Search Results for: label/Faith

2013: a word, a verse, a prayer

January 1, 2013 By 5 Comments
Friends, I always tend to grow very introspective, prayerful and hopeful at the beginning of a new year. I’m inspired and motivated to make changes…yet, often they don’t last the entire year long. Oh how I want to be more disciplined…
But, in years past, as I have chosen a word of the year, God has used these words in my life in tremendous ways!! And yes, in my humanness, even if I go a few weeks (or longer) without even thinking on this word, God is able to use that and draw me back to Himself.  I recently shared about the book, My One Word, and how we can use that as a helpful tool in our word of the year adventures. I still highly recommend this book for those of you choosing a word of the year!! 
2013 will be a year of learning CONTENTMENT in Christ alone and in all He has given me. 

2012 was a year of FAITH for me.

2011 was the year of REST. Resting in God and His goodness toward me.

2010 taught me to ABIDE in Christ.

2009 ~ my first year with a word…COMPASSION.

Along with my word of the year, I am memorizing Scripture with the siestas at Beth Moore’s blog and a friend here locally!! I have joined in her plan (of 2 verses per month) in years past, but this year, my sweet friend bought me the cute spiral that Beth Moore sells for this memory plan!! I’m so blessed!! And I really think having accountability will be a HUGE help to me in keeping these verses going and alive in my life!

I am still deciding on my first verse of 2013. For some reason I wanted it to be perfect. ha! I’ve had several verses typed up actually and ready to go…

My sweet friend and I are pondering if we should memorize a chapter together and do 1 verse every 2 weeks with the siestas…or if it matters if we do the same verse. Regardless, we will be IN THE WORD and that is what counts!!

What are your goals for Bible reading and memorization this year?? 

And one last thing to leave you with today…

When I heard this song, I immediately loved it. This is my heart’s desire and my prayer for 2013…

Join me in praying: Captivate us, Lord Jesus. Draw me closer, oh my Lord, closer Lord to Thee. 

Filed Under: contentment, Memorization, Scriptures and thoughts, Word of the Year

Looking back on 2012…highlights!

December 30, 2012 By 4 Comments

I’ve seen lots of bloggers posting about their Best of 2012 and so I thought I would join in! What a fun way to summarize this year and all the amazing things God has done…and is continuing to do!! Instead of looking back with regret (as there are always mistakes and things I wish I had done differently) let’s focus on the positive and see what good things the Lord is doing!

After I share my favorite posts & moments, I will share with you the posts that got the most HITS this year…the posts YOU liked best!! :)

I was blessed with the opportunity to go on TWO mission trips in 2012…

Belize in January

Southeast Asia in April

I did a {short} series on Motherhood…truth be told, I have a few more thoughts I was hoping to share, but life got ahead of me! ha!!

I hit 3,000 gifts that I’ve been counting!! Oh how He blesses us!!

My kids and I memorized all of JAMES CHAPTER 1!! That is HUGE!! Woot! 
My word of the year ~ FAITH ~ was used by God in many ways to stretch me in 2012.  The mission trip to southeast Asia was probably the biggest test of my faith in 2012. 

My littlest brother and his family moved to Guatemala!! A big deal for our family…it was hard saying goodbye, but Skype and FAITH and TRUST in God’s goodness and His sovereignty have played a big part in each of our hearts.

Here are all 6 grandkids on my side a few weeks before they moved.

We have now finished over 100 days of our 2012-2013 school year!! Here are the plans for this year that I shared! We are excited about starting our 2nd semester in the next week!! It’s still hard for me to believe that I have a 5th grader, 4th grader and 2nd grader in my home!! 

In October, I did a 31 day series on Praying the Psalms!!

I also finished the BIBLE in 90 DAYS for the 3rd time!! HUGE accomplishment!! I am so completely humbled that God would allow me this privilege to learn, grow and TRUST Him to do this in me!!

And now….drumroll please…the TOP POSTS on my blog according to hits:

Thank you so much for stopping by in 2012…and I pray your 2013 will be BLESSED with continued and growing faith, hope and love. 

Filed Under: Bloggy Fun, Cherishing the Moment

My One Word {Word of the Year & book review}

December 18, 2012 By 28 Comments

**update: this give away is now closed! Commenter # 13 won!! {congrats, Crystal!}

I’m so excited to share this new book with you today! As you might remember, I have chosen a “word of the year,” or as this book calls it, My One Word , for several years now.

2012 was a year of FAITH for me.

2011 was the year of REST. Resting in God and His goodness toward me.

2010 taught me to ABIDE in Christ.

2009 ~ my first year with a word…COMPASSION.

Friends, these words have changed me. These words have shaped my prayers and my walk with God. God has used these words…words that HE has put upon my heart…to work in me.

One thing I loved about this book, My One Word, is that they shared how desperate we are for Christ. We are nothing without Him. We can’t change ourselves. We can’t just pick a word and expect God to help us.

God is the driver of this journey…He is steering the boat…He speaks to us through His Word, through our prayer time, through other believers. He leads us to where we need to be each and everyday. So, we can trust Him to lead us to the word He has for us this year.

As you know, God has already been dealing with me on the subject of contentment.

I have shared a few posts on being content in our homes, being content with what we have and how being thankful leads to contentment.

But, what God is continuing to show me is that true contentment has nothing to do with my home, the car I drive or the gifts I’ve been given.

True contentment is found in the person of Jesus. 
True contentment is being so filled up with Him that we truly have no desire for material things.
True contentment is a heart at peace. 

