I have a little puny brain. I have a brain that cannot begin to comprehend how it is that 2009 has nearly ended and 2010 is here. I have a little brain that cannot comprehend that a decade has now past since I was sitting on the mall in Washington D.C, with Jennie, young and carefree and so excited about what the 2000s would hold. I have a little brain. A brain that cannot begin to comprehend all that has happened since that night, how much the world has changed, how much I have changed, how very much has happened.
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In the tradition I have kept of saying both goodbye and hello to a new year, I have begun to look back at all that has happened in 2009 (a whole decade is much too much to comprehend). So many times I have posted pictures here of things that have happened… with the promise of more to come. I never post the more! So here is what I will never forget about 2009, in semi-chronological order… (sorry, a lot happened, its pretty wordy!)
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Girl’s Chrysalis #47… a weekend that reminded me that I LOVE youth ministry, that I called to it, and that my passion for it (although it waivers) is as strong as ever. I learned that some things in life you just can’t deny. My calling to youth ministry is one of those things!
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Winter Youth Retreat happened with hardly any snow, until a huge storm hit late Saturday night…. During which I realized that I have become one of THOSE youth pastors… the kind that thinks night sledding on a dark, icy hill is a GOOD idea and everyone survives, thus not learning ANY kind of lesson!
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In
I learned that I am much more emotional than I like to admit.
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Challenge Course Training where Carrie and I imparted to a new generation both a love for the trees and knowledge that if not used correctly could kill someone is where I learned that with leadership comes great responsibility. (and that the peanut butter milkshake is sorely underappreciated.)
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This year’s trip to
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In Louisiana I nearly sweated the skin off my body… and learned that the church has much work to do, and that being the hands and feet of Christ comes with great responsibility. I learned to lead even when I was scared that I could not fulfill the job. I learned that tears don’t always fall when hearts are broken. I learned that being responsible for those around us and around the world is more than something we should say, but something we should live.
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Just a few days after returning we buried a member of our youth group, a girl we loved, a girl we had prayed for without ceasing. In those dark, hard days I learned the value of simply loving, of living well, of learning to grieve and grow. I learned the heartache of losing someone far too soon and helping kids much too young to say goodbye. I learned the great responsibility of my job, of not only loving kids well but of introducing them to Jesus. I learned that time is precious and I can’t waste time waiting to tell them… for they are not guaranteed tomorrow.
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I went to
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A few weeks later I returned again to Tar Hollow… a place I have long loved, where I have laughed,
cried, grown and changed… and realized that getting my way is not the most important thing… and that watching the meteor shower late at night on top of a slippery, cold roof on a cloudless August night is just as good for the soul as amazing preaching by a keynoter who became a friend.
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I celebrated long and hard with Carrie and Ryan when they got married… and learned the beauty of loving friends and holding them tightly, but with an open hand.
I traveled to NYWC in Atlanta with Abby. A fitting end to our year of traveling together. We saw mountains, but not bears, ate ice cream, but didn’t drink much coffee, we walked on the
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And so here I am in December. Through another ridiculous holiday where I remembered that even though my family is COMPLETELY insane, there really is no place like home.
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I learned other things this year too… things about friendship and fellowship and life. I learned that I am ok with the idea of love and am ready to admit I am growing up. I learned that gray hairs are earned and even though I cover them up, I have enough to prove that I am doing important work. I learned that I may not have made it to Africa or
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The new year is full of possibility… of unknown surprises and already planned adventures. As I prepare to ring in the New Year and new decade with people I didn’t even know that night in D.C, as I contemplate that that night contained some people (like Jennie) who I have lost completely, and others who have moved on to other places in life, it is hard to imagine starting a new one. It is my prayer and hope that when I ring in 2020 a decade from now that these people, from this night will be part of my life then too… along with so many amazing people who I already know and haven’t met yet. Life is unpredictable and uncertain. What God has for me in the new year and the new decade I am sure I cannot imagine. However, I know that I trust fully that it is in his hands. I will put it there each morning. I will place it before him… unlimited possibilities, an open heart to what is coming… and a willingness to let go of what holds me back. Those are my new decade resolutions!
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Peace friends. Have a safe and amazing new year!
