“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”

⭐️ I was hoping to actually mail some Christmas cards out this year, but that didn’t happen yet and Christmas Eve is tomorrow so it is probably not going to happen! So consider this my Christmas card! ⭐️

At the start of 2023, God clearly showed me what my word of the year would be. I remember right where I was when I knew. I had just stepped into the room and I looked I. The mirror and thought/prayed, “God, I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I’m strong enough.” The words of the old hymn filled my head, “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” In that moment, God reminded me that He would give me the strength I needed for that day, that moment, and He would give me HOPE for tomorrow. After all “the best is yet to come.”

And that was my word for 2023: HOPE

I recently saw the lyrics of another song, a Christmas song. It seemed a fitting way to close out the word, bookended by song lyrics. 

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” 

Sometimes it is hard to have hope. We are indeed a weary world. There are many things swirling around us, many dark, hard things. Life is hard. BUT God is good, so good. 

In the midst of the challenges and trials of life, we are called to hold on to hope. 

“we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize (“hold fast to” ESV) the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure...”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This verse is talking about God’s promises and how He doesn’t lie and that we can indeed hold on to hope. 

There are so many scriptures that talk about hope, so many that I can’t begin to share them all here! But this next verse touches on the same sentiment as the song:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭42‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We need to put our hope in Him. Placed anywhere else and it is false hope, or at the very least, hope that will leave us disappointed. But we can put our hope in Him. He is our salvation. And He is to be praised!

At the end of the day, I would rather live with hope in the midst of life. We may have those weary days. We will very likely have disappointments, but our God is a God of hope! And I will leave you with this blessing from scripture:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

#ChristmasCard #WordOfTheYear #Hope 

#MerryChristmas #HappyNewYear

2023 Word of the Year

Check out the previous post on 2022.

All this brings me to 2023. A couple songs come to mind as I contemplated and prayed about a word for 2023. 

Songs:

Believe for It

Cece Winnons

I believe it now 

Sidewalk Prophets 

Hope says 

Consumed by Fire

There’s hope in front of me

Danny Gokey

Hope has a Name 

River Valley Music 

At first I thought of the word believe. But that just didn’t seem quite right. Then believe led me to hope. Landing on hope seemed to be a light after a dark year. A forward looking focus. The first two songs I listed above may not talk a lot about hope, but I think they both point to the hope we should believe in. A sermon I recently heard talked about “ Overarching hope” and that’s the place I want to be is to have that hope over everything else in life. I want to hold on to hope. I want to believe for it. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬

There are a lot of other scriptures that come to mind about hope, but one more that stood out to me was:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today as I was just thinking about some current situations, God brought these lyrics to my mind. I was praying and asked God, “How do I do _____? How do I get through______?” The words of Great is Thy Faithfulness came as my answer: “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” Again, the simple reminder that God will give us what we need for today - His strength. And He will also give us hope for tomorrow. 

I love seeing these little (yet big) ways God speaks to us. May we be open to seeing Him work and hearing His voice. Then I pray we go out and tell of our testimony of how He is at work in our lives. 

A couple more scriptures about hope:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2022 Word of the Year (in review)

 (Disclaimer: I went back to look for a post about my word of the year for 2022 and couldn’t find one. So here is a recap.) 

Last year was hard. It was one of the most difficult years I’ve ever faced. I won’t get into all the details, but I faced things I would never want to go through again or would want to see anyone else go through. Looking back, I struggled most of the year. When I read from the Psalms, I can relate so much. Psalm 40 was one that stuck with me this past year. I felt I was in the muck and mire. It is only recently that I feel some solid ground beneath my feet again. And that only comes from God. 

“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭40‬:‭2‬ ‭

Last year my word was Learn. It was definitely a year that I learned a lot. The biggest lesson I learned was about God’s faithfulness, how He uses His people in the world around us, and about relationships. I say over and over again: “Life is hard. God is good.” And I wholeheartedly believe that. In the hardest of the hard, God showed me that He is still good. 

