A Year in Review... the Top Ten posts on the Blog.

 (according to stats, anyway!)

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I hadn't really planned on doing a Year in Review post because --well, because I haven't really been as active on the blog as in years' past, and I'm allowing myself short sessions in front of a screen, pre-surgery!

And also because some of MY favorite posts didn't get much traffic or comments at all. Yet, it's always interesting for me to look back and see which posts created the most views or interaction.  I will say I miss the olden days of Blogging when the comment sections were full(er) and filled with community and back and forth conversation! I so value when you take the time to add a comment - short or long. It's such an encouraging reminder that these words we tap out here matter... and they make a difference!

So - without further ado, 
here are the TOP TEN posts of 2018:

When You Really Need a Do-Over... or more like a Do-Better! A OneWord365 post.

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It's nearing the end of the year and if you've hung out around here in late December or early January, then you know that we do a few Annual posts...

* One is the post where I discuss All the Books... I already wrote that one and you can find it HERE.

* Another one is usually posted on January 1st or 2nd, and that is a Prophetic post revealing a Word (or phrase) and a Book in the Bible that I feel the Lord is highlighting for the year to come! This post comes after spending the first few hours of the New Year alone and cuddled in close, asking Him for His heart for what is to come. (So that will come soon!)

* And then there is this OneWord365 project that we have done for several years and counting now! (This is that post!)

Listen,  here's the deal:
2018 has been so full of Heavy and Hard (even more so than 2017... which was pretty terrible, if you recall!) and somehow I completely forgot about my OneWord... 

Well, it seems it forgot about me, too!
Or at least that is how I felt
when I went back to look it up!

God With Us... A Five Minute Friday post.

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With only a handful of days left until Christmas, I hope and pray you are all done with all the madness and chaos... but I know chances are good that at least some of you are running around down to the last possible moment!

As Advent winds down, and our waiting is met with the fulfillment cries of a newborn King, this is our final Five Minute Friday link up of the year!

Here we go:

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: WITH

{GO!}


With Christmas being literally just days away...
of course, my mind and my heart go immediately
to the verse in Matthew 1 where we are told
that Jesus will be born and
His name shall be Immanuel,
God with us.

God WITH us... 
I mean...
Come on!

After all the waiting... 
the lamenting and longing through Advent
(and through those 400+ years of silence!)
God promises that He is about to
break through the darkness and
break through the dawn
and He is coming to cram Himself
into flesh and blood and
He will be known as Emmanuel
--which means, 'God with us'!

And all of Creation heaves a sigh of relief...
Because -even before we knew Him...
we've missed Him!

Ermagherd, Berks!!! (Books I Read - The 2018 Edition)

Hey Sweet Readers! 

Here we are at the end of another year!  Many of you know that 2018 was full of unexpected twists and turns for our little family and as much as we enjoy reading those in a Story... we don't always love living them so much in our own story, right?  Between all the changes and challenges, I also found myself grounded at home without the ability to strain (read: use!) my eyes for months at a time -- so these things all kept me off my reading game! Still,  you also know how I love me some books... (or 'berks!' as in, "Ermagherd! Berks!")
























So this is the post where I take time to reflect back over the year and revisit some of my favorites! 

Honestly, I thought this list would be shorter but I did seem to up my reading during the months I was able to! And after a couple of surgeries in January, I hope to get back on track on reading all the things!

Here is a random list of books I read and loved this year! 

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Be Still and Know... A Five Minute Friday post.

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I see the word and think of something we just chatted about for our latest episode, "The Christmas Story - Gospel Edition" on The Changing Our Minds Podcast... and I also think about how I keep wishing all of this Stillness and Waiting would move along already!

Here we go:

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: STILL

{GO!}


When I see the one-word prompt,
my mind goes to an all familiar phrase...
one that we say often and one that has
felt oh so bossy as of late: 

"Be Still and Know that I am God." (~Psalm 46:10)

I mean... I used to love this verse!  
I used to relish in entering in a bit of
Stillness and Silence.  

I'm sure I will come to love it once again,
but over the past month or so
I have grown weary of waiting.

I've been pondering the 400+ years of silence
and it is not lost on me
--how my impatience is so silly
in light of my (relatively 'short') wait.  

And also there is this: 
I know deep down in my bones and my soul
that --always!-- He is worth that waiting...
He is worth the wait!

When Your Spiritual Equilibrium is Out of Balance... a Five Minute Friday post.

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Hey there, sweet readers!  

I know this is December and the Christmas season
and this is the time of year where this little corner
is normally full of festive thoughts and good cheer.
However, I see the word prompt and I know
the chances of this post getting around
to Christmas Joy is slim... 
but Truth can always be found here... 
as well as honesty! So, here we go!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: BALANCE

{GO!}

We were talking in our home group just the other night...
it was after spending an hour in prayer together,
where we simply speak out
whatever God puts on our hearts
and others come alongside in agreement
and lift our arms and hearts and heads.  

Oh, how we need each other!

We are a small band of brothers and sisters
with kindred hearts and we all have found ourselves
this year in some sort of an In-Between season...
a bit unsettled, and feeling a tad unsteady!

We shared how we seem to be
missing the Thrill of Hope... 
We are most definitely all
feeling the Weary World... 
yet we're still waiting for
the Rejoicing to begin! 

















But isn't that Advent?
  It's the waiting... the hoping... 

And even though we know He came... 
even though we know He is still here now... 
we feel a bit out of balance and we are
longing for a bit of Wonder & Joy!

When You Need a Visual...

  and for Wonder and Joy to Abound!

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I hope this holiday season has arrived for you with plenty of wonder and joy.

Maybe, for you, this really IS the most wonderful time of the year... or maybe Bah Humbug (rather than Merry Christmas!) is what is on repeat in your head.

Or maybe... just maybe... this season is slowly unfolding and you haven't (yet!) felt the presence of Peace or Goodwill! Perhaps Wonder and Joy haven't shown up and shown off, but I assure you --much like Advents' message... they are coming! 

Sometimes we just need to look for them... 
to seek them out... to ask the Lord to
open our eyes to see them!

Wonder and Joy... 
They tend to go hand in hand.

In Oceans Deep My Faith Will Stand... A Five Minute Friday post.

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Hello there, sweet readers!

Can you even believe that today is the beginning of December? DECEMBER, people? 

I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for all that tends to come at us during this month! That may be because I am still 'grounded' awaiting surgeries in January, and we will not be doing many of our 'normal' December things this year because of that.  (Some of this makes me happy... and some of it, not so much!)

Anyway, December is here whether we are ready or not! So let's welcome it and kick it off together... This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one word prompt: DEEP

{GO!}

I see the word and immediately hear
the lyrics to one of my favorite songs... 

"You call me out upon the waters The great unknown where feet may fail And there I find You in the mystery In oceans deep, My faith will stand..."

"My faith will stand..."

I sing it over and over... 
Sometimes as a statement or declaration.
Other times, as a plea and a prayer!

Because through the last few years, --you guys!!!--
I have felt the 'Oceans Deep' part, for sure!

He has called us out upon the waters... He has!
We talk about it all the time
--how He calls us to be water walkers
and how we believe...