It's that time of year . . .

It's that time of year again when we think back on the year gone by and make plans for the new year ahead! I like to come up with a theme or focus for each year. I don't always stick super close to that but I try to be consciencous of my goals and area of focus. When I take the time to identify something I want to do better that theme stays in mind as a good reminder to myself throughout the year. Its a way of motivating myself and also a way to aim for something higher.

2015 was my year of Purpose...I wanted to do things with purpose and direction and with specific goals. In 2013 I had completed my master's degree after a great deal of effort and hard work through about five years. During those challenging five years our family was changed by me losing my job followed by the birth of our precious baby Isaac in 2010. Jason earned his master's degree during that time as well. We were at our limits trying to work, take care of our baby, and study! I was also continually working from home as a freelance writer and editor completing various writing assignments and editing projects. Chaos was the normal at times but thankfully God gave us strength to complete what we had started. It was a time of great celebration when we were done with school!

So, in 2014 we were transitioning to new goals and a somewhat new outlook because of less demands on our time and schedules. The graduation goal was no longer pressing and so it was time to focus on "what next". Setting the theme of Purpose was my way of wanting to grow into a better disciple of Jesus Christ, sharing and caring more.  I wanted to put my heart into what I do more and more and more instead of just burning steam and spinning my wheels but not knowing where I was going...

It was also a time when one of our deepest desire came true --we found out we were  pregnant with baby #2! We had prayed for our family to grow and hoped it would happen soon. We were so excited when we confirmed our pregnancy with the doctor and started to dream and plan with excitement and longing!

Unfortunately, at 11 weeks, we lost the pregnancy to a devastating miscarriage. Complications after the miscarriage took several months of 2014 hostage because I had to be on bed rest to recover from severe anemia. It was a slow and lengthy process. We thank God for His love and comfort during that time and even now as we continue to pray and surrender to God our dream of a growing family.

Finding Purpose after the ground gets knocked out from under you is not as easy as when everything is "going exactly how you want". We still had our faith in God, that never has changed, but we struggled to understand what had happened to us and to regain focus. So, day by day we discovered joy in the Lord more fully than ever, and we discovered that He wants to work in and through our lives no matter what challenges and tragedies happen in our lives. A broken or damaged pot can still grow wonderful things, lush greenery, delicious fruit, and beautiful, fragrant blooms! God is still God and always will be. Pain, death, and sadness are the result of sin and were never part of God's plan for us or this world. Our story is not over, because God is giving us life day by day. We are thankful. We seek Him and His will no matter what it is.

Then in 2016 it was my year of Completion ... I wanted to finish things I had started but later abandoned. Some things had been abandoned because I started working full time the week after we moved into our house and was very busy ever since. Some things were abandoned during the years we were pursuing our master's degrees because it was such a demanding time with reading, writing, and projects to complete and classes to attend. Other things were abandoned because I like to save stuff and most of the time I save too much. I'm learning to be better about not saving everything but instead either giving it away, sharing it if it is inspirational, or putting it in the paper recycling bin or donating it to Goodwill or another charity. Life for several years felt more like a white water rafting trip with highs and lows and twists and turns --some we could see up ahead and others that were around a blind corner --and always hanging on to avoid landing in the swirling waters of life.

I wanted to wrap up loose ends of various projects or situations. Praise God I was able to experience some pretty amazing completion experiences (message me if you want some specific stories/testimonies). I was able to clean and organize some areas in my house that had been crammed with unfinished stuff or with just stuff I had not had time to go through and get rid of. I wish I had completed even more things, but I plan to continue my efforts towards better efficiency and organization so that less things need to be in completed after they have been started.

I kept reminding myself that during each week we have certain things to do and those are the things we should complete. Instead of filling my work load so full that I could not get it all done in one week, I have been learning to only say yes to the things I can finish within the time necessary and say no when I am at my limits. This is a hard lesson for me to learn, but I am doing better.

God gives us six days to do all our work and the seventh day is for us to rest.


Exodus 20:9-11 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."

I aim to complete my work for the week and then enjoy the weekend Sabbath rest! It is such an amazing blessing for me and my family!  If you want more information about Sabbath, message me!

There will always be some projects that obviously take more than one week to complete, but even those projects I want to be more organized and efficient about completing them on time and with a clear deadline and purpose in mind.

Now as we are approaching a new year, I am thinking about what I want my theme and focus to be. 2017 will be my year of Thankfulness! I know that sounds simple, but praising God for everything is such a blessing and life-changing! I want to truly feel thankfulness in my heart and live in a way that recognizes all that I have to be thankful for. I want to praise God more and do that through prayer and song. I want to be more thankful towards my family and friends. I want to see the good things and be uplifted by focusing on them.

Happy New Year! 

A Time for you . . to experience closeness with God

I'm reading this wonderful book right now called A Time for You by Mike Tucker. Today, this quote really spoke to me . . .

