Looking ahead

So Christmas and New Years have come and gone and we are now charging into a new year with all new hopes and dreams right? I usually don't get in on new year's resolution stuff and I am not one to set a bunch of goals and start "working for the gold," type of thing. But I do feel an urgency, even just this morning, to live a bit more risky this year and to push to live a more action oriented lifestyle. So what does that mean? For me I feel a tension in some of the things I often talk about and try and champion, but have seen less than adequate results, or better yet, the results have been less than true. I really do expect things in my life to change or at least progress this year, I feel an anxiousness about it.

Seeing how Sarah and I's life has been nothing short of wild since we've been married, I don't really expect anything less than an adventure in trying to figure out finances, living arrangements, and "work" stuff. I could have never begun to dream up the way our first couple of year's of marriage have gone and I can imagine that we will continue to look back and be amazed at all that God has led us through and to.

I'm looking forward to watching Moto morph, change and grow in all the ways that middle school students seem to. I pray for health and growth and within that more ownership taken by both the Moto guides and the students. Moto seems to be so full of potential and has such a passion and contagiousness about it, I can't imagine anything less than a great movement moving forward. This has been the most unique year I have had in youth ministry and so I'm sure this upcoming year will continue to be extremely stretching and growing.

This past year of learning about things like true community, life together, and figuring out how the church is to live and be, has been mind numbing to say it lightly. I think the last couple of months have even been the most bending for me and I have felt such a tension in my soul, even in the last month about how it all looks. It is kind of scary because it seems that what will come out of it is much bigger than I feel I'm ready for. The last couple of days my father-in-law and I have had some really enjoyable discussions that have really helped me share some things, but more than anything have pushed some feelings and stirrings to the surface for me. We spent a lot of time laying around the living room watching football and having the conversation flow in and out of sports, life, God and everything in between. It was really great, because it was very much how my mind works, in that it jumps around so randomly and yet still somehow makes sense. What will the Lions do? What's Michigan's deal? What does organic church look like? So how do we best be the church? So what is in deepest need of change in your life, in your church, in your family? We had a great time, and I so much cherish our relationship. And during this time, my mother-in-law and I decided we were going to start an advertising company called Cally Ad Company (Her name is Carey and I being Wally, we put them together. Very original I know!). We would do hands on commercial writing as well as campaigns for businesses, to name the big stuff any way (So the new pop culture thing for 06 will be "You need to do a Cally Ad, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll never be the same afterwards!) I just made that up, so it's not official, and I didn't check with my partner yet.

May God move and have free reign this year and may the world fall before Him in repentance, surrender and may we all become aware of How great our God is!!!

Looking ahead from where I am
Wallace D.