A Guest Post from the Dh

I'll turn 48 this year. Sam will be a senior at Lipscomb High School and Claire will start her junior year at Lipscomb College.

Melanie and I have been married 25 year and I've been working at the same job for nearly 21 years. If I'm not old, I'm surely middle aged and maybe a little more...lol.

The earth has revolved around the sun over 2010 times since the birth of our Lord (depending on when you actually place his birth . . . sometime between 3 and 6 BC if I remember my Bible classes).

Each time the earth rotates around the sun another time, we celebrate our victories and mourn our losses. I lost my mom 22 years ago, my grand dad 38 years ago, and my friend Bob almost 3 years ago.

I watched Claire graduate from Mercy this year, which has been the greatest blessing I could have ever asked for her. I've watched her grow and heal and it's been wonderful.

I still have a job and these days that's certainly something to be thankful for, and a Godly wife who loves me more than I deserve.

Sam is just fun to have around and is making really good progress in school. He's dating Samantha and they're already talking about maybe getting married one day (wow!). He struggles with his faith, but I pray he will find that religion is not from God. Christ is. What the world needs is a relationship with a healing savior. Unfortunately, religion often gets in the way (did I mention the crusades...lol).

Anyway, on this January 1, 2011, I squat in my chair (because I still can't sit) but I'm thankful that I can squat because standing is tiresome and makes my feet hurt and I'm thankful I'm learning to sit Indian style again. Maybe my butt will heal this year or I'll get some shots. Anyway, its a minor inconvenience.

It's dark outside and has obviously been raining. I wonder what God has out there for me this year. I wonder how many more times the earth will rotate around the sun before the Son comes back to claim the victory and we will find an eternal home. I wonder what heaven is like. 

I don't know what heaven will be like and its hard to believe in something you can't imagine. I read The Shack this year and I imagine God's love is what will be at the center of heaven, so maybe the particulars don't matter so much; only I'd really like to get a little better idea of things there. I mean, is there really no marriage (so no sex). That seems terrible depressing, but then again, I'm sure it won't be depressing. It will be wonderful. I just can't imagine it.

Well, however many more times the earth rotates or however more days God gives me breath on this earth, I hope you will find the Love of God in Christ to be more important than any of the temporary problems we have to deal with and joy will grow in your life and blow a calm air of contentment and peace over your heart each day.

I want to do a good deed each day but some days it's just not enough. I want to know what I'll be doing in 5 years, 10 years, 40 years. I want a plan. I guess God has a plan. I just don't get to see all of it and I guess that's OK.

Let us all pray more this year. Let us all read the Bible a little more this year. Let's all love each other a little more this year and by all means lets all take more opportunities to say thank you this year.

There's no better way to let love grow in your heart and the hearts of those around you then to express a little gratitude. I haven't read this book but heard the author interviewed on NPR so its definitely on my reading list this year: 365 Thank Yous.

So, if you read this. Thank you. If you commented on any of my posts this year. Thank you. If you prayed for me or for Melanie or for my kids. Thank you.

May this year be a blessing for you and yours and may your heart be filled with thankfulness each day.

God bless you.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

A