convicted, reassured, and encouraged.

One quote from the book: "prayer exposes for a nanosecond what I prefer to ignore: my own true state of fragile dependence."

Even as an adult, I still have a tendency to try to do things in my own wisdom or the world's wisdom and in my own independent thinking. I am more like the one year who screams "My do it myself" than the one who patiently waits, hopes, and depends fully and completely upon God's grace to empower me and enable to accomplish his purposes through me by faith.

Personal devotions & prayer--that's where I'm re-newing my focus this year--the simplicity of sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to his words and wisdom and counsel for the days ahead of me for his glory.

Where & what will you re-new this year?

God bless you all in the coming year.