Out with the old...

Good bye 2007! Let us pray that 2008 brings as many blessings and fewer curses. So as the old year draws to an end and the new year lays before me a blank page I must take a few moments to reflect.

Things I learned in 2007:

1. No matter how hard you try you can never get the tooth paste back in the tube, and you're just going to get really very messy if you try.

2. Having a child changes everything but not as often as the child needs changing.

3. No matter how rough your day was, a cold Pepsi, a sincere prayer, and 30 minutes of Family Guy will fix everything.

4. God is sovereign. I may not understand or agree with everything he does, but I don't have to. He's the perfect one not me.

5. No matter how long you go without seeing them you're true friends will always be your friends, and there's nothing that will change that.

6. Family is what it's all about. As long as you have your family, you don't need anything else.

7. The phone will begin ringing ass soon as you put your key in the lock and will cease ringing 1 second before you answer it, and they won't leave a message.

8. My mother will send me exactly 2 important emails each year and over 300 forwards and other junk. None of which do I read, and she wonders why.

9. Just when you think you've got it all figured out...

But by far the most important thing I've learned this year...

10. Ministry, any kind of ministry is about one thing and one thing only. Serving God! It isn't about the people, it isn't about the church, it isn't about the pastor, nor the congregation. When we loose sight of this simple truth ministry ceases to happen. All it is about is serving God and working to bring about His will, His plan, here on this His earth just as it is done in heaven. When we make it about the church, the people, or the ministry itself, we put those things in the place of God. We make the same mistake the people of God have been making since the dawn of time. We begin believing that we are what is important, we make ourselves little gods and worship at the altar of ministry.

So as we enter into this the 2008 year let us remember and live it out as the 2008 year of our Lord.