A Truly New Year

Isaiah 42:9 "See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare..."

God has definitely declared "new things" for David and I this New Year. We are about 3 days, give or take, from becoming new parents. And we're also dealing with the newness of my not working. Two huge life transitions!

It became clear to me this Fall that the Lord was leading me to leave my job at the church. It was a difficult decision and one that David and I spent a great deal of time praying about. But we thank God for the clarity and peace He has given both of us about our path moving forward.

It is a bit strange to not be working...well, outside the home that is. Raising a child is definitely going to be WORK!!! But it's also wonderful that I can spend time with my son in the most precious time of his life. Not to mention the dogs will be ecstatic as well when I don't leave each day.

My not working will present some challenges. For one, our income obviously has decreased, which means making some changes in the way we live and spend money. But David and I both are Dave Ramsey people, so we're already ahead in terms of working on our budget, our savings, etc. (P.S. First Baptist Rockville has a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Class going on now if anyone is interested...it's awesome!)

Also, David works from home most days. While this will be nice, it will probably be a bit difficult for him to concentrate with a crying baby at home. He'll probably need to get out of the house and go work somewhere else with internet access at times. And I will need to make sure I don't bother him too much just because he's here. On the other hand, I think David's excited about my having more time (eventually anyway) to cook! And I'm comforted by the fact I won't be here all alone with a newborn.

I'm not sure what our long-term plan is with regards to my returning to work. I'll be using this time to seek God's will. One thing I am looking into is church consulting. God has given me a passion and gifting for working with churches, helping them see breakdowns and develop systems and structures. So, I once I get Jackson on a decent schedule, I will be working on becoming a certified church consultant with the "Society for Church Consulting". I'm not sure if God will open the door for this, but I do know that just reading the articles and books from this organization, I get excited and feel like I could read about it all day...and I'm not even a big reader! We'll see where God leads!

The second huge transition is that we are about to become parents!! I have to say that it is still surreal to us, even three days out from the due date. Our feelings about everything range from uber excited to crazy nervous, thinking "aren't you supposed to be licensed for this?" Most days though, I just can't wait to meet him. I find myself wondering more now what he'll look like. Will he look more like me, or more like his daddy? Only a short time before we find out.

In the meantime I'm just keeping busy. Running errands, cleaning up, cooking, visiting with friends, messing around with my playlists on iTunes, etc. I've been feeling pretty good here at the end of the pregnancy. No Braxton Hicks contractions, no major aches or pains, and I'm even eating and sleeping okay. Better enjoy that while it lasts!

So, 2011 is going to be an exciting time for the Folkerts! We're looking forward expectantly to all the changes, knowing that God is faithful! New things have been declared!!