I'm not very good at taking inventory. I'm not a details-kind-of-guy. But as I sip a cup of coffee from my favorite Beatles coffee mug, I'm thinking that this new year will have a challenge living up to what I experienced in 2012.
Personal: I began the year in pain - a ruptured disc in my back was pressing on a nerve which made even the shortest walk a painful effort. I had my third epidural on 1/2/2012 and began to feel some relief. Opting out of physical therapy, I did what a good friend (with a bad back) recommended: walking. Every lunch hour I slid on my walking shoes and took a stroll down Bampf Street (south of our church), walking from 75th Avenue to 83rd Avenue and back. It felt good to get out of the office. And because our church sits in the middle of a county island, most of the homes on Bampf have animals of some kind - horses, goats, cows, donkeys, and dogs, dogs and more dogs. With each day, the pain seemed to lessen. 12 months later, my back feels good, the leg pain is gone and I have a little numbness in my right foot to remind me where I was and how wonderful it is to be without pain. I praise God for the healing I have received.
2012 was a year of milestones. My dear, sweet wife and I celebrated 40 years of marriage. We first met in Home and Family class in High School (we called it "Senior Sex" class - because you were a Senior when you took the class and because it had nothing to do with sex). Somehow, Sherri saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. That she wanted to hang out with me was something of a surprise. When she said she'd marry me, well, that was a shock! I praise God for my dear, sweet wife.
We saw two more grandchildren added to our family. They are happy and healthy little wonders who have brought great joy to their parents and us all. We've been trying to imagine what future Christmas' will look like with four kids tearing into presents. Chaos is a word that comes to mind. Can't wait! I praise God for my kids and grandkids.
Professional: God blessed our church greatly in the past 12 months. Worship attendance grew by 10% over the previous year. That is meaningful to me because it is in worship where God distributes His gifts of grace and mercy. As Luther said, we come to church with an empty bag and God fills it with forgiveness, peace, love and every other blessing imaginable.
That growth carried over into our Adult Bible classes, Sunday school, Confirmation and High School classes on Sunday morning. We asked our members in 2012 to "Give God Two" (two hours of time on Sunday morning) and people responded. That was a great encouragement to me and to our leadership. I praise God for the opportunity to serve as pastor at Life in Christ.
What's exciting about today is that my day planner is clean. It reminds me that God has given me the gift of another year, full of exciting possibilities. Sure, there could be heartache and trouble along the way. Every day I'll be tempted to buy up my worried and own them and fret over them and, if I'm not careful, become consumed by them. And they'll drive my thinking and words and actions.
Looks like it's time to pray: Lord, save me! I give you ownership of my worries and fears. Help me to look back at 2012 and all my years. Let me see again your grace and mercy, your help and protection, your kindness and love. In this new year, I turn again to you to receive your gifts of forgiveness and peace. Thank You for making me your child in baptism. Thank You for fortifying my faith in Your holy supper. I want to walk with You throughout this coming year. I praise You for all I have. In the loving name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
