Looking back at 2017, I had a goal of writing 20 blogs. I didn't quite make it (this is number 15). I guess there are some things I know, some things I don't, and some things I just wish I knew. So I decided to end the year with some certainty. So, just for fun, here is a list of 50 Things I know for Sure as We Begin 2018
50. The traffic in Frederick is just going to keep getting worse
49. Life is short, so we should eat more dark chocolate and less kale
48. The Pirates won’t win another World Series until the team is sold to new ownership
47. No matter how old they get, you never stop parenting your kids
46. Switchfoot deserves a break after 20 years of touring
45. Friendship as adults takes planning and effort – it won’t happen naturally
44. Two actors I can't take my eyes off of on screen are Tom Hardy and Jennifer Lawrence
43. Youth ministry is harder and more important than it’s ever been
42. A 55-year-old house always needs something done to it
41. The music my kids make is as good as anything you can find anywhere
40. The key to a gym membership is to go even when you don’t feel like it
39. I either need to cancel my gym membership or get off my butt
38. The magic bullet of time management is 'early to bed and early to rise'
37. I need to get outside more this year
36. Jim Valvano was right when he said every day we should laugh, think and cry
35. Every day we should also read the Bible, listen to music, and drink coffee
34, Every other day we should drink a glass of wine
33. What a great time to be alive, when our creativity can so easily be shared with the world
32. This season of my life is about mentoring others
31. Winona Ryder's performance in Stranger Things is so bad it makes me laugh out loud
30. Dogs have no idea what we’re saying but we’ll keep talking to them like they do
29. Everyone should go on a mission trip out of the country
28. Parenting out of fear is actually selfish
27. If they had every pick in the draft, the Cleveland Browns would find a way to mess it up
26. I should have bought Amazon and Apple stock in 1996
25. I will never understand jerks like the guy playing pool next to us yesterday at Champions
24. I like Starbucks and Dunkin, but for a $1.27, you can’t beat a cup ‘o joe at McDonald's
23. The Walking Dead should have ended a few seasons ago
22. Everyone should clean out their attic before your kids have to do it for you
21. JuJu Smith-Schuster is going to be a very special football player
20. Some colleges will start going under soon because nobody will be able to afford them
19. I used to be passionate about skiing; now I just hate to be cold
18. Strangely enough, however, I’d rather vacation in the mountains than at the beach
17. If I made fun of kids' apppearance the way they make fun of my baldness, I’d get fired
16. Being mostly bald saves me a lot of money and time
15. Nobody can keep up with the latest ways to watch TV
14. If you got a Lexus for Christmas, I don’t like you, and I hate your commercials
13. All instant replay reviews in sports should be completed in 90 seconds or be dismissed
12. Every day of good health is a gift we should not take for granted
11. I wouldn’t last a day in my wife’s second grade classroom
10. The People vs OJ Simpson is amazing television
9. I tend towards being melancholic; the answer is to practice intentional gratitude
8. Discouragement is never of God
7. My "Youth Ministry Sherpas" podcast and blog is going to be big
6. Jesse James caught the ball
5. Thirty years with Karen feels like 30 days
4. Sometimes I’m a little embarrassed promoting my personal blog, but then I remember how words--like music and other forms of art--can have a profound affect on people, so I shamelessly carry on
3. I need Jesus more than ever
2. You need Jesus more than ever
1. This world needs Jesus more than ever.
Happy New Year!