Wow.

There it is…2006 summed up in one 3-letter, 1-syllable word.  To date, I’ve seen 23 of these years go by; some of them I don’t remember at all, some I’d rather not, even if I could, and some that will stick in my memory forever.  Regardless, one fact grows more and more apparent to me each and every year…each passing year seems to be shorter than the one before it.  I mean, I just now got used to writing 2006, not 2005 on date-sensitive material.  Now, I have to re-learn it again.  Where did the time go?  What did I do?  What happened?

REFLECTIONS

 I think I can remember almost this entire year.  One of my favorite sayings is that I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, much less anything that was told to me weeks or months ago…..eluding to the fact I don’t retain a lot of useless facts in my long-term memory.  It wasn’t until recently that someone pointed out to me that I don’t eat breakfast….which may be the key reason in never remembering what I ate…….nonetheless, to say I remember parts of an entire year is, well, impressive. 

I can think back through lots of things…My dad’s retirement party…workings hours and hours to design the AV systems for this Children’s Building…Chris’s Wedding…Worship Under the Stars….Easter….Aaron Peck…the Arts Conference…weekend after weekend serving at Canyon Ridge…playing drums for Chris Tomlin’s "The Noise we Make"…King’sFaire….the nightmare that was Craig’s sabbatical…Hiring Chris…hearing Chris say he was leaving…Fun times with friends ….my wife, Casey…my stupid dogs…waiting for Cory Edwards to stop learning how to do new things….hiring Stephen…..the list goes on and on. 

I did a lot, in the sense I was busy all the time….but what did I DO?  Did I impact you?  Did I impact you POSITIVELY?  Did I make a difference somewhere?  Am I out of breathe for no reason?   We are 24 days from moving in the new building, and things are getting done….I made life-long friends at the Arts Conference….I was part of an incredibly inspiring worship event back east…..all of these things lead me to believe that NO….it wasn’t for no reason…..but the over-analytical part of my brain wonders what didn’t get done, because of the times I got lazy, or I didn’t do it with excellence.  Who got overlooked….who got jilted…..what could I have done better?

I have encountered some truely amazing people this year…and have started what I hope to be, the basis of a life-long friendship with some of them.  At the same time…..it seems this year that close friendships that I had, seemed to dwindle away to nearly nothing…..right before me…..part of life I guess?  Being in Las Vegas a little over three years now has begun to rub off on me a little…..because if I could sum up my 2006 in one motto phrase, it would be "you’ve got to play the cards you’re dealt".  I got a lot of things the way I wanted….I got a lot of things I didn’t want….I got a lot of things I tried not to get, but got anyways….I’ve had things I wanted, but didn’t get.  All of these made me who I am now….whether I liked them at the time or not, I am HOPING that they have made me a better, stronger, happier person.  Time will tell I guess.

Ripples

Usually, reflections in water are caused by the ripples you make.  Look at a pool by a house….you don’t see the reflection of the water on the side of the house, until you begin to make ripples.  But in this case, it was my reflections, that are going to cause the ripples.

What is 2007 going to bring?  I have no idea.  I know the usual….a birthday in May….2 new buildings at church….Easter….Christmas…but past that, what?  I know I am going to make some new friends….and unfortunately, going to lose some too.  But this year, I’m going to cause some ripples.  Not just plug a cable in the wall, but plug it in, and help someone understand that by plugging it in, they are helping bring the Word to someone who has never heard it.  Not just develop friends, but develop friendships that go deeper than the occasional "hello"…friendships that I can learn from, and that can learn from me.  Not just help produce another worship event back east, but create a moment for God to reveal Himself to me and others in a way He never has before.  I don’t want to just do it…..I want to DO it. 

The ones who read this may just be the people who have impacted me the most….some more than others….you know who you are.  For all of you though, thank you for what you have offered me this year.  I hope that in some tiny way, I was able to impact you this year.

Have a great New Year’s everyone…..thanks for being part of my life story…..because of you, it’s sure to be a Best Seller.