2024. Out With the Old, In With the New

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2024?

Like it or not, we are here.

I say, out with the old and in with the new!

What do I mean by that? It’s not just new years resolutions that we more often than not fail to keep. No. I am digging more into the root meaning of what the verse in the bible refers to God doing a “new thing”. What is difficult for many of us is discerning what is that new thing we are meant to embrace in our lives but also in our world. Personal experience, worldviews or understanding is one thing, but ultimately, the answers are to be found in the truth of God’s word.



2023 Reflections of Highs and Lows

The turn of a calendar year can serve a purpose if we reflect well. It’s easy to find gratitude for what has gone well. But where we undergo painful challenges in life, I’m learning they don’t have to define us. They can actually be used to refine us. If in our reflection we look for the lessons to be learned, boundaries to be had and grace to embrace.

2023 was one for the books. Full of highs and lows, we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t have our share of both. I don’t know about you, but I sense through the trials of life we can be given the gift off tenacity, grace, hope, resilience, patience, faith and the list goes on and on if we are willing to reach for those gifts. God is the good giver of such gifts and He is just a prayer away. I have noticed if I don’t reach out to the Lord in prayer, my soul becomes stuck in apathy or anguish. To get to know me a bit more of what I’m hinting towards, I thought to share a glimpse of some highs and lows here in a form of a New Year’s Kick off check in letter to you:

For the highs:

  • Family time is precious to me. Every life is a gift from above. Adding to our crew this past year was our 3rd grandson Kohen who arrived September 24th. His brother Kylen and cousin Kolten are sure sweet with him. So fun seeing all these boys added to our family after raising daughters all those years. God is good! Justine and Kaden live in Saskatoon with their two boys as well as Amanda, Kevin and Kolten. Jaclyn and Jess live on Vancouver Island and travel back and forth to connect when able! Most recently, we had the joy of having our whole crew to Kauai for some down time and early Christmas celebrations as we intentionally gathered to connect and play in the sun, sand and waves. So grateful.

  • Extended Family for us is our family of origin, friends and family- near and far. We connect as much as we can here in Saskatoon, SK, Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota and Vancouver Island. Living long distance from many is both a challenge and a blessing. Connection matters. A lot of life happens in a year. Each one of us embarking on a new journey with opportunities and challenges to face. Grateful for those friends and family near and far who bear burdens with us, celebrate with us, pray for us. You know who you are! I thank you for your impact on our lives and for going the distance. (Or, if you are reading this blog and just getting to know of me, I pray that you will be encouraged by stopping by for a bit. I care for your story. If I didn’t, I would engage online with others as I do!)

  • My husband Tim and I traveled to Israel (and Jordan) in the spring on a tour with Pastor Dain at Kauai Christian Fellowship. Truly life changing! It was my third time to visit Israel as I went with my friend Lisa in 2013 with WJOF and 2015 with some leaders from the USA and Canada. Going with Tim was a dream come true. We were invited to join this tour with the KCF crew as a last minute invite after meeting many locals there over the last few years.

  • Serving more intentionally at my home church Forest Grove Community Church these past few years has also been a blessing. I’ve been attending there since the mid 90’s and have witnessed the highs and lows of a local church. I’ve felt the depth of mourning with some losses and I celebrate the joys of new beginnings! As in most healthy transitions, I believe the best is yet to come! A few highlights last year was hosting a workshop “God’s Story Your Story” with Sean from E3 and a Prayer Training workshop where I helped host Nicki from Multiply.

    For the lows:

    A new years greeting would not be authentic without recognizing our need for peace in this world and to acknowledge suffering near and far. Through good times and bad, I am grateful to learn what God’s peace is as compared to the “peace of this world.” Below I recommend a resource from the team at the Bible Project who unpack the root word of Peace (Shalom) in the Bible.

  • On a personal note: As we get older, our physical health faces more opportunities for decline. We are tested with who we are or where we place our identity when trouble comes. Grateful for our family who encourage us with holistic ways to lean into greater health along with our faith community. Our health is more than just our physical self, but we do try and follow the “doctors orders.” A diagnosis does not have the final say, God’s word does. (I know I’m being vague about that all right now, but some things do need to stay private!) I am speaking about our own challenges and that of loved ones we hold close to our hearts at this time. I love how God is known as “The Great Physician” (Mark 2:17) and is our Healer. God does His part, we must do ours. So we do what we can to be proactive to stay healthy, and address/ tackle what we must to fight for our health too. I’ve been in a learning mode about this for years, but more so since my first trip to Israel. I am fascinated with learning about life, the Bible, and God’s design for us all. This includes going to His word when it seems like He is silent on matters of suffering. You can rest assure that I know deeply that God is not silent in this either.

