How to Refine What You Dwell On... A Five Minute Friday post

So remember the last time I wrote (--neither do I!) and I mentioned finding a rhythm in writing... yeah. That. Except exactly the opposite!  You guys... I just haven't had a lot of words and the ones I've been mulling over, well --they are just not for now.  But I miss you... and this discipline of writing out my hopes and thoughts and processing my feelings as I type. (You know, like free therapy! You're welcome to come along for the ride as I preach to myself here!)

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

{GO}

Refine...

I see the word and oh how I know I need it!
I need to be refined...

I've been pacing in my heart, and having conversations with myself in my mind, and I've been trying to make room for my whole authentic self to rise up... to show up.. to dwell. 

Ah yes... 
Dwell... 
  my #oneword365 for the year!

I am longing to dwell this year --to find this one beautiful word and invite it in to abide with me.  And in allowing His Spirit to guide me... His, and not my own-- I am learning how to create space for dwelling.

This is a vital first step...

The Welcome Return of Five Minute Fridays: CONNECT

It feels like it has been forever... For whatever reason, #Write31Days seemed to take a LOT out of me this year, and I needed more time to bounce back... and then there was the heaviness and hard of the last two months of 2016... and also the holidays... so I vowed to step back and regroup and reconnect to my joy and my hope and my purpose --in my real life first, and then here in this space as well!

So - it HAS been like forever... or at least a couple of months, since I have felt the rhythm of writing here in this space.  But I am feeling a bit back to my true self --and (Insert all the praise and jazz hands here!) I'm feeling a bit RESTED, as well! So it turns out the little breaky was needed, but it's so great to be back with the tribe!

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

{GO}

Of course, with this word!  

Connect... or more specifically, RE-connect.

This is what I have been doing... what I needed that I hadn't really been paying attention to for a couple of months!

I see the word prompt and immediately I think of this quote by Eugene Peterson:

“We stop, whether by choice or through circumstance, so that we can be alert and attentive and receptive to what God is doing in and for us, in and for others, on the way. We wait for our souls to catch up with our bodies.” -Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

Happy New Year 2017 - Our Annual Prophetic Post

HAPPY NEW YEAR, sweet readers!

2016, man!  It was rough.  From politics and elections, to violence and injustice, to finances and miscommunication... 
But God!

If you have been hanging around this little corner of the interwebs for very long then todays' post will come as no surprise! 





















It's the very beginning of a very brand new year! Blank Calendars, Day Planners, and Hope-filled Goals stare at us, full of anticipation and fresh starts!

No matter what 2016 held, here we stand with a clean slate, a new chapter, a brand new year...

New Years Day, for me, always starts out the same...

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!

***
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!

***
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! 

***
10 Random Things I Have Learned...

In Honor of Thanksgiving... and Gilmore Girls: a Giveaway for your Holiday Weekend!

I know... I'm in a bit of denial.

Can you even believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow? TOMORROW, y'all? 

Since I am hosting, I should be all over this. 

While I have no idea where all my cloth napkins are or what time I need to start cooking the side dishes, I DID make some super cute little handmade Placecards for my table while watching binging Gilmore Girls yesterday so... I pretty much won Tuesday!

Still... we all know that as soon as the tryptophan wears off, the holidays come at us in a chaotic, hectic, glittery frenzy and before we know it we will be staring a brand new year right in the face wondering where our time went, reflecting on how things were simpler back when we were kids, and how life is going by so quickly 'nowadays'... Yes - because apparently we talk like we are OLD now, too!

In honor or Thanksgiving... and Gilmore Girls... and the holidays fast approaching, I have for you today a smorgasboard of Giveaway goodness. 
(See? ...like we are OLD.)

A Spoken Word and a Time for a Little Communion --Real Preparation for Thanksgiving Week.

'Tis the season for slowing just a bit before all of the Rush, right?

Well - I used to play that game... but I got off that frenzied way of approaching the holidays long ago! No judging though. I remember how it felt so very necessary!

I am sure I have written about it many times around here, but I gave myself a deadline years ago to guarantee that I would actually get to enjoy the holidays too, and it has been my sanity, y'all!  

We can dive into that maybe next week... but for now... for this week --we are all counting gifts and giving thanks. At least I hope we are!

I know this has been a heavy and hard time for many... things feel dark and doubtful.  

So as I am counting gifts and crafting and binge watching Gilmore Girls (in preparation!) and making menu plans, I wanted to share a little glimpse into our weekend and our Sunday service yesterday at Dad's House where "Small Wonders" abound...

When You Need Permission to Enjoy Your One Life... a Five Minute Friday Post.

I actually remembered that it was Thursday last night... and managed to pop my head in to the twitter party for just a few but finding a bossy rhythm back in to writing has proven tricky this year after pouring out during #Write31Days in October.  (I am sure adding the election drama to it hasn't helped!) Instead... I have given myself permission to practice Sabbath and to --well, let's move on to what our prompt is today because I've been giving myself permission to do just that!

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

{GO}

Wow.  Still, right? 

That is still my reaction to all that is going on in our world right now.

I'm at peace... even when I'm not loving what is happening. 

I mean, what breaks His heart is supposed to be what breaks ours too, right? I think He is less concerned with who won the election than He is with how we are letting Love shine.  

This begs the question, "How ARE we letting His Love shine?"

Life is heavy and hard and it just keeps coming straight for us head on and the fast-paced, no-holds-barred chaos can steal your breath and your sleep and your sanity --if you let it! (So don't you let it!)

In the midst of the darkness, the Lord whispered this to my aching heart:

A Prayer for Our Nation...

We made it, y'all.

Election Day... 
  (...and everyone releases a collective sigh!)

Man, I don't know about for you --but for me? This day seemed like it took FOREVER to get here.

And we all know now that it's here... well... it's not over! 
Our praying is really just beginning! 

Last month, during our 31 Days series (Life Happens... and so we pray!) I wrote a post that talked about the need for Healing in our Nation and it closed with a Prayer.

This audio clip is an edited version of that post and I would be honored if you would pray the prayer at the end with me!

If you are interested in reading the full post, click here.

Otherwise, lean in and listen... 


I'd love for you to add your own prayer for America in the comments below! Let's remember to 1Peter 2:17 our way through this today - and beyond!

And let's remember to:

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

Kelly Chripczuk  for #SmallWonders 

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Lori Schumaker for #MomentsofHope

Jennifer Dukes Lee for #TellHisStory

DAY TWENTY FIVE of 31 Days of Life Happens... and so We Pray! Praying the Psalms

I don't know about you but I know for me, I am sort of sad that this is our last Tuesday together this month!

I have really enjoyed praying the Psalms together with y'all!

As I said before, picking favorites is not my strong suit... but when it comes to talking about the Church... how could we not take on --and pray through-- Psalm 84?