Looking forward to 2016

What we think we know about the coming year always contrasts with what actually happens. But there are some things that have a high chance of happening. Looking at 2016 I see a potentially more stable year than we've had in the last two or will do for in the years to come. (For reference, we can see: 2017 is a high school graduation, 2018 move to Australia, 2019 move back to Japan, leaving one boy in Australia.)

Bigger rocks planned for 2016 are:

• Our mission's national conference in June in Hokkaido.
• Two-week camping trip to the Kansai area (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara etc.) in mid-July (I'm really looking forward to this).
• Camping trip at the end of March with friends.
• I'm planning to do an online writing course sometime during the year.

International travel that we know about?

• David and our eldest to Korea in February for a big inter school wrestling tournament
• Me to Bangkok in February for leadership training.
• Possibly David to Thailand in March with seniors.
• No all-family oversees trips this year! Yay!

In 2016 we don't have too much planned outside of the normal, so I can guess that these will happen:

• Boys at school: currently 5, 7, & 11, changing up in August, which will mean the end of elementary school for us. Two boys will be in middle school and one in high school.
• School sport: wrestling, athletics, cross country
• The usual round of predictable events that make up daily life: hungry, growing boys etc!
• Ministry women's retreat March, I missed this last year and am keenly looking forward to it this year.
• Thanksgiving camping trip.

In terms of resolutions, I don't traditionally do those. But a few months ago I did make an exercise resolution, I've kept up with the park ride pretty well and have started going to the local gym too, but not regularly yet. This I definitely want to pursue. These last couple of weeks have been very lazy and I'm feeling older and sorer than I should. Definitely need to get back to the exercise. School starting next Wednesday will help.

I resolved a long time ago to write on this blog daily, or as close to daily as I can. I've relaxed that, especially at holiday time, but I still plan to write here throughout 2016. It is a good way for me to process what's happening in my life and a good writing discipline. Thank you for sticking around and reading. I'll try not to get too dry (2nd March is the seventh anniversary of this blog!).

Work-wise it's pretty much the same as usual. I hope that we can get four magazines published in 2016 all in their respective seasons! Actually I hope we'll get five published, the autumn issue from 2015 is still waiting to be posted out.

Other publishing and writing? I don't know what this year holds. At this point I have no long-term projects, but that could change when I have coffee with my boss in January.

I don't know what surprises 2016 will have for us. But I do know the God that holds me in his hands.

I read both these today in my systematic reading-through-the-Bible plan that I started last year (I didn't make it in one year):

Ps 62:5-8 (NIV)

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God[a];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

Romans 8:38, 39 (NIV)

 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.