A New Year, A New Opportunity

Each December I begin to get excited about the new possibilities that are ahead...a new year using different daily devotional books! A strange thing to be excited about but I confess that I enjoy pondering what book, what subject, what author, I might spend a year with. I have come to realize that I take great comfort in the regular routine of reading, journaling, praying, marking each day in the morning before the appointments, meetings, visits, and other craziness of ministry come racing toward me! I have come to love getting up and having a cup of coffee, noticing the temperature outside, and then reading, writing, and praying.

This year it has taken me awhile to find the pattern for my mornings. For the last year I read the daily scripture from Magnificat, a Catholic publication, then used the Upper Room Disciplines for a daily meditation, and then a book with daily readings from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 20th Century martyr and author of Life Together, The Cost of Discipleship, and Letters and Papers from Prison.

I am adding another book this year and I invite you to consider exploring whether it might be a good book for your devotional/biblical life. The Transformation Journal is a one year journey though the Bible written by 2 women from Ginghamsburg Church (UMC). The Ginghamsburg Church community uses the book in cell (small) groups. All proceeds from the publication of this book will go toward the church's Sudan project,
to assist those forced into war-torn refugee camps in Darfur.

The beginning of a new year brings so much hope and the promise of new life and transformation. If you haven't made your final decisions about your daily devotional time, I invite you to consider this book. If you don't like the book, find another one! If you've never thought about having a 'daily' time for prayer and reading, now is a great time to start! Spend some of the best time of your day, when you are the most alert (for many of you that will be in the evening) paying attention to God and your own hopes and longings! I'm convinced that the time is not wasted and that God is waiting to do more than any of us can even imagine! I used to beat myself up if I didn't take the time each day, then I realized that 4 days a week was better than 0 days a week. Now it has become such a habit that I find the time every day because the day doesn't seem complete without it. Each of our paths is different. I invite you to explore your journey with God in this new year!