holidaytime in a state shaped like a mitten

spending holiday season in Michigan, the state shaped like a mitten. it has been cold, snowy, rainy, foggy, and warmish since i arrived on Christmas day to join my wife and kiddo. my wife is a Michigan native (Michigander) and we make a yearly retreat to the frozen tundra (or closest thing to it for me) for Christmas and New Years. it has been fun spending time with my wife in her natural element and seeing friends and family. happy holidays to all three of you who follow the blog. here is the most recent documentation of growth (three weeks and counting).

this new year, in addition to my previous claim at making 2009 a year of growth for me, i am adopting one more resolution or habit: to pray daily for peace. i am not attempting to make any type of political claim or move here, just to genuinely act on my desire to see peace break out all over the world. a close friend and confidant of mine continually echoes the contemplatives with his advice, "If you want to truly affect a movement or make a change, PRAY." so i am taking him up on his advice. i would ask you to join me but i don't want to be presumptive that the most important thing you have to pray for is peace, so instead i would ask you to join me in this: to pray daily for one thing throughout the new year that you would like to see happen or change. it could be to end world hunger or to stop the devastating AIDS epidemic, or any other significant change you wish to see. i am not asking for you to pray for something i agree with or believe in but for something you agree with or believe in. i would ask that in your prayer, you ask for God to show you how you will actively take part in the change you wish to see. i anticipate a fruitful and prayerful new year.

as this will most likely be my last post before 2009: PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TO ALL!

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