What has been on my heart for the New Year

Hello everybody! I'm hoping that you had a a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to this New Year that is fast approaching!

But there something I wanted to bring up in a blog post.

In the beginning of November we went to a Matthew West concert. It was fantastic. Seriously, he was amazing. But as cool as Matthew West is, this post is not about him. It's about a little girl that I had the privilege of meeting that night (true, it wasn't face to face but still...).

Meet Ryhzel:

She is 6 years old and from the Philippines! Isn't she adorable?

I've always, always wanted to sponsor a child. But with different reasons, or should I say excuses, worried about the money, should I really do it? is it really for me? I held off. But finally, at the this concert, I gave in!

And I'm so incredibly happy that I did. I've only had my sponsored child for a little over a month now, but it has been filled with joy. I received a letter, written by little Ryhzel's mother, and it just brought a smile to my face. Praying everyday for this little girl has truly been a highlight of my day.

So I encourage you now, if you've EVER thought of sponsoring a child, don't wait. The joy and blessings you will receive from writing to your sponsored child and praying for them and hearing back from them will change your life. There are so many children waiting for a loving sponsor. If it's the money you're worried about, I totally understand. I was there too. But God provides. Pray about it. Think about it. The money that goes to these kids really does help and it brings them an opportunity to learn and to grow. You can pick your country, birthday, and gender of the child you want to sponsor. You get to see their pictures and read their stories. It is truly an incredible program. If you have any questions, the people at Compassion are fantastic at answering them. And although I've only been sponsoring for a short time, I would love to talk about it or tell you about the experience so far.

Will you bring hope and love to a child in this New Year?

All you have to do is check out the Compassion website HERE.

I pray that this New Year is one filled with joy and hope and the beginning of new adventures!

Why we all love 'A Christmas Carol' and Second Chances.....

I haven't found an exact number but after 59, I gave up. That's how many "A Christmas Carol" movies or shows have been filmed. It seems like everyone has done an adaption from the Muppets, to the Flinstones, or some have even filmed it under a new name (example Scrooged). But my all time favorite would be "A Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol". Ah, yes, it does bring back memories. Tiny Tim has never been so cute....

But it got me thinking....What is it about this tale that has so many others trying to duplicate it? The theme has been done time and time again, but we keep turning back to it. Why?

My answer is simply the message. We want a story of second chances. Of hope. That maybe someone can change their life around. But the climax is when the ghost of Christmas Present appears and Scrooge eventually falls to his lonely grave, usually with the lines, "I've changed!" ringing in the background. And then it happens: Scrooge awakes on Christmas Day to find he's been given a second chance. To set things right and save himself and others from a grim future. It leaves us with those warm, fuzzy feeling that all is right with the world.

It sounds a lot to me like the story of Salvation....Jesus came with a story of second chances. That's what He came to give us. We look over our own "ghosts"; our past of which we might not be so proud of or we look back at with regret. Our present, where we are completely lost without Jesus. And our future, with without Jesus and saving us from our own selfish decisions, might not look a whole different than Scrooge's. But at the end of the day, we look back and cry, "I've changed! I've changed!" And Jesus wakes up our hearts and gives us that second chance. Because we all like Scrooge better at the end of the movie rather than the beginning....

So if you watch "A Christmas Carol", I want you to think about it. Why is it that we like this movie? Because something about it resonates within our hearts and there's something beautiful about second chances. 

What are your thoughts, why do you think there are so many adaptions? What is your favorite Christmas Carol?

Trapped in a prison with no walls (and the way out)

You know something? God is awesome. Really. Sometimes He just shows you a brief glimpse of what we need, that brief glimpse that there is more. And it keeps us going.

