What happened to January?!

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A strange thing happened. I turned around and it was like January had disappeared! If you’re like me, you’re wondering how we found ourselves in the second month of the year already.

So here are some highlights of what’s happened in the last couple months, and a short reflection on what God’s been doing so far in 2016.

GOINGS-ON

  • Dec 18: Had LASIK surgery. For the first time in twenty years, I don’t need glasses! One curious side-effect is that when I can’t read something, I have to remind myself that LASIK doesn’t make me Superman; it only restores my vision to 20/20!
  • Dec 24: Delivered a homily in our Christmas Eve service, entitled “Do Not Be Afraid” (click to listen). Teaser: Fear, it seems, is everywhere fear of losing control, fear of being alone, fear of not being loved, fear of not being enough. But to all of us, God says, “Do not be afraid.” He has good news for us.
  • Dec 27: Preached on “Good Endings” — how to end well. The podcast didn’t record so we turned it into a blog, which you can read here.
  • Jan 1: Rolled out a new tool to our church for spiritual growth and soul care — it’s called the SPIRE Plan, and you can read more about it here.
  • Jan 22-23: Survived Snowzilla (aka Winter Storm Jonas), which dumped a couple feet of snow on our city. (Asher had a blast, but we did have to cancel Sunday services for the first time in TDC history.)
  • Jan 29-30: Our Leadership Community (over 100 staff, small group leaders, and ministry team leaders) got away for our annual retreat last weekend, where Rich Nathan, pastor of Vineyard Columbus, helped us create spaces for the Holy Spirit to move in powerful ways.

Something else that I didn’t mention previously was that I was asked to join the board of the V3 Church Planting Movement, an invitation I humbly accepted. The District Church has several close ties with V3; with National Director JR Woodward having been part of our church for the last few years and our own Matthew Watson serving as a V3 coach for other church planters.

REFLECTION

So far in 2016, God has been challenging me in some discomforting but exhilarating ways. As I’ve prayed, I’ve sensed the call of the Spirit to a deeper, more consistent, and more fully present life, for myself, for my marriage, and for our church. And even in these first few weeks of the year, I’ve begun to see glimpses of what God is doing, the opportunities he’s providing, and the places the Spirit is moving.

2015 was a full year for me. By God’s grace, 2016 will be a deep year. I pray the same for you.

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