It's Jan"YOU"ary!

It’s a new year… officially 2014.  Wow!  Time flies.  For many this month is a time of reflection and goal setting.  It’s a time for YOU to determine what you want to focus on or accomplish this year.  It’s Jan“YOU”ary.  I challenge you to take this month to focus on YOU.   Come up with some simple goals to shoot for throughout the year. Make a list and keep it simple.  If you never set a goal, you will hit it every time!  Step out and try something new. 

A goal is simply… a dream with a deadline.  Who do you want to be in 2014?  What do you want that person to look like?  Start there…  Here are some inspiring quotes I read on the subject of setting goals:

"All our dreams can come true --if we have the courage to pursue them."  - Walt Disney

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

"Fear melts when you take action towards a goal you really want."   - Robert Allen

"Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass."   -John Ruskin

Think through the past year and specifically the past three months. Jot down what you want to maintain, improve, and change.  It might be to begin eating right & exercising, taking a class of interest, starting a new hobby, saving for a vacation, focusing on getting debt-free, mending a broken relationship, or being more purposeful with your time.  What are your personal goals?  How could setting goals and shooting to meet those goals change your year?  I dare you to try it and see for yourself.

I am working on this process.  I usually have things figured out by the first week of January, but I’ve been sick a lot this month which has been frustrating.  It’s really hard to focus on things when you don’t feel well.  My plan is to have all of my goals for the year written out by the end of this month.  My list will include several areas of goals:  spiritual, physical, mental, family, financial, ministry, writing, etc…   Each person is different.  You need to list out the areas that are important to you.  I haven’t gotten everything figured out yet, but here are some of the ideas I am fleshing out…

MENTAL GOALS:

I want to read several books this year.  I made a list of specific books to read, so I actually do it.  Some are ones I heard about and others were recommended.  I am going to start small and add more if I finish this list.  Here it is so far…

~Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

~Developing the Leader With in You by Maxwell

~Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

~Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst

~Balancing it all by Candace Cameron Bure

~God of the Underdogs by Matt Keller

~God Meant it for Good by R.T. Kendall

~You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado

I also want to read some e-books on my phone while I wait to pick my kids up from school or in waiting rooms at doctor’s offices.  I want my waiting to be productive, since I do A LOT of it!  I don’t want to waste a minute.

Two specific books on my list have peaked my curiosity.  The ladies that suggested these had no idea that I am in the process of writing a book on the very subject of their recommendation.  It’s a Bible study that draws parallels from my own life while studying the life of Joseph.  Needless to say I am very excited about reading them.  Perfect timing!

WRITING GOALS:

This year I want to become an official writer… not just a part-time blogger.  I want to finish my book and get it published.  I also want to set specific writing goals for my blog, writing e-books, discipleship resources, and the like.  I’m still working out the details on this one.

FAMILY GOALS:

I want to have family nights, more sit down meals, date nights with my kids & husband (all separate), and read specific books together to help us grow more in God. 

PROJECT: 31

I don’t know about you, but my family gets all caught up in their boxes…  TV, Computer, Laptop, Phone, IPod, Video Games, etc…  It seems like at times it takes away rather than adds to our family.  It sucks them in and it’s hard to bring them back to reality.  My thought is that each month that has 31 days, on the 31^st day of that month we take a MEDIA BREAK (Project: 31). We UNPLUG for that particular day. That’s about 6 times a year!!!   I know we may need access to our phones somewhat, but I would like to see us unplug from as much as we can.  It’s in my ideas for goals.  Maybe we could plan a special family night with NO media or go somewhere fun together.  I think we need to do MORE than this to UNPLUG from media, but this may be a good start for our family.

There are other goals I am working on, but they aren’t all fleshed out to put on paper.  Physical goals:  I want to get down to the size I was when I got married by my anniversary in July so we can re-do our wedding pictures (rent a dress & tux).  Spiritual goals:  I want to grow closer to God this year.  I am taking the 14/14 challenge this year… spending at least 14 minutes a day with God.  

My boys:  I want to set goals to help prepare them for the future.  My husband and I are making a list and calling it…“Mentoring to Manhood” goals.  We want to make sure they are adequately prepared for the real world.  I’m still working on this list, but some things you might find on it are… learn how to change a tire, iron clothes, and balance a check book.  We also want them to cook with us more often so they can learn and become comfortable.  This list is full of practical every day stuff and is ever growing…

These are some of MY goals.  I encourage you to write some of your own.  Choose the areas you may want to focus on and make a list of things you want to shoot for.  Put it somewhere you will see often so you can work on them.  Something new I am going to do (so I follow through) is to make a Checkpoint time to re-evaluate my goals to see how I am doing.  I may do a 3 month, 6 month, and 9 month check-up.  I am serious about being intentional and disciplined this year so I THRIVE in every area of my life.

