It is hard to believe another year has come and gone. The older we get, the more rapidly time seems to move. One of the things this special time of year prompts for me is a time of intentional reflection. I have a series of questions I spend time with, evaluating the past 12 months – the good, the bad and how to grow from each.
The beginning of a new year also breathes a sense of hope and anticipation into our lives as we think about all the possibilities of the coming 365 days. The reality is that January 1st is just another day – it follows December 31st and precedes January 2nd. But there is a unique expectation assigned to this day by virtue of the fact that it marks the first day of a new year.
So we take some time to reflect and we look forward to what is to come.
2020 was a year to survive. 2021 was a year for life in a holding pattern – uncertain about how to move forward. 2022 was a year of stepping into life again and discovering what “normal” looks like now (I’m not sure we have quite conquered that feat yet).
If you have been a follower of my ramblings here for years, or you just stumbled onto Clay In The Hands, you will notice that the last post here was in March of 2020. The reason for the gap is as you would expect – but the experience of life and ministry through the pandemic will be the subject for many posts to come.
So what will 2023 be for us? The word to Isaiah, centuries ago, fits for us today – chapter 43 verse 9 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.”
Part of that new thing for me is this outlet. It is time for me to pick up a tried and tested tool again. I will be posting here two or three times per week – wrestling with life and faith and how the two can never be separated. So check back here regularly or simply subscribe to receive posts to your inbox.
What new thing is God going to do in you in 2023?
It was an air freshener shaped like a pine tree. You may be thinking – “where have you been, those things have been around for years!”
The reason I am sharing this story this morning is his experience has spiritual application. When he received his new phone, he simply logged into his account from the new device and all his content – stored in the cloud – immediately began to make its way onto his new phone. Because his important data was stored in the cloud, he did not loose anything to the death grip of the lake water.
I am glad the smoke detector has the safety feature to alert me when the batteries are low. A smoke detector is of no value if it loses power to do its job. But without a friendly reminder, it would go unnoticed with a dangerous assumption that all is OK.
Clay in the Hands 