NEW BEGINNINGS

I live very near this beautiful church, in fact, once a week Hero and I walk all the way around it on our morning walk path.

 

If I leave my apartment, I always will see it sitting up on the hill and it is a beautiful site to behold.  As much as I enjoy seeing this beautiful church seemingly at the top of the earth, I enjoy just as much hearing the bells ring--day in and day out.  You can see them at the tip top of the building, but hearing them ring warms my heart.

The bells ring following weddings, which is such a sweet touch.  This ringing signifies a beginning of a marriage.  The calendar has rolled around and a New Year has begun.  Last night (Saturday evening) at twilight I heard the bells ring---I am certain announcing the beginning of a marriage.  The wheels began to turn and this morning I heard a sermon about the beginning of Genesis.  NOW that would inspire anyone.  

What if when we decided to begin again, we had a way to signify our new beginning such as ringing a bell?   What if we marked a new start---a new beginning by standing outside and ringing a bell so that all within our hearing range would know we had made a new beginning?  It might help to keep us on track if we publicly made the announcement of our plan to begin again.  Our lead pastor made the point in his sermon that when we have new beginnings we should make a point to go back to begin something new  with God at square one.  When we start anew or start a new, we should always make certain we include God's purpose.  Dr. McQueen reminded us God has a purpose in everything and we get into trouble when we substitute our purpose for His.  

SO---Happy New Year---and if you are simply beginning a new year on the calendar or if you are making resolutions for change and beginning anew---my prayer is God's purpose would be your primary focus. 

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the human heart;

yet no one can fathom 

what God has done from beginning to end."

Ecclesiastes 3:11