Tag: new year

new things

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Behold, all things are made new…

We begin again. We start anew. No better time to focus on gettin’ it right than right now.

I’m a fan of new. Mornings are my favorite part of the day. I like new books and journals. I like pretty little new babies. And I love a new, fresh cup of coffee (decaf, please).

2018 calls for new, don’t you think? New as in renewed, really. Renewed in our thinking. Renewed in our behavior. A restart in how we treat others. Recommitting ourselves to the path God intended.

Find yourself in the new this year. Try new things. Add new experiences to your list. Make new friends. Renew your love (your giving) for your neighbors who stand in need. And above all, be renewed and transformed in your walk with the Lord. He’s gonna do some awesome things this year!

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…