I had the privilege of sitting on the couch with Louie and all three kids as we watched the ball drop in New York's Time's Square on a new decade. 2010. I remember as I kid thinking how weird it would be to write "2000" as the date. Now I'm trying to get used to writing 2010. I could get all sentimental here and tell you how the last decade flashed before my eyes- the good, the bad and the ugly. The blessings and the challenges. But I'm be sitting at this computer all day! Instead, I found a picture I took in January, 8 or 9 years ago on my very first digital camera. 
So this New Year, we had two things going on. Garrett sings with several other boys in a band called Torn In Two. They lead worship at a lock-in where there were 86 teens! He'd been struggling with a terrible cough that Hannah and Becca had also. Thankfully, he was well enough to sing that night and I think he did really well. The boys in the band with him are so talented. Here are a few pictures.
Then on January 4th, I left Louie in charge while I spent a week taking a seminary class at our state conference center. I'm enrolled in the Master of Divinity Program through Palmer Theological Seminary at Eastern University. Now don't get images in your head of me standing in the pulpit preaching a sermon... unless you want a good laugh. Nevertheless, I feel very strongly that we all have something to offer the Lord and I'm studying as I seek to find out exactly what that is for me. The class is called Teaching the Faith According to the Apostle Paul. We read Galatians, Romans and 1 and 2 Corinthians. We discussed how Paul communicated the gospel to those churches and the context in which he did it. I turned in a paper the first day of class, I'm writing a second paper on a passage in Romans, I'm writing my very first sermon, and then I have to write a paper on a topic from 1 Corinthians. All these assignments are due in the next 5 weeks! My almost 40- year-old brain is working really, really hard to make it all happen.
I was thoroughly blessed to stay the week with Louie's cousin Jeff, his wife and their twin girls who live down the road from the conference center. They treated me like a queen. But as I drove into town, so did a snowstorm. They live on top of a hill, about 1 1/2 miles out a country road. So... poor Jeff ended up having to drive me to class several days in his 4-wheel drive truck. Every day was a new adventure in the snow. But I have to say, it was absolutely beautiful. Here are a few pictures:
Friday morning, Jeff couldn't even get his 4-wheel drive truck up his driveway(2nd picture). I had left my car in town so I could get out of town when class was over that day. So, Jeff put my suitcase and laptop bag on his girls' sled and down the driveway we went! I will never forget my first seminary class- the snow, Louie's sweet family, getting used to typing my notes on a laptop instead of writing them on a legal pad.
Most of all, I'll remember just looking around at all the pastors and youth workers and wondering how in the world I got here. Ten years ago (even 5 years ago) no one would have thought I'd be enrolled in seminary- especially me! But I know exactly how I got here.
By the grace of God.
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