2018 Resolutions

I don't have many yet. I am still working on them. I may do more quarterly goals instead this year. :)

So here is what I have so far:

Word of the Year: FAITH

(See previous post)

1. Read the Bible in a year. 

It has been a while since I have read the whole Bible in a year and am going to try to again this year. I will read 25 chapters a week to finish in a year. I will be jumping a round a little, but will read one whole book at a time. I am reading four chapters in the morning from my chosen book and one at night from one of the poetry books.

For example, this first week looks like this: 

Genesis 1-20 and Psalms 1-5

I will read on 4-5 days depending on what works for that week. As of this week, it is looking like Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and maybe Saturday, if I don't get it all done.

2. Read 52 books.

This boils down to one book per week. I was able to make my goal of 50 books last year, so I am excited to do this again, and am actually hoping I make it over my goal!

(Also, I am excited to be sharing some reviews of a couple ARCs that I am currently reading.)

3. Have monthly goals.

January - I really want to focus on getting back in the habit of consistent Bible Reading. 

February and beyond: To be decided... 

Hopefully, I will get a few more posts up on here this year! Happy New Year! And blessings to you as you work on your goals!

My word for 2018 is...

Faith.

The word I picked for 2018 is faith. It is different from past years. Last year was intentional. The year before was trust. But I felt God laying this word on my heart. Through December, I kept hearing the word. We just need enough faith. We need to have faith in others. And ultimately have faith in God. 

My faith in God does not waiver. However, there is always room for more faith. There is room to grow in our faith. I think of the Bible verse where Jesus talks of a mustard seed with His disciples.

“He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.””

Matthew 17:20 ESV

Somedays, I think we have so little faith. It is so small, just like that little mustard seed. If only it was bigger... So that is my goal for this year. To have Faith, Big FAITH! 

I also want to have faith in people. It can be so hard to have faith in people. We are all humans. We let each other down. We fail. We are definitely not perfect, but if we are willing to put our faith in people, in the people God calls us to, we may be the ones to encourage them in their walks of lives. Maybe it is not so much about putting our faith in them, but rather walking out our faith, being real with the people God has placed in our lives. Sharing our faith with them, going the extra mile to support people. 

I think of having faith in people as different from having faith in God. God is the only true source we can put our faith in. When I say that I want to have faith in people, I mean more that I want to believe the best about them and help them strive for the life that God would have for them.

This past week, 1 Timothy 4:7 spoke to me. 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7 ESV

When we have finished our earthly race, this is what I want to say, "I have kept the faith."

Finally, I wanted to share with you the best definition I think there is for what faith is:

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

And faith we should move forward to what God is calling us to, even if we can not see what that is yet.

Day 3-7 - Gratitude Challenge

Day 3: The Sunrise

Day 4: Rend Collective Concert

Day 5: My job and co-workers. I love working in Children's Ministry. The children are learning about Gratitude this month and this is their grateful chain. Someone wrote my name on the board. So sweet! I am blessed by the people I work with, the children, and their families. 

Day 6: Christian Authors!

Some of the authors I have had the opportunity to meet over the years.

Day 7: Northern Lights!!!

I was so excited to see the Northern Lights, but I was driving and didn't get a picture, so this is just a screenshot from my phone...

What are you grateful for this month?

#rohgratitude 

A Gift of Twins by Gabrielle Meyer - Book Review

A Gift of Twins is another story in Gabrielle Meyer's Little Falls Legacy series. I really enjoyed this Christmas story. It is the story of a teacher that comes to Minnesota. When the town sends for this teacher, they think a man is coming. They wanted a man because every female teacher has gotten married and has then left her teaching position. The town has had to continue to look for teacher after teacher. This teacher convinces the school board to give her a chance because she has no plans to ever get married. 

A Gift of Twins is well put together and a great story. Throughout the whole story, you see how different characters have to make difficult decisions. We all face hard decisions in our lives and we can relate to the situations in the story. Ultimately, we see that even when we don't think we can move forward, we should still keep going and persevere. The friends of the main characters encourage each other and strive to help them succeed and follow their hearts. In the end, you will see just what "unexpected holiday blessings" await! 

(On a side note, the book accurately portrays what a Minnesota winter truly can look like!)

(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.)

Day 2 - Gratitude Challenge

Day 2: I'm grateful for my nieces and nephews! All 17 of them! #rohgratitude #thankful #grateful

Gratitude Challenge - Day 1

This month I am going to do the Revive Our Hearts Gratitude Challenge. 

Day 1: a warm wood stove! 

It is snowing today and quite chilly out. :(

#rohgratitude #thankful #grateful

Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors - Book Review

I had the opportunity to be on Katie's Launch Team!

Katie’s story is incredible. While not everyone can move to another country and do what Katie did, we do each have trials that we go through and God is the reason we can get through them. Katie’s story is about real life – the joys and the sorrows. Ultimately, like the title says, it is about daring to hope, especially when there doesn’t seem like there is much to hope for. When I first started reading the book, I thought, I’m not doing enough. Look at what she has done! How can I do that? But by the end, I realized that God uses us where He has called us. It may be in our homes, our jobs, or on the other side of the world, but we must be willing to be used by Him. One of the first things I underlined in this book was this quote, “I give Him my little and He makes up for my lack.” We just need to be willing to give Him what we have, give it all to Him, and He will take care of the rest.

One of the things that really struck me about her story is the personal journey God took her on. Katie talks about how when she first went to Uganda, many doors were open for her. God paved the way for her and blessed her ministry. She goes on to say, “But over time He has been showing me an even deeper truth: that when all those things pass away, He will remain.” When things feel stagnant, when we feel no hope, when we don’t get the answers to prayers that we want, when things are hard, Katie says, “He is still glorified in our faithful pursuit of Him.” We must keep going in the race. We must continue to hope.

Our world has a lot of darkness in it. There are many hard days. But in it all, we are called to hope. Not all of Katie’s story is easy to read. There is darkness, but there is also light. There is sorrow, but also joy. There are trials, but ultimately, there is hope. Hope in Jesus!

Daring to Hope releases today, Oct. 3, 2017! 

Get your copy today!

Amazon

CBD

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

Here is a little video clip from Today.com talking with Katie about her new book!

(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.)