My Year in Review

Where does time go? The older I get, the faster it flies by, it seems. As I get ready for the New Year it's probably a good idea to do a quick review of the old. Then I can hopefully learn from it and do my part in making 2011 even better. I can't control a lot, but what I can I want to do so in a way that is wise, godly and productive.

Not that anyone else much cares, but this was a good exercise for me in my advanced stage of life!
In 2010 I...

• Wrote 50 or so columns for the Outer Banks Sentinel.
• Preached less than a typical year (due to my Sabbatical). Didn't preach on Easter for the first time in a long time. Covered 6 different series including expositions of Isaiah 55, Romans 5-8, and topical series on family, the church, love and Advent. Preached a series of meetings for another church and delivered a message to the annual Chowan Baptist Association.
• Posted less on this blog.
  
• Conducted 3 weddings and 2 vow renewals and a funeral.
• Responded to 4 drownings in a two week span in August.
  
• Spent 42 days in February and March driving coast (Atlantic) to coast (Gulf) to coast (Pacific) to coast (Atlantic) with Gail. We saw wonderful parts of our country and spent time with many friends, some we had not seen in over 30 years. The car traveled over 8,000 miles, got a new set of tires in California and two oil changes in Florida and Las Vegas. I took about 1000 pictures.
• Visited Bayou La Batre, AL. Home of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
• Was in NOLA for Mardi Gras. I don't get it.
• Watched a young Marine get his LT bars in front of the Alamo.
• Blew my diet on Mexican food.
• Found Arizona to be beautiful in February.
• Went to Disneyland after a 32 year absence.
  
• Was white-knuckled scared and at the same time in awe of God's creation as Gail drove us up the Pacific Coast Highway.
• Drove through a giant redwood.
• Stood on the Mt. Shasta Lake and Hoover dams.
• Found the Strip at Vegas to be decadence at its worst.
• Wondered at the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon and Red Rocks of Arizona.
• Stood on the corner in Winslow, Arizona as a girl in a flat bed Ford slowed down.
• Visited Hugo, Schooler Lake and lived a few hours on Tulsa time visiting family and friends from ministry in the '70's.
• At barbecue in Arkansas with a bald headed biker preacher.
• Watched as friends and family had victories and defeats in their lives. And realized you can't fix everything. Confronted some issues for the first time when I thought I'd seen it all.
• Saw some folks discover life in Christ and a bunch of them take the plunge in baptism.
• Saw some folks walk away from their church family.
  
• Played with and took my granddaughters out for breakfast a bunch of times.
• Played golf (I use "played" loosely) twice. Was given a new used set of clubs by a friend. Found out my days of 300 yard drives are over.
• Got a great and surprisingly good report from my annual physical. Even amazed my doc.
• Stopped playing racquetball at the Y. Too expensive. As a result I'm in need of exercise.
• Went to France for a week to serve a couple of churches and work with them in reaching the city of Grenoble. Thanks to my friends who helped me go.
• Discovered what "French pastry" really means.
  
• Did not get in the ocean at all, except to stand in it in FL a couple times to say I did.
  
• Got some of my best work done at the Morning View coffee shop in Nags Head.
• Worked on writing two books. I'm a long way from completing either.
• Didn't read enough.
  
• Spent too much time on Facebook.
  
• Shaved my goatee but kept the mustache.
• Bought a cowboy hat in CA.
• Pastored a most excellent church with an incredible team of fellow pastors and staff.
• Completed my 20th Christmas season with Nags Head Church.
• Enjoyed watching "American Pickers" and "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel.
• Was disappointed once more by the Washington Redskins and their inept owner.
• Started a Facebook group for my old youth group's reunion in CA this spring.
• Had a cough I couldn't shake for two months.
• Figured out that there's no such thing as a "fair and balanced" news network.
  
• Did some substitute teaching in Dare Co. schools. My favorite is the Alternative school for some reason.
• Learned that the information highway is the cult of the 21st century, drawing in the gullible with myths and conspiracy theories.
  
• Reconnected with some "long lost cousins" and some I've never met.
• Started on researching our family genealogy. Found out my great-great-great-great grandfather had the same name as me and participated in laying the cornerstone of the Washington Monument.
• Watched our church learn what love is and then put it in to practice in the community.

In many ways it was a great year. In many ways it was a trying year. That's the way it is every year isn't it? But it's great to know that no matter what comes my way (or yours) God knows and He is always available and ready to walk with us through the valleys and over the peaks.

Have a new year filled with joy. Happiness is temporary and fleeting. Seek something greater!