It\u2019s once again time for a new year to begin, or as a good friend said to me on December 30, \u201cGood time for a restart, and fresh inspiration. Rest up from the last trip, cuz it\u2019s time for another trip around the sun!\u201d The Japanese reportedly have \u201cBonenkai,\u201d or \u201cForget the Year\u201d parties in which they burn their old calendars and celebrate the new year. There is something to be said for moving on, by dealing appropriately with the past. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, \u201cFinish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.\u201d The Apostle Paul wrote, \u201cOne thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on\u201d (Philippians 3:13-14). One of my favorite New Year\u2019s quotes is from a poem first published in 1908, \u201cAnd I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: \u2018Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.\u2019 And he replied: \u2018Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you, better than light and safer than a known way.\u2019\u201d Happy New Year!<\/p>\n
Join me this week in remembering the following global requests:
\n\u2022 Many parts of the world celebrate Orthodox Christmas on Thursday, January 7. Pray for missionaries who serve in these places as they share the true meaning of Christmas.
\n\u2022 Pray for Charlotte as she develops culturally adapted children\u2019s activities and games that teach biblical concepts for Roma children in Brazil.
\n\u2022 Pray for Cindy in metro Vancouver, Canada whose bone density has decreased sharply resulting in seven broken vertebrae through simple movement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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