May we have a Good Partnership for 2013

This morning of 2013 my son woke up in a strange place, Kandahar Afghanistan. Never in his young life did he ever believe that this is where he would one day be, but the truth is that is where he woke up.

My son has been married over three years and this morning of 2013 he woke up without his wife with him. She cannot go where he is and he does not want her there. But never did he believe when they got married that they would have to ever be apart like this, but the truth is that is how he woke up.

My son is in the Army and he personally chose this life. While he knew that these things would be a possibility, I think in the back of his mind he hoped it would never happen, but the truth is this is the way that he will wake up until his time is done.

I am proud of my son, but I know that this is not easy and so I pray for my son.

Many of us this morning are waking up in strange places.
I woke up this morning with my life unplanned. I am a planner and so this is very uncomfortable for me this living by faith.
Debra will wake up this morning without physical pain allowing her to jump out of bed for the first time in 9 years.
Gary and Cindy woke up this morning with their life split between family in Snohomish and ministry in Astoria.
Some of you are waking up today and for the first year of your life your sins are forgiven.
Some of you are waking up today and for the first year of your life you will not be alone as you will be walking through 2013 with Jesus.
Others woke up this morning farther from God than they have ever been. Choices that they have made have created a separation and they've never been so alone and so 2013 looks so dark to them.

Even the church is waking up to a strange place. We've never been here before.
We have never had two pastors like we do.
We have never had the number of worship leaders as we do.
We have never had so many saved at a Christmas service as we did.

I am thank God for all of you, I am thankful for the Church, but 2013 will not be easy.
And so as with my son, I will pray for you in those strange places that though our lives may not be where we thought they would be when 2012 started, its because of our choice to follow God into 2013.

Philippians 1:3- 6
³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
It will be a Happy New Year