The New Year celebration is my favorite time of year. I love the feeling of a fresh start and the excitement of reaching for new or resurrected goals. However, before moving on to 2008, I want to take inventory of the kind of year 2007 has been.

Looking back isn’t something you want to do too much of, but an honest look can reveal how much good we have enjoyed. Our tendency is either to view the past without recognizing the good things (“Nothing ever goes right for me”), or to glorify the past, as if things were always better in “the good ol’ days.” Neither of those extremes apply to real life.

I’ve tried to take a careful look at the past year and have settled on a few events that I want to highlight. The following awards are for the biggest personal events of 2007 (this will make the most sense to those of you who know Krista and me).

Most Poignant Award:
Our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary. I reveled in our celebration of one year of marriage. April 8 will always be a powerful icon of God’s redemption for me. I am married to my best friend and I love being with her.

The Improbable Award:
The Country Music Marathon. Crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles and 5 hours was an improbable dream for me before that moment. I don’t think I could have finished without Krista’s strong support and the support of my family and friends. The memory of finishing the marathon continues to be a source of encouragement in my pursuit of other goals.

Best Trip of 2007:
Napa Valley and Sonoma, CA with the LoCurtos. It was a magical week of relaxing, wine tasting, laughing, and learning. If we could go back with them tomorrow we would.

Mixed Blessing Award:
The Alexes Move to Estonia. Brian and Renee followed God’s lead to the country of Estonia to serve and pastor two churches in Kuressaare. We miss them greatly, but it has strengthened my faith more than I could measure as I’ve watched them receive God’s redemptive work in their marriage and then follow him into the unknown. (Click here if you would like to find out how to support their missionary work. Even a small amount can be a huge help!)

Curveball of the Year Award:
My sister Laura gets married in Las Vegas. The curveball here is not that Laura got married, but that she did so in Las Vegas! Another reminder that we Barmers don’t do status quo. We are very happy for her and are praying that she and Sean would experience God’s best for their new marriage.

Forging Friendships Award:
The Village Chapel. Whether it be the openness of our worship services, the comprehensive teaching of the Bible, our small group, or our new friends Aaron and Abigail Chen, we have much reason to be glad that God has led us to The Village Chapel.

Most Astounding Moment of 2007:
Krista shooting an MP5 submachine gun at our handgun class. “Is that my wife shooting that machine gun?” The answer was “yes,” but I had no way to classify what I was seeing. Watching Krista fire 10 rapid-fire shots into a helpless target could only be described with one word: astounding.

I may post my 2008 goals tomorrow, on New Year’s Day, but that would mean I’ll be held accountable by some of you, so I am hesitating. 🙂

Happy New Year!