Caleb, my fearless, dirt under his fingernails,eccentric eight year old was asked to write an essay responding to the prompt,“Ring out the Old and Ring in the New!” The prompt asked him to write about his three favorite experiences in the last year and about three things he hoped would happen in 2011. I’m sharing it with his permission. He was quite proud that I thought his essay worthy of posting on the blog. He feels “published”now.

 “Pssst! Would you like to hear my writing prompt? It’s about the three things that I loved about the past year and three things I hope will come in 2011! Wait! You have to hear this for yourself!

 The first thing that happened in 2010 is that our family decided to adopt a child from South Africa. His name is Duzi. He fits right into our family! So, if you haven’t adopted yet, it’s hard but fun. So, why don’t you give it a try?

I never thought I would write about this, but I’m about to—for the third year in a row!   New Years Resolutions. I loathed them growing-up. Thought they were lame, superficial and only made to be broken. But something changed a few years ago. Call me crazy, or obvious, but I decided to let God into my attempts toward resolve.

I spent New Year's Eve in quiet contemplation and communion with God. At 11:30 last night, I was sitting in bed with my Bible and journal, praying, reading and listening for direction from God. It was a beautiful time and I was very encouraged by how God is working several influences in my life together to speak a common message to me for the coming year. I asked God to begin renewing my heart and mind in a fresh way, and I have a strong assurance that He honored that request in a profound way.

My new year preparation started on Sunday, in fact. I finally got to hear Dr. Pete Shemm, a professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, preach at Cave Spring Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia. Dr. Shemm, or Pete (as he would prefer to be called), is the interim pastor at the church I grew up in, was baptised in, and where my parents remain active as church musician (mom) and Bible teacher (dad). Since Pete came a few months ago to fill the pulpit and provide transitional leadership after the former pastor left, I have been receiving regular updates from my father, who is deeply impressed by Pete Shemm and his gift for preaching, evident humility, and passion for theology.

My parents used to have us write a “Resolution list” for the coming year, but even at a young age, I found such attempts a waste of my time. "Being nicer to my sister," or "not eating candy," would last until about 2pm on New Year’s Day, and bear nothing but sweet investments in my failure complex. So I’d doodle on my supposed list, or make-up something to appease parental requests, but beyond that, spent my years resorting to a no-resolution approach.

In 2009, this changed.

My first three weeks of 2009 were spent on a three-week solitude retreat. I’d interact with a therapist/spiritual-director each morning, but other than that, was alone with the snowy woods of Washington. A handful of themes encased from this journey, of the more significant ones being “rest.” Debriefing in a friend’s living room, I remember asking her from thereon out to, “Remind when that I lost engagement with the Sabbath, that such is a sin* for me.” And what I meant by “sin” here was relatively unrelated to anything behavioral, and rather, resistance to something invitational—from God.