I recently read the book "Sanctuary" by Ted Dekker. No, this isn't a review but if you're looking for one, I suggest going and buying it. It's THAT good. If any of you are Dekker fans out there, you know this guys is brilliant. And this is another tale that goes to show that.
    The thing about Ted Dekker books is that even when you guess at the ending, it turns out to be beautiful and heart wrenching. It uncovers truth with such stark clarity, cold and beautiful and intense that you're taken aback and when you close the cover you feel as though you've been on a journey. Because, well, you have been. A lot for a book. I know...and yet, I feel as if you love books you might know what I'm talking about. It's a peek into something....something greater. But really now, I'll just write about the book:
To explain what happens in this book would require a lot of background, a lot of the plot of the story. And I don't want to give anything away. This is a sequel to "Priest's Graveyard". It is about Danny and Renee, two who are madly in love but are separated by Danny's prison sentence (which you can find out why in the book). After Danny is newly transferred to another prison, him and Renee are both plunged into a game with deadly consequences. It's a book of intrigue and mystery, pulling you along until you are flipping through the pages with no plan to stop.
But the truth that I took away from this book is that we all have our own prisons. They may not be made with concrete or steel, but they are prisons just the same. 
    "In truth we all exist in our own sanctuaries- but I don't mean cathedrals or prisons. I'm talking about our hearts and our minds, which imprison us in anxiety, fear, insecurity, anger and other forms of misery. The walls and bars that keep most in a state on constant suffering are thoughts and emotions, not concrete and steel. It's a disease. Insanity. Most are afflicted but it, regardless of which side of the law they find themselves on or where they lay their heads at night. To be free of this is to be free indeed." Page 400.


What prisons are we living in without even realizing it? Mine would have to be the prison of fear. It keeps me trapped in doubts and worries and the enemy delights to see me trapped in it. What can we do? We cannot redeem ourselves for what a futile effort that will prove. So what do we do? Yet- But YET- there is a Savior that banishes all fear, breaking through every door and chain to save us. And then, when the pathway stands clear to freedom, He does not force it upon us but rather He waits for us to take His hand. It's our choice.


Colossians 1:13-24, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and has transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of  sons." ESV


These prisons hold no power over us. Because we have a Savior who has come to pull us from the darkness. To Save us.

Taking that first step

I've been debating for a long time on a decision. A big decision. One that could change my future. Yet even though I want to say yes to this step toward a better future, something holds me back. So what is it?

Fear.


Sometimes God is calling us to take that first step into the water before He shows us the rest of the way. We have to take that first step in faith. Stepping into the water, trusting that God is going to make that waters dry up to save us. 

That much-hated little word. Thief of dreams and hopes. Holding you in paralyzing indecision for fear of making the wrong choice. Yes, that fear.

As I sit here contemplating the pros and cons, so many thoughts going through my head. I've prayed about it. Again and again and again. And then I read this:

 ^{Joshua 3:13-16, "}And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap. So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho."

Joshua was leading the people of Israel out of Egypt (after Moses died) and they came to the river Jordan. They had to get across. It was the season where the Jordan was overflowing, water spilling from it's banks. And an overflowing river can be scary. Yet God told Joshua that as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water, the water would dry up. These people had heard about what God did for their fathers and mothers in parting the Red Sea. But would He do it for them?  They were probably fearful. But they did it. They faced their fear. And as soon as their feet touched the water, it dried up. 

This really spoke to me. 


Sometimes God is calling us to take that first step into the water before He shows us the rest of the way. We have to take that first step in faith. Stepping into the water, trusting that God is going to make that waters dry up to save us. 

I have a little bit of work on having that kind of faith. But I'll try. With my decision of taking my education farther and all that that includes, I will look to God as I take the first step.

What step do you need to take?

When Faith Collides with Fear

Last year around this time I was returning from the biggest adventure of my life. 6 months in two different U.S. cities, and 3 locations in Lima, Peru. I returned a changed person.

Now as I examine my life, it seems as if I'm slipping back into my old ways. During my dts, those 6 months were crammed with so many things that I feared. Sharing my testimony in front of a room full of people that I desperately wanted to accept me, boarding a plane for the first time, eating weird foods, understanding none of the language besides "Hola!" Oh and "Gringa", and sharing the Gospel in front of people. I thought I had banished fear. I thought I had finally eluded his deadly grip.

