I love New Years Day and starting a whole new year (and DECADE) off fresh! I just adore fresh starts filled with reflective thoughts on the old and starting anew. Yesterday I opened my fresh new journal for this year's devotions and began a new book of the Bible (John) and started my Chronological reading through the Bible for this year!!! I am in heaven:)
How about you? Maybe last year you were plagued with inconsistent times of prayer and fellowship with the Lord in His Word. Perhaps you did not spend time with Him at all. I don't know where you are in your relationship with your Father...but I pray that the number one thing on your list of resolutions will be to commit time every single morning to spend time in God's Word and in prayer.
One thing I have found VERY helpful is to buy a notebook that has close to 365 pages (there aren't any with that exactly but maybe 400 will do for you). Take a small portion of scripture (I do a few verses) and then pray, ponder, and write just a few thoughts on that passage. Here's the key for me...write the DATE at the top of the page!! That keeps you accountable! And lying about your devotion time with God...well...that's just way wrong:)
If you don't like to write much and journal, you could do multiple entries on each page and don't have to buy such a big notebook! I am also going to start a gratitude journal (thanks to my friend Shannon!) at the end of the day to spend time praising and thanking God. I can't wait to see how that goes this year.
I have found through the past year that accountability is so helpful! Sometime during the day try to carve out time to spend with the Lord. We all write and tell people that God is THE most important thing in our lives, yet spend our time on housework, facebook, twitter, blogs, youtube...and TV. What is really the most important to you? Where are you spending most of your time?
So, as we start this year I felt the most important thought I could share with others...and myself...is to start FRESH with the Lord! He loves it! He said that His mercies are NEW and FRESH every single morning of your life...oh praise Him for that!!
If you desire to read through the Bible (I do this portion at night before going to sleep...because I can NOT study that large of a portion of the Bible at a time...so it is just my way of gaining perspective on the FULL counsel of His Word), you don't have to buy a new Bible. Biblegateway.com has reading plans in multiple translations that update every day. This is a good way to set a goal to read the Bible through in a year without the expense of a new Bible.
Whatever, whenever, and wherever...spend time with HIM this year!!! It has been the one SINGLE thing that has revolutionized my life over the past 7 years ( I celebrate my anniversary of being CONSISTENTLY (not perfectly) in God's Word in April...8 years!!). It has been amazing and truly there are not words to talk about what God's Word has done in my life. I don't think I would still be a follow of Christ without it! I had tried every Biblestudy, commentary, class, conference, and tactic to get closer to God...nothing worked. But, God's Word ALONE has changed me and molded me and filled me to utterly overflowing every single day of the last 8 years. PRAISE HIS NAME!!!!
So, as you begin 2010 start fresh with the Lord. And if you blow it tomorrow...start fresh the next day. Praise Him that His mercies are not new every January 1st but EVERY morning!!! It isn't easy...Satan HATES for you to sink deep into the power of God's Word. So, trust me, every morning will be a FIGHT. My flesh ALWAYS wants to sleep longer, get busy first, check my email first, read a few blogs, and rush headlong into my day before I steal away with Him. But, my Spirit gets stronger and stronger and stronger and STRONGER every single day. 7 1/2 years later my flesh still cries out...but those cries are not nearly as loud for nearly as long and not nearly as strong. I KNOW how perfect His portion for me will be. How it will fill me to overflowing with GOOD things...like the richest of foods.
Fight with me this year! Lay hold of the GOOD things God has for you in His Word. Yes, it is battle...but one you have VICTORY promised to you through Jesus Christ! Girls, we can do this!
Get a notebook, get an accountability partner, text a friend every morning when you are finished to keep you accountable (I did this about getting up early last year and it ROCKED!), work with your spouse to BOTH get in God's Word separately and then talk about it at night, put it on your calendar with an alarm...WHATEVER it takes!
This is my resounding thought and prayer for you, for my family, friends, and those who read this blog for 2010. I am EXCITED! As I think and pray over 2010, there is nothing more important that I would share with you (and myself). It is eternal and will revolutionize your entire existence...trust me...it is one WILD ride sweet friends!
Happy New Year to you all...have a SWEET year from our family to yours!
PS. Those are fireworks around the 2010 pancakes!
That night, after seeing the reindeer, we began our festivities! For the past several years we have opened our gifts on the 24th and then had our Happy Birthday Jesus party on the 25th. So, on the night of the 23rd we always (ever since the girls were bitty babies) opened one present and then go to look at lights!!! The gift is always a new pair of pajamas that they can wear in the car to go look at the lights. They love it!
Anli got a pair of green (her favorite color this year!) pair of polar bear pjs. That day their final gift from Aunt Leslie came in the mail!!! It was their beloved Littlest Pet Shop Online animals. Leslie worked so hard to get the zebra for Anli...it was even sold out on Amazon and Hasbro! So, she found it on Ebay and got it for her. What a wonderful aunt!!
Virginia got pink partridge in a pair tree jammies! Talk about cutie patootie!! She is also holding her sweet monkey from aunt Leslie!
Every year we have this same photo of the girls. Sometime soon I need to post all of them...they are just so cute and getting SO big! Love those girlies...
Then, comes their favorite part of the night...STARBUCKS! We head to Starbucks for yummy hot chocolate for the kids and Peppermint mochas for us. We made fresh cookies to eat with them...cause warm cookies beat store bought any day!
This year (thanks to Mary) we headed to the Lights of Life at Life College. It was only $5 per car and it was WONDERFUL! We had a great time and so enjoyed the amazing lights. We normally go to Lake Lanier with friends every year...but the price went up to $40 per car (so we all went to Stone Mountain instead!) so $5 was looking real good to us! We also knew that we would be going to a HUGE light display in NC with Jay's family called Tanglewood.
We wanted to get out but it wanted to get out but it was FREEZING!! The kids said "no way" and so we just stayed toasty warm in our car belting out Christmas carols and sipping drinks and munching cookies. What a night...
