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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…

11/4 grateful friday pt I

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Give thanks to the Lord… 1 Chronicles 16:34

Credit: Canva

Last year in my first year of blogging, I featured a series here on New Day called “Grateful Friday.” Each 4th Friday I’d offer a post listing things for which I was particularly thankful from the previous days or weeks. Here’s one of those posts.

I thought I’d bring that little bit of blog tradition back to the site over my two November posts this year, so here’s pt. I:

The grace of God. I mean, you knew it was going to be first on my list, right? I don’t know where I’d be without this undeserving gift, this saving power that fills my each and every day. For me, grace is God’s love at work in my life. It is the source by which I’m able to know Him, grow in Him, and abide in Him. Each morning, as soon as I’m able to clear the night’s fog from my mind, I turn to the Word and embrace the new grace given. So thankful for it.

Daily tangible blessings. You know, things like food, clothing, shelter? In this day and age, it’s easy to get caught up in things of the world and take things for granted. Ask the man on the corner with the sign what it’s like to not know where you’re going to sleep that night, or from where your next meal is coming… Our aim? Give thanks for all God provides, then help others in need. Get outside yourself sometimes.

Family and friends. I should say, true friends. I REALLY should say, those I need, who support me and are truly there for me. I think of one particular sister-friend who’s become my unofficial therapist – always advising with a heart of truth, praying, and just being genuine. Those who’ve indicated in one way or another that I’m no longer “fit” for their “list,” well I’ve moved on from them and recognized who they truly are and what they stand for (that’s another post…). And so thankful for my family – they’ve stood by me through some hard times this year, and we’ve endured other seasons together. At the end of the day, I know I can count on my blood.

This blog space and the privilege to serve. I’ve said plenty of times before just how thankful I am for this space to write of and share the goodness of God! I recently tweeted, No better words, to me, to write than those that express the unending love of Jesus Christ. Glad to be the called. And that is so true – I’m not just saying it just to be saying something, but it’s where my heart is.

That’s it for me for now. I know your “grateful” list has a few things on it – tell me about it!