Grace as the New Year Begins

In a few days, we will enter a brand new calendar year.  There is nothing magic about putting a new 2017 calendar on the wall and there certainly isn't any certainty that we will change as we might desire to do.  However, I do believe these cultural landmarks and measuring sticks do help us to organize the spiritual and emotional sides of our lives by reminding us to consider who we are and if we are true to our purposes as we live each day.

I am reminded that God is the center of all that I do.  When I forget that, I get off course and end up tossed and turned by the churning seas of trouble.  Looking to Him, who is my creator, and He who leads me in the direction I take and how I respond to the good things in my life and the difficulties, as well.

Look back over your life and consider the big picture -- hasn't God been there all the while, opening doors, bringing comfort, guiding and directing you and bolstering your courage when you can't see how to go on?  I can't help but rejoice at the end of this year for the many ways God touches our lives and His graciousness toward me and my loved ones-- family and friends!

I thank God above for our sons, our daughters in law, our granddaughters, our parents-- all of which are living-- and our brothers and sisters in our nuclear families.  So many blessings in our church, our health care, our doctors, our Pastors, our many friends and all of the neighbors and community we are blessed to come in contact with!  God has brought us a new Movement Disorder Specialist, a wonderful Primary Care Doctor and a very dedicated new Neurologist at our clinic.  Our Neurosurgeon did such a great job on my surgery to implant my new DBS device in my chest.  The healing has been so smooth!

I think over my life and the decision I made to respond to His call and the guidance I received in  my early years in Lakewood, CA as a high schooler-Christian from my Pastor, who led our youth group (and me) in the ways of Jesus. He also taught me so many practical things about life-- camping, fishing, tennis, social justice and walking with God in Christ.

Yesterday, we received a call from this very high school Pastor (who was the Associate Minister of our church) whom I haven't seen in 40 years!  He and his wife, who is also my friend, are coming to visit us for coffee next week. We are so looking forward to seeing them. We will have the chance to thank them for the influence their lives had on my life, and indirectly, on those of my children.

God has been good.  He has been faithful. Not everything goes as expected, but He is with us, holding us through it all.

In II Corinthians 7:10, Paul writes:

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret..."

I know that we suffer but not in proportion to how Christ has suffered on our behalf.  Through it all, we can say, "To God Be the Glory, for the things He has done!  All that I am and ever hope to be: I owe it all to thee."  -- Andre Crouch  

Below is a video of this very song that I recorded in approximately 2010, when my hands and voice weren't as affected by Parkinsonism-Plus.

 

 Happy New Year, my friends! Thanks for your much support and prayers.  -- Dan