But I haven't. Fear is an old friend. We've known each other a long time. And it seems like the fear is even more paralyzing this time around. Maybe I have more decisions to make, or maybe not. One thing I know, I've tried to step out of this fear. God knows I've tried. But it seems at every step I take fear assails me, ambushing me. Fear has become comfortable.

Mostly fear of being rejected. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the future. Fear of never being good enough and always being second best.

But I can't go on like this. Faith is colliding with my fear. So what am I to do?

I'm trying to make the next couple of blog posts about fear. Overcoming fear. Getting behind the reason it has such a hold on our lives.

Because often the scariest step is the first one.

Truthfully honest in searching for God...

I've never sat down to write a blog without having an outline in mind. I've always had it all figured out, exactly what I want to say, exactly how I want the outcome to look like.

Not today.

This is spur of the moment, deciding-on-a-whim-type-thing. Which I don't do. EVER. If you know me, then you'll know I'm planned. But sometimes, those plans fail. And what do you do then?

I'm 21 and life is nothing like I ever thought it would be. I guess that's one of the main things I've learned: nothing is ever like you plan for. I guess it keeps life from getting boring.

And there are times, when dark storm clouds cover the horizon and it's nothing like what you planned for. Nobody ever plans for problems to come up, they never plan for worry to set in, and they never plan to have to resort to plan B. Annnnd that's where I'm at now.

Before this, everything always seemed to fall into place. My faith seemed to keep me grounded. And now, I'm struggling in putting those pieces together. My faith is something I have to work for. But at the same time, fighting for my faith made me realize that I WANT to search for God. I WANT to seek Him.

There's so much I'm facing that I'm unsure about. But I know that I'm not going to stop searching. I'm not going to stop seeking. I just have to work at it harder now. But I'm trying. I'm going to fight for joy.

Are you a planner or have you ever had to go with plan B? What are you fighting for today?

Glimpse of Light

Sometimes I feel as if life is in a fog.

  A grey mist that swirls about everything we know, everything we do. It distracts us from our real purpose, it distracts us from God. It distracts us from really living the life we were made to live.

 
  This grey fog is filled up with our busy days, stretching and pulling at us. The grey is the lies we've believed, who we've made ourselves to be.The perfect image that we compare ourselves too.

  This fog is deadly.

  But there's something about it that can be even deadlier.

  The fogs wraps around who we're made God out to be. It shadows God in lies and ideas and assumptions. It injects lofty religion and loftier rules. It takes away the beauty, power, glory and mystery of God and replaces them with a boring, mundane god that knows nothing about our dreams and nothing about who we are.

  But there are times when a ray of sunlight cuts through the fog, the beam shines onto our soul and awakens and warms our hearts.
It resurrects the mystery, the beauty of God once more by banishing this fog. It's as if God is whispering, "I'm here. Behind those ideas and lies you've made me out to be. Let me show you who I really am. I'm here." God is trying to break through this fog that holds us captive by showing us the light.

  These beautiful, sunlit moments shatter the fog and break into our lives. We're often caught unawares and such pure beauty cuts to our souls. It's something we feel, something deep, mysterious, as if you've just stumbled upon the truth. For that's what it is: Truth. It resonates in your heart and makes you say, "Yes, this, THIS is what I was made for. THIS is the God I know."
 
  These moments are beautiful: In DTS when I read and truly believed that I was a conqueror in Christ and it had me jumping for joy. The first time I heard 'The Way' by Jeremy Camp and knew my soul was made to cry out to Jesus! The first time I read Zephaniah 3:17 and realized God's love is so much greater. When I cried listening to Gandalf describe those white shores because I knew someday I would stand on those white shores with my Savior. When a blog post about grace takes my breath away.
  You know what I'm talking about. Moments when you finally understand. When you finally see.

 These things make us feel, and for a time, illuminate our life and dispel the fog around us.

  It's for these moments, those beautiful, glorious moments; that we are alive.

  Let us fight against this fog, for this is a very real fight. But by these small glimpses of light we shall see everything. 

1 Corinthians 13:12, "We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" The Message

New Perspective....

