It’s strange, I feel like I’ve been preparing for 2015 all year (pun intended).  Seriously though, my wife and I were remarking to ourselves the other day how much 2014 served as a year of preparation for us in everything from strengthening our relationship, expanding our ministry, overcoming career challenges, and even preparing to grow our family.  And now that it’s finally here, I feel a strange sense of calm.  Usually, I love new beginnings because of the frenetic pace of change and new activities.  But, there’s a great proverb, it’s better to finish a thing, then the start of a thing.  I think because we’ve been praying and planning for so long, it’s just nice to finally be moving into execution mode.  It’s like, go time.  For real.

The thing I’m most looking forward to in this new year is the expansion of my ministry efforts.  I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to share my life experiences as a young father throughout the past year, and this upcoming year I’m dedicating a increased portion of my time to sharing more, in both writing via this blog and through other mentoring avenues.  It’s actually a great way for me to grow myself as a father, having the opportunity to reflect regularly about my lessons learned.  This is the culmination of years of build up, gaining the experience and confidence necessary to step out on a dream of mine, and now it’s finally coming to fruition.

I’m also working on several other projects this year, including developing a parents grassroots organization for families and refining my own personal approach to developing leadership in others.

But probably the most consequential thing about this year is my overall approach towards change.  If 2014 brought with it the tests of learning to embrace change, I am meeting 2015 with the confidence and assurance of a husband, father, and leader ready to ride the crest of change towards expansion.

SDW3