I hope all my random ideas for goal setting has some how inspired you to become more purposeful and intentional this year with YOUR LIFE.   Take it one day at a time, one goal at a time, and adjust them as you go if they seem too overwhelming for you.  When you enlist God’s help in accomplishing your goals, nothing is impossible.

Philippians 4:13 says…“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Nothing is holding you back now, but YOU.  It’s time to start thinking, praying, writing, and believing God for an amazing year.  Your life may never be the same!

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie

A Year of THANKS!

Wow!  It’s hard to believe it is a new year.  2013 was a year full of thanks for my family.  At the beginning of the year we determined to watch for, write down, and thank God for all of the awesome things He did through out the year.  When we prayed for things and our prayers were answered… it went in the “Thanks Jar”.  When we received unexpected checks in the mail or we accomplished something we had been working hard for... it went in too.  It was fun watching for things to be thankful for.  I’m not saying everything went WELL in 2013, but we did find a lot to be thankful for. 

We were SO surprised New Years Day to find piles of papers we had collected over the year to read.  A new tradition for us had begun… collecting thanks through out the year and then reading our “thanks” on New Years Day.  It was awesome and overwhelming all in one breath to see how very present God was in our year.

Our year was filled with lots of ups and downs…. After 4 months of pain, various tests, procedures, and doctor visits, I had my gall bladder removed.  I finished my last class (American Lit.) online to complete my degree after 18 years of waiting.  I celebrated 20 years of marriage to an amazing man.  The incredible house we were blessed to rent, sold and we had to move.  My doctors all agreed after special treatments in the fall of 2012 that I was officially in remission with my autoimmune disease.  This list went on… the boys got almost all A’s on their report cards, they BOTH made the basketball team, they made new friends, etc… God opened doors for us in many ways.

It was emotional to read each piece of paper and see the piles we still had yet to read full of thanks.  God is good.  This is a new tradition we are keeping.  A Year of Thanks!  I challenge you to become treasure hunters looking for all of the good things God is doing in YOUR life.  Take it a step further and write it down.  Save it up all year round and read your thanks on New Years Day just like us.  What an awesome concept!  Below you will find my original post and how I found the idea.  I pray your year will be amazing and full of thanks!

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie



A THANKFUL HEART
(12/31/12)

My husband has a new name for me… he calls me the “Pinterest Queen.”  I finally gave in to join the Pinterest craze in the fall.  I kept seeing posts on Facebook of creative ways to do things, fix things, clean things, or make things and I couldn’t take it any longer and gave in to join.  Since then I have made SO many awesome creations.  Some have gone well while others have ended terribly.

 One of my projects could have ended disastrously, but luckily didn’t.  My goal was to do something creative with a mason jar.  I had seen pictures on Pinterest of candles placed in a mass of coffee beans which peaked my interest.  I decided to attempt it one night.  I poured the vanilla cream beans into the jar to fill it half full and then added the votive candle.  I pushed it down into the mixture of beans just like the picture.  It was perfect and smelled awesome.  I lit the candle and walked away to allow the aroma to fill the kitchen.

Later my husband exclaimed, “Why does the kitchen smell so strongly of coffee?”   He is a coffee drinker unlike me, but hadn’t made any.  He knew I had the candle burning, but it was EXTREMELY strong smelling.  He rushed into the kitchen to find my jar of coffee beans… ON FIRE!  It didn’t smell like smoke, or anything burning, the smoke detectors didn’t even go off… it just smelled like strong coffee.  We snuffed the “small” fire out with the lid and went on with the night.  My husband looked at me with a smile and said, “I think you need to chill a little with the Pinterest thing.  I don’t know if I can leave you unsupervised in the house again. Who knows what might happen.”

 I have steered away from candle projects for now and have moved on to new things.  I saw something awesome on Pinterest that I am definitely doing this year.  It’s a “blessing bottle” of sorts.  It’s a way to collect and record all of the ways God has blessed us over the year.  God has done some amazing things in 2012 and I don’t want to ever take His blessings for granted.

The boys and I have a morning routine we started over the past year.  Before they leave for school each day we read a devotional book together and pray for needs.  I ask each boy what they would like to pray for and then we all take a turn praying.  Some things we have prayed for over the past year were needs, some were wants, some were healing for the sick, new jobs, and more.  The boys have been persistent in their prayers each day.

