Praying for your Children

A frequent question I am asked at MOPS is, "How do I pray for my children?"

My quick response is, "Just do it!"

To give any real insight takes abit longer. I wrestled with this question as a young mom and tried many different approaches. When my kids were little I remember praying for things that seemed overwhelming and out of my control.

"Why is he crying all night, Lord"
"Help me to know how to explain my concerns to the doctor"
"I don't think I can do this on my own, Father"

As my children got older, I began praying that God would cover the areas I could not take care of...

"Be with Ryan as he goes off to camp"
"Help Rachel to do her best"

I found I was speaking to God in such generalities and often about things He already promised that I knew I needed to take a look at my prayer life.

I have prayed Bible verses for each child.

I have taken a day of the week and prayed throughout the day for a particular child.

I have found principles and qualities that I wanted manifested in my child's life and prayed specifically for those to be brought to my child's awareness.

I discovered that much of what I was doing that I considered prayer, was really just ME DOING something I thought God wanted me to do.

But, like everything else in my walk with the Lord, prayer is something He has provided for me, to draw me closer to Him...but He produces the results. It has nothing to do as to whether I pray for each child by name, if I find a verse to back up my request or if I eloquently said my prayer without error.

My prayer life has changed over the years. Prayer has changed me because once again I realized that what I wanted for my kids could only come by Christ living in them. I couldn't make them more compassionate, joyful or kind by praying for that in their lives. I could pray that my children continued to have a heart to know God. I could pray that they would trust God. That they would be humble in coming to God and simply rest in His promises.

I could pray that they would 'abide in Christ' and by abiding they would see the fruit of the Spirit become evident in their lives.

Much is written about prayer. Many 'programs' are taught, but it comes down to praying for a relationship for your child that will produce all the fruit of the Spirit because they simply abide in Christ.(John 15:5)

Is this different from what you have thought about prayer? Prayer is not an activity as much as it is BEING in the presence of God and letting Him live His life out through you. It is becoming REAL in relating to God.

The Number One Reason

I loved what Betsy wrote last week about Abigail's Christian Birthday! I must add that that is sooo Betsy. She consistently celebrates her kids...but more importantly, she lives what she teaches her kids. This is so important when you are talking to your kids about God

Let me ask you a question...

Do you know the number one reason kids leave the church when they are old enough to choose?

A poll taken among kids who had left the church said the number one reason they left was...

"God was never real to my parents"

That puts a pretty big responsibility on parents doesn't it? The responsibility isn't to make our kids be good, or to have them memorize scripture or tell them to love God or tell their friends about Jesus or speak nicely....

...our responsibility as parents (let's say 'moms' since that's probably the only readership we have:)) is to make sure our relationship with God is real to us as a mom.

That's it.

That focus alone will make a huge difference in our KIDS' life.

How do you do that?

I heard a pastor use a clever line when talking about teaching kids about God. He said, "Use the temporary to build the permanent." He went on to explain that when kids are young, kids believe their parents. Kids believe in their parents. This is the time we need to take the temporary faith our kids place in us and use it to build a permanent faith in God.

The window of opportunity for a child to accept Christ as their Savior is between 4-14 years of age...the ages that they are basically living at home and interacting daily with their parents.

Betsy would agree with me that it is easier to talk about Christ than to TRUST HIM at times, but it is in those times of trust that our kids will learn the most.

Living Intentionally as a Follower of Jesus...

So how does the intentional woman fit Jesus in her life?



She recognizes that Knowing God is the greatest pursuit of her life... and then she orders her life around that relationship.

Living Intentionally. . .

Barb asked in Monday’s post as well as at our homemakers meeting. . . what does Living Intentionally mean when it comes to our life as a Jesus Follower? What does that look like in your life...or should look like, what would you say?

The typical Christian answer might be:

Someone who reads her bible daily

Someone who prays throughout the day

Someone who goes to church both Wednesday and Sunday

Someone who volunteers at church. . .

Does that sound familiar? While all these things are good things to be doing. . .I think we often get caught up in the doing and miss what living intentionally as a follower of Jesus really is. It may seem a little like semantics, but hang with me for a minute. One of my husband’s and my favorite passages is Eph 5:18-20 which states something very subtle, but very important. . .

Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.(NLT)

Did you catch that? Be filled with the Holy Spirit, THEN YOU WILL. . .These verses tell us we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and out of our relationship with Jesus, our lives will be different than that of the world’s. Only when we have a living, breathing relationship with the Lord can the world see Jesus through us. The list of things above are ways of nurturing our relationship, but like I stated before, they often become our religion. Shouldn’t our lives be a witness to those around us? Shouldn’t the choices we make reflect God’s will? But should this be us “trying” to reach those goals or just the outpouring of our relationship with Jesus and His love flowing through us? Our lives as followers of Christ should be different than this world, but they are not different because of anything we do. They are different because we choose to pursue a relationship with God and His love, His patience, His compassion flow through us.

Even as I write this I find myself feeling like I have such a long way to go, but it is also encouraging that I do not have to do anything on my own. If I want a life that shows others the love of God, then I need to be connected to the Giver of love. My life should not be about all the do's and don’ts but about a relationship with the One true God who makes my life better because He is living through me.

My husband and I lead a small group in our home for young married couples. They have all had their first babies this year so we are reading the book When Husband and Wife Become Mom and Dad by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall. I would like to share a short passage from this book that may help explain it a little more.

Lasting hope is not found in a new baby, in the oohs and aaahhs of affirmation from each other, or in the perfect family vacation, new furniture, or a new car. Lasting hope is ultimately found in something beyond ourselves and our circumstances. . .when you look down at your child, do you feel the heavy weight of responsibility now attached to you. . . look over at your spouse, this mate of your choice, attached to you by marriage. Years ago, you stood at an altar and pledged your love and commitment-till death. But he is tired and falls asleep before you have time to process your needs with him. She is distracted by children and doesn’t seem interested in you anymore. . .Where is hope?

You’ve been looking down and over. The truth is, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Look up. Rather than resting in two individuals, attached horizontally through a civil ceremony with out eternal meaning, hope for marriage comes when the attachment is to a Source beyond either individual. Hope for marriage-and for every individual-comes when we attach ourselves to a permanent, eternal source of stability and love. It comes in a relationship with God through his Son, Jesus.

We need to be looking to God to meet our needs so we can meet the needs of others through His strength, not our own.

Living Intentionally

Living Intentionally as a Jesus Follower...what does that look like for you?

Going to church?
Reading your Bible?
Memorizing verses?

....and more

How's that working for you?

So often we women are so eager to get in and DO things, we put the cart before the horse. Living Intentionally as a Jesus Follower can often mess up HIS plan for us.

The life of a Jesus Follower is all about relationships.

A relationship with God
A relationship with one another
A relationship with the world

Jesus wants a relationship with Him and we get busy DOING things FOR Him and we think that we are intentionally building systems that will ultimately please Him.

We see temporary success...Until we fail. Until we get distracted. Until we don't see results.

Then we get disappointed in ourselves.

And we begin a new system. Or we try harder. Or we take a break to get a new perspective.

Living Intentionally as a Jesus Follower can be a life all about ME, I have discovered. It is rooted in PRIDE, thinking I can/will please God by obeying Him, and I get busy intentionally doing something to show my commitment to Jesus.

Trouble is, I fail.

And the cycle continues:
I want to obey God's commandments
I see temporary success
I fail
I get disappointed


I try again

See the I in this cycle? As In PrIde?

If I am to Live Intentionally as a Jesus Follower, I need to see that the I is all about 'intimacy' with God. Not me doing something for Him, but me getting to Know Him.


As a wife, I want to know my husband. I want to talk with him, sit by him, hang out with him, learn to play golf so I can understand the passion he has for that game....intimacy comes out of my love for him. I don't obey him to achieve the goal of loving him.


Living in intimacy with God is the goal of my life as a Jesus Follower. That all begins with humility. It is about Him revealing Himself to me rather than me trying harder to prove myself as a Jesus Follower.

Living Intentionally

Living Intentionally has been a big focus for us in Homemakers with Hope this year. It's a good time to review our 'systems' for food preparation, maintaining our homes, organizing our kids and taking care of our own bodies+++

But what does Living Intentionally mean when it comes to our life as a Jesus Follower?

