Something To Look Forward To

Not only have we started a new year but I happen to be turning 31 tomorrow. Now, I've been hearing lots of excitement and expectation about 2010 and while I can't explain it, I am finding myself feeling the same way.

A couple things I am looking forward to in this new year:

*I am looking forward to getting that much closer to finishing up my studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in pursuit of my Master of Divinity. It is a 96 credit hour graduate degree that I'm estimating after this new year I will have completed 83 of the 96 required. The light at the end of the academic tunnel is getting brighter and brighter.

*I am looking forward to another year of ministry as a pastor in the UMC. I believe that this year holds a lot of potential for the local congregation I serve, the Indiana Conference, the UMC as a denomination and the Church as a whole. I believe this year could serve as a point of reference. If we fail to step up to the challenges that face us and do not look for new ways of addressing these issues we will remember this new year as the year we missed it. The time is ripe for change, and not simply change for change sake but change that will bring about renewal, rejuvenation, and revival. We, as leaders in the Church, must recognize the need for new approaches, ideas, and styles in our ministries as well as our leadership. I'm looking forward to being a part of this exciting time of growth and change...or not?

*I am looking forward to meeting and connecting with you and others through my blog and different forms of social media. Connect with me on my Twitter account so I can follow your tweets. On Facebook? Shoot me a friend request. Riding the Google Wave? Hit me up at matt.lipan@googlewave.com. I am also working on putting together a live online streaming Bible study and discussion group called "Outside the Walls". I would love to have you join in on the study and discussion. I'm really hoping to get into a regular blogging routine because I think 2010 will be all about making connections.

Of course there are other things I am looking forward to in the year 2010 as a 31yr old but these were a couple that came to mind. What about you? What are you looking forward to in this new year?