 "God doesn't want anyone to perish, so even before Adam and Eve broke their connection with Him, God had devised a plan by which He could reconcile His estranged creations to Himself. Part of the plan involved a Substitute who would care for the sins of humanity by dying in our place. That Substitute was Jesus, the Second Person of the Godhead.

"However, God knew that the wall of separation would be difficult for man to penetrate, even after receiving Jesus' gracious sacrifice. So God provided special methods we could use in order to restore the intimacy we once enjoyed [in the Garden of Eden]. These ancient practices are simple things, such as prayer, worship, Bible study, praise, and many more. Each of these practices was designed to help those who have been redeemed by Christ's sacrifice to enjoy an experience of personal closeness with God. They can help us bridge the gap between God and ourselves that our rebellion has caused.

"God understood that it would be easy for us to become so involved with the daily grind of earning a living and raising a family that we would let these things crowd Him out of our lives. He knew that as we became busy with all kinds of things --even good and necessary things--we could neglect the one thing that is essential to life. We could neglect spending meaningful time with God.

"In order to protect against this, God gave us a very special gift. He called that gift 'Sabbath'. Sabbath is a twenty-four-hour period of time designed to let us experience intimate interaction with God. It is a time when we step back from our work and the ordinary cares of daily living to focus exclusively on the relationship [with God] that renews and restores us. It is a time for rest, worship, praise, joy, and celebration.

This book is available for purchase at: http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/a-time-for-you.html

31 Days of Proverbs: Day 2

Join me in seeking wisdom from God during the month of December!

31 Proverbs for 31 days in December!

Proverbs 2 ~ New King James Version (NKJV)

The Value of Wisdom
1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,

4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,

Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,

12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;

14 Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;

15 Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;

16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,

17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;

19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—

20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.

21 For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;

22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,

And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

31 Days of Proverbs: Day 1

December is the last month in another wonderful year! I always have so many warm thoughts as I remember happy times from many years ago spent with family around big tables or spread out on couches in my Oma and Opa's house in Virginia or Nana's house in Philadelphia. I imagine the games and jokes all of us cousins used to play together. I remember the energy of an active family with lots of stories to share and the sound of laughter as we enjoyed each other's company. I remember how much I admire all the family members who have been part of my life and those who continue to be so important to me.

Then, I get sentimental about the amazing memories Isaac is making with his GiGi and Pappy, Oma and PopPop, and great-grandma Granny. He is so blessed to have this fun, happy time with each of them! Plus, he has aunts and uncles and cousins who are making fun memories with him. I hope he will always cherish the time he is spending with his family like I do.

As I think about the warmth of family and love that surrounds our life, I turn my eyes to my Heavenly Father and thank Him for giving us the blessing of family. Every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). I not only take time at this time of the year to remember family fun, but to reflect on my relationship with God. I look back at the time I spent reading the Bible, journaling prayers, or studying books to increase my knowledge of God. I can see times when I did not spend enough time with God and felt hopeless or depressed. I remember days when everything was joyfully illuminated by God's goodness because I had surrendered everything to God and trusted fully in Him. I contrast the darker times with those bright, cheerful times and realize that God makes all the difference in my life. He is everything.

I want to start the new year of 2016 with all the wisdom I can, so I am going to read one chapter from Proverbs each day this month. December has 31 days, and Proverbs has 31 chapters. Perfect!

Join me in reading this book full of wisdom!

Proverbs 1 ~ New King James Version (NKJV)

The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;

4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—

5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Shun Evil Counsel
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;

9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,[a]
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;

13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;

14 Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—

15 My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;

16 For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;

18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom
20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 She cries out in the chief concourses,[b]
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:

22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,

27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.

31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

This Week's Top 10 Note-worthy Quotations

I love to read. Reading the Bible is the best. The first five quotations that really spoke to my heart this week came from God's Word.

1."Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say 'come back tomorrow and then I will help you.'" Proverbs 3:27-28

2. "If you enjoy any fellowship together in the Holy Spirit, then make Me truly happy by working together with one heart and purpose." Philippians 2:1-2

3. "If you need wisdom, if you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent you asking." James 1:5

4. "His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

5. "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." 1 Timothy 6:9

Wealth in this world? 

Wealth in God's Word? 

Which are you seeking today?

The next five quotations I want to share are from small articles in magazines or online and Facebook posts. I do not always have time to sit and read, but I love it when something I read helps provide some really great inspiration to help fuel a more positive outlook in my life. I don't know about you, but I really need to read regularly. Reading refreshes my perspective, reminds me of things I have learned in the past, teaches me new information, and shares interesting ideas. Reading provides calm and quiet in the midst of a rushed, busy day.
I was waiting at the driver license office earlier this week, and decided to read two local parenting/family activities and events magazines. One of the articles was all about living in gratitude, which is so appropriate for the month of November! Here are a couple of quotes that I really liked on gratitude . . .

