We spent News Years Eve in Washington, DC. While in the hotel, I love opening the drawer and seeing the Bible. I snapped a photo, uploaded it to facebook and posed the question "What will be the first verse of the new year?" (What would I randomly open the book too). Pastor Charlie replied "In the beginning"... I thought it was funny (his personality is awesomely off :)... Yet it  made so much sense to me later as I really considered "In the beginning GOd..."

I'd no doubt like to begin this year with more of God.d

1. Begin to give God more... this principle is simply, God will be a debter to no one, yet I know the areas I held back giving God everything in, and I'd like to turn those areas back over to God.

2. Begin to call upon the name of the Lord more... Although my heart was completely emptied in asking God to "earthly heal my mother" We need to also humble ourselves and call upon the name of the Lord in the "Little areas" too. We can be too prideful sometimes and think "this is an area I don't need God to bless, I can take care of this, and I'll trust God for the big stuff.

3. Begin to pray WITH others more. Too often last year I allowed smiling faces to mask the pain I sensed was going on in people, only to discover later their laughter was truly a cry for help. I believe I overlooked so many opportunities

4. Begin to go to church more. As the kids get older and more involved in activities and friends, church became the easy way to buy back time...What should happen is manuvering more time to "get to church"

5. Begin to be there more for my family. This is personal yet I'm sure in some ways others will other stand. Going through the loss of my mother last year literally "ROCKED MY WORLD" it gave the enemy an enormous platform to corner me into a complete state of withdrawal, to where I looked for a comfort zone that I thought would make it easy for God to protect me in a corner, and I didn't move from it. It was a place of selfishness, a place of cynicism, a place of denial, it was the place I thought I was partying in, but when it was over I realized it was a "PITY PARTY". I lost a lot more than my mother at that party , and I pray that Lord is gracious and merciful to blessed the end more than the beginning like He did with "Job"

Remember Job; God allowed Satan to take everything away from Job, his family , his livestock, his wealth, and yet after Job had struggled with the reason why, and came to his senses and said "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You."Job 42:2

God opened the windows of heaven and blessed Job (pronounced Joeb) "Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning"  Job 42:12