So, it’s no surprise that God is leading me to continue this journey of contentment as I choose my word for 2013…

CONTENTMENT

This book, My One Word, is the perfect guide for those of us setting out on this journey. This book will encourage you as you choose a word, with tips for that process as well. The authors encourage you to pray and examine your hearts…ask yourselves, “where is God at work in my life? What is He teaching me? What is he working on?” These are all questions that will help us find our word. And, there are practical questions at the end of each chapter.

This book will help you with ideas to keep on keeping on with your word as the year progresses. This book has ideas and practical tips for what to do with this word. Throughout the book there are lots of examples of words others have chosen in years past, along with explanations of why they chose these words. I loved reading these!

This book was released at the perfect time…the very end of the year as we all seek to start a new year…fresh with all those resolutions that we never keep. :) This book suggests that instead of lots of lists, start with a word. 

Be sure to check out the website My One Word for more great helps in choosing a word and living the year with it!

{I also happened to notice on amazon that there is a DVD series to go with this book! This would be great for a small group to do together!! I haven’t previewed this yet, of course, but if it goes along with the book, I’m guessing it is good too!}

Because I am so excited about this book and know many of you would love to read it too, I’m going to send a copy to one of you!!

A surprise give away! :) I just decided that someone else should get a copy too and asked the publisher if we could share a copy with one of my readers! I had planned to give you my copy, but they offered to send you one also!! Win-win!

TO WIN THIS BOOK:
1. leave me a comment on this post — I would love to hear from you regarding a word of the year – have you done this in the past? what have your words been? are you planning to choose a word for 2013?

2. Share about this give away for an extra entry: each “share” gets 1 entry each: twitter, facebook, google+, etc.

3. If you have blogged about your word of the year in the past, please leave us a link so we can all browse the words of others to encourage and inspire us!! :)

4. I will post the winner Friday, Dec. 21st!

Filed Under: Books I'm Reading, contentment, Reviews, Word of the Year

faith and gratitude go together

July 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment


I have been pondering my word of the year lately. Faith. And I started pinning faith quotes. There are some great ones! Then I came across this necklace. I love it. But, I love even more what it means…
Pondering and wondering and praying that someday those that knew me will say that I was a woman of faith. But, what evidence do I see in my own life that I do live by faith? Can others see my faith? I pray regularly that God would increase my faith. And I think He is. But, do others see that? Is my faith living and growing and showing the world my Jesus? 
As odd as it sounds, I think faith and gratitude have a lot to do with each other. I think the more I focus on all the GIFTS that God has GIVEN, the more my FAITH is boosted!! When I see how FAITHFUL He has been in the past in my own life, my faith grows!! Isn’t God amazing like that?!?! 

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” ~ John Milton, from Ann Voskamp’s God in the Moment daily calendar. 

much to be thankful for…bestowing reverence, encountering everyday epiphanies, growing my faith…

rain!!!

watching robins bathe in backyard puddles

mexican with cousins

birthday parties for family

saturday morning walks with my family

reading Kisses from Katie with my kids

a clean house, mowed lawn & laundry done. all at the same time. feels good! :)

school plans

a lazy Saturday around the house

a cup of coffee and reading in the quiet mornings

a nice, neat, decluttered and re-arranged school room as we start our new year! (pics to come!)

discussing Gal. 5 with our small group. good stuff.

#3191- 3202

Filed Under: Faith, Gift List, Word of the Year

By Faith, Not By Sight

April 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Faith, Not By Sight is an autobiographical book about the life of Scott MacIntyre. A few seasons ago I watched as Scott performed on American Idol and was very impressed with him. However, after reading this book, I have even more respect and admiration for he and his family.
Scott MacIntyre was born blind. But that never stopped him from doing anything. And it never stopped his parents from giving him a very rich and full childhood. As a homeschooler, I absolutely LOVED that his mother decided to homeschool because she knew she could give Scott a wonderful education knowing him better than anyone – his needs, his abilities, and his God-given personality. Scott’s mother, after reading this book, inspired me not only as a mother with a special needs child, but as a homeschooler. She inspired me to teach each of my children to their unique abilities and personalities. I loved this glimpse into their lives.
Another reason I loved this book is the huge focus on FAITH. Since faith is my word and focus this year, I was very encouraged by Scott’s lack of FEAR and the fact that he never focused on what he could not do but focused on the abilities God had given him. I love that his parents taught him things that every other child would learn and that he continued that determination on into his adult life.
This book inspired me. This book encouraged me in my faith. This book challenged me as a homeschool mom. This book encouraged me as a musician. I am not a parent of a child with a disability, but I really think this book would be a huge encouragement to those parents as well!!
What a gift Scott MacIntyre was given. And what a gift this book is to those of us who need a little encouragement to live bold lives of faith despite our weaknesses.
I review for BookSneeze®
**I received this book, free of charge, in exchange for my honest review shared here on my blog.

Filed Under: Books I'm Reading, BookSneeze, Reviews, Word of the Year

Wednesday Wisdom…

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment


I needed to read this today…maybe it will encourage you, too. Asking God to grow my faith…one day at a time.

“You are on the right path. Listen more to Me and less to your doubts. I am leading you along the way I designed just for you. Therefore, it is a lonely way, humanly speaking. But I go before you as well as alongside you, so you are never alone. Do not expect anyone to understand fully My ways with you, any more than you can comprehend My dealings with others. I am revealing to you the path of life day by day, and moment by moment. As I said to My disciple Peter, so I repeat to you: Follow Me.”
Psalm 119:105
John 21:22
{from my favorite devotional, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young.}

Filed Under: Faith, Scriptures and thoughts