If I asked you what does that look like in your life...or should look like, what would you say?

Write down your answer...or share it here with us

This past month in Homemakers we were to identify the different roles that we assume daily. We were to identify what stresses us out in each role and what supports us in each role.

All the Homemakers with Hope are followers of Jesus, so we will be talking about that role as well tonight as we meet. We will be sharing our thoughts this week but in the meantime, ponder...

What does the role of a faithful follower of Jesus Christ look like?

Then join us the rest of the week as we share what we are learning.

Daily Bread

My theme for the year is Daily Bread. How I have approached my theme has looked different in every season of this year. Early on in the year i met with the Lord and poured out my heart to Him when I found out I was expecting. This past summer I petitioned the Lord when I was tired and having a hard time keeping up with my son.

As I type today (with my left hand while holding my new, sweet baby girl with my right), and have two kids under one, Daily Bread has taken on a new meaning for me.

I need to meditate on Scripture and recall words of truth but HOW I do that varies each day. Some days it means sitting in the tub praying to the Lord and reading a devotional book. Other days it is praying as I feed, change and play with my little ones. Sometimes it means reciting the Scripture I have memorized. I'm trying to seek God in the quiet moments and cry out to Him in the 'not so quiet.'

I had no idea my theme would look so different in every season of the year - and every season of my life this year. But I am so thankful that God is faithful to meet me whenever and wherever.

All about patterns

This week I am analyzing and considering the impact of the words of Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

What behavior and customs are actually patterns of this world that I am following?

Some patterns might be...

How number and type of dinners I cook in a week. My friend cooks 5. My other friend cooks gourmet. Another friend cooks very healthy and natural with all the best ingredients. Which one will I pattern my menu planning around?

How I speak to my husband. I could follow a of pattern of nagging, disrespect and intimidation. Or, I could choose a pattern of encouragement, respect and kindness. Are my spoken words really a pattern? So many commercials these days feature a wife rolling her eyes at her husband, making him feel like less of a man....without even being aware I am seeing patterns of disrespect on television.

Another pattern that I could easily follow is a pattern of guilt. I think a lot of what I am motivated by is guilt. I think many people in this world are motivated by guilt. And I think our society and culture plays off this guilt in telling us how to live, what to buy and what to think about ourselves and others.

A common pattern that I see in my age group is the 'next step' pattern. The next step is to buy a bigger house, a nicer, newer car, a bigger television or other electronic gadgets. The pattern we observe and are told to follow is that you always go bigger...nicer...more expensive.

As I look to the future I think about what parenting patterns will I follow? Those of friends? Those of family members? Those I observe on television or am told to follow on talk shows? I read this quote today: "The problem starts when parents raise children based on their personal experience growing up instead of using the Bible as the timeless, authoritative guide" in relation to a book called The Parent Adventure.

Are my patterns based off my personal life experiences? I am not even sure that lifestyle patterns are consciously chosen. Maybe they are just observed, never questioned or challenged, and then lived out by the next generation?

Following a pattern is external. But if I am instructed not to live according to the pattern of this world then I need to look internally. Maybe the way to live out Romans 12:2 means that I should to take every 'pattern' and check it against God's Word. Is it Biblical? Is it healthy? Is it right for me and my family in this season of our lives?

I think this will take some time to process and truly contemplate. Just one pattern at a time....

Patterns of this world

Last week I was reading in Romans and came across a verse that impacted me greatly years ago. It's Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I love this verse because it commands me 'not to conform to the world' and tells me what to do instead: be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I referred to this verse often over the years as a way to take my worldly thoughts captive and to refocus on the Lord.

Last week as I read it, it spoke to me in a different way.

As I read, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world..." I stopped and asked myself what patterns I was conforming to.

What pattern as a mom was I conforming to?

What pattern as a wife was I conforming to?

What pattern as a homemaker was I conforming to?

What pattern as a business woman, child of God, friend, etc?

This world offers many ideas, suggestions and attitudes about 'the patterns' we should follow for our various roles. We see the patterns on television. We read about them in the paper and in magazines. We observe the patterns our friends follow or live out.

