1st January

Happy New Year

Is it? On balance the answer for me is a great big YES! Though, and I’m not sure if I should say it, I’m so glad 2011 is finished. I know every day is unique and we only get one chance to live it, so of course we need to make the most of it. But last year was uniquely horrible in so many ways. Then again it brought out the best in so many people all around me and perhaps that goodness is most clearly revealed in the face of adversity. So yes I do have to say thankyou for so many wonderful people who’ve been so supportive all year. Even today I had a very considerate phone call from a lady at church who belonged to a prayer group with Jane. She’s always very caring whenever I meet her. But she really put herself out to ring, and it’s not the first time, as on the face of it we have little in common and I don’t know her that well. What we do share though is our faith journey in the face of great personal loss...

Anyway today is a new year and for no really understandable reason we decide to turn a page in our life journey. That’s exactly what I need and so I’m trying to define clearly the direction my life should take in the coming months. And for me it begins with sharing a rather special dream Jane and I talked of many times. There’s a particularly romantic, medieval moated manor house on the Brockhampton Estate, now National Trust owned. We’ve visited there a number of times and jointly decided it could be our dream home… in eternity. Or at least for a season in the life to come. One day the Lord will return to planet earth and we’ll have to live somewhere. So why not? And this place would be great, even completely unmodernised. And the 1700 acre estate is very much part of the vision as well! Ah well, dream on… ok that’s my long term dream, so what about today? What are my hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the immediate future, should the Lord tarry…?

I believe prayer is the key to successful living. Walking with the Lord through the ups and downs of everyday life means everything to me. The only way we can truly relate to the Lord is through prayer. Even reading the Bible can be a rather dry and tiring experience without the presence of God to breathe life into it. So my number one priority this coming year has to be restoring my prayer life. It’s gone downhill over the past few months. Basically my normal prayer is more of a groan for help, bearing little resemblance to a particularly lucid conversation. That needs to change and one idea I’m exploring is to journal simple prayers. Knowing I need to articulate words may just be the focus I need to grow again in this area. The obvious next step would then be to record answers to prayers in order to give thanks where thanks is due… the Lord.

So I’ve started a new blog and feel free to join in by saying amen at ‘Pray with Allestreedave’.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 ‘Never stop praying.’ (NLT)