2012 has been quite a year…hellos and goodbyes…..times of sorrow and times of joy…..rejection and acceptance…..mountaintops and valleys….in reality, not much different than most years, but yet….so different.
Farmin’, schoolin’, and such….normal stuff filled our days. Yet in the midst of it were special times, as usual. Memories of certain moments are forever etched in my mind and heart: one child, arms uplifted, worshiping his Lord for the 1st time; another who experienced the excitement of praying for others….and seeing people healed; the smiling face of one as ground was taken back from the enemy; the peace one experienced as intimacy with the Father was renewed.
We said goodbye to the church family we had loved for all of our married lives…all of Butch’s life. God had impressed upon him 5 or so years ago that we would be moving, but when the time came, it was a shock. But, His voice was very clear to both of us….independently. Many tears were shed during that transition. But, we have been welcomed by a loving church family and are excited to see where God takes us this year and beyond.
Highlights of this year include:
Watching my son compete well with the best baseball players of the tri-state area even if he didn’t make the cut.
We started the year welcoming our 4th grandchild…a sweet bundle of energy that keeps anyone on their toes….a tiny dynamo, Kaitlyn. We ended the year with an announcement from her parents of our 7th grandchild on the way. After doing some figuring, we realized that if each of our children have 10 children, as we did, the 5th generation from us would number 100,000. If we live to see our great grandchildren, as my grandmother did, our reunion would number over 1200 persons. Now, that’s an army!
A vacation in the Finger Lake region of New York. It was a weekend of CampMeetings. Listening to the speakers….worship at sunset….times of relaxation and fellowship….combined to make it one special time for our family. The teaching was fantastic. The kids had a wonderful time even though it was similar to church meetings and are hoping to return this summer.
A number of Sozo sessions were very special to me as I sat back, invisible, as God reached out to one of His children….and they together danced a dance they had never danced before….watching Him answer the question, “Where were You then?” and tears and peace together flowed….as lies that had strangleholds were renounced and replaced with truth. I walk out of almost every Sozo session feeling very much in awe of a God who is relentless in His pursuit….very much strengthened by the knowledge that He does indeed care about every little detail of our lives….and very much humbled that He wanted to partner with me to bring about all that had just happened.
But, without a doubt, the absolute top highlight of my year….that continues to give me goosebumps was a Saturday evening worship service. It was seemingly an ordinary worship service that preceded a message like so many other services…..yet it became something so extraordinary. A sanctuary full of God’s children in full-on worship….proclaiming His greatness…..crying out for more of Him….standing…bowing….lying….hands uplifted or spread wide…each worshiper in his own way lost in worship of the Almighty! His Presence was so thick that I expected to see Him. Normally, I close my eyes during worship, but not this time! Oh, to experience His manifest Presence like we did that night…..definitely the greatest highlight of my year!
So, we say goodbye to this year that has been exciting and sad….tumultuous yet peaceful….and look forward to a new one. And my prayer beginning this year is the same as it was last year: “Show me Your face, Lord. Show me Your face.” His Presence is still all I desire.
More, Lord, more. More of Your power….more of Your love…..more of Your presence. More of You!