Two thousand and two holds a number of expected changes for my family.  Within the first two weeks of the year Diane will be starting a new position within Rutgers University.  She will be working with the Rutgers Foundation.

Adam will be leaving his position as assistant athletic trainer at St. Peter’s College to become an athletic trainer with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He will report to the Diamondback’s spring training in Tucson, AZ in February.  In June he will go to Missoula, Montana to be the trainer for the Diamondback’s minor league team the Missoula Osprey.  This leaves Ashley in NC to finish out her school year in May.  Then she packs up and joins Adam in Montana.

Greg will be graduating in May from Hamilton College with a large window of opportunities and possibilities.  He is praying that he will be awarded the Watson scholarship, which will allow him to go abroad for a year starting in August to study and experience life in a variety of Christian communities in six different countries in three different continents.

I am sure along with these expected and wanted changes, there will be unexpected and unwanted changes.  Along with the joyful changes there will be some trials and struggles in this New Year.

Change, it has been said, “There is only thing that is permanent and that is change.”   This means that 2002 will be no different than any other year.

At times in 2002 you may feel a bit like a piece of clay.   You will be pushed and pulled, squeezed and pounded in different directions in all areas of your life.  The reality is that clay goes through all these changes and it never loses its consistency.  It never loses its toughness.  It never loses its identity.  It is still clay.

The reality is that whatever happens in 2002, you are still a child of God.  You and I can take heart because no matter how great the changes may be, GOD will not change.  It may be a New Year, but God is the same faithful God.

Paul said, “We are hard pressed on every side, but NOT crushed.”(2 Cor. 4:8)

You will not be crushed if you do three things.

Prayerfully yours in Christ,