Sunday, January 9, 2011

a challenge!

I am not a big fan of goals for myself.  I think it is mainly because I hate pressure and hate to fail.I know they are good and needed, but sometimes they make me crazy. Maybe I am just lazy? I don't want to be lazy! I want to have the discipline to do this. I lack discipline in so many areas!  I make goals and forget them. I make goals and don't like them. But this is gonna be different!
Something I want to instill in my boys is a since of Spiritual discipline. Memorizing scripture, reading the Word daily and praying are some of the most foundational disciplines that I believe even at 3 and 4 they can begin to make a habit out of! 
This year I am setting one important goal. I heard about this cool challenge for memorizing Colossians in a year at Ann Voskamp's blog. So me and my hubby are taking the challenge and gonna memorize it (but we are doing the ESV )!!! It is only 2 verses a week with some built in review weeks. What an important practice I need to get back into! I am excited about it and hope other people will join us and so many other believers around who will be hiding God's work in our hearts!!!!!!!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

One word.

Happy New Years.  As, the old year passes and a new one arrives I am filled with gratitude and love for a Father who has blessed me so much! I am reminded that His mercies are new every morning. This has been an amazing year and it seems to have gone by so quickly. I reflect over the past year and try to remember some of the great moments and I love to see how the Father's hands were moving through out our lives.
I wanted to try and think of a goal or maybe a theme for this upcoming year. I have seen a few places where people are trying to think of just one word. I thought to myself that it would be a good idea to try. So the past few days I have been trying to pray and think about what one word that could sum up what my desire is for the upcoming year!
I must say that it has been a real challenge to sum up what I feel God has for me in the upcoming year, so I have decided that I can have a few different words to describe what I feel God has for me to be and do over the next year. I think I have narrowed it down to 3 main words.

Pray.
Family.
Gospel.
Why these three words?
Pray. Because I want this word to reflect and permeate my life.  I know that the more I spend time with the Father in prayer, the more I grow towards Him. The more I am at His feet, the longer I want to be there. The more I listen to His voice, the better I can hear Him! And the closer I walk with Him, the better I will be at living the life He has called me to be. A mom. A wife. A discipler of my boys and other sisters in Christ.

Family. Because I believe that this is my ministry and what God has called me to do. I believe that being a mom and a wife are such important roles. I count it a privilege to be both. These are high callings from the Father and I feel like so many woman today do not take it seriously or understand the importance of these roles. My desire is that this year I would be able to model and exemplify what the Bible says is a godly mother and wife is to look like so I can be a blessing to my family.

Gospel.  Because I believe it is so important for both the believer and the non-believer.  My husband and I have lived overseas for about 3 years working with believers and non-believers in Asia. We have really come to the realization that we all need the Gospel. We all need to live in the light of the Grace of Jesus Christ. That with out it, people are lost and dying and going to Hell. An eternity with out Jesus. An eternity of torment. With His Grace, we need to continue to everyday be grateful and understand the Power that comes through a life with Christ. He desires us to live in Him, walk with Him and live for Him. He wants our lives to reflect Him. He wants the truth to be apart of us and not just a Sunday thing! I pray that this year my life would reflect the Grace of Jesus and that others would not only see Him in me, but hear the Truth from me!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

What are your thoughts for the new year?

May the Father's glory be made greater this year by my life!