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A couple of weeks ago, Bryant asked me to write the article for the NICF's bulletin. This is a new venture for NICF, and I was happy to write something. Here's what I wrote on the end of the year...

The new year. Just the thought of it brings many things to our minds. As I was thinking about what to share in this note, a lot of the clichés came to my mind: “it’s a new year, a fresh start. Resolve to do things differently in 2009! You can do it!” But then I reconsidered. What about looking back at this past year as well? A song I’ve heard many times over the years has a line which asks the question, “How do you measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee? In inches, in miles, in laughter and strife?” And this line seems to be fitting as we look back on a year that was definitely filled with laughter and strife, many miles covered, many days spent. In my own life, I’ve seen friends go through the death of a loved one, friends have their first child, and for myself, I got married this year. It was definitely a year of laughter, joy, and strife for so many of us. If you’re like me, at the end of the year you search websites that list some of the biggest newsmakers from the past year, the biggest news stories and happenings. Just in this country alone, there were earthquakes, dissent, scandals, and the largest sporting event in the world. Throughout the rest of the world, we saw scandal, financial crisis, war, continuation of war, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, death, political turmoil, and political changes, just to name a few. In my country alone, so much changed in 2008. We saw the election of our first African American president, and it was a proud moment for many Americans, no matter their political views. Unfortunately, economic crisis has ruled the last months of 2008, and we look forward to 2009 bringing a new hope to us all.

It’s interesting to look at how our lives have been shaped by what has happened in the world in the past 12 months of sunsets, daylights, miles, laughter, and strife, but what else can we use to measure 2008? How about by His standards? Have we done that? Have we taken the time to ask ourselves how much we’ve grown spiritually this year? Have we considered those resolutions we made at the beginning of the year and maybe forgot about two weeks later? I often find myself resolving to spend more time in the Word, committing myself to ministry, but then it manages to fall by the wayside as I get busy with work, family life, and the everyday-ness of life. My commitment to the One who matters most, my heavenly Father, falls short. So how do I change this? This is difficult to answer, but I would offer one suggestion. Instead of making resolutions that we know we won’t keep (losing weight, studying harder, saving more money, becoming more patient, worrying less), why not focus on one? Resolve this year to follow God more closely. If we do this, our lives won’t be easier, but things will certainly seem to “fall into place” more. If we resolve to spend more time in prayer, spend more time reading the Word, and do things that encourage us in our faith, that, ultimately, will make our year fruitful. If we’re seeking Him, we will want to study harder, using those gifts and opportunities He’s given us. We will want to take care of our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit. We won’t worry so much because we know He is in control. We will become more patient because, again, we know He is in control. We will be good stewards of our money because we know it is His to give and take away. Our relationship with God will guide every facet of our life.

As we look ahead to 2009, think about how you want to measure your year. Evaluate your current relationship with God and see how you can make it better. What can you do to draw closer to Him each and everyday? How can you serve Him better? How can you become more like Him? Hopefully by the end of 2009, you will have a new measurement of the year, not just in daylights and sunsets, cups of coffee, or miles, but in how your relationship with the Father changed your life.