WhooHooo

So Nicole and I have both had our birthday's recently.  They have been great times, filled with friends and family with some presents thrown in there...typical in many ways.  I've realized though that we don't do birthdays like many people!  There was no hype, no great parties, no intensely planned days, just a time to reflect and thank.  Birthdays to me are really evaluation times.  It's a personal mark every year to set goals and reflect on things that have happened.  Like our anniversary we sat and talked about where we have come as individuals and taken some time to contemplate where we are heading.  This has been a major year in our lives, moving churches, communities, friends and cultures.  It's been a year of loss when it comes to friends and comfort as well.  As an individual i feel like i've come a long way.  This has been a year of struggling to stay involved with ministry, something i have to shake on a daily basis.  I've never been in that seat before and its been a good place to really have to rely on my calling and have an open ear to God.  It's been a year of listening to God...strange i know!!!  It's also been a year of discovering who i am as an individual.  One major theme is what energizes me in ministry, what im really shaped for and what im not!  Hopefully i'll have another year that teaches me as much as i have learned this year....oh yeah...and i didnt die this year!  So, i got that going for me (caddyshack reference for the slow people).