J.R. Briggs

The Most Significant Moments in 2009

December 29, 2009

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In the last post I listed all the best of 2009. But like last year, I’d like to reflect on the most significant personal moments/highlights of 2009. Like past years, it’s been a year of incredible highlights and deep disappointment. Smiles and tears. Celebration and mourning. Growing, struggling, wrestling, cheering, reflecting, dreaming and considering. And there is much to be thankful for.

• Participating in the Ecclesia National Gathering in Washington DC. Always an incredible time to dream, learn, hang out and be challenged by courageous brothers and sisters who are pushing the Church into new realms.
• Being in a Michael W Smith video. Sorta. And without knowing it.
• Invited to serve on the board of The Ecclesia Network. An honor.
• Asked by the WordFM to host/teach a two-week trip to Israel in October 2010. (For more information, click here and look at the bottom right corner. Also see itinerary here).
• Celebrating my 30^th birthday at Citizens Bank Park watching the Phillies beat the Dodgers with two friends and my dad who flew in from Chicago to surprise me.
• Launching our first public Renew gathering in April.
• Seeing The Renew Community mature and grow as a church. Times of incredible joy, heartbreaking disappointment and everything in between, what a year its been in 2009. I can’t wait to see what 2010 would bring.
• Learning that Renew had received the Florence Nightingale Service of the Year Award from Manna on Main Street, the central soup kitchen/food pantry in our community.
• Seeing how much joy my wife gets from serving at Manna 1-2 days a week.
• Spending most of the year guest-preaching on Sunday nights at a church in Bethlehem, PA.
• Attempting to read the four gospels once a week in 2009. (More on this in a future post).
• Publishing an essay in the book What We Want Grads to Know.
• Seeing Renew help start the Lansdale Farmers Market
• Spending a week in Florida with my extended family at The Cabin.
• Reffing the Sumo Wrestling Match in the Park between Lansdale mayoral candidates. What a blast.
• Applying for the reality TV show The Amazing Race – and developing the video with my brother, a memory in and of itself.
• Visiting family in CO this summer
• Celebrating Megan’s 30th birthday with a visit from her mother and a surprise party with all of her friends.
• (Accidentally) running a 10K that ended at the 50 yard line of Michigan Stadium.
• Spending a few days with pastor Ed Dobson in Grand Rapids, MI the weekend that his book The Year of Living Like Jesus was published.
• Starting seminary again
• Seeing Carter grow and develop into a little man.
• Attending U2 360 in NYC with my buddy Loren.
• Speaking on Adoption Sunday in November, sharing Carter’s story again
• Attending the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City again.
• Participating in the Advent Conspiracy this year as a church. Also see here and here.

But the moments that are more significant are the conversations that won’t make the headlines – they might not even be blog-worthy – but they are life-shaping, life-giving and life-altering. Isn’t it almost always people who create and shape the most significant moments in our lives?

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