2008!!!!!

I'm pretty excited that 2008 is here. It seems fresh and new and like a starting-over. Although there is nothing significant about the changing of a Monday to a Tuesday or one month to the next, it just feels like a page has turned and there are different things to come. I wonder how God is going to use me in the coming year. What miracles are we going to see? How is God at work in those around us?

Last night on New Year's Eve my friend Juli was saying she thought this year was going to be one of restoration. I'm claiming that for my parents and brother. There needs to be restoration of what the enemy (Satan) has stolen. You might think I'm talking gibberish, but the bible says that Satan comes to "steal, kill and destroy." He has stolen much from my family and left bitterness, insecurities, fear and depression. There needs to be victory, and in a bad way.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We are carrying a burden for a couple in our young married group to have children. They have been trying for 5+ years now and have spent a lot of time and money to have children. May God show mercy to them and bless them with fruit (children) in their family. Hopefully I can update you soon with good news about them.

My desire is to learn how to have more sense of community and connectedness among our friends. We have talked about it several times and they desire it too, but are unsure how to make it happen. Somehow our generation is so independent and busy that we have lost the know-how of having people involved in our lives. For me, I think I must put aside my perfectionism about having a perfect house and meal and energy before having people over. We like to have company over, but the weeks just go by so fast that it rarely happens without lots of planning. I'm going to do better at this in 2008! I'm also going to call people just to say hello. So there!