One Word 2016

One Word for 2016

For the last three years I’ve chosen one word to focus on during the year.

In 2013 I chose the word SEIZE. I was working towards a big goal at work and I wanted a word to help me stay focused on that goal. I looked for the opportunities each day to reach that goal. The goal was reached! I found that this one word also applied to other areas of my life as well.

My one word found me in 2014 with the word TRUST. Life is full of changes and that year I focused on trusting God in everything. It’s a lifelong process but I certainly learned a lot that year through many changes and decisions!

For 2015 I chose the word INSPIRE. I wanted to inspire my employees to reach their goals and inspire others to live life fully. There were two major changes in my job and I had the opportunity to work with many more people than I normally would in a year. Whether I inspired anyone or not isn’t for me to know but I enjoyed the journey.

As 2016 arrives I’ve contemplated what I want to achieve in this New Year. Who do I want to be? Where do I want to be? How do I choose one word to describe that?

Many words came to mind…persist, finish, complete, discipline, surrender…but none of them really fit this year or the direction I want to go. But I finally found the word.

INTENTIONAL

What a powerful word! Be intentional in everything you do…time management, getting fit, reading the Bible, organization, time with friends and family, and living life to the fullest!

I’m excited to see how 2016 goes and how this word impacts my choices and actions. God already knows everything to come in the new year and for that I am very thankful!

Keep God first in your life and follow His will for you in 2016. Happy New Year everyone!

 Linda

Help...no matter your time zone.

  Being in a foreign country has made me appreciate many things like working air conditioning and showers instead of baths. :) But another thing I've come to appreciate is that God is always awake and ready to hear our prayers. 

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 

The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 

The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Psalm 121

  We were riding our train from Nola Italy to  Rome and I realized it was still night time in Oklahoma. The thought just hit me that God was awake, listening, and there with us as we travelled. Talk about comforting! There was no reason to feel alone because He was there. There was no reason to be afraid or nervous because He was helping us. 

  Our journey in Italy has been an adventure but I've certainly learned that God is there for me no matter the time zone, continent, or issue. 

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Hebrews 13:5

Thankful,

Linda

Don't hold anything back

"(2) And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom though lovest, and get thee into the land of Mo-ri'-ah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon  one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (3)"...and went unto the place of which God had told him." (12) "...for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Genesis 22:2,3,12


 Today at nursing home service, Bro. Bryant preached a little on Abraham's faith and the peace God gave him. I had to come back and read the entire chapter because God got my attention on a few things. Abraham has always been a favorite of mine but I never really stopped and made application to my own life. 

  In this chapter Abraham is told to offer his son as a sacrifice. This is his only son. Remember this is son God promised Abraham and Sarah. The son they waited for! They got impatient with waiting and tried to fulfill God's promise another way. But this son, Isaac, was the promised son. Now God wanted Abraham to sacrifice him. 

  What is it in our life that God wants us to sacrifice? It may not be anything bad like a sin but it could be. It might be our plan for our life or something else. What did God show me? The hardest things for me to surrender of course. I'm a control freak and I like to plan out my life step by step. But I don't need to. God already has and it's far better than I could ever plan. I can mess it up, yes, and God will honor my choices. But I know His way is best. 

  Do you see Abraham question God in this? No. Maybe he did but I don't really think he did. I think God would have told us. We question God so often. Why are you doing this to me? Why is this happening? But we don't see Abraham do that. He was willing to sacrifice his son because God asked him to. I don't know if this was the case but it made me wonder if Abraham had let Isaac have first place in his life. Was Isaac the most important part of his life? It was his promised son after all! Had he started to put God in second place? We are guilty of this many times as Christians. God wants us to be willing to sacrifice our wants and desires for what He wants. God wants and deserves to have first place in our life. Nothing and no one should come before God. 

  Abraham was willing to sacrifice all and God blessed him because of his faith. He didn't hold anything back from God, not even this son he had waited so long for. God rewards our faith and blesses us abundantly. God knows our deepest desires and our greatest dreams. He wants to give us good things and bless us. First we must be willing to surrender all and trust that His plan and way is BEST!! God will bless our faith. 