Sometimes we don't even recognize that a lifestyle or belief system is a pattern....it just is.

Not all patterns are bad or negative. But someone else's pattern might not be right for me either. And if the pattern I am pursuing in my role as a wife or mom is of this world, the command is to stop conforming.

These are just some things I'm contemplating and working through. What does this look like? How does one live this out?

I'll keep thinking and let you know what I'm discovering about the pattern of this world.

An Easter Discipline

As a child, I never observed 'Lent'. I don't understand what goes along with the practice, but I believe it is a discipline people follow to refrain from habits or actions for the days leading up to Easter. I used to walk with a neighbor who gave up 'sweets' before Easter. She said it really wasn't too hard because she didn't really have a 'sweet tooth.'

Stacy's posting got me thinking about Lent. These weeks leading up to Easter is probably a good time to focus specifically on my theme as far as application goes.

I find memorizing is hard for me. The point of memorizing is not to see how many verses I can memorize. The point is what happens to my mind in the process of reviewing and truly remembering each verse. I find my mind captures completely different thoughts when I am rehearsing verses than when I am 'thinking' the rest of my day.

There are only 13 days until Easter. I am going to accept Stacy's Easter challenge. I am going to feed my mind with HOPE until Easter. That is usually the mindset I have when I am memorizing, but then I go on with my daily thoughts and duties and get caught up in worries and 'what ifs' of the future.

I just finished reading, If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat, by John Ortberg. He writes about 2 laws that govern our lives:

The Law of Cognition: I am what I think about.
The Law of Exposure: My mind will think most about what it is most exposed to.

It's the second law that made me take up Stacy's challenge. I am going to expose my mind to scripture by memorizing it, but also keep it away from so many of my 'lazy' habits of TV, worthless movies, complaining conversations and even discouraging news reports. For 13 days I am going to 'feed' my mind very diligently with thoughts that are 'true, noble, right, pure,lovely, admirable, praiseworthy and excellent'!
Why does this pose such a challenge for me? Often because I am trying to do it by my own strength.

That's why I will celebrate Easter in 13 days. I will have 13 days to ponder why Christ died on the cross. I will realize that without His strength, I can do NOTHING...including bringing my 'thoughts into captivity'.

13 days until Easter. 13 days to prepare my heart and MIND.

An Easter Challenge

To help me focus on my daily bread theme, I'm planning to read two chapters from Luke every day from April 1-12. In doing so, I will read the entire book of Luke by Easter. Two chapters a day seems quite doable, will take me through the birth, life, death and end with the resurrection of Christ.

I can't think of a better way to get my heart and mind prepared for Easter this year.

I feel constantly bombarded with all the Easter decor available to purchase, candy to buy and meal planning to think about for Easter.

I don't want to miss what an amazing time of year this is - celebrating the life and death and resurrection of Christ. It's a miracle and it's one I want to take the time to acknowledge.

Do you have other ideas or suggestions on how to be mindful of the true purpose of Easter? If so, please share!

Won't you join me in this Easter challenge?

Update on my theme

The theme I chose for 2009 is Daily Bread.

As the mom of a young child and a mother-to-be of a second, partaking in my Daily Bread is essential.

However, I'm quickly learning that choosing my daily bread first is a matter of the mind....of the will. I can desire to spend time in the Word but desire doesn't get me anywhere. It's following through on that desire.

I am an all or nothing gal. Some days when I don't think I have adequate time to meet with the Lord, I don't do anything at all.

Other days I know I need to, but instead I procrastinate. I avoid it like the plague. I find anything and everything to do instead. I choose other things instead of investing in my theme: a book, the television or my computer.

When I choose to partake in my Daily Bread, I am more patient, more encouraging, more loving, more intentional, more prayerful. I am more aware of the needs of others as I go throughout my day. I am mindful of Scripture as I face various circumstances in my day.

When I skip my Daily Bread I am self-focused, hurried, striving to accomplish my agenda, and often distracted by unimportant things in my day.

I guess I didn't realize that my theme this year would be so...daily.

I didn't realize it would be a choice I had to make...daily.

I didn't understand how it would effect me...daily.

I've got a long ways to go on my theme - one day at a time.

