The Been Briefing

settling in to 2010

with some warm peppermint tea nearby, i wanted to settle in a bit and write a blog. it's been a while. how are you, friend? i feel like it's been a long time since i have been able to catch up with those i love, and i just wanted to say, 'i miss you.' we should catch up sometime. call me! or i'll call you.... probably around 4:15 MST during the week, because that's when i'm driving home from work and i have some time to say hello. :)

january 2010 is here... and i am realizing the month is well over half-way done. how can that be? it was just the new year! so now i am stopping to write before another day passes and we're already into 2011. to those i love, happy new year. i pray it is a good year for you and that God reveals His great love for you in a new and deeper way this year.

as i take stock of what this year holds, i confess my greatest joy is that 2010 is NOT 2009. is that bad? should i feel guilty for being so glad a season is OVER?! when i look back on last year, there are so many wonderful things that happened. jody and i settled in colorado, we got a puppy that we love dearly, (and want to strangle occasionally) and jody was able to successfully complete half of his master's degree at denver seminary. we found a wonderful church, where we are getting involved in and jody has developed great friendships with his mentors. at various points in the past year we were able to spend several days exploring the mountains and seeing how amazing our God is in beautiful creation.

and then there is the big 'HOWEVER'. i will also not lie. it has been a trying year. a year of laying foundations. and laying foundations is always hard, because there is no shortcut. there is no way to speed up the process. getting settled and acclimated to the workload that seminary requires takes time. finding the right church to settle into, join and start serving in takes time and much prayer. finding a job in this economy takes much prayer, faith and time. and making lasting friends (and discerning who best to invest time in) takes prayer, time and great faith! so when i look back on 2009, it was a year that took great faith and time.

this morning as i was reading in ecclesiastes, i was meditating on the fact that there is a time and season for everything. and thankfully, seasons come and go. as much as change is hard for me, and i dread sitting in a season that seems to be in flux, i take comfort that 'this too shall pass'. God is on the throne, and this season will not last forever. i especially felt that when jody completed this past semester. when that last exam was taken and final grades started coming in, i felt a release in my heart. i felt like a major milestone had been accomplished. last year was tough and required a lot of putting out without a lot of receiving. but that's what a foundation is. and it is laid with the expectation that in due season it will reap a harvest.

i don't know what 2010 holds, but i am full of hope and praying that God brings joy. i need joy in this season. so that is my prayer. God, give me joy in the midst of this season in my life, and help me to be faithful in laying the foundation You are calling me to. I do pray that, in due season, Jody and I will reap a harvest that brings You glory. Amen.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3, 1-8