A New Beginning II ...

Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Have you ever had the feeling, you would like to start something from scratch? Perhaps you messed up in your current work environment - and it would be fantastic if you could just make a lot of things undone. Some of us have a strong desire to undo some of their actions or words from the past.

We need new beginnings …

Yesterday, I had a very long working session discussing some software modules which we run in our center. These modules have quite some history, they have been written around 10 years ago and are still in operation. We would like to renew them, but it is a complicated system and we do not have free ressources. But the need for a new beginning is quite obvious.

When you are in a manager position in a company or institution, one of the main questions you need to ask yourself: what is the next development step we need to take in our environment? You need to ask: what is it, we need to renew? What is it, we need to start next? What is it, we need to close down? What part of our activites do we need to change, to transform, to renew? You are responsible then for the right renewal step for your institution.

Science lives on two modes: scholarly work and creative work. Both is very important and strongly linked with eath other. Creative work is the part which drives new developments. As scientists, we ask ourself: what new ideas do I have to solve this particular problem? What could I do differently? Where is new insight? Where is a new approach? What is the next new step? Renewal is a crucial ingredient of science!

Faith needs renewal …

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Faith needs renewal. In key passages of the Old and the New Testament God speaks aobut renewal. God announces new heavens and a new earth, in Isaiah 66, 22 and in Revelation 21, 1. He is speaking about the new self or new personality of people who have come to faith in Christ, see Colossians 3, 10. He speaks about a new birth, which you experience when you come to faith - a birth by water and the spirit, see 1 Peter 1,3 or John 3,3.

Renewal is something we find, when we come to Christ as believers. He renews our whole existence. He makes us new. We can experience forgiveness and a fresh start. Coming to faith is shaking the ground we stand on. It is a complete renewal of everything our life is built on. From the day we give our life to him, it is no longer built on ourselves, but on him. It is built on the cross, on a death and a resurrection. it is built on complete forgiveness, on the pure sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

But renewal is there in faith every day. God himself is new every morning. He is the creator, he is the source and origin of the universe. And he has the power of renewal, it is his character, his existence, it is the way he is. He is new every morning. God is more future than a newborn baby. He is more possibilities than the young men and women, who have all their life ahead of them. He is more future than anything we can imagine. A new heaven and a new earth is the least, he can talk about. Renewal is everywhere, where you walk with the Lord! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts