Looking Forward through the Rear View Mirror

Admittedly I've used this same title for first-of-the-year sermons in years past. In doing so it has been my intention to acknowledge my own past faith failures and God's past faithfulness to form and inform a prognosis for the next new year.

For me, there remain two yearly start-up times. September (the school calendar) seems to hit me as the time to pick up the pace and hit everything hard. In my case, September is the "don't think; just do" season. January, on the other hand comes with the kind of quiet reflection that mid-winter seems to bring many of us. Somehow, it's like looking forward through the rear view mirror. Faith borne from gratitude.

Without question, 2012 was a year of transition and high adventure for our family, perhaps unlike anything we have experienced to date. We witnessed the weddings of both our son and daughter. Never would we have anticipated our children's nuptials taking place within the same year, let alone within a calendar month. Admittedly, witnessing a son or daughter, (in our case son and daughter) being wed was for me akin to an out of body experience, like "is this really happening?" I was reminded this past year just how fast time flies. And all of the rumors of weddings being expensive are true.

Our two family weddings allowed us to reconnect with long-time friends and family (also long-time I suppose) in two states. I was reminded again of the ties that bind.

This past year Deb and I also left what we'd known as familiar for the unfamiliar. We relocated from Everett WA to Juneau AK, without jobs, without guarantees, and without universal approval. After 19 years in the same Puget Sound locale we left and went because we both felt we were "supposed to" leave and go. How gracious has our God been to allow us never to waver in our sense of calling or in our joy of calling this new place home.

It would be easy to say we "accomplished" some things; but the truth is, everything gained has been graciously given to us. Housing, and growing friendships in our own neighborhood;  a perfect job for Deb at the University; a new gig to fill my daytime hours subbing in the school district; an ever-widening circle of relationships; the beginnings of a core (perhaps several cores) of people who want to learn what it is to be a gospel-motivated community on mission together; and churches and individuals who believe in what we're doing enough to support and encourage our church-planting work here.

And this doesn't even speak to how we get to live in what is regarded as one of the most beautiful places on earth. (1.2 million annual cruise ship passengers can't be wrong!)

Eleven months in, Juneau is home. Juneau is mission field. We have been humbled by and astounded over God's faithful provision, which includes vision. How could we step into this fresh new year without commensurate humility and astonishment?

(And thanks, Joel Abbott for the photo!)