New year

One Word for 2018

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I’m not sure if you make New Year’s Resolutions or not. I always bust mine wide open by about week 2. I have always felt like such a failure with my resolutions. Because of that, for the past several years I have made a One Word Resolution.

One Word is a word you remember, pray about, pay attention to, & is basically your courage key to make yourself better in the new year.

This year my One Word is FOCUS.

What does that mean? It means, in 2018,  I will discipline myself to focus intentionally on my life.  I will focus on my work. I will focus on what the Lord is wanting me to learn in all situations. I will focus on others. I will look deeper into God’s Word and FOCUS.

So, who’s with me?  I will tell you, if you want to be a better version of you. If you want to have a plan in the forefront of your mind. If you want to have your life changed, this is for you. This little plan has done all of that for me. Come on & join me in One Word! What have you got to lose?

Here are some other One Words I have had in the past-

Trust

Courage

Pray

Gratitude

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. I hope you are having a blessed week. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

If you want to read more about One Word, click here.

5 things to make 2018 the best year ever

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I have some good news to bring to y’all today.

Public Service Annoucement:

You are the President & CEO of your life.

You are the direct product of the choices you make. A friend of mine sent a safety email out at work with the following thought:

Here are 5 things to take you to some better choices, in the new year:

  1. Pray about it. How about taking it to the Lord before you take it anywhere else. Be sure to realize He is the One to help make things happen. He can give you strength & courage, when you don’t know what you are supposed to be doing. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV)
  2. Make a list. I am a list person. If I want to tackle a certain situation, I have to list out everything I need to do to get there. A wise man once called this a “critical path”. When I would bring things to my former boss, to help me figure it out, he would say, “What is your critical path?” That’s when the list making would begin. I like to think of it as the old saying, if you want to eat an elephant how do you do it? One bite at a time. You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? II Kings 18:20 (NKJV)
  3. Gather your team. You can’t do everything by yourself. AHEM, I said, YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF. This is a hard pill to swallow for someone as stubborn, hard headed, subject to resist change type person I am. But y’all. It’s so true. Many a great people have a team. Do you think the president of the United States runs this country on his own? Do you think your elders or deacons run the church without help? NO! No one is an island. Get your people together. Tell them your plan. They may have already walked the road you are going down & can give GREAT advice. The Lord may just be waiting to fill your life with good using someone else. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 (NKJV)
  4. Put your plans in action. So many people are crippled by fear. So many people don’t finish because they don’t start. Don’t let this be you. Find some way to make things happen. You never know, others may be encouraged by you & start doing some things, as well! Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31 (NKJV)
  5. Pat yourself on the back. Hey, if you don’t appreciate how far you have come or where you are going, no one else will. You can’t depend on others for your happiness. You have to make it. Be proud of yourself. Others will be, too.Ya’ll, let’s make 2018, the best year ever. God wants to help you. All you have to do is ask. But you need to have a plan. The Lord feeds the birds, but He does not throw the worms up in the nest! For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. II Thessalonians 3:10(NKJV)

I hope everyone is having a blessed 2018. We had our collard greens, hog’s jowl, & blackeyed peas. We are ready for the new year. Bring it on, 2018! Until next time I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Psalms 84: 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.(NKJV)

Some sweet faces for your viewing pleasure.

 

One Word 2017 & can anybody tell me what happened to my turnip greens?

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screenshot_2017-01-02-10-10-13-12017 is here! As in right here. Right now.  I wanted to take this time to share with you my “One Word” for 2017. I gave this a little thought. Not a lot because it just kinda came to me this year. With all the crazy happenings we have had going on in 2016, I learned I have to really trust in the Lord. So, there was no question, y’all:

Trust was my One Word.

I wanted to be sure I kept the Lord’s goodness & care in the forefront of my mind. So now, every day, every chance I get, I will be remembering to trust the Lord. I am going to commit some scripture to memory, that has to do with this glorious trust.

Trust the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord, and do good: Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.(NKJV)

Psalm 37:3

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (NKJV)

Psalm 37: 5

I am so excited for 2017! And what happens on New Year’s Day? We eat of course! Y’all my Mamaw always made sure we had hog’s jowl, to be healthy, black eyed peas, for luck, & greens for money. I always make sure my kid and grandkids know the same important rules for new year. You have to eat all of this to have a good year. They sorta look at the hog’s jowl sideways, but they are always in on the other mandatory dishes.  I cooked turnip greens, per my usual. Normally, they are really good. But, goodness gracious they were bitter & just didn’t have the taste they typically do. The only thing I did different was I forgot to drain them once they came to a boil. And I cut up all of the greens together, stalks and all. Would that have made that big of a difference? Y’all I need some help. My sweet honey and me have gone over & over what might have happened. Any comments are more than welcome, I do not want to have my Mama Boyce’s & Mamaw’s honor in question for any longer. Lord, they wouldn’t be too thrilled about this.

I hope and pray y’all have a blessed new year. Do you have a one word resolution, like me? I’d love to hear about it. I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes.