How Many Bible Verses Do You Know By Heart?

Last year I had the Homemakers write down all the Bible verses they knew by heart and where they were found in the Bible. For example, they couldn't write down "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life," if they did not know that it was found in John 3:16.

I did the same exercise.

I was amazed how few verses I could tally because I didn't know where they were found in the Bible. I knew the verse "Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind" by I couldn't find it in the Bible if I were asked where that was.

One verse I did know was "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

As I looked at my short list, I knew what my 'theme' needed to be for 2009. I needed to commit a year to 'renew my mind' by "hiding God's Word in my heart".

I hesitate to share this in a blog because usually I take some time with my new theme to see exactly what direction it will take me. I let the year unfold as I see how I will evaluate and measure my theme. This year it is pretty evident. I need to memorize. Not for the sake of making a long list to flaunt. Not to mindlessly memorize the words. But to really see a transformation in my mind and ultimately in my life because I am 'delighting in the law of the Lord, and on His law I meditate day and night."

I feel like I am stepping into a reality show to see if it really can be done. That it really will make a difference. I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to eat a plate of live beetles in front of a camera then to memorize scripture...and then remember it...and then apply it.

Check in with me next year...I'll let you know.

Now I need to find where this verse is in the Bible:"Be still and know that I am God"

That is a good place to start.

All my heart

I have found that there are others who can say what I want to say, much better than I can say it. Here goes:

"Oh how we need those in this day and age who will pay the price in time and energy to draw near to God." - Catherine Martin

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
- Jeremiah 29:13

I believe that sums it up for today.

Is God Enough?

Titus 2:4 instructs the older women to "train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Sheldon Vanauken says, "The best argument for Christianity is Christians; their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians--when they are somber and joyless, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."

I think all women strive to be good at what they choose to do. As business women, moms, wives, friends or whatever. When a Christian woman lets other 'gods' like money, approval, success, career, or possessions meet her needs, she is really saying that "God is not enough". She maligns the word of God.

As the older woman, can I challenge you to become a woman who is the 'best argument for Christianity.'

Be a woman who seeks God. Be a woman who is known for her joy, her certainty and her completeness...because she puts God and His glory first in her life.

First things first

In 2009, before we can be a friend. Or a sister. Or a mom. Or a wife. Or a daughter. Or a business woman....

We must remember what we are first. We are women of God. And as women of God, seeking to be wise, we must live intentionally and with purpose.

Agree?

We have been discussing themes a lot and my theme for 2009 is Daily Bread. "Give us this day our daily bread...." I ask for so much. I seek so much. I desire so much. But all I REALLY need is my daily bread. No more. No less.

But in order to get my daily bread I need to ask myself questions like these (I've copied them from a great blog - check it out here):

1. How much time did you spend in God's Word this week?
2. When was the last time you memorized a verse from God's Word?
3. When was the last time you taught someone else a verse or lesson from God's Word that you had learner?
4. What do you know about God's Word that you didn't know a year ago? How is this knowledge changing behaviors in your life?
5. What could you eliminate in your life in the next 45 days to make time to insert time in Word of God?

If you read beyond the questions, you'll see that Kim references a pastor who doesn't put any "bread" in his mouth until he has sought his "daily bread." What a challenge that is to me!

As a new mom, a part-time writer, a full-time housekeeper (yuk, yuk, yuk!), a volunteer, a leader, a wife, a sister, a friend.......I can feel overwhelmed, burned out and desperate for a break. And that's when I know without a doubt I'm taking time for everyone else but me.

I strive to meet with the Lord regularly. But in order to do so I need to ask myself question #5 regularly. I fail miserably many times but thankfully God's grace is part of my daily bread that I eat up quickly!

If I am to be a woman of God I must start each day with me and God. No one else. No other person. No other ministry. No to do list. No work. Nothing else.

So here's to a brand new year....one slice at a time.

New Year's Resolutions-Home Improvement

In 2008, I focused on the verse in Ps 37:5 that says "Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

That prompted me to think of what my existing desires were?