  Read this chapter! It was a blessing to me and I just had to share. 
    Linda

Inspire 2015

Each year I chose one word for my year. I don't make a list of resolutions that I probably won't keep. I just choose one word for the entire year. I keep it visible somewhere at home and work all year long. Each year I've gone on a journey with these words. They make me see things in a different way and grow as a person. This is only the third year I used this method but I've done more the last two years than I ever did with resolutions before.

  This year I had a difficult time coming up with my word. It didn't "find me" like last year's word did. I made lists but nothing ever really clicked until this word: Inspire.

"Inspire - to encourage somebody to greater effort, enthusiasm, or creativity. To awaken a particular feeling in somebody."

  I found the red Inspire plaque this last year and wanted it for my office at work. Each day I read the sign and I wanted to be an inspiration. My boss always reminds us that we can't motivate people. We want to but we can't. Motivation comes from within us. We can only inspire others. As I've considered this word and the directions it can take me this year I've realized that it doesn't just apply in my position at work but also at home and church. With that being said I wanted to share just a few thoughts on that.

1. Inspiration at work
  This is probably the easiest area to write about because as a leader I want to inspire my employees as I've been inspired by my leaders. My leaders never gave up on me, pushed me outside of my comfort zones, and shared their visions with me! They inspired me to work hard, to be persistent, to never give up, to take risks, to continue learning, and to be willing to change and grow even if it's hard. I want to invest in my employees and share my vision with them. I want to challenge them and help them be successful. I want to create an inspiring environment and be an inspiration to them. I know it won't be easy every day but with one word I know I can be more aware and focused on accomplishing this goal.

2. Inspiration at home
  There are many people in my life that have inspired me. One person in my family is my papaw, Dr. Beasley. He died when I was 7 years old but his legacy has lived on for many years. He was a doctor that his patients loved, he was wise with his finances, he was a risk taker/adventure lover, and fun loving guy. I enjoy hearing the stories of how he helped so and so with a medical problem, or how he crashed his plane and rebuilt it, and how he could make people laugh. He inspires me to never give up no matter how many times my "plane" crashes. He inspires me to love people and build strong relationships. He inspires me to take risks and go on adventures. He inspires me to make good decisions in every area. And he inspires me to take the time to laugh and have fun.
  I want to inspire my family and friends to live a life of no regrets, a life of adventure and fun, and a life full of love. When we share our passions with others it becomes infectious. I get excited to talk about trips to Italy and the amazing things there! I can share that excitement with others and encourage them to make time for adventure and travel. There are many ways to inspire our family and friends to be better people but it starts with us setting the example.

3. Inspiration at church
  This is really the most important area to be an inspiration. And I don't mean a fake person either. Real, authentic Christians are the ones that stand out to me and that inspire me to serve God with more fervency. When I was a teenager our pastor and his wife displayed this. I wasn't saved at the time but their example inspired me and led me to place I asked the Lord to save me. They just lived their faith each and every day. That's what I want to do. I want to live my faith in such a way that others know I am saved and even inspire them to come to the Lord. I also teach a Sunday School Class and I want to inspire those kids to serve God all their days.

2015 is a year full of changes and adventures for me. I want to inspire those around me to be all they can be at work, school, home, and for God. And that makes me strive to grow and become all I can be in those areas. I'm excited to see how this word will grow me as a person. Check back in for updates on how this word comes up in my life!

Linda








 

Holiday Ponderings

  Tonight after church I headed home and enjoyed a quiet evening alone. A Christmas movie, Christmas tree lights on, and now Christmas music playing in the background...it all adds up to a perfect and peaceful evening. 

  As I've sat here tonight my thoughts have taken me back to last year at this time. Lets just say that the year hasn't turned out how I expected. My plans aren't God's plans. With the holidays also come parties and dinners. How do you answer?

"Single." "No plus one." "Party of one." 🎶All by myself...🎶 

Ok it's not that bad! Haha. 

  I know in my head that God's plan is best. I know He sees the finished picture. Trust. It's my word for 2014 and it's a tougher one than I realized! 

  Someday I will share the holidays with that special someone. God has him picked out already. He will be worth the wait, I know. 

  It's a season where it seems like everyone else is getting engaged or married. It's hard not to be a little jealous, even though I'm happy for them. What's the purpose of this waiting? I have no idea! But God knows and He must have things for me to learn. Probably cooking skills so my husband doesn't go hungry! 😉 

  Why am I sharing this tonight? Because I know I'm not the only one who feels this way at times. As single ladies the devil wants to discourage us and keep us from being all God wants us to be. We have to encourage one another and pray for one another. So tonight I'm praying for my BFF and her future husband and for my future husband. God's timing is best! 

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 

Wait on the Lord, 

Linda

Follow Me

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23


  All my life I've believed that God has a purpose for my life. I don't know exactly what His plan is for me but I know His plan is best. When I was a young girl, before I was even saved, I remember a Pastor's wife telling me that God had a great plan for my life. She told me to stay close to the Lord and follow His will. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. It has stayed with me ever since. I didn't get saved until I was 17. Before I was saved I really struggled with where I was going in my life. There were choices I almost made that could have seriously hindered God's plan for me. After I was saved I wanted to serve the Lord with my whole heart. It hasn't always been easy and I've failed many times. I'm not perfect by any means but I'm thankful God forgives me each time I fail and helps me follow Him again.


  For several years I've believed that God wants to use me in ministry in some way. And He is! I have the wonderful opportunity of teaching our Kindergarten and 1st grade Sunday school class. I've been teaching them for the last 6 years. Teaching those kids has helped me grow closer to the Lord. The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows...and the more I desire to serve Him.


  When I was a teenager and right after I was saved I was able to be really involved in my church and with our youth group. I was always at the church and serving and helping in some way. When I moved to a new area and a new church I had new responsibilities. I had a full time job and that meant I wasn't at the church as often for the extra things. I still could go to services and even visitation at times but it wasn't quite the same. And the longer I've had that job the less I feel like I can serve in my church. I know God has a purpose for me in my job and there are thing I learn each day. The similarities between my job and serving God are awesome and I can see how I can use what I've learned. I can also be a light to those I work with and that's God's plan right now.


  Every year I get the opportunity to go to church camp and help in many ways. Each year it increases my desire to serve in greater capacities. It makes me not want to go back to work because I want to be working for the Lord and with His people.


  Over the last couple years I've gotten to know both missionary families being sent out of our church. Of course one family is actually my sister and her husband. :) It's awesome to hear about their burdens and struggles and the victories along the way. It's the same thing when we have missionaries come visit our church and to see a greater vision for the needs throughout the world.


  The need for people to take the gospel around the world and across the street is overwhelming. I was looking at countries in Europe to see how many true churches there are and the numbers are staggering. There are so few churches preaching God's word and such a large number of people that need to hear! This week at camp I spoke with a church planter about the needs even in our own land and it just seems to grow each day. It seems like there are fewer and fewer people who are willing to take God's word across the sea or even a few hours away or simply across the street.


 Where are the men to answer God's call to preach the word? Where are the women who are surrendered to follow God, even away from family?


  As great as family is, serving God is far better. I'd rather serve the Lord in His will and be far from family knowing I'll see them in Heaven if not on this earth.


  I know it must be difficult to walk away from a stable job, to leave family and friends, to go to a place where you only have God to rely on...but if that's God's plan, why not?


  When I started working at my job it was just a job. Over the years it became a career and with God's help I was able to move up in the company. I've always told my boss that I'll be there until they fire me, until I get married, or until God makes it very clear that I no longer need to work there. I could see myself continuing with company, climbing the ladder of success and even retiring from there someday. But as much as I love my job I know that I could walk away from it if that's what God asks.


  It's not always easy to serve God. There are times the cross we are called to bear is heavy. But God is there to help us each step of the way. I don't know God's plan for me yet. I know that right now He has given me ways to serve and share His word. I also know that He wants me to be surrendered to whatever His future will is for me. It's not up to me to decide. I only need to follow His leading.
I want to serve God however He asks of me today but I also want to be willing and prepared to go wherever He calls and to do whatever He asks.
How about you? Are you willing to follow God's will where and when He calls? The safest place to be is in the center of God's will. Don't put limits on how far you will follow God. Surrender completely and daily to God and His plan.


