What will we call this one? We can’t say “Oh ten” because that sounds stupid. We can’t just call it “ten”, like “ninety-nine”, because that also sounds moronic. TJ suggested “ten-spot”, which is catchy. I suppose it could just be “twenty-ten”, but that gets long winded after a while. At any rate, I welcome this new year and eagerly await all God has in store for me this year.

I’m thankful for a church family who receives me back home as if I had never left, with the exception of the questions. Matt said even though I hadn’t stepped through those doors since October 15, 2008 it was almost as if I had never left. I felt the same. Some of the faces are a bit older now, and there are a couple new ones. I’m now glad to be back participating in the Richmond crew here. And they’re excited for the new addition we’ll have, Lord willing, in a year or so.

I’m thankful for friends who can quickly come up with last-minute New Years Eve party plans and that we can enjoy the last few minutes of 2009 together and begin 2010 together. Friends that are interested in the lives of each other and really care for one another.

I’m thankful for a God who never fails me and never leaves me. To call Him faithful seems like a joke, for He is so much more. Calling Him faithful makes me feel like he owes it to me to be that way, when I know that He owes me nothing but chooses to be with me and be “faithful” as my finite mind can understand it. He is True, Sure, Everlasting, Love. He took me to Paraguay, blessed me there beyond my expectations and imagination, and brought me home. Hopefully a future post will detail some of the abundant life that God gave me during my several months. I’m thankful for every minute.

I’m thankful for a brand new year, completely unwritten, in which I can seek God’s direction for my life and pursue His path. He will remain by my side as long as I don’t stray from Him, and I am excited for the amazing life He will reveal to me this year.

Happy 2010. May it be the best yet, filled with blessings from above. If you aren’t experiencing any, give Him your life so He can begin to show you how awesome it is.

-j