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3 reasons I’ll keep blogging in 2017

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My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ… Colossians‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬


I started blogging in January 2015 after a bit of a writing hiatus from a seven-year self-publishing effort. Blogging seemed to be a natural extension of that work, and it allowed me to return to my love of words. This was my first post here on New Day, and my excitement over this space continues. I’m glad for the privilege of sharing in this platform.

I have learned a lot about blogging generally and target audiences and branding and ALL that seems to come with this territory. I’ve also learned about community and what it means to connect with readers and support fellow bloggers in their endeavors. This is what I like best about this world.

So, if I had to pick, I’d keep blogging for these three reasons in 2017. Or let’s call them motivations:

1) Words and THE Word. No doubt, I love what words can do to shape lives and inspire greatness. I’m sure each of us can think of the best advice we’ve received for our careers, a favorite sermon that led to a change in course, even a note or letter with just enough encouragement to keep at it. Words are powerful! And THE Word – what would our lives be without it? It is God’s love expressed. It is our food and sword, our amazing grace. The opportunity to share THAT? Yeh, I’ll take it.

2) Community. What a blessing it’s been to see family and friends adding likes and comments to my posts, and then to see complete strangers do the same! I stay in awe of the great people I’m able to meet and engage with through my blog. Starting out, I had no idea of the possibility of this part of New Day. My aim here is to inspire others, but in the end, I’m the one changed and made more knowledgeable by these interactions.

3) Something I can call my own. This space is dedicated to God, no hesitation about that. But to look at work or creation and be able to behold what your hands can do – that is something awesome to me! I used to look at the copies of PRAISE!Magazine, which I self-published, and was so proud of what I’d accomplished. I STILL pull them out every now and then and just celebrate that work. It’s a good feeling to see your time and research and preparation be put into a project born out of your heart, set in motion by God.

Whatever your thing is, I hope you feel encouraged to stay with it and invest in what it takes to produce something worthwhile and beneficial to others. Actually, that’d be motivation #4 for me here on ND: to help somebody, plain and simple.

Get to it! Get to work on that hobby or project or enjoyment in 2017 and stay motivated to fulfill it to the end!

set the tone

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Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If you’re like me and can claim partial OCD when it comes to being organized, then planners, calendars, notebooks, etc., are like heaven to you. Each morning after I’ve prayed and read, I take a look at my appointments and to-dos for the day and hope for 12 or so hours of productivity. Some days I make it and some I don’t. Can’t quite keep focus on meeting to plan an event when the phone rings as you’re getting dressed and the person on the other end delivers devastating news…

Like many of you, I’ve got some goals set for 2017 – 45th birthday, travel, enjoying celebrating friendships, personal and spiritual growth, learning more in my field, and certainly for keeping this blog space going. Nothing wrong with goal-setting and mapping out a schedule for the day-to-day, particularly if you have kids and a busy career. Absolutely necessary, I think we could all agree.

But plans we make for the new year and even our daily lists amount to naught if there isn’t the right start…

Did you catch it above where I mentioned what I do before I check my calendar? I pray and I take a dose of the Word. Before my feet hit the floor, I dive in and start the day with the One who started it anyway. Get a little God in ya, I tell myself.

Set the tone for yourself for 2017, for each new day the Lord blesses you to see. Give Him the firstfruits of your day and stay in a place of worship throughout. I’m not guaranteeing a day without challenges, not even a day when you won’t fail. But I tell you this and can attest: a day started in the Lord is a day grounded in the Lord. You wouldn’t want to be without Him and having thought of Him, particularly in those challenging and hard times.

Whatever planner or scheduling tool you use, be sure there’s time made for you and God. Put Him at the front of the day, and He’ll be with you at the end.

Does your morning routine include time in God’s Word? If not, let’s fix that…

11/18 grateful friday pt. II

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I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭9:1 KJV

At the beginning of this year, after I’d miscarried and was still unsettled in the “why” of my latest life’s turns, a friend encouraged me to stay centered in the Word. I wasn’t at the place where I wasn’t in the Word, seeking and knocking, but I appreciated my friend’s concern and support and her own sense of what I needed spiritually.

She gave me a bit of a Bible reading challenge: pick out five verses that are favorites, that speak above others, or are ones I tend to turn to through various life stages, then focus on those five for the entire month of January. Sounded like a good idea to me (and I needed something to focus on), so I picked my five:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

You might read these and think they don’t really speak to recovering from an experience like miscarriage, but they did speak to my life. I needed to remember that I’m saved by grace; that I need not fear because God is with me; that I’m made new in the family of faith; and so on.

I focused each verse over several days of the month so I could truly hear what each was saying to me in that particular season. Wrote out each one in my journal and made notes on which to reflect later. A good time in the Word…

I’m grateful to my friend for the suggestion of the five verse challenge, and I’m grateful to God for giving me that time. Friends, it’s worth it, no matter what you’re going through, to stay centered in faith and to allow God’s Word to guide you. It’s saved me time and time again.

I extend the five verse challenge to you! So important to stay focused through hard times and good, in season and out of season…

P.S. I went one step further with my verse challenge and added a sixth: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬ This became my life verse for the year, and it has yielded so much promise…