Stick To The List

Psalm 119:18(MSG)
Open my eyes so that I can see what You show me of your miracle-wonders. 

My daughter training the stray cat she found.

Open my eyes!!  That is a little humorous to me right now.  Let me explain.  I started the day off right on track for my New Year's resolution list.  Up and at 'em early. 

Bible reading and prayer~check.
Quick run on the treadmill~check.
Shower~check.
Coffee~check.
Paper~check.
Finish helping my son pack for his return to school~check.
Slam my foot into the large (unmoving) stool~check.....no wait a minute...that wasn't on my list!!

Yes, I rammed my entire foot right into the stool that props our feet up every night.  My eyes  really were open, but my depth perception was extremely off apparently.  Dropping to the floor in agonizing pain, I knew it was a pretty good hit.  I didn't want to look at the damage.  I heard a strange popping sound as the toe made contact with the wood.  Oh dear. 

Well, suffice it to say, that my toe is facing a direction that it doesn't normally face.  I find myself sitting with my foot  propped up and ice strapped to my foot.  Sure enough, it is broken and displaced, so off I will crutch to the foot doctor (hopefully tomorrow), for him to decide if a pin is necessary to pull the bone back in place.  Heavy sigh. 

This toe incident was NOT on the list of things to accomplish in the New Year.  As I try to interject a little humor into this unplanned event, I want to give some important advice for your New Year.  Ready??  Here it comes!  Stick to the list!!  Do not waiver from it. 

However, on a more serious note, as the verse says tonight, if our eyes are open, God will show us His beauty and an abundance of His wonder working grace!  I can't wait to watch what tremendously glorious things He will do this year!!

Lord,
Thank you for revealing Your awesome power to us.  Please sharpen our awareness of Your Spirit in our surroundings every day.
Amen

What voice will you hear in the New Year?

Psalm 119:17(NIV)
Do good to your servant, and I will live;  I will obey your Word.

Happy New Year!!  I have been reflecting a great deal on what I want to accomplish in this New Year.  I absolutely love to start things over.  It gives such a freshness to everything.  It's like a "do over".  If it was awesome the first time...then doing it again is excellent.  If it wasn't so good on the other hand, then it is great to get a chance to start over and try for a better outcome!  Either way, it's a win-win situation!  Right?

Upon review of my last year, here is what I decided to "do over" in this year.  As a mother, my number one priority, after God, is my family.  My goal of encouraging my daughter to read more of her Bible was a noble goal last year, but we were not as successful as I would have liked.  I did not have a well defined plan lined out for her to follow and therefore, we fell short.  With that in mind, I have been looking at the different reading plans and translations to get her through the New Testament in a year.  I have a friend who succeeded in walking her son through the pages of God's Word this year, so I know it can be done! 

Here is my plan.  I obtained the Voice (click here)  translation of the New Testament and printed a one year reading schedule for my daughter.  (The Old Testament comes out in April.)  This particular translation reminds me of the New Living Translation with the addition of frequent breakaways narrating what is going on or in some cases what has gone on during that particular time in history.  The Voice has a feel as though someone is literally sitting beside me explaining what I am reading.  It brings the words of the page to life in vivid color!!  I am excited to read this with my daughter and discuss the verses as they jump off the page.

My goal for her, and my own life as well, is to bring a new vitality to our walk with the Lord!  To simplify and clarify our direction and purpose and thereby allow His word to penetrate our hearts with a greater vibrancy and color than we have ever experienced before.  Prayerfully, I will develop in us a deeper devotion to the Word of God and a more complete obedience as is described in today's verse. 

As my last post stated, the eyes of the Lord are searching for hearts that are fully devoted to Him, so that through His spirit, He can deliver His strength to each one of us!  (2 Chronicles 16:9)  I most definitely need and want the strength of God for every detail of my life in 2012!

My daughter and I enjoying some "talk time".

Lord,
Thank you for Your words that bring a newness and purpose to our lives.  As we step into a New Year, please help us to walk boldly with You and rely on Your strength for all that we encounter!
In Christ's Name,
Amen