2009 in Review: January-February

To close out the month of January, I thought it would be helpful to review God's goodness in my life last year month-by-month. It is often helpful to review God's goodness in our lives to keep from discouragement or pride.

January 2009--In January, we had our annual Fort retreat. Wayne Beilgard was our speaker, powerfully convicting us of areas where we need to grow. Perhaps the message that God used the most in our lives was the vivid picture of Jesus dying for our sins from John 3. On the final night of the retreat, as I was driving Steve and Kelly to the hospital, the church van that I was driving flipped over and we ended up in a farmer's field. By the grace of God, everyone came out OK. I remember really struggling spiritually in the hours following the accident and God used several friends to encourage me and remind me of the truth of His love and grace. God used the accident in the youths' hearts, drawing many of them closer to Him.

February 2009--In February, a smaller group from within the youth group went back up to the Fort Wilderness camp to serve and wash dishes for the weekend. When we weren't working, we studied God's Word together--encouraging each other from Isaiah 40. We looked at the greatness of God and I was really built up by the students, who kept seeing different ways God was great within the chapter.