This week Carmi's thematic challenge at Written Inc. is 'From Behind'. I didn't realize what a challenge it was until I looked through my photos! But there were a few:

My puppy watching from the river bank.

My brother and mom: You have to love mother-son moments like these. 

We don't realize how special they are. 

And to cap it off from behind: A little fun! 

Some Cloudy photos - Thematic 206

Over at Written Inc. , this week's thematic theme is Cloudy. There are some amazing photos over there so you should definitely check them out! Here are a few of my cloudy pictures....

"Then suddenly Merry felt it at last, beyond doubt: a change. Wind was in his face! Light was glimmering. Far, far away, in the South the clouds could be dimly seen as remote grey shapes, rolling up, drifting: morning lay beyond them." -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

 

The two pictures above were shot on the same night, a few minutes apart. It's incredible how quickly the clouds can change into such beautiful colors. 

 

                  

Doctor Who and adventures without the Flying Blue Box

Alright, alright. I confess:

Doctor Who is my favorite t.v. show.

Why you ask? I think that somewhere inside us, if we care to admit it to ourselves, we all long for adventure. A big, blue box to take us somewhere into space, meeting characters, rescuing planets and meeting with adventure and leaving the mundane far behind. We all long for that idea that there's something more.

The Doctor always has a companion with him. To keep him company, to help save the world and more often than not, to keep him out of trouble. His companion is always human. Usually some unsuspecting person that, when swept off into the unknown, is in for a world of adventure.

And the Doctor. Unlike anyone before. Mostly because he's not human. Always there to save the day. Always ready with a solution. Charming. Beyond time. He never ages, never really changes. He may change his appearance every once in awhile, but he's always the same Doctor.

After working a long day, with people being their usually ornery not-so-nice-kind-of-people, faced with the feeling of despair and defeat- I wouldn't mind a good travel through galaxy type of adventure.

But adventures don't always come wrapped in blue boxes. They come wrapped in challenges that we face everyday, in traffic jams and shopping store lines.

The Doctor may not really be there to save the day, but you know, we have someone who is a whole lot better than him. And that's God. God may not pick us up in a blue box, but when He stretched His hands out on that cross, it was an open invitation to join Him on an adventure. That adventure of everyday life.

In one episode, "Th Family of Blood", a young boy is trying to explain who the Doctor is and he says, "He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and can see the turn of the universe. And...he's wonderful."

It's a beautiful explanation, that hints at so much more. Like our God. There are subtle clues around us but it hints at so much more. But our God is not fire and ice and rage. He is love, redemption and forgiveness. Our God shines bright like the sun. He reaches into yesterday, today and forever. And He's....wonderful.

Wake up tomorrow looking for adventure. For while we may not see a flying blue box, we may just see our God with His arms stretched wide, waiting for us to join Him on a journey.

  

Going through a Storm

Life has way of getting you down. Of picking you up and dropping you.

That's how it feels now.

But it never stops. When you ask life for a reprieve, unfortunately it doesn't care about your opinion. You face the next obstacle, the next trial, a new day. Just keep going.

Sometimes it doesn't even have to be something big that has rocked your life. Little things chip away, slowly breaking your resolve, crumbling the walls that you've so carefully built. What happens when those walls come down?

Have you ever been tired of being strong? As if the walls you're holding up get too heavy, and you simply can't hold them anymore? I'm scared I can't be strong enough for everyone. That I won't be able to hold up the walls for them too.

These storms in life can get the best of us. Sometimes we weather them and sometimes they seem too strong.

But storms always end.

The thunder may rumble now, your heart resounding with the sound, and the only thing you can hear is that you're alone. But that's a lie too. You're not alone. It's just that once in awhile the storm in so dark you can't see anyone else. But they're there.

The lightning may flash, fear finding it's way into your heart. Giving everything a twisted, distorted look to the world.

But something I've noticed is that after a storm, the skies can be so beautiful. Splashes of color painted across the sky. It gives us hope. It gives us a sense that maybe things will get better, we just have to wait out this storm. Because a beautiful sky is waiting on the other side.

Every once and a while, a storm can be beautiful and majestic in it's own way. It all depends on how you look at it. But that's another story.

This was the first real blog that I've been completely open and honest with. The others were pictures, or short devotions I wrote. So in short, I don't know why I'm writing this. But sometimes in life, next to God, ink on paper is the next thing to go to. If you're in a storm, keep going, it will get better.

Faith...

So this week over at Written Inc., the theme for the thematic pictures is Faith. And here are my photos that remind me of this theme:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the staircase."-Martin Luther King Jr.

I love this picture because it reminds me that without fail, these tiny flowers bloom every spring. Even after a harsh winter, they are faithful to show up. It's a reminder that while we may be going through a winter, a hard time in our own lives, spring will come again. And it will be all the more beautiful.

Our God can paint beautiful masterpieces. Faith in Him that His love for us is shown in the beauty all around us.

We don't always know where this road in life is going to take us. There are twists and turns and surprises of every kind. But we can have a faith in the assurance that everything will turn out in the end.

Stuck in Indecision

I read a blog post today that really got me thinking about decisions and choices, you can read it HERE. We make a lot of decisions in our life. Little decisions and big ones. Sometimes we make the right ones. But sometimes we make wrong ones too.

I’ve been known to be terrible at decision making. You give me a choice I will always answer with “I don’t know” or “It doesn’t matter” or something along those lines. People know that if they need a quick decision, then not to ask me!

When I’m faced with a decision, particularly a big one that involves my life or a choice that involves others, I freeze. I see the thousands of possibilities swirling around me and then I feel the fear of not making the right choice. I’m worried I will disappoint someone, I will make a fool of myself, or I will fail. I’m afraid of all these things happening to me. So I freeze. Stuck, paralyzed by indecision.

And that’s one of the worst places to be.

When you’re stuck or paralyzed, you don’t move forward or backwards. You’re in exactly the same place because you’re scared that that step forward you just took will take you two steps back. But even if it did take you two steps back, at least you would still be moving. And you would then know what you needed to change in order to go forward.

I’ve been stuck in the same place many times because I’m afraid to move. If I move, then I’m open, I’m vulnerable. If I move, the unknown awaits me. And that’s enough to keep my feet firmly planted.

But can I really afford not to move?

It may be scary, I may fall, I may even make the wrong decision. But I have to move forward.

"Go back?" He thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" Bilbo from the Hobbit page 69.

We can only keep moving. We have to be wise about the decisions we make. Sometimes God tells us to stay where we are for a reason. But that reason is never fear. If the only reason you are not moving is because of your fear then maybe you are meant to move on.

I believe that God doesn’t want us to be afraid. We’re so scared of falling that we won’t even take a step. Like a baby learns to walk, so we learn to walk in faith. We may fall a few times but we have to get back up.

Philippians 3:13-14, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Let’s keep moving on. Moving ahead. Seeking God with everything we have. Don't let fear stop you from stepping out. We can't let our fear of making the wrong choice stop us from making choices at all.

Is the fear of the unknown water keeping us on the shore?

Waiting for the Son to rise

Some thoughts I was having on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday....

Holy Saturday. A day of reflecting on what happened and what will happen. A day of anticipation.

I can't help but think what that first Holy Saturday was like. I wonder what the disciples must have felt. They had just seen their very best friend and their Lord, brutally murdered before their very eyes. The shock and despair had to overwhelm them. They believed nothing could stop Him but He was laid dead in a tomb. He left them with a promise that He would rise and it was to this they had to be desperately clinging too. His promise. His Word.

I wonder if any of them faced doubt. Death looked like death. Death looked very final. They knew that they had targets on their backs. They were afraid, they were deathly scared so they hid in the Upper Room. They mourning, hiding....They had to wonder if the sun would ever shine again. I imagine that they didn't want to talk to each other much. Sifting through their thoughts, re-playing over and over their final conversation with Jesus. Looking for some hint of hope. I imagine them trying to fight off the guilt that laid so heavily on their hearts, because when Jesus faced death alone, they abandoned Him.  They ran. They hid for their own safety.

