I admit it, I LOVE NEW YEAR'S! I love New Year's Eve and New Year's Day! I think it's one of the most fun holidays at least in my opinion. Sometimes I admit tip toeing in to the new year because the past year has been so rich and full and blessed. Other years I can't wait to kiss the year goodbye and go charging into the new. I love standing on the edge of a new year with all the hopes and expectations of it.
Normally our New Year's Eve will find us at a local coffee shop hanging out and then dinner has always been Japanese. Lots of years
we've had all of our children and some years a few. This is a year with a few. John is flying back from New York City and Jessica and Justin are enjoying a vacation off in the mountains with Justin's family. Good football games started at noon and Eddie worked some so the coffee shop got axed for a nice, quiet day at home (at least for me). And there's a 4:00 game on that for some reason we want to watch =) so we are opting for my man's fabulous chili instead of the traditional Japanese eatery. New Year's Day will find our house full of fam and food and football for the last time this football season, really unbelievable.
we've had all of our children and some years a few. This is a year with a few. John is flying back from New York City and Jessica and Justin are enjoying a vacation off in the mountains with Justin's family. Good football games started at noon and Eddie worked some so the coffee shop got axed for a nice, quiet day at home (at least for me). And there's a 4:00 game on that for some reason we want to watch =) so we are opting for my man's fabulous chili instead of the traditional Japanese eatery. New Year's Day will find our house full of fam and food and football for the last time this football season, really unbelievable.
I hope you are as inspired as I am at the possibilities that a new year brings. None of us knows what we will face or how circumstances will play out but I do know that God is always good and He's always faithful and He knows every detail of 2016 before we even ring it in at midnight.
I've been thinking about this post for a few weeks. I mentioned via social media that I would love to hear from you all in regard to your spiritual goals or resolutions. I know many people choose a word for the year. Some choose a verse to cling to or a passage of scripture. Many of you may decide that this will be your year for intense bible study or some of you may begin the journaling process. I would love to hear your plans.
Can I encourage you to let this be the year you take your relationship with the Lord to a whole nutha level? Whatever level we are on, we can always climb higher, dig deeper! I shared with many of my Favor girls at our recent event what my time with the Lord looked like every day and most of that will continue as is. However, I really want to dig deeper in the Word this year. I want it to be a year that I only rely on a devotion or study to get me started and then it pushes me to search out the truth of scripture on my own with ALL help from the Spirit. I want my study to be a springboard for deeper truths. I want to see in a new fresh way how the Bible intersects from Genesis to Revelation. I have my journal, just packed up another one in a box I keep in my closet with all of my others, and look forward to getting started in a brand new one. I have my Bible, the one my sweet husband bought me last January for my birthday and I have loved it so much. I have my new pens, I'm such a sucker for those. These I can write with and highlight and write in my Bible without any bleeding through. And for Christmas, one of my gifts, was a 3 year devotional book called Search the Scriptures. I've been wanting it for a while and I've been dying to get started but patiently waiting for the 1st. This book I'm trusting is going to push me and propel me like I want. Can I challenge you to do the same? One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to lead us and guide us into all truth. For many years I trusted more in a bible teacher or mentor to lead me and I've learned so much that way and will still use those tools, but I want more of the Spirit's teaching than ever before! Of course my prayer life always needs improvement and I need to be more specific and I need to pray for eyes to see more and discernment to perceive what God is doing around me. I sent out on our Favor text this morning that I'm praying 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 over us. I want to be worthy of His calling and I want to see Him do many great works of faith through His power and get much glory from my life.
I would love for this to be a place we can engage and encourage one another. In these days, we all need the gift of community.
May 2016 be the year we see depth in our relationship with Jesus and it be the year our relationships with one another are everything God wants them to be. May we leave regrets behind and don't be a person quick to take offense. If we could just refuse to be easily offended, we would have richer, healthier, longer lasting relationships and our witness to others will have greater effect.
I love you all. I'm so thankful God allows me to serve Him even though He knows me so well. I'm so thankful for fresh starts, not just a fresh new year, but He gives us a fresh start every day with mercies awaiting.
I'm a fan of you 2015! You've been a very good, rewarding yet challenging year with good days and bad, mountaintop times and some valley times, and through it all God has been faithful!
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