  • On a global scale, you don’t have to look to far to witness the suffering of others all around. We are heartbroken to the many injustices across the seas and in our own backyard. If we aren’t all consumed with what we are personally facing, we can have room in our hearts and minds to think about others and their suffering. There is a balance. We cannot live under a rock and shut everything and everyone out. Nor should we be so consumed with the news, the evil or darkness around us either. More specifically, October 7th shook me. The Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and the ongoing war there in response and retaliation was numbing. Vicarious trauma really. We were just there. With all the news reports and narratives floating about, it can be confusing and so frustrating as to what is true and what is ‘fake news'. I continue to pray, learn and press into God’s heart regarding the war and the impact it is making across the globe.

    2024 & Seeking “The New” Thing

    Out with the old, in with the new.

    What do I really mean by that? As mentioned, it’s not just new years resolutions, goals or bucket lists. No. Rather, it’s looking to God as to what He is doing in our midst. Personally, locally, globally. Asking the Lord of Creation: What do you want me to know, do, learn, pray? Do we recognize if we are walking in a “wilderness” or experience a “desert time” spiritually?

    Isaiah 43:19, says “Behold, I am doing a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

    This verse is not only to be read in context of where the prophet Isaiah spoke to the people of Israel in the 8th century BC during the Babylonian exhile. This prophetic truth applied to them then, but it can also apply to us today, Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). A prophetic promise of hope which is at the heart of the Gospel.

    Human nature is curious about chasing “new things”.

    Here are some q’s as you consider what may be “new” for you this year:

    • Seeking the new thing: What is it that our hearts desire and does it line up with God’s desire for us? Do we rely on the past allowing old ways of thinking, living or patterns to guide us, define us?

    • Spring Forth: What are the signs that are springing forth in your life and in our world that line up with God’s plan for you?

    • A way in the wilderness: If you are currently ‘wandering in a wilderness of life’. There is a gift to be found in the wilderness as we seek God’s direction to lead us out. Learn to hear his voice and then trust His voice!

    • Rivers in a desert: Are you facing spiritual dryness? As Jesus spoke to the woman at the well who was thirsty or when He said in the Beatitudes “Blessed are those who thirst and hunger after righteousness”. We will find rivers of water flowing from our hearts and lives when we abide in Him. (John 4, Matthew 5). God gives us His Holy Spirit to fill us, renew us and lead us into the new!

“Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”
— Isaiah 43:19 ESV

I find clarity and an openness to the new things ahead when I learn more about God’s character and the truths found in His word. How about you?

We can start to see His plan unfolding regardless of our own personal hopes or desires are fulfilled or not. God is doing a new thing amidst the chaos of the world. The question remains, “Do we perceive it”?

The Bible has a ton to say about our health, our relationships, justice, Israel and the state of our world (past, present and future). There are timeless truths and prophetic prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Does Biblical prophecy have relevance in our day today? Yes, absolutely. Do I understand it fully? Nope. That’s where faith comes in. We also need community to engage in scripture reading too so we can grow in dialogue, be open to others perspectives and become critical thinkers and passionate/ compassionate feelers. The Bible is meant for us to interact with and seek God’s voice for us today.

  • Sidenote: This year, my husband and I are joined the Bible Recap by reading the Bible in a year in chronological order using their app! You can start anytime. You don’t have to use that app, but check them out (or others like it) as they provide a solid overview of the Bible? It’s awesome.

No matter what your highs and lows of 2023 were, what burden you continue to carry or wilderness/ desert you’ve wandered through, you are not alone! Even though God can and does seek to speak to us today through a plethora of ways, let’s start off 2024 by asking God to speak to us through prayer and His word as a priority. Believe me my friend, it is so worth it!

Will you join me?

Happy New Year and God’s blessings of peace to you and your family in 2024! With Love, Tim and Jodi

(with our family in Kauai, Hawaii December 2023. Photos by Bo Harlee Creative)

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