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January brings renewed passion for change. 
There will be resolutions to lose weight.  Many will commit to spending more time at home with family.  People will re-evaluate careers, debt, or relationships. Some may even go back to school.

Something about the new year inspires people to pursue their greatest calling or contemplate their deepest regret.  Some will follow through on new commitments, and others will be the same in a few weeks or maybe even a few days.

Life is busy. People are stretched in lots of directions. While most have significant aspirations, so often the routine day to day schedules set in, and those great intentions become next year’s resolutions.  So, how do we make a change?  What is the key to transformation?

When it comes to intentions, sometimes I think we fail to start with prayer. A conversation in the movie The Forge resonated with me when the grandmother mentioned that she prayed for her dishwasher.  That is my daughter’s favorite line in the movie.  When asked how the dishwasher turned out after her prayer, the grandmother said, “It’s working!”
 
What if we decided in 2025 to pray about the little stuff, the big stuff, the commitments, the resolutions, the dishwasher that breaks, the traffic that backs up on the interstate…  all of it. What if we truly lived out I Thessalonians 5:16-18:
 
Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Prayer first is my goal this year. I want to pray about the big stuff and the little stuff.  I want to find reasons to rejoice in the midst of a hard day. I want to give thanks.  I think if I do that, who knows, maybe I will lose those extra pounds, work out more, spend more time with family, and conquer all the other goals and commitments I would like to see accomplished in 2025.

Even if I don’t achieve it all, I do know this–if I follow God’s Word and live according to His calling, 2025 will be a great year!

A Note To Those Who Served…
A special thank you to those who helped at the Children’s Christmas Party on Sunday, December 8. Your service was an investment in the kingdom as you loved and celebrated the birth of Christ with the children of Beaumont’s First Baptist Church. We had 150 children and 50 teenagers and adults! We could not have had a party without your help, so thank you!!