Todays playlist: Coldplay at Glastonbury 2011. Michele Brent Bissig and I enjoy traveling. Every now and then you just have to get away, cleanse the palate and take in some knew scenery. We often toss bags in the truck and just take off, no agenda but fun and each other. Not to sound nerdy, but wouldn’t it be cool to do some time-traveling? To go into the future to check out the landscape or jump backward and revisit life, people and events. I know I would. I was having this exact conversation with a group of people not long ago and the question was asked what we would pack for a trip into tomorrow. Good question. I generally pack light when traveling, and I can be ready for the beach in about 10 minutes. Our daughters pack virtually everything they own when they travel, often leaving my large SUV cramped for space. Tonight at midnight we step into a new time; 2015, and I have to ask, what are you taking with you? This past year I have experienced many joys. Our son, Ryan Bissig left the nighttime world of being UPS supervisor and now has a wonderful daytime job. Our daughter, Sara Cooley, married Casey Cooley, a wonderful man of integrity, and the two just purchased and moved into their new home. He is settling into his first year teaching and she is in administration at UK. Emilee Bissig, our youngest daughter has moved back home from spending two years in Colorado Springs and has joined our staff at church. We are glad to have her home. Our church is growing and is doing more to be a blessing in our community than I ever thought possible. Some days the mission we are on can be intimidating to me. Those are the joyful highlights, but there have been sorrows. Like watching my uncle David Summers suffer and waste away from cancer and then succumb to it’s grip. Watching my brother and his wife live the ebb and flow existence of good news, bad news, surgery and then the death of their six month old little girl. Hell on earth if you ask me. Watching my mother navigate the loss of her brother and then granddaughter. My parents are strong people. I have participated in 16 funerals this past year. Apart from family, the most painful was the funeral of an inspiring young man, Zachariah Hampton. He was involved in our special needs and audio/visual ministry at Life Church. He challenged us, and his absence is often noted. People who have taken my words and actions out of plain, simple context and purposefully twisted them to suit their own agenda. It hurts. That is the short list of sorrows. When we pack for a trip we generally take our favorite clothing and accessories, suitable for the purpose and environment to which we are traveling. So, let me ask; what are you packing for your trip into 2015? You can take all that you want or you can leave all that you don’t. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. I understand some pain, such as the lost of a loved one, may follow you for many years. But, there are some things we can leave behind. Unforgiveness, bitterness, drama, bigotry, hate, trivial differences that divide. Those my friends don’t belong in our future, especially if you are following the purpose and plan that God has for your life. We have much to do! Leave the baggage in 2014! So what do we take into next year? I’m packing hope. I’m packing love, joy, patience and faith. I am packing so that 20 years from now, if we have discovered a way to do some time-travel, that 2015 won’t be on my list of times to stop because I have something to fix. Actually, there are 9 plus hours left in 2014. Time enough to right a wrong, make an apology, make a phone call, pay a visit. Time to make things right, before it’s too late. Tonight at midnight I will ring in the new year with a kiss, a song and a prayer…and very little baggage. Hoping you can to the same. On another note, thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. I pray I have been a blessing and an encouragement in someway. Happy New Year!
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 19:52:46 +0000
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