Reflections...

Now that 2008 is well under-way, I'm reflecting back on the year that was 2007. Here's a few words on how I would sum it up:

• Changes: I can't remember another year when I experienced so many changes. Changes in jobs, living arrangements, relationships, friend's lives, churches, and even in what I'm driving. It seemed to be never ending. Some of these changes were easier to handle than others.
  

• Challenges: Going hand-in-hand with the changes alluded to above, 2007 was a year that had some challenges and hard things to work through
  

• Hopes and Disappointments: A big lesson of this year is that sometimes things don't work out the way you hoped they would. These occasions though, lead to...

• Trust: As I look back on this year, one lesson that stands out is the Lord showing me more how absolutely necessary it is to trust Him with everything - from jobs to relationships. Even when things don't make sense, or don't work out the way I had planned, it's good to be able to rest in the truth that He knows it all and He knows it better than I.
  

• Authenticity: Earlier this year a struggle in my former job had me thinking about what it means to be authentic, what it means to be true to myself, who I am, and what I care about in relation to my career. I came to the conclusion that I don't want to be in a job where I feel I have to always be playing a role that is outside my nature. Hence, the pursuit (and gain) of a different job...one with it's own challenges of course, but also one in which I no longer struggle with this question of authenticity.
  

• Celebration and Joy: The arrival of Jesse Marlow and later Sydney Block mark this year as one of new life. Also, several weddings (include Andy&Amy and Dave&Melissa) mark new lives for these happy couples as well. My hope and prayer for 2008 is that another new life joins our ranks (namely, a babe named Piggott.)