by Randal Matheny

I stepped into the new year and -- whoosh! -- it was like hitting a carpet on a slick floor. Some of the important stuff, like getting back to exercising, are still waiting on the sidelines.

All the time, I'm thinking, "This year is not going to be the blur that 2002 was. I will the clock to slow down."

• So yesterday I locked the office door, sat down in my Christmas-present chair, and promptly took a nap.

• When I got home, I picked up the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Micah mentioned he had read for a school report. I'm almost through it, and we're discussing some of its points.

• Vicki and I have plans next week to go see the next Lord of the Rings movie.

I was gone this past weekend in a quick trip to teach another Total Transformation course. Last week, an invitation from Rio de Janeiro for next month. Sermons, Bible classes, courses, articles, emails, letters, visits.

All the stuff of life. All good stuff. Mostly stuff that will bless someone's faith and life.

But stuff that can get out of control, and, while I'm helping other lives, my life can whoosh by and disappear.

To serve with sanity, that's the trick. To not lose one's touch with the Lord. Time to breathe deeply, soothe out the furrowed brow, watch the slow march of clouds across the sky.

Time to write a poem. Time to sing. Time to meditate on the Word.

Time to be like Jesus.

"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there" (Mark 1:35, NASU).

Jesus never whooshed. This year, neither will I.