They were shocked when God started answering their prayers.  The blessings started to pour in… free camper, free flat screen TV, larger house, new job, money given anonymously when we needed it most, the sick getting well, people we prayed for who didn’t know God giving their lives to Him and more…  They were so excited!

Philippians 4:6 says…

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (NLT)

That is what we are going to do this year!  We are going to plan ahead to have thankful hearts.  My “blessing bottle” is made now it’s time to start collecting.  This is what the excerpt from the Pinterest post I read about this whole idea said…

 “Start the year with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen. Then, on New Year's Eve, empty it and re-read all of the amazing things You have done in your life that year...I love this!!!”

I challenge you to find a way in 2013 to be thankful for all that God does in your life.  I don’t want to miss one blessing.  Happy New Year friend.  The best is yet to come!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

14/14 CHALLENGE

My husband and I recently led a marriage small group at our church.  We had a blast!  We shared from the wealth of our twenty years experience being married.  Our method of teaching was very entertaining to say the least.  Al is more spontaneous and unpredictable, while I have everything laid out in an organized fashion.  I think our expressions to each other in the middle of our discussing topics said it all. 

During the small group semester we gave the group several challenges to help them take what they were learning and put it into practice.

Cherish Challenge:

For the next 30 days do not say anything NEGATIVE about your spouse.

(To him or her or to anyone else about them)

The Six-Second Kiss Challenge:

How you say goodbye as you and your spouse begin your day can help you build a lifelong romance.

Before you go out to face your day, find each other, wrap up in a warm embrace, and begin your day with an intimate, very married, six-second kiss.

Go ahead. Try it! Your young children will grow up feeling secure in the love between their parents. They will blush and groan hoping their friends don’t see you, but you will be building a life-long romance between you.

15 minute challenge:

Find just 15 minutes each day to be a couple instead of parents, employees, or whatever other roles you play.  It’s just 15 min. each day (1% of the time you have available each day).  YOU can do this and it will change your marriage!!!!

Many in the group took the challenges we gave them.  It was kind of fun to try new things.  I will have to say that Al really liked doing the “Six-Second Kiss Challenge”.  He felt we needed to be faithful every day to be examples for the group.

The Challenge…

I was thinking recently.  If taking time out to be together and communicate is vital for our marriages, wouldn’t it be just as essential for our relationship with God?  

How could spending 15 minutes a day with God change things?  Maybe that is too much for you.  I’m sure you are busy.  That is a lot of time to carve out in a day with 24 hours.  I know the couples in our class had to get creative to find their special time together.  How about 14 minutes?  I challenge you to spend 14 minutes a day with God in 2014.  It’s the “14/14 Challenge.”  

What would it look like to spend 14 minutes a day with God? 

For those who know God…

I’m talking about 14 minutes of personal time set aside for you and God each day.  It’s a date with Him.  It’s not about clocking time at church, listening to Christian music or radio, watching preachers on TV, or sitting in on a Bible class at a Christian school or church.  It’s personal and private alone time with the God of the universe.  This kind of 14 minutes carved out of each day in 2014 could definitely change things!

For those who don’t know God…

You may be reading this and thinking… “What on earth are you talking about?  That sounds a little creepy… reading a book, talking to yourself, and listening for what?”  I know, I know.  It may sound weird, but I challenge you to try it and see what happens.  Don’t just read any book; read God’s love letter to you…The Bible.  Don’t just talk to yourself; tell God what’s going on in your life… the good, the bad, and the ugly.  What are you concerned with?  What are you excited about?  Let Him know.  Then just sit and wait… listen.  Sometimes it is in these moments He brings peace, wraps us in His love, or we feel His presence near.  I dare you to try it and see what happens.  2014 may never be the same for you.  God just might rock your world!

I’m in, now what?

Okay, so I roped you in… now what?  What could 14 minutes a day look like?  

Here are some ideas for you…

Break it up or keep it all together.  It’s up to you.  My suggestion is…

5 minutes reading your Bible and 9 minutes talking & listening to God.

Take 5 plan…

Let’s just keep it simple.  I found a Bible reading plan that takes just 5 minutes a day.  I’m committing myself to do this for 2014.  If it’s not enough, read it and more.  Nothing is holding you back, but YOU.  You can find the Bible reading link here.  Just print it out, fold it up, and put it in your Bible.  If you prefer reading online or on your phone, I love this website for online reading.  It’s www.biblegateway.com.  My favorite versions of the Bible are:  New Living, New Century Version, or the Message.  It helps in reading if we can understand it.  Sometimes reading in different versions can bring things out more to us that we may have missed otherwise in reading.  Try it!

Another way to help you get more out of your reading is to write things down.  Here is a suggestion for you.  As you read… S.O.A.P.

