thoughts on the new year
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A Note About New Years
December 30th, 2007
New years, new beginnings, new . . . just new. I've always liked that word. Not the same old
same old, but something fresh and real and alive.
God must chuckle at my exuberance for new beginnings. He makes all things new, and yet I
still manage to let things get stale. Know what I mean? The last two months have been fun,
don't get me wrong. Giving away books, knowing the story is now complete, my writing
career is done (for now, yes, for now) . . . it is time for a new beginning. And look! It's time
for a whole new year.
In 2008, I want to walk on the beach more. Find more sand dollars. Take more long rides in
the country. Go to Pier 101 and eat fried zuccini and halibut with my friends. Spend lots less
time on-line. Send more e-mails and maybe even some snail-mail letters (imagine that!) to
friends and family. Read less e-mails sent to "everyone in the group." I want to cultivate the
friendships I already have (and if you're reading this, you're definitely on the list), and wait for
Heaven to cultivate the rest, especially the hundreds of on-line friends I've made the past few
years. Let's face it: there are a quabozillion really awesome Christian brothers and sisters out
there. And let's face this too: there is simply not enough time in the day to get to know them all.
Dat's why God is preparing Heaven for us. Dat's why eternity is forever. : )
Right here, right now, if we're truly His, our eternal life has already begun. The most
important thing we can do right here, right now, is to cultivate our friendship
with Him. That takes time. It means we have to make time, to invest our time, cuz in Heaven
only that invested time will matter. Truth is, the only thing we take with us to Heaven is the
relationship we have built with our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ here on earth.
Nothing else will matter on that day. Once that relationship is strong and secure, then God
will give back to us all the relationships we made with others here on earth. Plus, He'll give
us all the rest!! We'll be surrounded by a quabozillion brothers and sisters. Our hearts will
be His, our eyes will be on Him, and the life we will all share together will sweeter and more
amazing than anything we could ever begin to imagine.
Can you imagine it?
So, with this new beginning, I'm gonna make time. I've already deleted my MySpace account.
In the next few months I'll drop out of ACFW, the Christian Proofreaders and Editors
Network, and OCW. I'll put this blog to rest. (I'll keep most of the good stuff and transfer it
over to my website.) I'll keep my ShoutLife page for now. We'll see how that goes. And I'll
keep editing. We'll see how that goes too.
Bring on that new year. : )
So, whaddaya say? No, I'm not asking you to drop out of your groups or give up MySpace.
All I'm asking is to think about making time to cultivate that one most important friendship of
all. In Him, nothing is lacking. All we could ever hope for, He holds in His hands ready to
give us.
May this new year be not just another new year, but that new beginning we've all been waiting
for! Every present moment. May it be filled with His peace, rest, joy, and love. With all He
is coursing through us, all we could ever hope for is ours.
Oooooo, I love you all! Thanks for reading this, for being a friend, and for being HIS.
Vaya-ing con Dios, with you, forever,
donna
December 30th, 2007
New years, new beginnings, new . . . just new. I've always liked that word. Not the same old
same old, but something fresh and real and alive.
God must chuckle at my exuberance for new beginnings. He makes all things new, and yet I
still manage to let things get stale. Know what I mean? The last two months have been fun,
don't get me wrong. Giving away books, knowing the story is now complete, my writing
career is done (for now, yes, for now) . . . it is time for a new beginning. And look! It's time
for a whole new year.
In 2008, I want to walk on the beach more. Find more sand dollars. Take more long rides in
the country. Go to Pier 101 and eat fried zuccini and halibut with my friends. Spend lots less
time on-line. Send more e-mails and maybe even some snail-mail letters (imagine that!) to
friends and family. Read less e-mails sent to "everyone in the group." I want to cultivate the
friendships I already have (and if you're reading this, you're definitely on the list), and wait for
Heaven to cultivate the rest, especially the hundreds of on-line friends I've made the past few
years. Let's face it: there are a quabozillion really awesome Christian brothers and sisters out
there. And let's face this too: there is simply not enough time in the day to get to know them all.
Dat's why God is preparing Heaven for us. Dat's why eternity is forever. : )
Right here, right now, if we're truly His, our eternal life has already begun. The most
important thing we can do right here, right now, is to cultivate our friendship
with Him. That takes time. It means we have to make time, to invest our time, cuz in Heaven
only that invested time will matter. Truth is, the only thing we take with us to Heaven is the
relationship we have built with our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ here on earth.
Nothing else will matter on that day. Once that relationship is strong and secure, then God
will give back to us all the relationships we made with others here on earth. Plus, He'll give
us all the rest!! We'll be surrounded by a quabozillion brothers and sisters. Our hearts will
be His, our eyes will be on Him, and the life we will all share together will sweeter and more
amazing than anything we could ever begin to imagine.
Can you imagine it?
So, with this new beginning, I'm gonna make time. I've already deleted my MySpace account.
In the next few months I'll drop out of ACFW, the Christian Proofreaders and Editors
Network, and OCW. I'll put this blog to rest. (I'll keep most of the good stuff and transfer it
over to my website.) I'll keep my ShoutLife page for now. We'll see how that goes. And I'll
keep editing. We'll see how that goes too.
Bring on that new year. : )
So, whaddaya say? No, I'm not asking you to drop out of your groups or give up MySpace.
All I'm asking is to think about making time to cultivate that one most important friendship of
all. In Him, nothing is lacking. All we could ever hope for, He holds in His hands ready to
give us.
May this new year be not just another new year, but that new beginning we've all been waiting
for! Every present moment. May it be filled with His peace, rest, joy, and love. With all He
is coursing through us, all we could ever hope for is ours.
Oooooo, I love you all! Thanks for reading this, for being a friend, and for being HIS.
Vaya-ing con Dios, with you, forever,
donna