Me & my girls (and yes I cropped out me wearing houseshoes. #gladmamawcouldmakeit)

Me & my girls (and yes I cropped out me wearing houseshoes. #gladmamawcouldmakeit)

Miss Neenees with some of her church friends.

Miss Neenee with some of her sweet church friends.

Photo credit:www.meghantucker.com

We made it another year, y’all & 5 (maybe 6)things to make 2016 the best year yet

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new-year-blessings-blue-550x320

Y’all….We made it!  Christmas is behind us & 2016 is before us.  Looking back we had an eventful year.  From a grandbaby turning 1 year old, to news of a new grandbaby, to my sweet E.A.’s journey to getting married, Miss Neenee turning 12, her playing the trumpet in the band & lots of other wonderful things .  We clearly have been blessed beyond measure.  And one thing is sure.  Time is not slowing down for anyone.

Year end is a time of reflection.  However, it is also a time for planning & looking forward to the new year & all it has to hold.  This is a perfect time to take inventory of things in your life.  It’s also a time to make goals & focus on making the next year the best one yet.

Today, I want us to focus on our spiritual life & doing some cleaning out & dusting off.  Here are some noteworthy things to focus on this year:

  1. Prayer-Melanie over at Southern Melle has made a 31 day scripture writing challenge on prayer.  I emailed her & asked could I use her scripture challenge for all of us.  And y’all, she said yes & I was clearly delighted! What an awesome way to start the year, or anytime you want to focus on prayer.  PrayerScriptureWriting
  2. Reading your Bible– Ok, so Melanie at Southern Melle is on my radar today!  She also has made a weekly Bible reading plan for 2016.  I love this because I have tried to do the daily Bible reading before. Then, I would get behind, never to catch up. And I would just quit. I am super excited about this one. It will be a better fit for me.2016BibleReadingPlan_Weekly1
  3. Applying the Word to our lives– The thing that comes to mind first are 3 “let us” verses.

Hebrews 10:22-24 let us draw near with a true heart…

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope…

Let us consider one another…

Also, what about your monetary giving? (II Corinthians 9:7) I kid you not, when I say, when I am giving like I should, to the church, things just seem to go a lot better for me as a whole. I have no great explanation for that except when you obey God, you have His favor. And who doesn’t want that?

4. Finding your talents & sharing them– Do you love children? Teach a Bible class. Are you good at organizing? Be on a VBS committee. Do you like to cook? Sign up for a food team. Do you enjoy visiting with others? Start going to the nursing homes. Are you an encourager? Send cards to the sick & shut in. There are so many things at our church to be involved in. You can just about bet anything you enjoy or excel in, you will find a group of people already doing that same thing. You can do these things on your own, with your own family, as well. Just be involved & let your light shine. (Matthew 5:16)

5.  Be more thankful. You just don’t know how the Lord will work in your life if you become immensely grateful. You get so much more. You become humble. You start to see that nothing is a sure thing. You begin to see how much you need the Lord. You have the reassurance you are not in this life thing on your own. You have Jesus to turn to & depend on for your every want & need. From there you will get the peace that you have no idea where or how it comes to you, it just does. (Philippians 4:7) And that’s a beautiful way to live.

6. Have faith. That sounds pretty easy. But is it? As soon as something bad happens we are questioning God like nobody’s business. Seriously though, God takes care of us in ways we don’t even know or understand. Just trust. No matter what. No questions asked. (Matthew 17:20)

Thank you for coming by & visiting with me today. Y’all just don’t know how much you bless my heart.  Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

**A BIG ‘ol thank you to Melanie from Southern Melle for so graciously letting me use her ideas.  Go on over & visit her.  She would love to have you.

photo credits: http://www.crosscards.com, http://www.southernmelle.com

 

 

 

One word for 2013

/ kstrick7 / 8 Comments

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about my one word for 2013! What is “one word” for 2013? My sweet blogger friend Falen from Upward Not Inward, turned me on to this. Here is the post from OneWord365.com:

Forget New Year’s Resolutions. Scrap that long list of goals you won’t remember three weeks from now anyway. Choose just one word.

One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.

It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your word will shape you and your year. It will guide your decisions and help you grow.

Discover the big impact one word can make.

One word.

365 days.

A changed life.
Isn’t that amazing? Just one word to focus on & help us grow in 2013. I thought about it. What word do I want to use to make 2013 my best year ever? The more I thought about it, the more this word came to mind. With everything I want to do in 2013, this word fits perfectly.
Introducing my one word:
OneWord2013_Courage[1]
Courage to do what’s right.
Courage to help others.
Courage to make words actions.
Courage to be the person God intended me to be.

Thank you so much Melanie at the blog Only A Breath for making this beautiful button for me! I am also linking up with Melanie at Only A Breath. She is hosting a link up for all of our “one words”. Go on over & link up! I challenge everyone reading this to resolve to make 2013 a wonderful year. Start by using one word.