HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Christmas season always brings with it such high heights and then suddenly it's all over and done and life goes back to the glory of the grind. Whoosh is the sound that comes to mind when I think of it all! Then the first day of the New Year comes leaving behind a whole year for good and starting a new one once again! It is a clean slate, a fresh new start, an exciting beginning. The whole combination of spending time with family, shopping, seeking out a few deals between Christmas and new years, checking out a couple of movies, (fun with Dick and Jane was great), driving great distances, eating rich foods, staying up late, getting up early, laughing and reminiscing, missing some folks who we haven'’t seen in many Christmas'’s, saying all those yucky good-bye's, getting home, unpacking and settling in, seems to leave me in a reflective state of mind. I seem drawn to examine my journey, drawn to sitting in my favourite chair, to sip a hot cup of fresh coffee and contemplate the Lord of the past year and the same Lord of the New Year that's on its way in a big hurry!
I always like it when I get a "word". By that I mean a mental picture of what I sense the New Year will be like for me. An image of what I hope to look like at the end of the year in my life. An all inclusive "word" that just seems to be where I am headed based to a large extent on the experiences of the past year. Last year was the word "reason", taken from the book of Isaiah when we are instructed to come and "reason" with the Lord! As I look back I see the progress made in that particular area of my life. I feel that I have grown more reflective, more communicative, more prayer-full in my approach to life this past year. Thanks Lord for this gracious and spacious place you'’ve led me too in my journey. This year the word is "apprentice". I see myself as entering into a new and deeper relationship with Jesus. I feel as eager as those on the T.V. show apprentice to be like their master, to learn his ways, to understand his teachings, to follow in his footsteps and too becoming more skillful with the tools of his trade. I see myself growing deeper, moving farther along, and soaring just a bit higher than I have ever been before. Yes, I believe the word for 2006 is apprentice. "If any one would be my apprentice, he must take up his cross and follow me..." Jesus once said. Yes Lord, I am enrolling in your apprentice program in 2006. I am taking up my cross, I am counting both the negative and the positive costs that come with following you. And, I will follow you. I will be more like you by the grace of God come January 1, 2007. God is good all the time!