Which stands for…

S- Scripture (write down the verse or phrase that stands out to you)

O- Observation (write down what you think this verse means)

A- Application (write down how it affects you or applies to your life)

P- Prayer (write down any prayer needs you may want to remember for the day)

Take time 5 minutes a day to read God’s love letter to you and it will be life-changing!  The Bible reading plan I provided only covers 5 days a week.  So… what should you do on the off days?  You could read other scriptures of your choice or you could talk to God longer that day.  It’s totally up to YOU!

Say what?

Okay… I know you might be thinking.  I get the Bible reading thing, but what

on earth am I supposed to talk to God about for 9 minutes?  That’s a LONG time!  We are talking about an awkward silence.  Don’t worry.  God isn’t worried.  He just wants to spend time with YOU.  Tell Him out loud or in your head what you are learning as you read, what might be bothering you, or what you are excited about that day.  Just talk and then sit in the silence and give God a chance to respond in His way.  That may be with giving you a sense of peace, filling you with hope, overwhelming you with His love, or bringing something to light that you had no idea about.  He is faithful to respond.

Where do I do this?

Find a quiet place where you can be alone with God and interruptions will be limited.  Maybe it’s a special chair to read in, a special room you like, or at the kitchen table.  For prayer it may be in the shower, driving to work or school, on a walk or run, or in your room.  Do what works best for you.  It’s okay if it isn’t the same place every day or the same time.  You might have to be creative to carve out time with God, but I guarantee it will be worth it!

I want to hear the results…

I am taking this challenge with you and I want to hear your results.  Who is joining me and how you are growing?  Is it really making a difference?  Is God showing up when you listen to Him?  How are you getting creative at carving out time to be with Him?  Don’t leave me hanging.  I want to hear it all!  Here is to growing closer to God in 2014!  Are you with me?

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie

Keep it Simple

Have you ever gotten consumed with the commercial side of Christmas?  I went to a store recently and was surprised as a lady in front of me pulled out a STACK of credit cards to pay for her purchase.  Her items might have totaled $50, most of which was food, but she scanned several cards to pay and even asked her husband to try some of his to complete the sale.  

The commercial side of Christmas draws our focus on pleasing others… the neighbors with our décor, the family with our selection of gifts, and our friends with our festive parties.  There is no price we won’t pay to celebrate the holiday season in style.

The hustle and the bustle bring with it LOTS of expectations… not to mention stress and pressure to deliver the holiday goods.  Those participating in this kind of Christmas must… decorate their houses inside and out extravagantly (preferably Thanksgiving weekend), stockings should be hung for each family member with names attached, Christmas cards and pictures should be sent (by a reasonable date), and presents should be wrapped in similar colors full of ribbons and bows, organized under the tree in a fashion pleasing to the eye.  Don’t forget visits with Santa, cookies of all varieties made and shared with others, and wardrobe colored red for the holidays.  Mark your calendars for kids Christmas programs, plays, and candlelight services.  Oh, and there are the holiday movies you can’t miss.  Are you stressed out yet?  I am just thinking about it.

Bits and pieces of this may describe some of your Christmases, but I hope the heart of it is very different.  I hope it’s not all about out doing yourself each year.   Our Christmas shouldn’t drip with excess.  We shouldn’t have to spend more than we have to please everyone.  I decided a long time ago to avoid the commercial side of Christmas and go the simple route.  My goal is to keep Christ in the center of our season while focusing on quality time with family.   We can still celebrate our family traditions without going over board, right?

We have several family traditions we have celebrated for years and some new ones we have added recently.  It’s never too late to start a new tradition.  Everyone has their own special traditions.  These are a few of ours…

~we decorate our tree together and watch a Christmas movie afterwards

~we come up with a creative Christmas card to send out to family & friends

~we make Christmas cookies to give out to our neighbors to share God’s love
~we drive around looking at Christmas lights
~we read a special book about the Christmas story Christmas Eve
~we open one gift Christmas Eve (or should I say the boys do)
~we read the Christmas story Christmas day
~we make a special family dish only served at Christmas time
 (a meat pie that only the men can make)
~we also go to the movies together Christmas afternoon each year
~we make a birthday cake for Jesus to celebrate Christmas night

New tradition this year…
~we started doing an advent type reading and lighting candles each Sunday before Christmas
~we made Gingerbread houses with grandma from a kit
(I’m not sure if this will carry on to next year. It proved to be more difficult than expected)

 The commercial side of Christmas seems more focused on RECEIVING than GIVING.  I find it interesting that we spend Thanksgiving being thankful and the very NEXT day (black Friday) being selfish.  People literally fight over bargains to get their loved ones for Christmas.  They are rude, violent, they push, shove, and all for another special gift to put under the tree for Christmas.  Not to say everyone is that way, but so many get caught up in the holiday hullabaloo. 

