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I don’t know where I first heard this.  For that matter, I don’t even know if it’s true.  But I like it.  Here goes:

“Whatever you find yourself doing at New Years, that’s what you’ll be doing the remainder of the year.”

Again, I don’t have any evidence that this is true.  I simply suspect that it’s true because people don’t change magically because we change the calendar.  The ball dropping in Times Square doesn’t crush old habits nor do the fireworks give rise to new ones.  We need the Spirit’s work to change us, and He is if we are Christ’s (Phil. 1:6).

But I can see how that phrase could be depressing if you’ve been trying unsuccessfully to change some things in life.  The phrase can even sound like trying to get that last-minute tax deduction by giving to a charity before midnight December 31st. If we just spend the last few minutes of 2009 doing that thing I want to do next year…!

But I like the phrase and draw encouragement from it because for us the last few New Years celebrations have been filled with prayer, fellowship, and celebration with the saints at FBC.  Last year we had a “watch night” or New Year’s Eve service.  We hadn’t had one in a while, I’m told.  So, I didn’t know what to expect.  There were folks attending from all over the island, giving testimonies, singing together, reflecting on God’s kindness in the year past, and expressing hope for the year to come.  We brought the year in on bended knee, which was how I hoped the year ahead would be lived.

Two years ago, we had a wonderful time of fellowship with a group of saints meeting at a member’s home.  We laughed, prayed through the membership directory, talked about our hopes in the Lord, watched movies, ate popcorn, and stayed up until about 5:00am January 1st!  It was awesome.  We’re doing it again this year.  We’ll see about the 5am part; that’ll depend on how good my nap is this afternoon!

Anyway, we enjoy bringing in the New Year with God’s people in groups small or large, singing His praises, praying in His name, looking for His coming, and loving one another.  I hope that characterizes our year and yours in 2010.

How will you mark the New Year?

Happy New Year!

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