Happy New Year!

I am not really one to spend alot of time looking back, but yesterday, as I was spending some time with the Lord, I was overwhelmed by His faithfulness over the past year. His provision is where I can so often see His hand so clearly. His timing is so perfect and His blessings are amazing. This walk with Him is never boring or mundane but He comforts and He strengthens in those times when I don't think we are getting anywhere. And when He breaks through the tough stuff . . . it takes my breath away.

A girlfriend of mine and her two children came over yesterday afternoon. Talk about going much further back into the past. I think we have known each other at least 14 years. We met as newlyweds and were a part of each others' lives as we started our families. They tried everything to have children and to no avail. Then we walked with them through the tough adoption process. The heartache of a mother changing her mind at the last minute. But yesterday when I looked at her beautiful 8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy, I was again touched by the Lord's faithfulness. Our kids had so much fun playing together (in our overabundance of snow) and it was fun to listen to them talk and get to know each other. She is once again walking through a tough spot as her husband is serving in Iraq for a year. But the Lord promises in 2nd Corinthians that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I pray that this bumpy road will only draw her closer to Him.

New Year's is not just a time to reflect on the past but to also look to the future. It is exciting to think about what the Lord has for us in the coming year yet so many times in the Bible, we are advised to focus on today. If we are stuck in the past or looking so much to the future, we miss what He has for us in the present. All of a sudden our kids are grown or our relationships are lost because we didn't spend time on the important things today. I pray that the Lord opens up our eyes to what He has for us today and we let tomorrow "worry about itself".

In our focusing on today, the Lord has us planning for another trip to Guatemala. It will be a much shorter trip than our last one but we will share those details on another day . . .