Meditating on 2007

As I imagine the next 12 months, I have so many questions. Will I still be in this house, this community, this church in a year? My husband, an Anglican priest, and I are starting to take steps down a path we have long seen waiting for us--starting a church and an associated monastic-type community of families, couples, singles and students. The Community of Jesus is a thriving example, as is the Taize community in France; the New Monasticism, we've discovered is a movement of God across the U.S. (Christianity Today has even written a cover story on the phenomenon.) Francis and Edith Schaeffer's story of L'Abri has also been an inspiration to us.

God gave us a unique vision for this, however, long before we ever knew much about these other communities. We have tested it for nearly ten years now, with the Lord, with other Christians, with each other--and time has not weakened the vision, but strengthened and refined it.

But how we are to follow God to see this become a reality is a huge question of faith, finances, practicality and God's timing. We have recently been led by the Lord to consider a property in Kenosha, WI, and we may be investigating other properties--land?--in that area. Just taking these small steps points us to many more questions we'll need to ask and many more actions we'll need to make. We are praying mightily for God to reveal what He wants. It is a question many of us ask of Him--but as many of us know, His answers are not always readily apparent!

So I don't know what 2007 holds for us. But I pray that this year I will grow in prayerfulness, in faith, in hope and in love. I pray that my children will grow in faith and trust in God to provide for them amidst great uncertainty. I pray that they will be part of this process--that they will learn to listen with us and to see God's hand in circumstances. I pray that at the end of this year, we can all look back and praise God for how He led us--even if we are still right here in the same house!