I desired to be a good wife and know what pleased my husband
I desired to be a listening mom to all of my kids
I desired to be a friend that could be trusted and had truth to share
I desired to be a grandma that really was interested in her grandchildren
I desired to find out what it meant to 'delight in the Lord'!
I desired to keep a nice home
I desired to have energy to get through my days
I desired to keep my wardrobe in good repair
I desired to know more Bible verses by heart

On and on the list went, until I realized that what I had written was really a great list of resolutions, but put in a more energizing way. Rather than telling myself I had to do something in the New Year, I re-phrased it in a way that made the tasks something that I WANTED to do. These were the desires of my heart.

Then I had to back-track and ask myself if God saw that these were His desires for my heart. I was surprised to find out that they probably were! The desires were in line with His Word. I prayed that He would change my desires if He wanted to but otherwise, I was just going to move forward making those desires my 'new-found resolutions'.

I found these 'resolutions' are so user-friendly, because they are really my life-priorities.

So our Home Improvement assignment is this:
Pick a theme for 2009 if you haven't already and make a list of the desires of your heart. Will they become your New Year's Resolutions?

A Theme: Delight in the Lord

My 'theme' for 2008 was to 'Delight in the Lord'. I wanted to learn what that meant. During the year, I wrote down verses that instructed me to delight in God and verses that told me that He took delight in me. It wasn't until I came across a paragraph in a secular book about art however, that I realized the power of delight.

"The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." (italics are mine) Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

I began paying attention to God in my life. As I paid attention, I began 'delighting' in small things that came my way. I 'delighted' in big things that came my way. I found that the quality of my life was indeed in proportion to my capacity to pay attention.

I made a 'daily delight' list where I would write down what caught my attention that day. It was a fun exercise, just to pay attention to God!

I haven't mastered this concept, but I am much more conscious of God in my everyday activities because I chose this theme.

Have you picked a theme for 2009? Share it with us:)

A theme and a heartbook

I just found a post from last January when I wrote about the theme I was choosing for 2008. You can read it here. When choosing your 2009 theme I encourage you to think about these three things:

1. Why are you choosing this theme? Answer that question and write out your response.

2. Scripture: what Scripture affirms your theme? What Scripture will you refer back to when remembering why you chose your them?

3. Quotes/poems/songs: are there any other items that encourage you in your pursuit of your theme? A song that inspires you? A quote that challenges you? Write them down.

Also, as you plan your theme, consider creating a 'Heartbook.' We blogged about this last January as well - check it out. A heartbook is a 3-ring binder that you use to study. The first page of my 2008 binder included my theme, my why, my Scripture references and my quotes. Every time I opened my book, I could see what my theme for the year was.

The heartbook is a place to write out what you are learning about your theme. It is a place to write verses you come across. It is a place to look back at the end of 365 days to see how you grew.

I am so grateful for my 2008 theme and my 2008 heartbook. And I'm thankful that Barb encourages me each year to continue to pursue becoming a wise woman.

'First Things First'

C.S. Lewis said,
"Put first things first and we get second things thrown in:
put second things first and we lose both first and second things."

How many years has it taken me to see the wisdom of putting first things first?

For so long I was eager to forge ahead with my own agenda, I forgot that God has a plan for my life and it might be helpful to check in with Him first!

I've learned that the 'first' thing I need to get into place at the start of every year is my relationship with God. January is a good month to take stock of my spiritual life. January is a good month to organize my thoughts about what I might learn about God. The cold weather(in Minnesota) is a perfect time to spend the long nights reading a book that stretches me in my understanding of God. It is a good month to lay out my plans for the year for my spiritual growth and then all the 'second things' will be thrown in!

If I want to be a wise woman, I need to be a healthy woman in all areas of my life. That means I must put the health of my soul first before I charge ahead and take care of other areas of my life.

Choosing a 'theme' for each year has been a spiritual discipline that has encouraged me to grow spiritually. Having a 'theme' each year allows me to focus on one topic all year long. See Stacy's posting from Dec 31,08 to give you an idea how a 'theme' impacted her life last year!
A theme needs to be measureable so I have something to evaluate at the end of the year. Then I will know if I have grown spiritually or I will know why I have not!

Put 'first things first' this month. Consider choosing a theme for 2009. January is a good month to talk about what it means to be a Godly woman.