During the toughest part of this past season, for about a month long, I literally had someone reach out to me daily - letting me know they were praying for me or thinking of me, sharing scripture with me, and just encouraging me. I know it was God because because it was constant and it was “random.” When I say random I mean that it came from all different sources, some people I interact with regularly and some I rarely do, some were complete strangers. It was almost always “I’m praying for you” or a scripture passage. Sometimes it was in person, a bouquet of flowers, a text, a phone call, or even a random Facebook message. I wish I would have recorded each of these because it was such a powerful way I saw God work. Not only did He use His people to minister to me, but I also saw their obedience in listening to the Holy Spirit prompting them to reach out to me. I also felt their prayers, interceding on my behalf, when I just didn’t even know what to pray. 

I learned many lessons this past year, but the toughest lesson came in learning more about relationships and friendships. I had people stand beside me that were close friends and others were just acquaintances or even strangers. I also learned some hard lessons of who I thought would be there for me, but weren’t. I saw a quote on social media recently that said something along the lines of how hard it is when you realize you weren’t as close of friends as you thought you were - when someone else doesn’t value that friendship in the same way you do. I’ve learned that some friends are here for a reason, some a season, and some a lifetime. The reasons and seasons are hard for me. Once I open myself up, I’m committed. But that’s not how all relationships go. It does make me especially thankful for the life-er friends. I’m thankful for those friends that are willing to be open and honest with me. The ones that speak truth into my life and sometimes have to say the hard things to me. I’m thankful for the friendships and relationships that encourage and build me up. I’m thankful for friendships that go both ways - where we can spur one another on. In all of the hard lessons of relationships, I am thankful for the friends that were just there for me. Thank you to those of you who showed up, who just listened, and encouraged me along the way. 

There were a many other lessons learned. It was tough! “Learn” is a not always a fun word because it can be hard and unexpected lessons. But it can be a huge way to grow, too! 

All this brings me to 2023 - click here for the next post! 

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip - book review

 

I finished reading this book last night (by Sara Brunsvold, Author), well, more accurately, early this morning! Here is my review after reading it. No words, other than the words in the book, could accurately describe this book. I highly recommend. This easily became a top favorite. Ever. 

Read Mrs. Kip’s story. You won’t regret it.

My review: 

Wow. This book and story is incredible. This is a must read! I think I highlighted more of the book than I didn’t. There is so much to learn from these pages and there are quotes I will go back to over and over again.

It is because of books like this one that I continue to read Christian fiction. The things I have learned from stories like this go beyond what you can write in a review. This book touched my heart so deeply and I will always remember this story.

Psalm 16:8

When the Days Comes by Gabrielle Meyer - Book Review

 When the Days Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

Book Review

I read this book earlier this year and I am just now writing this review, but this is literally the book I have talked about ALL year long. This is the book that has stuck with me and whenever asked about a favorite book that I’ve read this year, this is the book I tell people about. 

This book is so unique and has a genre all of its own - newly dubbed a “time slip” novel. While not time travel exactly, it has somewhat of a similar feel (which is super fun and interesting). But more so than that, the book has so much depth to it and an ending that will leave you mind blown (enough said!). 

Read the story. And then tell all your friends about it. (That’s what I did!) 

The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer - Book Review

This fun book set on the North Shore of Minnesota could be the next Hallmark movie! So many sweet elements, but at the same time, this story has rich and deep layers to it. There is much struggle - from the characters’ own past to their ancestors’ pasts. You see the struggles play out relationally, spiritually, and physically. But the best stories offer you so much more. When you peel back the layers, you see a story of the hope, redemption, and forgiveness. 

This was Mollie’s debut book and I look forward to seeing what she has for us next! 

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Autumn By The Sea by Melissa Tagg - Book Review

This story showed what being a family is all about. There is quite the mystery weaved in the pages and while this story has a sweet ending, it definitely leaves you wanting to read the next one in the series (and the next one!)! 

I really appreciate the community and family aspects of this story. It touched deeply and showed a lot of love from many of the characters. It is all about many pieces of the puzzle coming together to make one beautiful picture. I recommend this book (and any other one by Melissa Tagg)! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

Lastly, I just have to say, I love the cover of this book! So beautiful! 