Our focus for Christmas is centered on giving not receiving.  We want to be purposeful with our boys teaching them to be generous not greedy.  Our holiday season is full of quality family time, special memory making moments, opportunities to serve others, and a consistent focus on the true meaning of Christmas… Jesus. 

We also try to keep the gifts simple.  Excess brings selfishness.  We want to focus more on giving and less on receiving.  We are still working on this one.  I have heard several great ideas on this that I need to check out later.  One I heard was about just giving THREE gifts to each child representing the gifts from the wise men given to Jesus.  Another one I like is only giving four gifts:  something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.  I like this idea… sounds good and practical to me.

I have also been focusing this year on “random acts of kindness.”  I like the idea of blessing people randomly and teaching my boys to have generous hearts all year long.  I would love to some day start a “blessings account” to save up money to bless people randomly as God leads our family.  Hopefully this is coming soon.

Our goal during the holiday season is to keep things simple and the focus where it needs to be… on JESUS and spending quality time with our family.  Some times that includes a variety of our traditions and some times we just can’t fit it all in.  In those cases we re-prioritize and choose what we feel is MOST important for us at that time.  The key is to avoid allowing the busyness of the season to push Jesus out.  Keep Him in the center and your season is guaranteed to be amazing.

Luke 2:9-14 says...⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”  ¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (NLT)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie

My Top 10!!!!

It’s hard to believe that I have been writing on this blog for FOUR YEARS!!!!  Wow!  It all started following a really bad flare-up from my autoimmune disease.  I determined to not allow any of my down time sick to end up wasted.  I wanted to give it to God.  This blog is my attempt to redeem it all for Him.  Check out my very first post below.  It still rings true in my heart…

Legacy… leaving the gift of yourself, your life in a nutshell with all of it’s wisdom from the past, purpose for the present, and dreams of greatness for the future to the next generation. It’s planting a piece of yourself into others… it’s leaving a trail of a life well-lived behind to lead others to a better future. It’s being purposeful about what you say and what you do in order to make an investment into the hearts of others.

I see it like this… our hearts are gardens and God is the great gardener. He knows what we need to grow. We need to make sure that the soil in our hearts is soft, watered, and ready for the seeds God wants to plant inside of us. The minute the soil of our hearts becomes hard, we will no longer be able to receive fresh seed from God to grow. We must always remain teachable, open, and ready to learn and grow from God and others. My philosophy is that there is always someone ahead to learn from and behind to teach. Take the seeds God has planted inside of you and scatter them around to the gardens of people’s hearts around you. Spread God’s love, spread his patience and understanding. Water their hearts with His word. Listen, Love, and Live out what you believe and others will see the difference and be drawn to you.

Everything you do has an impact on others. This is my attempt to pour the wisdom God has given me into the next generation. May these principles of truth bless you as you endeavour to be all God has called you to be.

“The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time God has given us each day.”  Billy Graham

Choose today with your actions and your words to leave a legacy behind that will last a lifetime!
Living to leave a legacy!
Julie

I surveyed the last four years and found the “Top 10” Blog Posts based on the stats.  You can check them out below.  Be sure to click the link underneath the title to read more.  I hope you are encouraged as you read.  Enjoy!  Which one is your top pick?  

(I am listing them in order of highest number of views to lowest)

#1 God’s Waiting Room (Part One)….. 1/5/2011

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2011/01/gods-waiting-room-part-one.html

#2 God’s Waiting Room (Part Two)…. 1/9/2011

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2011/01/gods-waiting-room.html

#3 Is God blessing me or punishing me? ...... 12/6/2011

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post.html

#4 Move! …. 6/22/2013

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html

#5 “Surviving Life’s Mud Puddles” ….2/2/2012

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2012/02/surviving-lifes-mud-puddles.html

#6 “Can I have a band-aid… Life hurts?”……. 10/11/2010

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-i-have-band-aid-life-hurts.html

#7 Life, Lemonade, and Burnt Biscuits …. 7/31/2010

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

#8 Me… It may not be pretty! …. 11/25/2012

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2012_11_01_archive.html

#9 simply me…   11/13/2013

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2013/11/simply-me.html

#10 God knows your address …. 8/22/2010

http://leavingalegacyonline.blogspot.com/2010/08/god-knows-your-address.html

Thank you for joining me on this journey!  This has been a growing process for me.  I am excited to see what God may have in store for the future.  I am taking “faith baby steps” all the way!

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie