New Year, New Beginnings

A fresh year! A chance to start again and reimagine our future! I just love the hope that a new year brings and the opportunity to refocus and begin again. Let yesterday's failures fall behind you. Join with me on the beginning to a new path, a new life, a different way of seeing yourself, others, and God. He is for you! His love is so deep that he sent Jesus to the earth to redeem us from our broken state and offer us eternal life if we follow Him. As good as that is in itself, our God also promises to be with us each step of the way giving us the strength we need to live out our lives in a way that honors Him and blesses us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

                                              Hebrews 12:1-2

We don't have to do this on our own! In fact, God goes before us. 

Let me encourage you further with some great words from Oswald Chambers on how God sees our past, our present, and our future. This is from the book My Utmost For His Highest, taken from the entry for December 31:

"You shall not go out with haste,

. . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" —Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. “. . . God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “. . . the Lord will go before you . . . .” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste . . . .” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

New Day, New Year

It's a new day and a new year. Time to start over? Today's the day. Looking for a fresh beginning? You couldn't pick a better time to do the right things. Choices, choices, choices. I know I have them to make too. And I know I cannot do this on my own. Lord Jesus, give me the strength I need and the desire to walk with you more fully. It's something I cannot do on my own. 

Happy New Year to You!

From our house to yours- May you have a blessed holiday time! And May the New Year be one where you are thankful for what you have, prayerful for what you need, and generous with those around you. Thank you for reading the blog! More good things coming...

Untying the New Year

A new year and a fresh beginning. Happy New Year!

Most of us carry expectations into the year, wishing and hoping we see some things come to pass. Sometimes it means working hard and getting down to business to see what we want come to fruition. Other times, God drops blessings right in our laps because of His great love for us.

So, it's time for me to put away the festivities, focus, and take some time to move ahead.

This blog has been something I've enjoyed, hated, and looked at as a combination journal, travelogue, social commentary, and historical review. I've always wanted it to be fun as well. After six years, I am asking myself, "Where am I going in 2015?"

The real world is taking more and more time. New job, busy life, less large chunks of time to really write.  So, here's my promise: I'll post when I can, continuing on sharing about the things I love. It may not be as frequent, but I want to keep writing, especially as my life keeps changing. 

I've tried to get a head start on things, so those of you who are fans of Disney concept art may want to hang around. Starting tomorrow...

From My Family to Yours

As you pause and take time to relax before Christmas Day and all the festivities into the New Year, may you count your blessings and give thanks to God for every good thing! The best gift is that of His Son, Jesus Christ- the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man. My sins, your sins, and all who would believe in Him will be covered through His Blood. A gift of eternal life for all who would believe He was born, rose from the dead, and will return as King. In other words- the perfect gift that no one else could buy.

Thank you for another year of reading the blog...

When You Wish Upon A Star

A brand new year sounds like a great time to put together a wish list, doesn't it? Does to me! So, in no particular order, here are some things I wish for in 2014:

• People to say what they mean and mean what they say. So tired of sarcasm and innuendo. Show some integrity and say and do what you say you will.
• I'd like the suits at The Walt Disney Company to really go toe to toe with their theme park competitors. What would be even better would be if they would view their parks as works of art to be enhanced and added to due to the love of the place and not just the financials. Walt Disney loved his park. It showed, and folks flocked to see his living work of art.
• A change in focus in how news is reported. If you're like me, you'd probably enjoy the news facts being reported and not interpreted for the reader or listener. We are grown up enough to understand what you are telling us. Stop treating us as if we need you to explain events to us. 
• World Peace. Sure, Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality and all the women of pageants clamor for it, convinced it will make them memorable. I want it, but I do not want to have to sacrifice my morals for it. God bless our military men and women for standing up for freedom and humane treatment of others. Yes, someone has to do it. 
• Less Miley Cyrus more Danielle Bradbery. Our culture is prone to produce young women who feel like they have to flaunt their sexuality to sell and make a point. Yes, this includes you, Lady Gaga. Let's give it up instead for some good old-fashioned music made for real people and not Hollywood and their wannabes. Madonna has shown more class throughout most of her career.
• Sports figures you act like good sportsmen. I'm a bit tired of entitled NFL players and the like who act as if they can break the law and get away with it. Say what you will, but men the likes of Tim Tebow are good role models for our youth.
• Politicians that truly care about America and what she stands for. I'm sick of 99% of our politicians, including our current president. Time for something new.
• The church. And I do not mean just the Roman Catholic Church. May we be the light on the hill that Jesus spoke about. We can and must speak the truth in love or who will listen to the only true message that calls us to The One who can save us from ourselves?
• Lastly, I'd like to be a better me. More like the Lord I follow and more like the man He created me to be. Oh God, please change my heart and empower my life.

Family Reunion and Happy New Year!

What's the saying? Herding cats? Here's a not-often-enough photo of our family gathering for Christmas. With folks out of state and busy lives, it's not easy getting us together. But here we are- our four children and their families. What a gift! What a blessing!
So... from our family to you: Happy New Year! May 2014 be a year full of blessing and a deep awareness of God's love for you! 

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

It's An Earful

Walt Disney World has a pretty cool logo / poster to celebrate the New Year 2013. Take a close look at the image above, and what do you see? As expected, four icons representing each of the parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. What you don't see- the awful Sorcerer Mickey Hat, with the Earful Tower taking its place. Hope its a sign of things to come!

(Artwork copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Real Life Peter Pan Flight

This photo by Dan Gilwood of Getty Images captures exactly what I love about London!

Can you just see Tinker Bell and Peter Pan flying over a moonlit sky? It's the kind of thing that makes Disneyland so magical- but in full scale!

Another New Years!

Happy New Year Everyone!

May God bless you in 2012, bringing you deep joy regardless of what the next year brings.

Thanks for being loyal readers and friends!

Be Blessed This Christmas

It's time to put aside all the trimming of Christmas- you know, the last minute shopping, the busyness, the stress- and time to stop and focus on Jesus Christ, the hope of man come to earth in the form of a child.

Stop and seek Him. If you know and love Him, stop and thank God for the blessings in your life. Even under the most stressful curcumstances, He is present and offering you His Joy.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of creation and Savior from your sins, now is the time to invite Him to take over- and replace your stressed out life with peace and joy that only He can offer. God Himself designed things to work this way: that only through the confession of our sin against God and turning to Jesus will we ever find freedom, forgiveness, and new life for this earth and for eternity. Be blessed and know His love! Merry Christmas!