If I could sum 2012 up in one word it would be transition. This year seems to have been peppered with various transitions of one kind or another. Some have been difficult, and others have been a delightful blessing. In all of them, I have seen My Savior in ways that I have never experienced Him before. 2012 was one of the best years of my life in many ways.
* Ministry ~ This year I jumped into a new realm that I never envisioned myself doing ~ women's ministry. I always thought I'd some how support college ministry and be involved with that age group. Truth is, I was hiding behind what I'd always known. My pastor even called me out on it...oh, how I have come to appreciate that man's influence in my life! It started with helping plan the 2012 retreat, which was so much fun. I got to work with some incredible women in putting that together and I believe others were blessed by the team effort. I have also become more involved with the Brazil prayer team and love it! Not only has it drawn me closer to our missionaries there, it's drawn me closer to those I pray with each month. The Lord also blessed me with the opportunity to share Christ with a new attendee at our church...and she came to know Him. Now, Tammy is a dear friend and sister in Christ and we share so much in our discipleship time. It seriously just doesn't get better than influencing others to know and grow in Jesus....and the influence is reciprocal. A second joy to that experience was the two of us praying for Tammy's husband's salvation, and in November, Mike let Christ into his life. I can hardly wait to see what Jesus does in their lives!!
*School ~ The new adventure for 2012. Well, new and old. I have continued taking classes through the Maple City Baptist Bible Institute. I will complete this three year training in March of 2013. Honestly, when I started, it was to take a counseling class and be done with it. But as He often does, my path was changed once I started. This experience has given me so many tools to use in studying the Word of God. My walk with Him has deepened. My ability to counsel others with the Word has improved exponentially. All of the credit goes to the Holy Spirit because without Him, no amount of study would reveal the heart knowledge I've gained. The newest adventure is my return to collegiate study. I started my Master's program in Biblical Counseling with Liberty University. I took one class this year and will start up again in April. It was intense, scary and so rewarding all at the same time. I was able to use what I have learned at Bible Institute over and over again.
*Travel ~ I got to cross off another 'bucket list' location this year...Alaska. I knew when I flew over Alaska in 2005 on my way to the Philippines that I wanted to visit there some day. That day came in mid July when three of my traveling compatriots and I set sail on Disney Cruise. Alaska was everything I thought it would be and more. The scenery and way of life is so different than in the lower 48. Again, I was awed by the Creator and His creation...bear, eagles, mountains, fjords, glaciers, seals, snow. I took a morning to myself and ambled along the streets of Ketchikan, meeting fascinating people, listening to their stories, and wanting to spend more time in their quaint town! Also enjoyed a very brief visit to Victoria, British Columbia...another must return city. My favorite was the glacier at Tracy Arm. It was as beautiful to me as the coral blue waters of the Caribbean!
* Read ~ Honestly, I seemed to have little time to read for fun. Best book this year was one by Andy Stanley called Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living. Excellent read on character development. Favorite Bible read was Proverbs. I spent the entire summer reading and rereading it, getting something new each time.
* UGH ~ I was so right on my 2011 prediction that I would hate the political scene of 2012, but I never realized just how awful it would be!! I was so very sick of all of the chatter on the television and facebook that I took a break from both for awhile. I used to be interested in politics, but it seems that I have lost every bit of interest in it. Don't know if that is because I am maturing and realizing that they all lie, or if it's because the Lord has taken me to a different place that I now understand that He is truly in charge and my job is to pray for our leaders. Yes, I do exercise my right to vote, but I find it completely useless to get into vain conversations about it all.
* Battles ~ Yep, had a few of those this year. Took a stance on First Amendment rights and marriage only to lose a fb friend over it. Sometimes that happens. The world's view is not biblical and well, I really want to be a bible gal! Most of the battles were of a spiritual nature and refined, grew, and deepened my faith and character.
* Forgiveness ~ Yet again, I found myself dealing with this most wonderful and precious gift on a multitude of levels and occasions in 2012. The details of this one will have to wait for a blog on another day....
* Blessings ~ So many, but almost every one of them involved people. Relationships are where it's at for me. New ones that feel like we've been close for years, old ones that have grown deeper when I didn't think that was even possible, renewed ones that bring a smile to my heart, some that have grown a bit distant for what I hope is for a short time, and sadly, some that have died on the vine. Interestingly, none that remained static...but I think that's the true nature of having good, soul nourishing relationships in my life. I am abundantly blessed where this is concerned.
2013...the year of my jubilee...yep, turning 50 this year. While it's just a number, it's also a challenge to live my life in a very different way for the remaining years I have on this earth than I did the previous 50. I am looking very forward to that challenge and seeing where the Lord will take me. I sense it will be the most fulfilling and joy filled time of my life. I love how He has changed me in the past year, and I anticipate more changes coming. Now...that's really living!
Philippians 3:13-14~ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
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