Blessings for a New Year

It has been a while since I have had the time to just sit. Or write.

Writing is something that I take seriously. It is a season I believe God has called me to walk in and share with others. I value all who read these words that I carefully put on this page. He has said it is a priority.. but not over family. Which is who I have been engaged with in the last month. And that is precisely the way is should be during Christmas.

December was just plain crazy. I don’t like the fact that we live through this time of year hurried at a break-necked pace.

Growing up it always seemed that once our family had put up all the decorations…it was then time to take them down. This has not changed much in my own household.

I love being able to sit and “mellow” in the holidays. Playing Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, and sitting by a fire and just BEING PRESENT. I was able to do some of these things during this past Christmas season. It just still flew by so quick.

Our family began a new tradition of reading devotionals each night together that related to the advent season. My girls all got involved and took part in reading and explaining to one another how the scriptures related back to the birth of Christ. It was incredible watching their hearts walk closer with Jesus. These moments are priceless to me.

I was thankful that I was able to spend some time digging deep into scripture through several podcasts that I was listening to in December. One of the podcasts was an 8 part series on the book of Job from Perry Noble.. I learned that it is clearly stated in verse 46 of Job – “that God blessed the end of Job’s life more than the first.” Lots of great lessons that I am looking forward to sharing real soon.

Another series of teaching was from a new podcast friend, named Judah Smith. We first heard Judah at Catalyst in 2011 and was blown away by the anointing that is on this young fellow. God used his teaching to put me in a place of healing in places that I didn’t realize were hidden and hard to visit. Sometimes, those places of healing are sometimes hard to share about right away…sitting in the midst of them is part of the healing process too. This series focused on learning to see the Glory of God. Did you know that we have the option of seeing Jesus every moment of every day through the Word of God where Moses would have done anything to see more than just His backside. {Can’t wait to share more on this later.}

I have also been visiting a blog that I have shared here before. Ann Voscamp has set my feet into motion this year with focusing my mind to not be overwhelmed by life’s situations but to be thankful in the midst of them. By constantly speaking, or writing out those things that you are thankful for can revolutionize how you think about life. It can jump-start even the worst of days with seeing God’s redemptive work all around us. I hope to do better at this in 2012.

So today, on my first day back on the blog of the new year, I couldn’t think of a better time to share those thankful moments my Savior has brought to my mind.

1 – thankful for the garden that has fed my family this year.
2 – Learning the skill of growing herbs.
3 – Veterinarians that helped me take care of a hurt horse from February August
4 – an incredible selfless husband!
5 – Cafe Francis every morning.
6 – A warm coat on a damp Monday
7 – podcasts to listen to.
8 – hearing the pages of my Bible come aloud with Jesus’ sweet voice.
9 – resources online that encourage
10 – clean bathrooms while traveling
11 – family members far and near
12 – healthy days for our family

Blessings,