Another Beginning

Another Beginning with Jan Sipe

Welcome to my next adventure!  I’ve decided to enter the world of blogging.  I’ll relate a few of my reasons after a brief introduction.

I’m Jan, a well seasoned woman building a relationship with God, married to my best friend who has made me a better person and juggler of multiple roles.  My roles have included but surely are not limited to: wife, mother, legal assistant, pastor’s wife, bible study teacher, organizer, hostess, and collector of craft projects!

For one of the first times in my life, I am facing a major life change, my husband is retiring, and yet, I’m not afraid or worried about this next season of our lives.  I come from a long line of genuine worriers.  I’ve spent my life explaining this to God and begging to be delivered from the genetic disposition for worry.  Soon, several of my roles and part of my community will change.  Yet I’m really looking forward to the future, even if it is still unformed and partly uncertain.  So maybe in this one occasion, I’m letting go and letting God!  Perhaps there will be more on that in a future post.

Bucket list

I’ll admit that writing is on my bucket list.  I’m at the age (and I’ve seen my 39th birthday many times) that I need to get going on that list to complete it before I go Home!  My mother always thought I should be a writer.  I don’t remember why.  I hope I was not prone to tell tall tales to her.  I hope she saw within me a talent but maybe she aspired to writing and passed it on to her offspring.

Legacy

Since one of my recent 39th birthdays I’ve been evaluating my legacy.  I’ve thought about putting tags of explanation on my precious possessions so they don’t end up in the dump when I go Home.  I’ve found myself asking my son when he’s visiting, “Anything you want to take home with you?”  Or “Here’s where you find _____________. ( fill in the blank with any number of important documents or valuable items). 

How I live my life and other people’s observation of my life-living has been one of my guiding principles.  It’s not a vain, “what will people think of me?” but rather “what will people think of God because of me?”  Yikes, that puts the fear in you when you really want to lose it with the grocery store clerk or the irritating client.  Life in a “fish bowl” as a pastor’s wife has taught me that my life is my testimony and hence reflects on God, who He is and what He does.  Fortunately God is forgiving when I too often fail.  But I’m going to keep trying.

Discipline

Since I became a believer over 30 years ago (getting a hint on how many 39's that is?) I have been encouraged and encouraged others to have a personal Bible study time on a daily basis.  I’ve done a variety of methods.  Most recently, I’ve been doing my version of the three questions.  I highly recommend it.  Now I want to “change it up” and build on those years worth of notes.

Another beginning

As a few of my roles end and my community of believers change, I’m looking for new roles to fill the vacancies and a new network of friends and comrades.  Why not be 21st century and look to the internet?

Honor God

Last but not least, I want to give God glory and honor for anything and everything that I have and will have, do and have done, have given and been given.  It’s an awesome responsibility but since God has never left me I think it’s worth my effort.  Again, thanks, God, for forgiving my failures.

Thanks for reading Post 1 and I hope you’ll check in again.  I’ll try to be regular.    I hope to discover why I’m so non-worried about our next adventure.  Maybe you’ll discover it too.