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For 2009 the focus for the New Beginnings Ministry is relationships. Why, because our relationships are the root of both good and bad in many of our lives. Why, because we serve a God that is relational. He thought so much of each one of us that in John 3:16, the bible says, 16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. If He is so relational and loves us that much He must be concerned about our relationships with Him and with one another.

That does not mean that we will turn our backs on everything else, because our emotional, physical and spiritual fitness are all tied to our relationships. Ultimately, our greatest and most important relationship is our relationship with God. If we can get that relationship right it will impact all of our other relationships. Throughout this year we will be working on increasing and strengthening our relationship with God and improving our other relationships as well.

Before we can really get into this we have to first figure out what a relationship really is. Movies, books, soap operas, TV shows, and on talk shows everybody is talking about them and trying to figure out how to define them and how to fix them, how to make them healthy. Everybody talks about how difficult they are.

Webster’s dictionary defines a relationship as the state of being related or interrelated. So I looked up related and it was defined as, to be connected. So in relationships we are connected. Different relationships are connected by different attributes. Maybe it is by blood as in family relationships, maybe it is by culture, education, place of employment, by love, but whatever the connection, it exists and we are in relationship by necessity or by choice every relationship requires effort on our part. Honestly, the relationships that are the most meaningful are have the greatest impact on our lives will be the ones that require the most from us, the most patience, the most effort, the most understanding, the most prayer, the most wisdom to do the right thing.

Some of our challenging relationships we need to let go of, others are God ordained and we need to use wisdom in dealing with them.

Some of our relationships require reconciliation and God has called each one of us to be ministers of reconciliation. This year we will pursue reconciliation and restoration of those relationships that God ordained and desires for us to keep whole and healthy. The first step is to be prayerful and use wisdom to know the difference. Letting go is sometimes seen as being the bad guy, but sometimes the one who realizes the need to let go is the hero, because of their decision many lives are saved.

Walk with us this year as we deal with topics like marriage, dating, adoption (from both sides), parenting issues, issues with co-workers, bosses, parents that now need your complete support and attention due to some health challenge and we assure you it will not stop there.

As we change our focus, know that does not mean we will give up on the physical. Angela’s Weight Loss Challenge will continue until she reaches the goal, so please watch the blog and watch for new status and exercise videos if we can tear The Fitness Angel away from his busy schedule long enough to give us some help. Watch for new monthly physical fitness articles in the monthly newsletter from another certified personal trainer Ms Lindia. As always you can check out the Fitness Angel’s site for more physical fitness updates at www.myfitnessangel.com and don’t forget to sign up for the bi-monthly Fitness Angel Get Fit Newsletter, it’s free and so is the site.

Weekly Scripture:

John 3:16:
 16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5:11-21:
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart.

13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.[c] 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

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