If you haven't chosen a Word of the Year for 2024 yet, no need to worry! There's still time to pick your word. I discovered the Word of the Year concept in 2018 when several friends had chosen one, sparking my curiosity about the hype. I found that having a Word of the Year provides a growth focus for the year. The word is meant to represent a central way you are depending on God in the year to come. It helps you determine who you want to become by the end of the year. When you have a word of the year, it helps you to be intentional about how you spend the hours, days, and months of the year.

The fireplace kept me warm as did our four-year-old dog Bentley who sat on my legs. My journal, my Bible, and a listening ear were what I brought to the living room that day. I held my aqua pen in hand ready to hear from God as I reflected on seven questions. It was eye-opening and encouraging as I looked back through my journal and saw the fingerprints of God. It was fun to see what themes were scattered throughout my year. These are the seven questions I used to reflect on 2023 and my answers to each question.

Have you ever been in over your head? Have you ever felt like life is just too much for you to handle? I am sure we all have been there at some point. It is in these moments that we have a choice. Will we let life overwhelm us or will we turn to God and trust that He has it under control? My desire is to turn to God and trust that He has it under control. I am sure you would much rather go that route as well. But, what does this look like on a day-to-day basis? In our Scripture Verses for today, we learn in order to trust God, we need to remember who we are, who is with us, and to have hope.

“Mommy, we are at the BEACH!!” exclaimed my 5 year old daughter Analiah as she jumped up and down. The wind and ice cold water couldn’t dampen her spirit. Analiah wasn’t even paying attention to the large waves behind her. She grabbed hold of my hands and started to dance around in circles. The pure joy and innocence were contagious. Soon, I found myself not even thinking about the ice cold water. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 In a fast-paced world filled with endless demands and distractions, it is easy to overlook the significance of prayer in our daily lives. However, by reflecting on…

Have you thought about what you’ll be planting this Spring? We’re planning on growing some delicious tomatoes, zucchini, and possibly cucumbers. But, let’s not forget about planting the seeds of God’s Word in our minds. By doing so, we can fight against the ‘weeds’ that try to take over our thoughts.  In Colossians 3:2, we…

Would you consider yourself a person of gratitude? Do you remember to say thank you when someone does something for you? I wish I could say I always remember to say thanks but I struggle with this. In today’s scripture from Luke 17:11-19, we read about ten lepers. They taught me about the importance of gratitude.

Caleb whimpered, “I’m scared to go over Daddy! Please make it smaller.” My husband Jonathan replied, “No, but I can make the ladder taller for you.” Our 5-year-old son Caleb said a firm “No!” Jonathan encouraged him to go up the ladder and cheered him on. He also told Caleb that he would go with him. Caleb started to climb and went to the top. Immediately the fear returned. He didn’t want to go across and down the other side of the ladder.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 is one of the most quoted bible verses of all time. It’s easy to find plaques, pillows, mugs, t-shirts, etc. with this verse on it. Psalm 46 is a powerful reminder of who God is and the power that He has. For example, in verse one, we read “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” As the psalm goes on, we learn about God. And then we get to Psalm 46:10. In this verse we stop hearing about God and instead hear directly from God.

“I can’t believe she said that about me!” I cried in exasperation to my husband. After talking about the situation with Jonathan, once again, I needed to turn to God’s truth. Have you ever received a text or email from someone who accused you of something you haven’t done? Or maybe someone attacked your character. This has happened to me a couple of times these last several weeks.