Happy New Year. Join the fun!

Blessings, Fellow Traveler!

As we get set to begin the new year, I want to invite you to join in a 52 week Bible Study at His Kingdom Come called Take Me Deeper. There will be a monthly focus and weekly Bible Studies. I'm so excited for this to begin!

We start January 2, so there is still time to sign up.

Click here for the His Kingdom Come website.

I've got my journal ready...I'll be posting my weekly responses here - starting tomorrow!

#tmd2015


And don't forget that my Good Grief course begins January 23. There is more information under the Good Grief tab above.









Prayer: Dearest Father, Thank you for Your blessings throughout 2014. You were faithfully at my side through the 6 surgeries this Spring. You provided Daughter with a job/career she loves. You protected my family during their house fire. You restored my mother's independence. You blessed us in a myriad of small ways each and every day. I pray that You make 2015 an unforgettable year filled with blessings that are so amazing that the source - YOU - will be evident to everyone who sees. In Your Son's precious name.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Christmas Blessings, Fellow Travelers!

The season that celebrates my beloved Jesus' birth is my favorite time of year. I want to surround myself with family and just...love them.

So this is the wrong time of year for the flu.

Get Up

I was looking at quotes on Pinterest and found this one:

              Fall 7 times. Get up 8.

I like that. Almost.

Under my own steam, I fail. I falter. I stumble. I have to get up and try again. But I accomplish more if - before I get up - I stop and pray.

I mean, I'm on my knees already. And my efforts will ALWAYS be more effective if I apply God's strength and don't rely totally on my own.

This is a page in my new Good Grief Journal for the course I'm starting in January. Colored pencils and a pic I found on Google images credited to tomstuart.org.

So, today's "Lesson Learned" is:
Pray. Then get up - again. The work isn't done.

Dearest Father, Thank you for being a source of amazing strength that is there for the asking. Thump the back of my head and remind me to plug in BEFORE I get up. May you always get the glory. Amen.

Promises Fulfilled

Blessings, Fellow Traveler:

So, the dust has settled. 

--Perhaps I should say, "The SOOT has settled." My mother-in-law's house is burned beyond our ability to repair. No people injured. Two pets lost. Most contents unrecoverable, but some things did survive. All that remains is to regroup.

Sometimes the Holidays Are Just Hard

God is good. All the time. But sometimes the holidays are just hard.

Thanksgiving is never my best day. I do try to be more grateful and express my gratitude on a daily basis. But having a miscarriage on Thanksgiving Day years ago makes it a tough thing to get through.

This year, on Thanksgiving Day, I faced Dad's grave and the new gravestone for the first time. I have not processed losing him because I was in chaos with Mom's broken leg at the time. And of course, she broke her leg at my sister-in-law's funeral, so that's another thing to deal with entirely.

So, here we are on the Sunday after the holiday. And we've spent most of the day dealing with the fire at my mother-in-law's house this morning. This event changes so many things. I'm certain we don't have a grasp on just everything that must be done.

Yet, God is good. All the time.

My mother-in-law and niece were in the house at the time and got out safely.

Prayer: Dearest Father God, thank you for Your watchful eye over my extended family. Guide us in the days to come as we make a mountain of decisions. Give us wisdom and patience. Grant us peace over what was lost, and let us not lose sight of what could have been taken from us.

Being Deliberate in Faith

As one year rushes to an end, it is my habit to begin preparations for the next. (I am, by the way, the Empress of Planning.) I am determined to become more deliberate with my faith. So I'm toying with various ways to do that. I've located several online groups that may prove helpful:
1. His Kingdom Come
   This group has a WEEKLY Bible study planned called Take Me Deeper.
   They also have a "One Word" program called Logos365 - a YEAR-LONG focus.
2. Documented Faith
    There is to be a focus word each MONTH.