2009: The Year in Review

I’ve decided to take a little time this afternoon and reflect on 2009—I want to think about God’s amazing, undeserved goodness to me. I’ve kind of been putting this off because I’m not sure I’ll adequately express everything I’m thinking. But there are under twelve hours left in 2009, so it’s now or never.

More than anything I’m thankful for getting to do what I do for a living. Nothing compares to the joy of meeting so many new students every week and being allowed to minister to them. I’m able to follow up with some of these for Bible study and discipleship. Regardless of the end result, I’m thankful for every opportunity God gives me.

So every day has the potential to be a “highlight” for me.  Heck, God has turned simple taxi rides into opportunities to share the gospel.  Having said that, I’ll point out some memorable moments from this past year.

Basta LoveLife’s Second Printing (February): I ordered a batch of books and was told they were the last of the first print. This was quite an emotional moment for me—the book had reached its second print in under a year.

Preaching@Iloilo City: I had an incredible time preaching for the Christ emphasis week at Central University of the Philippines. The Lord really moved that week and I was so blessed to be a part of it. It was my first time to do something like this, but hopefully not my last.

The Radio Show Expands: Erwin and I started the radio show with little more than a desire to give biblical advice to young people. We had no sponsors, no budget, and could barely afford the airtime in Baguio. But God blessed it—the Edge Radio has picked it up, and now it is playing in three major cities (Lucena and Davao in addition to Baguio).

The Second Book: Learning The Hard Way. I finally committed to turning Learning the Hard Way into a book. To be honest, it has been a very draining process—reading and editing these stories was heart wrenching at times. But I believe it’s something God wanted me to do, and I trust Him to use it. I believe the voices of the broken-hearted will speak a warning to this generation. CSM is working very hard to get it published by early 2010.

What has God taught me this year?

First and foremost, God has taught me to step outside of my comfort zone and take risks.  It’s something I was starting to learn more about in 2008: Righteous Risks.

God is also teaching me the importance of perseverance. Here’s one of the most valuable quotes I ran across this year:

“Most people overestimate what they can do in their first year, and greatly underestimate what they can do in five years.” -Jim Rohn

This is so true. We (yours truly included) often expect instant result and give up too quickly.

Well, that’s all I can think of right now.   I’ll leave you with a little secret (but don’t tell anyone).