Friends, loved ones and faithful blog readers…you have entered the final chapter of this here blog. This is not the final post, but as we come to the close of another year of new beginnings and several endings, I feel like it is the perfect time to close out this volume of my life as well. Short of some divine blog intervention, or a complete public outcry, I can’t think of a better way to bring this one to an end. Below are a few of the reasons that I feel that the timing couldn’t be better.
1. “Refine Me” – As I stated in an earlier post (see “Empty Me”) over the past 6 months or so, I have been challenged to really look deep into myself and be emptied of the things that come between me and the one that created me. The Bible refers to this process as “being tested as fire tests and purifies gold” (1 Peter 1:7). As the Lord continues to remove my imperfections (believe me, there are a TON of them), I hope to continue to be molded into the image of what He wants for my life. Ironically enough, the blog doesn’t seem to be in any of those plans that I have identified so far. Maybe I have not gotten there yet, but so far…no blog.
2. “Time is our currency” – Chris Rice sings a song that says “Everyday is a bank account, time is our currency”. In other words, you are given 24 hours each day….how did you spend it? If the time or currency that I spent on the blog could have been spent with my wife, my children, my family and most importantly the Lord, did I spend it wisely? As I have examined my investments, I find gaps in the spending that need to be resolved.
3. “I Miss My Time with You” – Larnelle Harris sings a beautiful song that says “I miss my time with you, those moments together. I need to be with you each day and it hurts me when you say you’re to busy”. Our Pastor calls it TWG or “Time With God”. He went so far as to recommend to a friend that he actually write that in his planner each day as not to forget it. I think He misses His time with me. Though I have shared a lot of my TWG with you through the blog, I feel like it’s time to take it off-line and share those times with my Redeemer, savior and friend.
4. “Movin On” – If you start at the beginning of the blog and read page after page, it chronicles the wins and losses of the past year. Some of those memories, I would just as soon forget. They are “lessons learned”. They are also things that need to be cataloged and filed away. Rascal Flatts put it best – “I’ve dealt with my ghosts and I’ve faced all my demons. Finally content with a past I regret. I’ve found you find strength in your moments of weakness. For once I’m at peace with myself. I’ve been burdened with blame. Trapped in the past for to long. I’m moving on….”
So, as I construct the final pages of my blog the next few weeks, I hope you see the goals that I have set and what it has become. Enjoy this final chapter and thank you all for making Volume I a reality.
