I Am So Done With Change... a OneWord365 Wrap Up Post

I found this movement way back in 2012.  Since then, I have joined with the growing community where we pick one little word... or actually, we allow one little word come and pick us! It feels a little more long-lasting than those resolutions I make and forget about within a few weeks time. 

What I love about OneWord365 is how by simply inviting one simple word into your life... it opens you up to find it all year long. 

As the OneWord365 website says, "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."

My OneWord365 for 2016 was "Change" and if you remember, I was not so fond of that idea! I felt like I had already DONE that! #pleaseandthankyou #movealongnow

I wrote a bit about Change here and here and here --but really, a lot of the Change that I encountered was deep and quiet... and it hasn't really fully surfaced yet.

In reflecting over 2016, I realized that Change was super bossy this year. I think he sensed my initial hesitation, even though he'd been courting me for years. 

Ermagherd... Berks! An Annual What I Read post for 2016

Hey y'all... Here we are near the end of 2016 and, well, you know how I love me some books... (or 'berks!')

So now is the time to reflect back over the year and revisit some of my favorite reads! I'm linking up with Kate Motaung for a special Five Minute Friday link up on BERKS!!! 

Here is a random list of books I read and loved this year! I feel like I slowed down a bit in all the reading this year... growing a (church) family took priority over both blogging and reading a bit more in 2016 but there were still some amazing words that were devoured!

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Here are just some of my favorites, in no particular order because you all KNOW how I can not pick a favorite!

We will start, however, with my TOP FIVE READS:

Fear Fighting: Do you Live Fear or Faith? - A Guest Post by Kelly Balarie

Listen,  if you have not yet 'met' my friend Kelly Balarie --well then, you are in for a real treat! If you have... then you already know!  Kelly has a new book coming out on January 3rd (pre-order now!) and I am honored to be on her Book Launch Team. I started reading it this morning and you guys--the timing is precious with a New Year and all the thoughts of Freedom and Fresh Starts and Do Overs and oh my goodness, if when we get Fear off our backs... we fly!

So, today, Kelly is sharing a bit about what Fear Fighting means to her. Enjoy!

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Just yesterday, my friend told me her daughter has lice. 
I hugged that girl yesterday!

Would lice go from her hair to mine? Would I be cleaning the entire house, washing every sheet and stuffed animal, and pulling a thin comb through every inch of hair on my family’s heads from now until eternity? I can't handle this thought. 

Next time, fist bumps will trump hugs.

Fear is the plumbing of discontentment.

It is the spillage of hesitation and loneliness.

It is the brakes to love.

It is the bulldozer to close relationships.

It is the boundary holding you back from God’s unlimited plan for you. 

A Look Back... Our Top 16 Posts in 2016 and a little review...

We are linking up our Top 16 posts from this year over at Kate Motaung's place this week... 

I started doing this Year in Review about three or four years ago and I love it because it makes me gives me the chance to look back through the blog and see which posts got the most traffic and which ones stirred up the most conversations in the Comment section! However, last year got out of hand in the review... it was a mini ebook.

We're not doing that again... ain't nobody got time for that!

So this year, I am just picking the post with the most conversation and at the end, I will list the TOP 16 posts with the most traffic (which will mostly be from my 31 Days series this year!)

So... here is 2016 in Review:

Now is the Time... A Five Minute Friday Post

I missed out on the last #fmfparty of the year last Thursday, but our Seahawks were playing Thursday Night Football so... #GoHawks  (Still - you know I missed y'all!) ...and then, well - you know how it goes with the bossy lists, full schedules, and Christmas right around the corner... but I'm here now! (Ya see what I did there? Well... you will!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: NOW

{GO}

Now. 
  ...it's such a bossy word, right?  At least it can be! 

It's very decisive... maybe that is more like it.  

It sets a timer and hits start before you have a moment to settle in and prepare.  

Except... I can't say for you --but for me? I can still manage to put 'Now' off for a little bit... to push him aside, or ask him for grace because 'Now' is so often just a little more than inconvenient. He sneaks up on us somehow while being in plain sight. 

NOW... it can be exciting and full of adventure and 'Finally!' and 'Why did it take so long to get here?' OR it can be dreaded and it can stir up feelings of inadequacy and 'I can't yet!' and 'How is it time already?'

JOY -- A Five Minute Friday Post

I finally made it back to the party and while I didn't write last night, it was so good to jump in and connect with the tribe! This morning, we woke up to a Winter Wonderland and sipped on coffee as Christmas music played softly in the background while sitting side by side silently doing our own reading routine... ah yes... and this brings us to our One Word Prompt today...

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: JOY

{GO}

Joy... I know it's all "Tis the Season" and Christmasy and all of that but sometimes, especially in this season, Joy can feel a bit elusive, right?

I mean... we can forget that Joy is available all year round and suddenly, here we are as another trip around the sun is winding down and we look back and we look ahead and we forget to choose Joy!  

We forget that we even have that choice in front of us. 

Instead we accidentally give in to the heaviness and the darkness surrounding and pressing in close and our thoughts wander to the edges of the unknown and convince us of the feelings of abandonment or at least of our own aloneness.

BUT God... But Joy... Unspeakable and full of glory...
We can choose this... 

When New Traditions Take Root... a Guest Post at Incourage

I have long been a fan of tradition and of celebrating the seasons. 

As much as I adore autumn, I love the changing of fall to winter… of pulling decorations to deck the halls on the outside, while realigning my heart to prepare Him room on the inside!

I’m fairly new to the practice of Advent and I love both the heritage of how it’s been done through the ages as well as the grace to make it work in modern times in a culture that is bent on busy.

My Honey and I, --we are empty nesters now and we’re finding the need to let go of some older customs as well as looking for new ways to make memories that last and that count...

I am honored to be sharing today over at Incourage.  To read the rest of the story, I'd love for you to join me HERE!

Also, I encourage you to Sign up here to receive free daily notes from (in)courage, sent right to your inbox! 

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:

Kelly Chripczuk  for #SmallWonders 

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

KELLY BALARIE FOR #RARALINKUP

LORI SCHUMAKER FOR #MOMENTSOFHOPE

JENNIFER DUKES LEE FOR #TELLHISSTORY

Crave - A Five Minute Friday Post

I have missed my tribe... but Life, y'all! I am hoping to make it this week for sure! I'm even going to write it on my bossy day planner so I don't forget (theoretically!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: CRAVE

{GO}

Crave... If you hang around this little corner of the interwebs much at all, it will come as no real surprise to you that when I first saw the word prompt, I immediately thought of what my soul craves...

It seems, always, in this season --my soul craves wide open spaces and room to breathe!

Because, no matter where you are or what is on your bossy lists, who couldn't use a little more of that, right?

What I Learned... Fall of 2016

I didn't necessarily mean to take a little Thanksgiving break, but it turns out that is what happened!  I pray your holiday was blessed and filled with warmth and love...

I meant to come back and officially congratulate Amy for winning the Gilmore Girls Giveaway... (which -- you know, will be on it's way to you in a day or two... because: apparent Thanksgiving break!) And OF COURSE I wanted to talk all things Gilmore... but (a little) more on that later... 

Right now, it is time for Emily Freeman's quarterly(ish) link-up on What We Learned, and it's my favorite... so you know I had to make myself sit down and reflect back over this fall (and scroll through Instagram) to remind myself of what we've been learning over the past couple of months! A lot of lessons have been heavy, right? But we will keep these mostly light!

I am not only an internal processor... but a SLOW internal processor... so often what that means for me is that I don't fully process the lessons until I've intentionally slowed down a bit and focused on remembering what they were! 

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10 Random Things I Have Learned...