2011, a Retrospectus

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and now the year is at an end. What a year it has been! It's been a year of joys, sorrows, battles and victories. We are so glad to have been able to share with you this year, through this blog, through our newsletters (if you don't get those, I'll plug them right here- get them!) through our website (www.hostetterministries.org) and especially through personally visiting with many of you! What a blessing it has been. There are many great things to reflect on from the past year... which would take a very long blog post to cover. You can re-read our old newsletters (you can see them on our website here- (https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=5c4fe7e30ecd6884&resid=5C4FE7E30ECD6884!102&parid=root) or read our old blog posts. Suffice to say, God has been very good to us this year, and we have seen amazing things happen, things which I think could carry the name of miracles.

Now, you might think of miracles as raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, opening peoples ears, etc... and yes, those are miracles, which is why I think that miracles have happened this past year. Have I seen people raised from the dead, receive sight or have their hearing restored. No, but we walk by faith not by sight, we know that the things which are seen are temporal, and the things which are not seen are eternal. We recognize that the spiritual is of more importance and more permanence than the physical. SO, we've seen the dead raised, as people have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised to newness of life. We've seen the blind receive sight, as the eyes of their heart have been enlightened. We've seen the deaf hear the truth of the gospel. This has been a miraculous year in that sense. What about you? I encourage you to take some time to look back on the past year, and see the miracles that God has worked, spiritually, in your life. I think as we do this, as we remember how God has answered prayers, how He has opened doors, how He has supplied needs, how He has protected and guided us, and done so much in our lives, I think it will build our faith, to see that God keeps His promises. It should also build our faith for the coming year, to know that if God could use the faith that we had this past year to accomplish what He did, how much more could God do if our faith would grow and strengthen this year?  Brethren, I'm excited about this upcoming year, as I think about what my great God can accomplish this year, if I only trust Him and act on His promises!

Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to all those who've been a part of God's answered prayers, who have made a difference through their faith, and who have thus changed the course of history. You are helping make miracles happen.

Tomorrow- plans/goals/resolutions for the New Year, and some thoughts on how to get them done! God bless you all