6. "Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a life where you get up every morning and feel overwhelmed at how wonderful it is. Imagine the warmth of an abundance of blessings. A life where everything is exactly as it should be and things are simply perfect." - Nadine J. Larder


7. "When you feel helpless, help."
- from The Secrets I Share With My Friends: Life Lessons from an Imperfect Woman by Nadine J. Larder

8. I got some of this wonderful chocolate at Kroger the other day. I had not tasted this kind before, but I love anything with chocolate and almonds together. So, I had to try this!  The package said it contains a poem on the wrapper. Here is a snippet from the poem it contained. . . .

 "Love is not love until love's vulnerable." - Theodore Roethke

9. I get pretty tired and overwhelmed sometimes, and so this quote really made me think. I want to do more to help others and stop being so focused on me and my personally challenges. Personal issues can loom so large when you focus on them long enough! It is so much better to place our focus on Jesus and His mission --to love others and help them while offering them eternal life and salvation from their sins.

"The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served." - Gordon B. Hinckley, author of Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues that Will Heal our Hearts and Homes


10. Lysa TerKeurstf has written many beautiful, encouraging, thought-provoking devotionals. She has a ministry called Proverbs 31 Ministries, and has also published several books. She speaks on the radio and for women's ministries events around the world. I receive her Proverbs 31 ministries updates on Facebook, and almost always find something that seems written just for me. Without going into pages of details, I share with you that I had a miscarriage last year. It was a very difficult time for me physically and emotionally. I am still experiencing this tragedy in various ways, which I will keep private. Having said that, I read Lysa's devotional the other day called "The Gift Found in Disappointment." Wow!  So beautiful and exactly what I needed to hear. Feel free to read her devotional HERE. The quote she said in this article that spoke to me the most profoundly was this one. It is ancedotal about her daughter's experience, but I could relate on so many levels.

"Ashley was born to be a leader. Put her in the right environment to lead, and she’ll thrive. I asked Ashley in the midst of rehearsals what she thought of the whole experience. She beamed and said, 'I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else than the role I’ve been given, Mom. I love being the student director. I love it so much.' When the curtain fell to the thunderous applause of proud parents cheering for their child’s performance, I couldn’t see my little brown-eyed beauty [who was behind the stage serving as student director of the play instead of acting in a lead role she had tried out for.]. . . .I even had a reply ready, just in case the mama sitting next to me leaned over and asked which one was mine.
"The one who is right where she should be."

This quote reminded me that . . . I am right where I should be. It helped me voice the truth --I love being who I am right now. I love being who I am because that is who God is leading me to be day-by-day, moment-by-moment.

Prayer Journaling for Students

Have you ever prayed Scripture? I recently tried it and loved it! What a blessing!  I have been reading Psalm for my devotional time, and found so many verses that were the cry of my heart. I prayed those verses in a way that was personal and that experience has really touched my heart deeply. Try it, I think you will be blessed.

Speaking of praying Scripture, I found this wonderful list of verses to pray for students. I decided to pray these over my little soon-to-be kindergartner. Maybe you would like to pray them over your children too. Here is the graphic, and below it are the verses for you to begin praying the Scriptures specifically for your kids. They are from the New King James Version of the Bible.

Attitude: Psalm 19:14 -- "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

Boldness: Psalm 27:1 -- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"

Courage: John 1:9 -- "That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world."

Discernment: Philippians 1:4-10 -- ". . . always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ . . ."

Enthusiasm: Colossians 3:23 -- "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men . . ."

Friendliness: Proverbs 18:24 -- "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Generosity: 2 Corinthians 9:7 -- "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

Humility: Philippians 2:3-5 -- "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

Initiative: 1 John 3:18 -- "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

Joyfulness: Philippians 4:4 -- "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

Knowledge: Proverbs 18:5 -- "It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, or to overthrow the righteous in judgment."

Listening: Proverbs 12:15 -- "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise."

Maturity: 1 Corinthians 14:20 -- "Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature."

Neighbors: Mark 12:31 -- "And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."

Overflow: Romans 15:13 -- "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Perseverance: Galatians 6:9 -- "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

Quiet: Proverbs 29:11 -- "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back."

Respect: Romans 12:10 -- "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another . . ."

Self-control: 2 Peter 1:5-7 -- "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love."

Thankfulness: I Chronicles 16:34 -- "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

Understanding: Psalm 119:130 --  "The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple."

Victory: Psalm 18:29 -- "For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall."

Wisdom: James 3:17 -- "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."

Excellence: Proverbs 3:9 -- "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase . . ."

Youthfulness: 1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

Zeal: Romans 12:11 -- ". . . [do] not [be] lagging in diligence, [but be] fervent in spirit, serving the Lord . . ."