Define... a Five Minute Friday post.

You know the drill... 

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

{GO}

I {heart} Words.  
 I love them. 

And I use a lot of them, whether it be in person over coffee, in prayer -just Him and me (although I'm learning to speak less and listen more!), or in writing... I tend to have a lot of words at the ready.

I love to pray into a Word --a single word or phrase, that God may desire to use to speak to me through over the coarse of a year.  I also love it when I come across a word that I think I know -or one that is brand new to me, and God prompts me to look it up.

Because, here's the thing: Sometimes we can think we know a thing... but we must dig deeper, look further, wait longer, for the full(er) definition of the word to unfold.

Sometimes we see something, or hear something, or feel something... and we jump to conclusions without taking a breath and waiting for the Lord to define it.

Embrace the Season You're In... a Five Minute Friday post

Yep... you guessed it... we had plans last night so I missed out on the #fmfparty, but we were in need of a night out with friends and it was good four our souls to be intentional in growing some friendships.  I'm here now.  You know what they say... Better late than never, right?

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

{GO}

I remember back when the Lord first started coaxing me to "Embrace Change" --I was not a fan.

It seemed everywhere I went, I would see that phrase or hear Him whisper it to me in the dark of night or in the face of impending change.  

I was used to digging my feet in and resisting... 

I was used to kicking against the goads, thank you very much.  

I wanted things to stay the same... 
to stay seemingly safe and secure... 
small and secluded, even. 

God In The New Journey: Being Brave Enough to Step Out...

aka: Who told you that you could have

a Comfort Zone?

"Listen, I say this all the time: Saying this big, huge, life-changing Yes didn’t feel as much Brave as it did Crazy!  It was completely out of character for us.

However, my husband decided at the first of that New Year that he wanted to be more spontaneous and take more risks. He wanted to change things up a bit and be, his words –not mine, less predictable.

If I’m honest, and I am that, those words caused a mild panic attack to start to flutter around deep inside of me. I liked that he was steady and sure. But at the corners of my heart, I knew this was going to be a year of adventure and beyond the anxious flutters was an anticipation for God to show up and show off for us like never before.

I had NO IDEA…"

***

I am honored to be over at my friend Christine Duncans' corner of the interwebs today, sharing more on Saying Yes to God for her blog series, God in the New Journey.

I'd love for you to join me there to read the rest of the story!

Treasuring the Kindred Heart of a Friend... A Five Minute Friday post

Oh man, y'all! It felt SO GOOD to be back in the flow of the twitter party that is #fmfparty! I {heart} my tribe.

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

{GO}

So I have been making room to breathe... I have been settling in to my One Word this year (Dwell) and allowing myself to not only stand TALL in who I am, but to also sit BACK and relax into how He has wired me.

I wrote awhile back about how He has wired me slow.  It's part of who I am and when I do not fight it, I am able to more fully bring all of me to the table --whatever table it is that He is calling me to, on any given day.

This can prove to be counter cultural and easily pushed aside in order to keep up with my (self-imposed) bossy lists and (over?) full calendar(s)!

And yet... the Lord has been teaching me of the importance of self-care for awhile now too, so I'm catching myself before I hit the wall, full speed. #thankyouJesus!

This often translates to blocking out chunks of time to do things that help to fill me back up.  Even though it is not a secret that I love to introvert, filling back up often looks like this, too:

Because, of course! Right?

Because I need both alone time AND friend time!

With Reckless Abandon... a Five Minute Friday post.

What is it about Thursday nights that makes my Honey think we are open for meetings? I can't know... but it keeps happening! I hope to be with y'all next week! But until then, here's this:

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

{GO}

The first thought that runs across my mind when I see the One Word Prompt is a phrase that we often throw around in this house and in this heart... 

Worship in Reckless Abandon...

That is our hearts desire...
           it's just that sometimes we forget!

Reckless means without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action and Abandon means to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly... To give up control or to cease intending or attempting to perform.

Um... yes, please!  
What do we need more than to worship like that, right?

Oftentimes we think of Abandon and we think abandonment and it shifts to a negative trigger of emotions, but what if we decided to redeem Abandon and we just give it all over to God?

How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Truly See...

It's Monday.
  I {heart} Mondays.

I know that is not the norm. But for me, Mondays come after a full week and weekend of pouring out and loving on people, of being in community with my tribe --in real life and online, and spending time with friends and family, and doing everyday life things like errands, cooking and cleaning (and sometimes writing) and grocery shopping, etc.

For some this sounds like an amazing, charmed life. (It is.  I am well aware, that it is.) However, as an Introvert who loves people, it costs me something. 

Some weeks, it costs me a lot.

So Mondays are set aside to simply sit, to embrace my speed of slow and silence, to reconnect with God, one on one, and to give myself room to breathe.

As sun spilled through the living room window this afternoon, I thought I'd lay in the sunny spot on the floor. (You know... like a cat!)

What We Learned This Winter...

I keep meaning to not be so quiet here, friends! But Life, man... it is busy full and (mostly) great and God is being pretty bossy with me in staying true to my OneWord this year.  More on that below.

It is time for Emily Freeman's quarterly link-up on What We Learned, and it's my favorite! It gives me opportunity to reflect back over a few months at a time and process more fully what God is teaching me! (I'd love for you to join in, too!)

***
10 Random Things I Have Learned so far this year...