2006 - A year in review

Another year has passed. I look back on my accomplishments and wish I could say that I lived this year to the fullest, that I had done all that I had intended, achieved all my goals, been the person I ought to have been, obeyed my God as is fitting in his sight; but if I am to take an honest account of my life I must admit failure, at least partly. I know there were times that I passed up an opportunity to share the gospel, when I misspoke while teaching out of ignorance or haste, when I was not a model of integrity for those around me, or even in secret, when my own moral failures weighed down on me like a mountain of guilt threatening to crush me beneath their enormity. That being said, that I acknowledge so many failures does little to diminish what I consider to be a successful year, both in leadership and continued personal growth. Below I present a list of some of what I consider to be the major milestones of personal import in 2006.

January through June

Started running the sound system at church. An arduous journey of humbling failures that still progresses as I attempt to convey the perfect sound to people who otherwise have no knowledge of my existence. A truly thankless position.

Started teaching youth on Wednesday nights. Gaining the trust of kids who have had so much taken from them is difficult. Originally I took the position as a favor to another, and stayed on long after for the opportunity to make some positive impact in the lives of these kids whom I have come to care for.

Felt an overwhelming conviction to enroll in Seminary. I always knew in the back of my mind that I would like to go some day, but it never surfaced until one day I could not stop thinking about it. I enrolled and began classes in the fall.

Working with our music director I co-produced and directed the Easter presentation at Church. It was a dark and somber look at the path Jesus took to the cross and that which he accomplished there.

I completed my second presentation of Financial Peace University, the thirteen week course designed to help people get control of their finances. Those who attended, by their own profession and to the glory of God, have made extraordinary strides to free themselves from the bondage of debt.

In May I joined the blogosphere. This place has been a wonderful sink into which I have poured many hours of thought and pondering, sharing the insightful and mundane alike with my few, but faithful readers.

July through December

Ordered and constructed a suit of ghillie. Wearing my battle dress and with nerves of steel, I continuously wreak havoc on those who wander into my web.

I returned to the world of academia by starting classes at SWBTS. The path was difficult and forced me to be more purposeful in the allocation of my time. I completed my first semester with a 4.0, a first since high school, a feat never accomplished during my undergrad.

Started a project of home improvement that has grown beyond the scope of its vision. We painted the majority of the house in cool colors forever banishing the drab off-white that haunted us for years. We installed tile and wood flooring throughout the main living areas. It looks like a new house.

Made contact with several long, lost friends. Some through people networking, others by sleuthing the internet. As much as I disparage MySpace, it is an excellent tool for finding people that you haven’t thought about in years.

General Accomplishments

Completed chapters 3 through 6 in the book of Romans with my Sunday School class. Much to their dislike, we have slowly combed through this book as I present John Piper’s teachings of this, the greatest and most comprehensive single presentation of the gospel in the Bible.

This year I think I finally was able to begin to grasp, not just ackowledge intellectually, but really savor, the idea of justification by faith through grace, that no work was done, nor could ever be done, by me to secure my salvation. I remember when this first hit home as I was preparing for class, in the midst of chapter three, tears began to well up in my eyes. I am not an emotional person, and tears in my eyes is the equivalent of another person weeping in the quiet of their room in the dark of night. The beauty of that revelation still makes me stand in awe when I contemplate the magnificence of the love of God, that he would save one such as I.

Renewed contact with family near and far. Early in the year I felt bored. I did not seek a new hobby, as those are ephemeral. I later realized that relationships are important, not secondary to the human experience. We were created to be a community and that drive exists in some measure in all people. Likewise, I expanded and redefined relationships with current friends, sometimes painfully, but those with whom I have made the effort, I feel more at peace with the result than had I not addressed the underlying currents that sought to destroy the tenuous bonds of friendship.

Much has been gained this year. I thank God for another year, and pray that I do not squander the time I have to serve him amidst the trivial and fruitless expressions of menial human pursuit that so often define the lives of God’s people, whilst a hurting generation unknowingly yearns for purpose beyond the empty lie that has promulgated; that the ultimate pursuit of satisfaction can be found anywhere save in the presence of God’s unfathomable love.