A management expert's article I was reading the other day said he used to think running an organization was like conducting a symphony orchestra. But then he changed his mind. It's really more like a jazz improvisation. "Jazz," somebody said, "is the sound of surprise."

Things are not always the same. You wake up in the morning and things are changing every day. On vacation several summers ago, we were with our grandchildren. We told the kids, "You'll probably never see that horse again, so get a good look ... you've never seen that ocean before so ...."

You see, everything is so new and changing in so many different ways. This is true even if you came to the same spot to observe it each day. Subtle changes occur constantly. We ourselves wake up a little new and a little different every day.

So don't let the beginning of the New Year be the only time you commit to live life new and fresh. Get your improvisation going. Smile at a new day. There will never be a day like this again ... because it's God's day!

In delight or even in disaster, remember, a new day, God's day, comes and brings with it a freshness of its own.

It's God's day!

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." (Lamentations 3:21-24 RSV)