May He be Harder to Ignore... a Five Minute Friday post

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This is a Five Minute Friday post... Five Minute Friday posts are when I set a timer and free-write for five minutes flat. Then I add graphics and format a bit, but the actual writing stops (or at least is given an asterisk!) when my timer goes off! I am a bit out of practice but I'm back again... leaning in, and listening closely to what the Spirit is saying... let's go!

{GO!} 

My practice in the old days was to see the One Word Prompt and immediately ask the Lord what He wanted to say. That is something I am most definitely NOT out of practice in doing. I ask Him these things all the time, and normally He is quick to speak! 

He has opinions, friends... and He's not shy about them if we will only ask! 

And that is when it hits me: We have heard it countless times - how Jesus is a gentleman and He will not push Himself on us. He pursues us with a passion and focus that should take our breath away. It should leave us weak in the knees and stunned at His selfless, all-encompassing love for us. 

Our Annual Prophetic Post for the New Year - 2023 Edition

Happy New Year, Sweet Readers!

Honestly - I didn't mean to be gone for nearly an entire year!  I wrote a post last week and didn't get too into all the why's of why I was absent here but let me say this - it was not intentional! I didn't decide to walk away from blogging, from writing, from connecting in this space... Life just sort of crowded it out and I felt a call for a season to hold many things closer to my chest.  I was called (--am still called, really!) to a more intense season of intercession. Between that, regular life, plugging back into church/ministry, a part-time job and schooling, and - of course - being a Mimi, Blogging got pushed to the side.

For now... I want to say, Here we are! We made it through 2022 and we are winding down the first full day of 2023! Once again, I am SO READY for a Brand New Year... a Fresh New Start... a Blank, clean slate! The Hope and Energy that accompanies the dawning of a new year is tangible and the pull towards Goal Setting and Dream pursuing and the endless possibilities for GOOD... well, it seems to only last for a few days, right?  So - the standing Open Invitation and long-running Date I have with the Lord continues and He woke me up early this morning, already speaking about 2023!

And that means it is time for our Annual Prophetic Post for the start of the New Year!

Before we dive into what God spoke to my heart about 2023, let's briefly look back at 2022...

Our Annual Prophetic Post for the New Year - 2022 Edition!

Happy New Year, Sweet Readers!

We made it through and here we are: January 1, 2022!  

A Brand New Year... a Fresh New Start... and I think all of us are ready for it --maybe even more than in years past!

This has become a somewhat anticipated post around here... but, as I've said before, it was a tradition long before I started this blog (which was a long, long, LONG time ago!) So, long before I wrote this New Years Day post here for the public, I practiced this routine in private --and year after year, it still proves to be... True... Helpful... Accurate... and Encouraging!

This is our Annual Prophetic Post for the New Year!

I know we have all felt a bit of trepidation and hesitant Hope during the approach of a New Year for the last few trips around the sun.  But I have to say, I feel ACTUAL Hope and Joyful Anticipation rising up as we enter into 2022!

It feels like all the Hard & Heavy from the past several years have been leading up to Now! NOW is the time... THIS is the year!

Before we dive into whatever God has to say about'22, let's briefly look back at 2021...

The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman... A Book Review post.

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Here's the thing... 
I love pretty much everything
Emily P. Freeman does! 

I love her voice in every format. I fell in love with her words written first over on her blog back in the olden days... and ever since then, I've been a fan.  I read her first book, Grace for the Good Girl and realized part of why I love her so much is she writes so many pieces of my story within her own. 

Somehow I've been able to be a part of her launch teams for all of her other books so far: A Million Little Ways, Simply Tuesday, and now for The Next Right Thing!

I was able to interview Emily right here on the blog a few years ago and have met her in person once or twice. I've heard her speak a few times at writing events and semi-stalked her at venues. It's fine. She's not afraid. 

And then, of course, there is her Podcast! #Swoon

It took me a little while to figure out why I so adore her voice -whether it is live at a conference, on video, in print, or in audio form but I did... and this is why:

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!

New Episode Available on The Changing Our Minds Podcast...

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Oh, how I have missed sitting in this chair, tapping out words that help me process my heart and help to remind me of what I already know and what I am learning and maybe even what I have changed my mind about... 

Soon, sweet readers! I hope to be back soon!

Until then, I wanted to let you know that we have a new episode now available on Changing Our Minds.

We are still learning as we go, but the podcast is now available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. (And, as always, you can listen right here on the blog if you go to the Podcast tab up at the top!)

We'd love to have you join us as we chat about real life!

Welcome to the Launch Week of The Changing Our Minds Podcast

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Hello there, sweet readers! Here's hoping you will join us and become a sweet listener as well! 

My girlie and I are launching our very own podcast called Changing Our Minds and today is the premiere of the first official episode!

We will release one mini (-ish) episode each day for 4 or 5 days... and from there the goal is once or twice a month! That should be plenty of us! 

Listen here, or better yet, click on over to iTunes and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

Changing Our Minds Podcast... Coming Soon!

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UPDATE: Our Plans changed... and we are going LIVE tomorrow!

So... here's the thing: We were told it could take up to two weeks for iTunes to approve a new podcast. Apparently, not for us!

So what we planned for Launch Week in mid-August is all of the sudden may be happening right now?

Well --we'll start tomorrow with the actual podcast and maybe some of the Giveaway fun will wait for August because we are in the middle of real life, Y'all!