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Prayer

One of my hopes for this year was that I would get in a better rhythm of prayer. I didn't even feel like it was a prayer, because at some point in the past decade, my prayer life had slipped from praying all the time to just praying at certain times (morning, meals, evening, a little in between...). But I didn't want to be in that place. I wanted to get back to 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where it says, "pray without ceasing." You see this is one of my favorite scriptures and I want it to be something I live out in my daily life. I don't just want to think about things. I want to take those thoughts and turn them into actions, into prayers, into a real conversation with God. 

Over the months, I have worked hard to get into a habit of praying specifically for my nieces and nephews. While I can't be there for each one of them all the time, I can be an Auntie who prays and I can do that from wherever I am at anytime.

In the past month, God has really answered my prayer. I have had to trust Him in some big ways. I have really had to lean in to "Thy will be done" even when that is hard. I haven't always known what to even pray in some of the situations that have come up, but I have been praying and growing in my relationship with Christ. It is truly amazing how the trials of this life can really bring you closer to our God. 

This faith walk is a journey and a day-by-day decision to follow Jesus. I am so thankful that God has answered this prayer that just started out as a hope. These past few weeks, my thoughts have turned to prayers and honestly, it has truly become continuously. I don't always have the words to say, but I ask that God's will be done in my life and in the lives of those around me. I pray for clarity. I ask for wisdom, guidance, and peace in decisions and situations. I pray and I pray and when I get done, I talk to God some more. 

I am so glad we have a God who listens to us, who knows our hearts, and who loves us deeply. 

Just like in any relationship, communication is key. Being able to have conversations with God gives us a more intimate relationship with Him. I am thankful for where He has brought me over the past few weeks and over the last couple of years. This journey is by no means over, and in any relationship, we have ups and downs, but I am thankful God shows Himself to us and that we can even see tiny glimpses of how He is working and helping us grow. And even when we can't see it, we can still trust Him and know He is working. We can cry out to Him at our darkest moments and we can sing praises to Him on the mountain tops. He will always listen to us. We need only to start the conversation and be willing to hear from Him.

God is good - in the midst of it all

My family has gone through many crises over the years. 

I look back and remember when my cousin was in a bad motorcycle accident. After that, during my high school years and college years, I watched all of my grandparents go through medical issues and ultimately losing three of my grandparents during high school and my fourth grandparent during college. We spent many days caring for my grandparents, visiting them, taking them to appointments, and many days spent in the hospital for a few of them. These were hard years, but I wouldn't change any of the time I spent with my grandparents. I miss them so much. They were my cheerleaders and I knew they loved me 100%. 

In more recent years, I have watched my immediate family be affected by divorce. I have watched the ripple effects of hurt relationships. It has hurt on deep, emotional levels. 

Then the world experienced a pandemic in 2020 and everyone has been affected at some level because of that. Life has been hard. 

Just a few weeks ago, another relative ended up in the hospital for an unexpected medical issue. This relative has a long road ahead and it is unknown what that road will look like. This was completely unexpected (not that we expect crises...). It was unexpected because it was a person I would have went to if I had a need, someone who has been there for my family over the years. It shook me on a different level. It reminded me that we are all human and nobody knows the time we have left or what might happen to us or to those we love. It reminded me that life is short. It reminded me to live life to the fullest.

I don't share all of this with you because I want you to feel sorry for me. That is, honestly, the last thing I want. (I do, however, appreciate hearing that people care!) I share this because life is hard and I don't want to sugarcoat that fact. And I also want to draw on the fact that God is good, in the midst of life is hard. And God's strength will shine through my weakness. 

You see, in the end, this is not at all about me, but about God, and about how He has carried me through it all. 

 Lessons I have learned and am working on:

Life is hard. God is good.

As I mentioned above, this has been a strong theme. The VBS theme in 2019 was "Life is wild. God is good." with the focus on one of the days being "Life is hard. God is Good." It was something I needed to hold on to, just as much as those kiddos who attended.

In my weakness, God is strong. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Worship in the midst.

There are so many scriptures about worship in the Bible. We are called to rejoice always (1Thessalonians 5:16), to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100), and more. We can fight the spiritual wars through worship, worship in the form of prayer, song, etc... 