"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Mark 16:15

Delighting in the Lord and being...content!

 
  I should never be surprised at how God works in my life but sometimes I am. This last Sunday I drove to Kansas to stay for a couple days with my job. I left in the afternoon so I would still have some rest time after church. While in Kansas I went to church and what do you know? The message was just for me! I was late getting into town so I was 20 minutes late but in the 30 minutes I was there God reminded me of things I tend to forget. So I'll share those with you here.

The message was on one of my all-time favorite passages: Psalm 37:4, 5

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit they way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

  The entire chapter is about resting in the Lord and trusting Him. I found many wonderful things in the entire chapter but for tonight I'll only focus on verses 4 and 5.

A few thoughts from the message and some of my own:

1) Delight - we delight in so many things: sports, movies, sleep, food, people, shopping, etc. Our delight ought to be in the Lord. It's interesting how often we say we "have" to go to church or "have" to read our Bible or "have" to pray. We ought to delight in those things. The more you do those things the more you'll delight in it. To steal a line from Nike, Just Do It! Pick up your Bible and start reading, bow your head and start praying, get out of bed and go to church! God will bless your efforts and give you a delight to do those things. We all struggle in these areas at some point or another - I know I have - but God can and will help us through it.

Personal example: I have struggled to have a consistent prayer life at different points in my life. It's like things are going fine so I don't really need to pray. Things in my life are going pretty well right now, in fact, so my prayer life hasn't been all it could or should be. I decided I needed to work on this. It's been neat to watch God answer different prayers in just a short time. There is no prayer too small. I've prayed different nights for God to help me wake up early/on time and help me make the right decision to get out of bed. He has made sure to wake me up and He nudges me to make that right decision but sometimes I think 5 more minutes of sleep is better. But I can always thank Him for waking me up. That may seem like a silly example to some people but it is a very big deal for me. If He cares about my smallest prayers I know He'll answer my enormous prayers! It's been really fun to spend more time talking with my Heavenly Father especially since I know He is listening.

2) Verse 4 also says the He, God, will give us the desires of our heart if we delight in Him. Are all our desires good for us? No, of course not. So what does this really mean? The closer you are to someone the more you want what they want. You want to see their desires met and see them happy. It's the same with in our relationship with God. The closer we are to Him, the more we delight in Him, the more our desires will line up with His desires. He may replace some of our current desires or He may give us the desires of our heart. It's hard to let go of our desires and allow God to have them. God's plan for our lives is so much better than we could ever imagine though! We need to always remember that He alone sees the big picture. We just need to trust Him.

Personal example: My deepest desire is to someday be married. God knows this and He knows if this will or won't happen. Right now I am trying to focus on serving God and keeping Him first in my life. God has given me so many ways to serve Him in my local church and right now while I'm single is when He can use me most, in some ways. I don't have anything holding me back from serving God except what I allow. So often as single women, we get discouraged thinking about prince charming that hasn't arrived yet. We get so impatient we forget to enjoy the journey. Each step of our lives is intricately designed by God. We can only see the backside of the tapestry but He sees the masterpiece. It's ok to be single and serving God. Don't allow Satan to trap you in discouragement and despair. There is always a purpose in the seasons of waiting no matter where they occur in your life.

3) Another thing the preacher talked about was contentment. I do not like that word! :)
Content = Satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.
Are any of us ever truly satisfied with what we have or what we are? We say "I wish I look like so and so" or "I wish I had curly hair" or "I wish I had a new car" or "I wish I were married", etc. That's human nature but we must fight against it! God has blessed each of us more than we deserve. I have a job, a home, a car, family and friends, the ability to do things, and so much more! Those things alone should make me thankful. Being content is a decision. I have to decide to be content in my apartment. I have to decide to be content in my job. I have to decide to be content being single. Decide to be content with where God has you and with the people and things He has already blessed you with. In His perfect time and according to His will He will add people and things to your life. Maybe someday He'll even add a special person to my life! But first I have to decide to be content.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5

God bless,
Linda