Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Thursday, January 2, 2014

How to Make Your Own Highlight Reel

Because our son works for the local cable company, we get a great channel for NFL football called Redzone. It covers all the broadcast games on a given Sunday, flipping back and forth from one to the other and sometimes doing split screens when scoring is about to happen in more than one game. Plus there are no commercials.

And best of all, at the end of the Sunday games, Redzone presents a montage of all the touchdowns that happened on that day!

So this post is about doing a kind of "redzone" compilation of a year's highlights. For a long time I’ve been doing a “best of the year” in the last week of December/first week of January. It’s my equivalent of a highlight film, although I call it “highlights and lowlights.”

It helps me to remember the important events, transitions, changes, opened and closed doors, milestones and victories, trials and disappointments for the year past. That in turn reminds me of my Heavenly Father’s wisdom and kindness, provision and protection, and gives me more reasons to praise Him.

I want to encourage you to do it, too, before we get too far into the new year. It will take you a couple hours, but it’s worth it. If you have a daily planner of some kind, that makes it easier, but even if you don't, sit down with whatever calendar you use. Just think about each month, look over any hand-written or electronic notes, and then jot down what's memorable.

Monday, December 31, 2012

What Will 2013 Bring?

Most year-end reflections list the notable people who have died in the previous twelve months. I won’t attempt such a thing. But New Year’s Eve does give me pause to think about my own frailty and mortality.

Will I be around this time next year? Will you? And what will 2013 bring?

The gospel promises us that our wonderful Christ is with us whatever the future brings. He’s there for soaring flights as well as for hard landings, in sunlight or in shadow, when friends and family come together, or when everyone’s back is turned. Christ is our deepest joy and highest hope, our Friend and Savior, our Provider and Protector. He holds time and eternity, the stars and the planets, and best of all, His sheep in His hands.

As King David said about the Good Shepherd, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 23:4a).

I like the thought that my Shepherd doesn’t just wait for me on the other side, leaving me to walk a dark valley by myself. He promises to be with me, wherever He leads.

When you think about it, knowing Him is the best thing about this year, or any year. May you and I know Him better in 2013. Happy New Year.