Starting Fresh
January always feels like a reset button. The decorations are packed away, the hustle of the holidays slows down, and suddenly the year ahead feels wide open. But this January hit differently.
Coming off the release of A Prodigal Journey in November, I found myself feeling both incredibly grateful and strangely uncertain. For so long, the goal was to finish the book—to tell the story God placed on my heart and trust Him with the rest. But now that the book is out there, now that people are reading about some of the hardest, most personal parts of my life, I’ve had to ask myself: “What now?”
I’ve realized that launching a book isn’t a finish line, it’s a beginning.
January has been a month of re-centering. I’ve had to slow down and remember why I told my story in the first place. Not to say “look at what I’ve done,” but to say, “look at what God can do.” I’ve started asking Him to open new doors, to guide my steps in this new season, and to remind me again and again that this is His story. I'm just here to walk it out.
But walking it out takes effort. Just because you’ve been through the storm doesn’t mean you won’t stumble once you reach dry ground. I’ve had to admit that some of the habits I let slide during the busyness of book writing and life need attention again; habits like daily quiet time, consistent prayer, and guarding my heart from the noise that so easily distracts.
One verse that’s been on my mind this month is Isaiah 43:19:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
God is always doing something new. But sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s not flashy or public. It’s in the way I parent. The way I speak. The way I choose obedience when no one else sees it. This month has reminded me that it’s okay to start fresh, even after a season of success or celebration. In fact, it’s necessary.
One of the things I’m most excited about this new year is a project that’s incredibly close to my heart—writing a Bible study to go through with Landon. As he prepares for adulthood, I’ve felt God pushing me to be more intentional in discipling him. We’re calling it a discipleship journey; not just a lesson plan, but something deeper. It’s about showing him what it means to become the man God has called him to be.
We’re working through topics like biblical manhood, purpose, purity, integrity, and prayer; building something we hope others can eventually use too. It’s been a humbling experience to write not just as a teacher, but as a dad who still has a lot to learn himself. And I’m learning just as much as I hope he is. Walking this road together is one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done.
(I’ll end up sharing the book here for others, too! So keep your eye out!)
So here I am, walking into 2025 like I’m learning to walk all over again. Still trusting Proverbs 3:6. Still asking God to direct my path. Still believing He’s not done yet; with me, with my son, with this ministry, or with the people He continues to put in front of me.
