New year

Firm Foundation

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“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25, nirv

Well, we’re a little more than a week into the new year! How are those goals holding up? I know for me, goals are often just set during this time in order to center myself on what needs to be changed for the better, but for many people, this is the moment where they start anew. I don’t want to diminish this, because it is important to work on oneself, but one thing that I need to remind myself during this time of introspection, is setting a firm foundation.

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Journey Update: New Year, New Goals

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I always love January. A fresh new year and a whole world in front of us. The past couple of years have been wild, I’m sure you’ve heard of this pandemic that’s been happening, of course I know that all of us have been dealing with the complications. In the midst of all the insanity and unknowns, God is still good. One of my biggest takeaways from this past year, is that God is still good and will continue to make a way in the wilderness. Perspective is incredibly important in all that we do, and I know life has not been forgiving in these past years, but we must rely on Christ and know that He is making a way in our wilderness wandering.

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My Year in Books

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Hello, dear readers! I decided to take the month of December off of writing because, well, I was busy and tired and need to recharge my tank. It’s important to take care of your mental health and learn to rest, but I am excited to get back to it! I plan to write a New Year’s blog, all about my word of the year and what I am excited to move forward in, but on this first day of the year, I wanted to do something a little different.

My dear Danielle and I for the past few years, have taken a challenge on Goodreads, to read 100 books in a year. Reading is an important part of our lives, because we should always keep learning and enjoy the beauty inside books. I read a total of 101 books this year; a combination of physical, audio, comic, and library books to make that happen. I had a blast, checking out classics, new releases, and ministry books. I want to share some of my favorites that I read this year, and recommend it to you for your lists this year! Now, let’s jump into it!

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Journey Update: Setting the Right Goals for the New Year

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Another year has passed, and it may just have been one of the most eventful years. For me, heading into this new year, much like my previous new year reflections, was how I can use what I learned to create strong goals for this year. Last year I wanted to be more creative and do more, but what I learned is that in order for me to be the best I can be, I need to know who I am. I found that when the world shut down, I was given time to process my past in order to grow into where I feel called. It was a year to grow and a year with set aside time for that growth.

With this new year, I have more goals, and I want to make sure they are the right goals for the new year.

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What a Year of Choosing Love Showed Me

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At the start of this year, dear Danielle and I chose a word that we would focus on. Similar to many ideas that come with the new year, we chose a word that we wanted to add to who we were, a character trait that would be pressed into in order to grow closer to who God is calling us to be. That word was “lover.” We wanted to move into this current year with forgiveness and make sure we showed love through every part of us. We wanted to be active in our love for people, because people matter.

Little did we know that a global pandemic would happen.

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Reflection and Growth

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“Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a foggy mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

Two things keep sticking in my mind over the past year; reflection and growth. The start of the year, dear Danielle and I chose the word, “lover,” to be the word we would focus on and attribute to our mindset. Little did we know that this would be tested as everything changed in a crazy way. I am so thankful that we chose this mindset, because this year dealt with a lot, and there was a lack of love all around. I was ready for a year of busyness and wanted to focus on how to love better, but what happened was a year of resetting rhythms. I am thankful for that reset, I’m thankful for the time or reflection over the past and a growth towards what may be next.

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Be Present

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We are officially in a new year. It’s a great time; we all are thinking about the past and now thinking about what we want the future to be. I know for my dear Danielle and I, we have been looking at what we want this year. Habits we want to begin, things we need to cut out, vision casting for the future. I love looking to the future, but often, I get caught up in the future and end up missing right now. There have been many moments where I want to do something, but ended up getting held back because I was not “experienced” enough. So, I strived in the past to get to the next level, do whatever it takes to gain influence. Now, for me, this never meant being a bully to get ahead, but it did mean I would get so focused on who I needed to impress and which boxes to check to move up. I was trying to speed through a game, without taking time to have fun.

What I’ve been learning is that I need to stop rushing into what’s next and enjoy where I am. I need to be present.

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Journey Update: The New Year & Loving More

/ Joshua Thomas / 1 Comment

This past year has been one of the busiest and chaotic years to date. As you might know, my monthly posting schedule has been completely thrown out during December. Working a theme park is fun, but working during the holidays and as a new ride opens, it started to become more like hell for a few weeks. Kind of a fitting way to end a chaotic year with a bit more chaos on top. I’ve learned to adapt very quick over this year. It began with me not having my main youth pastor job, and my dearest Danielle and I searching for what was next. With an open door and a need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, we made the move down to Orlando for Danielle’s Disney College Program. While job searching, I found myself processing a lot of hurts, my pastoring position wasn’t just a job; I had invested in the lives of a ton of students, so when I was let go, I didn’t really know what to do.

I didn’t belong, and I felt like I was letting those students down or abandoning them.

It felt like my purpose was pulled away, I had gotten wrapped up in a place and lost sight that no matter where God had me, I had purpose.

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Journey Update: New Year and Dreaming Bigger

/ Joshua Thomas / 2 Comments

Just like that, another year has ended. This past year has probably been one of the most eventful years of my life. In the span of three months I was engaged and got married to my best friend! My nephew Gideon was born, and he’s probably the coolest baby ever (sorry not sorry to those of you who had children). I recently got an opportunity to write for Medium on pop-culture, which has always been a huge love of mine (Click here to read some fun stuff!). There have been so many great things, but this has also been a difficult year for me. I was working and carrying out a different vision than my own, and because of that, I stopped dreaming. I found myself working out of a routine because I wasn’t really able to experiment, I’m not saying this is bad, it just became an environment that didn’t help me thrive. The moments where I felt like I was myself were over shadowed by my anxiety to perform well with the hopes of others noticing my work and the craft I was giving. This anxiety really hurt me, causing me to forget who I am. When I was around people that love me and in situations where I could be who I was, that joy came back. As I reflect over this past year, I want to be different, I want to make sure that I am taking care of myself and following what God is calling me towards.

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The New Year

/ Joshua Thomas / 6 Comments

What a crazy year it has been. It seemed like everything was kicked up to eleven. I got two new jobs where I get to be around some of the most incredible students, both in church and in a school. The Holy Spirit gave me crazy visions that blow me away and can’t wait to step into. I had the chance to plan an event and see students step into an authentic faith. The prayer wall I have on the back of my door (notecards with prayers written on them for people in my life) have been answered and I had the chance to step into deeper relationship with many of these people. It has been one wild year.

In all of it, God has reigned supreme and renewed me each day; he has been all that I needed.

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