New Year Wonderings

Happy New Year everyone!

I can’t help but wonder what this year will bring. Lord willing, I’ll finish seminary, be commissioned as a provisional elder in the Mississippi Conference of the UMC, turn forty, and who knows what else. It should be an exciting year, but it could also be a challenging one. The conference says we are moving, but the folks at Courtland say “no way!” Either way there will be changes. I’ll no longer have to split my time between pastor and student, but will finally be able to devote myself fully to the task of ministry in the community. Either way, whether here or somewhere else, it will be a new experience. Life without the driving influence of a seminary schedule will take some getting used to .

So what about resolutions? I’ve never been much on New Year resolutions, but I have made a few this year. Along with some personal commitments, I’ve also decided that it would be a good thing to focus some attention on my blog, Methodist Corner. Along with a new look, I hope to make weekly entries. Maybe I’ll be able to do more, but it’s always good to keep expectations reasonable. It’s easier to keep our resolutions if we don’t set the bar impossibly high. In the past I’ve done good if I made monthly entries and often wondered if my blog wasn’t just taking up cyber-space. We’ll see how it goes.

On this New Year’s Day, I pray with the Apostle Paul… “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, until, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you overflow with hope” (Rom 15:13).