Looking Back At 2016 | Heartstone Journey

The new year has come and it feels like only yesterday that I was writing my 2015 year in review. Wow, where has the year gone? Since my last year in review a lot has happened on Heartstone Journey and in my own life. There is so much I could share, but here are some highlights:

My fiancée moved to my town (we don’t believe in living together before marriage) and marriage planning is in high gear. Oh, and she landed an awesome job advocating for children!
My daughter, a Criminal Justice and Psychology graduate from the University of Massachusetts, landed an awesome job in her field as a Psychology Counselor. She also became a certified equestrian instructor. Proud of her!
My son is rock’n his Junior year at UNH. Landed a Technology Resource gig in the UNH Library and a fantastic Software Development internship. Proud of him!
My almost step-daughter is rock’n her Junior year at Plymouth State and was voted into the student Senate. Also landed an on-campus gig at the Office of Administration. Proud of her!
My other almost step-daughter received her diploma with a certification in culinary arts. Decided to head out into the world early by walking the independent path and making it happen. Proud of her!
My almost step-son transitioned to a new town/school system and is navigating well. You might also see him shredding it up on the freestyle terrain garden with his snow board at the local ski area. Proud of him!
Kicked off the year with a family sleigh ride at Charmingfare Farm.
When the weather warmed up a bit we went back to Charmingfare Farm for a good old fashioned barnyard Easter egg hunt.
Over the Summer we took some much needed time off and rocked it hard at Cedar Point with the family. Also had fun living it up in our cabana at the water park and taking the Wave Runners out onto Lake Erie.
My book Heartstone continues to open doors to other great ministry opportunities such as the kick off of the Concord chapter of the New Hampshire Christian Business Network.
My fiancée and I headed north of Franconia Notch for a New England Fall Adventure.
Of course saw ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ and it was the best one yet, in my opinion.
Added RSG Board of Directors Secretary and Forbes Technology Council to my professional portfolio.

Here are the top five Heartstone Journey posts by category for 2016. It is always pretty cool to see which posts resonated with people the most throughout the year. Was your favorite post listed? If not, which was your favorite?

Life

Faith

Journal

Leadership

Community

Here is a view of some of the big trends and events of 2016 from the social sphere:

Google

Facebook

…and here is Twitter’s #ThisHappened in 2016 !

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?

-Jeremiah 12:5

Now that you’ve spent some time navigating through highlights hand picked from the major social networks, I wanted to share some thoughts that I encourage you to take with you into the new year.

Just like last year…the themes in the “year in review” videos are very real, very sobering and are becoming more amplified. We have allowed society to pervert and confound Christian doctrines and have turned morality inside out and upside down. We seem to prefer erroneous and false doctrines of the truth, and we prefer an evil to an upright course of conduct. The agenda of this world is clear: to remove God from everything by denying the very conscience He has given us. Truth is ignored, virtue is ridiculed, evil is praised as good and liberating, and God-given moral standards are mocked as a narrow-minded thinking of past generations.

America is in trouble and we are in need of Divine intervention like never before — the next president will not be the hope we are looking for. Only Jesus Christ is the great hope for a nation rampant with sin and a people enraged with evil. God’s word tells us to, “Put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore” (Psalm 131:3). It also tell us that, “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is God who keep steady its pillars. (Psalm 75:3). Remember, God is still on the throne!

Let these awe inspiring words of President Theodore Roosevelt stir something up inside of you as you head into 2017: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.

-Frederick Buechner

As the world seems to be falling apart around us, I encourage you to be bold as lions, rise above the fear and be hope to a broken people. It’s not time to give up…it’s time to rise up! Remember, you are the light of the world.

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