Post Christmas Reflections and Thoughts for the New Year

It seems that this last month has been a whirlwind. Christmas is always a busy season for us. I tried to plan ahead and in some areas I was right on schedule, but in other areas I lagged behind. It seems there is always something to do at the last minute. In the midst of all of this I had a mental breakdown. Not from the tasks of Christmas, but from all the other miscellaneous things thrown at me. I spent too much time online. It seems that all of my friends decided to share deep thinking blog posts at the same time. This is all fine and good until you read 4 or 5 in one week and try to process all of that information. Needless to say I found myself collapsing on the couch one night and begging my husband to order a pizza because I couldn't handle even getting up to make a PB&J.
After my breakdown I did manage to sort out a few things and put the rest on hold. But it just proved to me how much Aaron and I need to develop a missions statement and a good plan for the New Year. TV time and Internet time are definitely going to be lessened and reading is going to be priority. And not heavy reading either. I want to read the Bible for some growth, encouragement and hope. And I want to read some good novels to give my brain a little break from the demands of everyday life.
Exercise and healthy eating are topping the list as well. Stay tuned in the New Year for a more detailed list.

P.S. After my breakdown day I spent a lot of time reflecting on one of the names of Jesus found in Matthew 1:23: "...and they will call him Emmanuel (which means 'God with Us')". The thought that God became a man to come to earth and be "with us" has brought me much comfort these past few weeks.

Defining who we are

Aaron and I have had a lot of long talks these past few months. The kind of talks that become a turning point in your life/ relationship. We've realized that we have over committed ourselves to too many people, ministries, jobs, etc. We've had plenty of input from others about what we should do with our life. Some of it has been solicited advice and some has not. And we've come to the realization that we can only do what God is specifically laying on our hearts and putting in our lives. And because of that we've decided that we need to make a missions statement for ourselves. Much in the same way that a business has a missions statement. You can also call this a vision or a purpose statement. But the basic idea is that we need to decide as a family what our values are and in what direction we are headed. There are so many "good things" we can do. And my wonderful dreamer of a husband can think of a thousand great ideas a week for more "good things" to do. And we could probably find a Bible verse to support many of these ideas. The fact is, however, that we are only two people. We know that with God's power we can accomplish anything, but we still can't do everything. So we need to be clear about the "anything" God has for us. So we can stop feeling guilty about the "everything" we aren't doing. It is our hope that friends and family will show us grace in this area. If we don't follow you to the mission field of China, or sponsor your 5k run to end world hunger, it's not because we don't care about you, or Chinese people, or hungry people. And it's not because we think that God doesn't care. It's simply because we are only two people, with only enough time and money to do what God has specifically prompted us to do.
And when we do complete our missions statement and set some clear goals we'd love to share them with you. Not because we want you to do exactly what we are doing, but because we want to be a testimony to the way God works through each of us in unique and individual ways. And we really, really, really do love to hear how God is working in your life or your family's life. It shows us more of God's heart and His character when you share with us.