Where would they go from here? How did they approach that first day of waiting? I think maybe some were doubtful, some were afraid, but I bet they all had broken hearts. Maybe they wanted to full-heartily look towards Sunday and believe without a doubt that Jesus was coming. But maybe the questions hung too closely to see much else.

Can you imagine as they went to sleep that night before the most beautiful morning? They fell asleep with questions, despair hung close, but the sun rose in the morning; bringing with it hope. Bringing back their best friend.

The new day dawned, and the Savior was risen. 

The Battle of Dreams....

I didn’t realize that I was in a fight. I didn’t realize that I was engaged in full out battle on the front lines. But I was. And still am.

This battle isn’t fought with guns or hand grenades, but it’s no less deadly. You may not be hit with shrapnel, but your heart will be pierced with things just as sharp. In this fight, the sides are not always clear-cut. I often find myself on both sides, fighting as hard as I can and I’m simply fighting myself. Other times, I don’t realize that that I’ve been attacked and I’m defeated before I can get my defense up.

This is the battle of our dreams. Our God-given dreams that we have a heart and a passion for. I’ve never thought of it as a battle before tonight.  I have a dream that brings excitement that makes me feel alive. But I’m also my own undercover assassin. I start to dream, to let myself believe that changing the world is possible, and then I stop myself. With worries, with worldly cares. I dream to have my dreams torn apart by myself….

This is a battle I think we all go through. A spiritual battle that occurs more often than we think. It’s a battle between whether we’re going to take the God-given dream we have and step out in faith or if we’re going to listen as the world squashes those dreams. We have many adversaries against our dreams. We have the world whispering that we will never be good enough. We have the devil shouting that God would never want to use us. And often we have those closest to us telling us that we will fall, that we will fail. But there are also those along the way who spur us on, who pick us up when we fall. We just have to realize that this is a fight. And we’re all engaged.

I’ve been listening to the world, and myself and to lies for too long. I have believed that since I don’t have a college degree that I am of no use. I’ve believe that I’m only one person who could never make a difference. But God is whispering  something more. So much more. He has amazing dreams for us. But we have to fight for it. It’s an intense fight. A fight that will take you out as soon as you look away. But the good thing about this battle is that even you’re down, you feel as if it’s impossible to get back up, it’s not. When God said that we are more than conquerors, He meant it.

Let take down our dreams off the dusty shelves and start believing again. Let’s fight and let’s let God give us incredible, world changing dreams. Let’s do this. 

Facing a New Year

I stand here at the edge of a new beginning. 12 months behind me filled with laughter and tears and 12 new months ahead of me, filled with the wonder and worry of everything new.

What will this year hold for me? Will it bring bad or good? Will it disappoint or will it change my life?

Where will I be at this time next year…..the unending questions are enough to drive anyone crazy. The worries crowd out many thoughts. If this is a new beginning, then where should I be going? Worry of disappointing those I love echo in my mind. What if this New Year is not all that I hope it to be?

I could be standing at the door of a new adventure, or standing at the door of a year just like all the others. What will it be? I suppose it will what I make it. And where God leads.

 But in this time as the start of a New Year is still fresh, this is a time to reflect on who we are, and who we wish to be. We could change that. The New Year holds the promise of a new start. Where anything is possible and for a brief few days, it feels like we can dream bigger and greater things than we ever have before. How are we going to change the world?

By the time next week rolls around, I might feel like I felt last January a week in. As if nothing has changed, as if the New Year holds nothing new, only days filled the mundane and normal. But what if I didn’t let it? What if I choose to make this a year that is unforgettable?

That question, in itself, is scary. Could it really all come down to a question I challenge myself with? If this is going to be a year where I step out of the boat and onto the water, I need Jesus to be guiding me.

In a way, I need this year to be different. I need this year to be an adventure. I can’t let myself live anymore in the mundane. But which door is the right one to take? Will this New Year show me?

So as I stand here, I pray. I pray it will be different. I pray for that door. And I face 2012 with hope, apprehension and excitement.

What is this new year going to hold for you?