Looking back, looking forward

Geez, I haven't blogged since last year!!! I know, corny joke, but when else do you get to say stuff like "you haven't bathed since 2003???"or "I think I'll leave the dishes until next year". So gotta take the gap while I can... :)

We brought the New Year in at a 30th birthday party with a crowd of great people - a bit different to sitting on our front verandah and watching far-off fireworks while trying not to exclaim too loudly in case we wake the neighbours. This year the neighbours didn't stand a chance - the music was loud, the people were many, the corks got a good distance at midnight and may be found floating in the neighbour's pool. It was great to be with friends! When we finally got home we saw the tail-end of the beachfront fireworks, which was good enough for us.

And I did managed to get two kisses out of my favourite Spur-waiter earlier in the day - major score! :)

Looking back, I'm very glad that 2003 is over and done with. It was a tough year, especially financially. Most of it was not my fault - the administrators fined me one month's salary thanks to an error I made, there were unexpected emergency costs and we just never got back on our feet. But through it all God did the most wonderful things! I gave up trying to fix our problems myself, leaned on Him and He came through in a BIG way.

2003 was also a year of change, especially spiritual change. I "discovered" emerging church, alt worship and many other mind-blowing concepts. I made a decision to stop fence-sitting - just serve in one church and stop attending the other. I started on a massive journey of discovery, but have so far only reached Signpost #1. I took the plunge to be different even if others give me hell for it.

At the beginning of 2003 the pastor asked us to make a list of 3 things we wanted to do in the year. Spiritual stuff. I wrote down:
1. Show a Christian attitude to my colleagues - spoken and unspoken.
2. Re-discover my enthusiasm for God and His mission in my life.
3. Give all to the ministries He calls me to.
And I'm happy to report that, generally-speaking, I've managed to stick with the programme on those! Of course it helps that the main thorn-in-the-flesh at work left earlier this year, decreasing my negative thoughts and stress by 100%!

I'm actually looking forward to 2004. I know this is going to be a year of big changes. Our visa application for Australian migration is due to be processed this year. We'll know whether we'll be strangers in a strange land or more-of-the-same's pretty soon. The first "other" grandchild arrives this year in our family. The finances are looking up. And I have a PLAN - an important thing to have in my life, as I always seem to need a mission to be on, even if that mission changes constantly. This year's mission is preparation for a move around the world. It involves serious financial planning, chucking out ruthlessly everything that's not essential to our existence, making sure we're ready to go at a month or less's notice.

I'm starting this year on a pretty positive note. I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead - but check back with me in a few weeks once things get hectic here at work... I'm pretty happy and satisfied at the moment, instead of uncertain and searching.

The only thing that has really saddened me is the flood of disasters that has struck world-wide - Iran, California, Iraq, South Africa (our road death toll alone for the year was nearly 10,000! And then there's crime...). I see so much sadness and hard stuff going on around me. It's tough to see how folk are suffering.

But who knows - this could be the earth's last year before we make the Big Trip to be with God forever! Everything going on points to the fact that this planet can't last too much longer. LORD, TAKE US HOME!

Happy 2004 to all!