2009: Finding God Bigger

Last post of the year...and of the decade. Weird.

This year was amazing. It far exceeded expectations. I have probably anticipated this year more than any other, due to the fact I've had a "Class of 2009" t-shirt since middle school. But truly, I couldn't have asked for a better year. It was a tremendous blessing, especially after the hardships of 2008.

This time last year I was petrified about what was coming. I wasn't sure what I was going to be doing. I couldn't see the path in front of me farther than my toes. A year later, I've had some of the best experiences in my life, and I have some vague idea of what's coming. But more than that, God has yet again (and again and again!) proved Himself faithful, in so many ways.

I blogged this last year on New Year's. It's so cool to see where God has brought me this year.

To me, New Year's is a time to reflect and contemplate and worship. It's a time to consider what God has done and rejoice in what He will do. This past year had been really rough. And I know 2009 will be a time of change and transition, and I'm not sure I'm ready. But my God is faithful.

My God is faithful!

My understanding of His faithfulness has increased this year. I've got a long ways to go - I have a feeling I'll still be learning this from beyond the grave.

There were so many awesome little things that God worked out - an amazing senior year, winning state, senior trip, YIM tour, summer camp, tutoring. And there were things that were greater than anything I could have dreamed, events that truly have been life changing - the East Asia trip and Summit Semester.

In my plan of two years ago, these never would have happened. In my plan of 12 months ago, they wouldn't have happened. That's why God is God - He sees what I cannot and would not see, and He orchestrates everything for His glory. And I have the privilege of trusting Him and being able to participate in what He's doing, which is absolutely amazing.

I haven't understood everything that happened this year, and I don't know what's coming. But I know I am right where I am supposed to be - learning to trust God.

Looking back on this year, I have had an experience much like Lucy Penvensie in Prince Caspian when she encounters Aslan again after returning to Narnia. Aslan had not grown, but her perspective had changed. As He told her: "Every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

This year, I have found God to be bigger and more beautiful and more faithful. May this be my discovery every year of my life.

Review and Preview

Fail! July was the third month of this year in which I posted nothing at all. So much for the consecutive months streaks of 07 and 08...

This is interesting to me because I've had more to think about this year in terms of sheer volume of information and importance of major events than I've had in many years, perhaps my whole life. Multiple events this year have certainly been milestone marking, if not life changing or life defining. Yet my writing, in real life pen-and-paper as well as cyberspace, doesn't have as much to show for it as previous years. Awesome.

I've got all these thoughts and words and ideas inside me, below the surface, that need to and will come tumbling out eventually. Hopefully I can channel them creatively and coherently into something worth writing, reading, and remembering. (Wow that sounded New Age...sorry about that. still definitely orthodox biblical Christian here.) The the point is I need to process everything that's been put into my brain, and for me that happens through writing.

So, look for a series of post on media (theory not practice) forthcoming soon to a blog near you. These are inspired by the recent attendance of the amazing ECHO conference, and will include a discussion of media as it relates to culture, the Church, and missions.

Also prone to tumble out and interrupt any resemblance of an orderly series are thoughts stemming from two weeks at the Summit. Over eighty (yes, 80) hours in the classroom discussing what it means to have a Christian worldview and think Christian-ly about everything provides much material to process.

Oh, and I'm going to summer camp this week, which will definitely be theologically intense - not your average church camp. So I'll probably be processing that too.

Ultimately, the goal is to process all these thoughts before heading off to Summit Semester in just over a month, because there I'll get enough information to require a lifetime of thinking and processing, quite literally.

So. Stay tuned to this space as I attempt to make the rambling fragments of my brain coherent and useful.