Looking Back on 2013

As I look back on the year that was 2013 there were many ups and some downs. In the spring of last year I hit an all time low spiritually and emotionally. Those closest to me know the details but it was a hard season. Some time away in the mountains of New Mexico on a prayer retreat and a little time with some very close friends were the medicine God used to bring me back and to restore my soul.

There was a lot of upside to the year. We sold our house in West Texas after two years of praying. Subsequently, we were blessed to buy a home in Wise County. God gave us more of a home than we could have hoped. God gave me the desires of my heart in giving me a home office. We live on a golf course and because Tanner is on the varsity golf team, he gets to play for free. To top it all off the house came with our very own golf court. Unbelievable.

I did not set out in 2013 to write more than I have written previously. It just happened. I wrote the things on my heart. Writing is at times more like therapy for me. I write what God gives me. At the end of 2013 I wrote 218 blogs more than any other year. We surpassed the 61,000 hits mark on the site. I am shooting to break the number of blogs I write again in 2014.

God also made another dream come true. I wrote a book titled Weeping For A Night that is going to be published with a traditional publisher. It is set to be released some time this spring. I have long pursued this dream of getting published on a broader scale and God is making it come true right before my eyes. The book just finished the editing process and just entered the lay out phase of the production schedule. During the spring and possibly into the summer I will be doing some book tours.

Though I told only few people, at the beginning of 2013 I re-enrolled in seminary to complete my Master's degree. While everyone else was getting ready to celebrate the new year on New Year's Eve, I spent a good portion of my day studying for and taking my last final exam to complete the Master's of Art degree in Pastoral Ministries. God supplied the money up front to do this and in the end, when I needed additional money to graduate and receive my degree, God also provided that as well.

All in all, I would have to say God worked in marvelous ways throughout 2013. He was faithful every day. He proved trustworthy in my desert experience in the spring. He proved reliable by selling my house and making it possible to buy a dream house. He proved a dependable provider to help me finish my seminary degree I have long wanted to complete. True is His word, "Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass." [I Thess 5:24]