Job, in the midst of trials, still blessed God, "And he said, '...The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

We see many other passages about worship:

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" Romans 5:3-4 

"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

A couple songs come to mind, too: 

Praise You in This Storm - Third Day

I Choose to Worship - Rend Collective

I will praise you through the fire
Through the storm and through the flood
There is nothing that could ever steal my song
In the valley you are worthy
You are good when life is not
You will always and forever be my song

Oh, we choose you, Lord
In the middle of our dark
Over every fear, over every lie
Oh, we stand our ground
We make our choice
You're our sun in the darkness
We choose you now

Be grateful.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to "give thanks in all circumstances." Not to give thanks for all our circumstances, but in all of them. Meaning that even in the midst of trials and crises, we can still thank God because He is a good God, and He is always with us.  

Show up.

Some of the most meaningful moments have been when people have unexpectedly shown up for our family. I have also been blessed when I have listened to the Holy Spirit's promptings and God has called me to show up for others. 

It may look like praying for someone God lays on your heart. This seems so simple, but I believe it is so powerful. Over the last year especially, I have been working on listening to the Holy Spirit's prompting. One of the ways I've found is to just simply pray when I start thinking about someone. Sometimes it is just a simple whispered prayer, other times I have felt the need to do some real battle for someone in prayer.

A few weeks back, I was heading to the grocery store with my mom. I had a family on my mind. A day or so before, I heard on the radio that one way you can help a mom/family is to just say, "I'm at the store. What can I grab for you?" instead of saying, "If you ever need anything, let me know." I felt like that was what I was supposed to do just that in this situation. I said as much to my mom and she said she had felt the same thing on the drive in. It was amazing how the Holy Spirit prompted us both. While there have been many times I have pushed that still small voice aside, I am glad I listened that time and am learning to listen more.

People over things

This is something that our family has said for quite a while. But it is also something I need to remind myself of over and over again. When things, to-do lists, schedules all seem to take priority, we need to re-shift our priorities, back to God first, but then to the people He has placed in our lives. 

To God Be the Glory.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Walking the Christian life is not easy, no one ever promised it would be. In fact, in James 1, it says ^"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." It doesn't say if, but when, for we will face trials. But I like how this passage continues... ^"for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness..." 

May we be steadfast in Him. May our strength come from Him. May He get the glory. May our lives be a testimony of who He is and may we point others to Jesus in all we do and say. 

God is good.

Goodbyes - Adventures in Odyssey Quote

I recently listened to albums 68 and 69 of Adventures in Odyssey. (In my opinion, you are never too old to listen to Odyssey! I have literally been listening since before I was born!) 

I thought the writers did an excellent job of conveying today’s struggles, without talking about a pandemic. They managed to talk about school struggles, missing family members and friends, and other issues without making it all about Covid. I appreciate them touching on some of the issues without making it into something that would date the albums to this time of history. 

Below is one particular quote from one of the episodes that really stood out to me:

“Here is what I have learned about goodbyes...You say a lot of them in your life. Most of the time they'll hurt. I've found a few things that help though. 

One is spending time alone with God and asking Him for comfort.

The other is knowing when you had the chance that you took advantage of the time you did have with your friend. Just looking at one another. Talking. Even saying nothing. I think it is significant that, when faced with death, Jesus spent His last night eating supper with His best friends." 

-Whit

Volume 68 - Out of the Blue

Episode 5 - Always Home 

Adventures in Odyssey

Grace and Gratutide - 2021 "Word" of the Year

 Below are some scriptures and quotes that go with my "Word" (theme) of the year!

Definitions

Grace

a : unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification

b : a virtue coming from God

c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance

(Merriam-Webster)

 What is Grace? By Christianity.com

Gratitude

: the state of being grateful : thankfulness expressed gratitude for their support

(Merriam-Webster) 

 

Scriptures

(Underlines are my own!)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth... For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

John 1:14, 16

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phillippians 4:6-7 

(I love how this verse flows from my word last year (peace) to gratitude.) 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 

Psalm 100:4 

 

Quotes

 (from Pinterest)