Happy New Year–and here’s my resolution, my only resolution: I’m going to keep the blog up to date; and here’s a suggestion of a possible resolution for you: read the blog, if I keep it up to date.  So, here I go, keeping my resolution  . . .

Someone reminded me this morning (honestly I didn’t think about it) that today was our one year anniversary at First B.  They told me, “Hey, happy anniversary . . .” And I resonded (with a lump in my throat), “It’s not my anniversary, is it?” “Dead man walking” comes to mind!  Thankfully it”s not my wedding anniversary that I forgot, so I can live to forget another day.  But today does mark one year for me as your pastor. Let me say that it has been a privilege and I look forward to many more anniversaries with you.  I truly believe that God has called us on a great journey together, and I feel like I’ve only taken a few steps.   I know every great journey begins with only one step, but I have a feeling that this will be a year of many steps–forward I hope, but uphill perhaps. 

Speaking of steps, I’m excited about our New Year’s series entitled: Walking Into a New Year.  As I thought about the opportunities God gives each of us over the course of our lives, I was reminded of the fact that you never know which one will be the last one.  I’ve got 1882 marbles in my jar (representing all the weeks until I turn 80–and tell you to get off my lawn ), but i don’t have any guarantee of taking another one out.  The opportunities of today (whatever they are) could be the last ones.  Try not to miss them.

I was reminded of that on the way home from lunch today. Samuel (who was not in the service) said, “Hey Daddy, can we wrestle tonight?”  I said, “No Buddy, Daddy will be at church tonight.” (as the dynamic Josh Lee teaches the Word of God at our Sunday Night Youth Services)  Rebecca overheard me and said, “Honey, after what you preached today, you have to wrestle with him.” So we went home and wrestled this afternoon (Sam pinned me, is still the champ, and nothing is broken).  Sometimes when opportunity knocks, you answer quickly.  Sometimes we ignore it.  I hope I’m at least learning to pay attention to the “knocks”–and I hope you are too. 

Next Sunday we’ll talk about Walking Into a New Outlook, re-examining Numbers 13-14, a scripture that we talked about last year at this time.  We’ll see a couple of different outlooks and find out which one dominates your field of vision.  Do you mostly see big problems? Or do you see opportunities because you serve a big God? You can see either one, or maybe both. It’s all in how you look at it. Let’s look at it together next Sunday.

blessings,

pastor greg