Where did 2008 go? This past year has flown by. I am not sure why each year seems to go by faster- if it’s because life gets busier or if it’s that I am getting older. Either way, 2008 is gone and 2009 is here, and it’s time to look toward the future. I love this time of year. It is time to be with family and share special moments, but it is also a great time to regroup, refocus, get ready for the upcoming year. At the end of each year, I like to stop and reflect on what all God has done over the past year. It is a great way to remind ourselves of how great God really is. Even in the toughest of years, you see God’s goodness and grace. This past year has been a roller coaster ride for me and my family. I have seen God move in ways in our Student Ministry that have blown me away. I have seen students come to Christ on Wednesday night almost every week. Then there was camp – 31 students gave their lives to Christ. On the other hand, as a family we have dealt with new challenges that have forced us to come together and learn to trust God like never before. As we go into this new year, we do not know what to expect, but what we can expect is for God to be for us (Romans 8:31). Every year before we go to Student Camp, I challenge our students to look forward to camp and expect God to do something in their life. So before this year gets kicked off- What are you expecting God to do in 2009? That can be a pretty hard question to answer. As I look into the life of my family and the life of the ministry I serve, I have some expectations about what God will do.

In the student ministry at The Church at Pinnacle Hills, I am expecting another God-sized year. I want our ministry to be known as a Refuge for students all over the region. I am praying that we will see more kids come to Christ than ever before. I am asking God to do great things in the lives of our students, but also through the lives of our students. I want to see our students become ministers on their campuses. Learning to love not just their “little group,” but learning to love each person right where they are. I am praying God will raise up this generation and to see them turn back to Him. I see so much potential in the students I work with, and that excites me and motivates me more than anything. As a Student Minister, I am asking God to send parents to serve in the Student Ministry to help love on these students and challenge them to live godly lives. Please pray with me this year for this generation – that we will see a them cry out to God and that they will seek Him with all of their heart, soul, and mind. The only way this will happen is through prayer. We must turn back to being a nation of prayer. Praying is where it starts and where it ends. Please join with me this year to envelope these students, children, kids, in prayer. I am going into 2009 very energized about what God is going to do.

This past year has been a year of change in the life of our family. We started this year with my wife, Stacey, very sick. For the next four months we went to visit many doctors to find help for her. On April 1st she was diagnosed with Lupus. I won’t go into it all, but she has a lot of pain in her body and her energy level is gone. With all of that said, we have had to learn to trust in God a different way; a deeper more child-like faith. As 2009 approaches, I am expecting God to do something big in Stacey’s life. We serve a big God where all things are possible. I believe God will heal her. I don’t know what that looks like, I just know I believe. Its that child-like faith that God has called us to. Not a blind or dumb faith but child like – “I know my dad is stronger than your dad” faith. Thank you, God, for getting us through this past year. I expect to see our family grow in our prayer life as we trust God with each and every day. I want my children to learn now that prayer is our lifeline, not just when trouble hits our life, but every day. I am praying for my kids to be used of God to touch their generation and to bring glory to God through their lives. I am going into 2009 with my family expecting the unexplainable.

As each of us take time these next couple of days to reflect back on 2008, let us also look forward and expect a God-sized year. As we look at 2009, it is already a little unstable. With the economy not looking too bright, it is easy to worry and fear what is to come. Psalms 39:7 says, “My hope is in You, Lord.” Psalms 62:5-8 says, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.” What a beautiful passage to meditate on as we go into the coming year. Go, expecting God to be God, for He is good.