We are at the final day of 2024. It has been an interesting year. Since retiring as a Regional Minister with our denomination I've had the privilege of serving three churches as Transitional Pastor. I never thought at 75 years of age I would return to serve as the pastor of a church, but this year I accepted that role. I have not served as the pastor of a church since 2001, so I feel I have a lot of catching up to do. I sure hope an old dog can learn new tricks because a lot of what I knew as a pastor in 2001 isn't necessarily helpful in 2025. If nothing else, becoming a pastor again has helped my prayer life!
I spent some time last week cleaning out file drawers. One drawer was full of my old sermons. They have all gone to the dump. I looked at a few of them before pitching them, and they were pretty bad. They certainly were not suitable for today. I wanted to make sure that I forced myself to prepare new messages that would be more timely today than these would have been. Of course, that means I have to work on sermon preparation again, but, fortunately, that is one of the things I enjoy most about ministry.
Part of my preparation for the new year is another commitment to read through the Bible in 2025. I've purchased a new version I've not read before so I'm ready for January 1. I have also encouraged my church to join me, and several of them have told me they will do so.
Our church got a new website in 2024, and we plan to begin streaming the sermons as quickly as we can get the right camera to do that. No one in our congregation has any experience in filming a service or putting it on social media so we will have a learning curve as we learn how to do this.
On a personal level, our youngest grandchild turned 18 last weekend. Talk about something that will make you feel old!
My auction business is doing far better than I ever thought possible. We took most of December off to catch our breath and relax a little. We do an online auction every two weeks, and we only missed one auction in 2024, and that was so we could set up for a live auction we were doing. Our building is full again, our trailers are full and people are wanting to bring us more. I'm very thankful we are able to serve people in this way. As I've written elsewhere, I see this as an extension of my ministry.
I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I set goals based on the priorities I believe God has given me. Despite our busy schedules, one of my goals is for my wife and I to spend more time doing things we enjoy doing. There are some places she wants to see, and I plan to make that happen this year.
2025 can be an exciting year for anyone who is willing to open themselves up to the opportunities it offers. I want to experience everything God has for me in this coming year. I hope you want the same thing, but it takes intentionality, preparation and work on our part.
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