A Year in Review

It's difficult to summarize an entire year in a few paragraphs, so I thought I'd wrap up 2012 with some lists.


Family Highlights
Daren's ordination!
The adoption of our niece, Willow Grace!
The birth of our second son, Justus Scott!
The day Justus was released from the hospital!
Jackson being potty-trained and moving into his big-boy bed!
The birth of Kate Rene, our second niece!

Top Ministry Moments
Attending our first-ever regional women's retreat and hearing women's stories and testimonies.
All the fun and memorable moments at CTV Family Camp.
Weekly prayer walks with Jackson in our neighborhood.
The CTV Ladies Craft Time Amber and I planned and hosted.

Gut-Wrenching Experiences
Finding out our son was experiencing seizures and would be admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Sitting in the parents' room of the NICU while Justus underwent a spinal tap.
Receiving a phone call that Dana and Nick had been in a bad car accident and her water broke.
(Thankfully, through the Lord's awesome grace and provision, each one of these experiences had a happy ending)

Thought-Provoking Books

"The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", Harriet Ann Jacobs
"Theirs is the Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America", Robert D. Lupton
"Life with God", Richard Foster
"Narrative of Sojourner Truth"
"Jesus Calling", Sarah Young

Most-Played Songs on my Ipod
"Moves Like Jagger"- Maroon 5
"I Got a Woman"- Ray Charles
"Home"- Phillip Phillips
"Little Lies"- Fleetwood Mac
"Hello"- Lionel Richie
"Love You Like a Love Song"- Selena Gomez

Most-Watched Netflix Shows
Downton Abbey
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Parks and Rec
Desperate Housewives
Army Wives
Battlestar Galactica
Star Trek
(Yes, my taste in televison shows are quite varied and eclectic!)

I Survived...
Being pregnant and raising a two year old along with teaching at staff trainings, being project manager for CAP (and also teaching and assessing) and being a core group leader for Community Bible Study.
A mountain hike with a screaming toddler and a police inquiry (someone thought Jackson was being kidnapped due to his hysterics).
12 days of having my baby in the hospital.
30 minutes of horrendous pain as a doctor scraped my uterus for leftover placenta after delivery.
Christmas was with a baby and a sick toddler.
Weeks of sleepless nights, toddler temper tantrums, and the insanity of adjusting to life with 2 kids!

So long, 2012! All in all, you weren't a bad year. Looking forward to what 2013 will bring!

Hope for a Weary World

I'll admit that when bad things happen to me or my loved ones, I wonder why God allows such things to occur. When I hear about terrible crimes committed against innocent victims, I question God's compassion. I know God is sovereign- He is in control and nothing can ever change that. His love is greater than anything we can imagine- yet these questions lurk in the back of my mind when there are no easy answers.

I try to make sense of these things- I try to understand why God allows suffering. Sometimes, there is an explanation. We know from James that suffering produces perseverance (James 1:2-4). God can shape our character through hard times. However, I am realizing that there is not always an explanation for suffering other than we live in a fallen world. Sometimes we can't make sense of why things happen.

In my devotional, Jesus Calling, I was struck by the following passage:

"Because the world is in an abnormal, fallen condition, people tend to think chance governs the universe. Events may seem to occur randomly, with little or no meaning. People who view the world this way have overlooked one basic fact: the limitations of human understanding. What you know of the world you inhabit is only the tip of the iceberg. Submerged beneath the surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast for you to comprehend...This is why you must live by faith, not by sight; trusting in My [God's], mysterious, majestic Presence" (581).

In a way, it's comforting to know that we don't have to have all the answers. One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, " declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

It's difficult to have faith when explanations allude us and situations seem hopeless. When I allow myself to dwell on my own suffering or the suffering of others, I neglect to accept the joy and peace the Lord so freely gives. God never promised us a problem-free life, but He did promise us His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.

We live in a fallen world where bad things happen and we don't know why. We live in a world where people are hurting, downtrodden, weary. Thankfully, we live in a world with a Savior. A Savior who gives Hope, Peace, Joy and most of all LIFE.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.