Create. Renew.

Ponder Every Morsel!

"I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you."

Ps 119:15 (MSG)

One thing about living with chronic pain is not sleeping well. I've learned not to be bothered by not sleeping, rather I have enjoyed "Treasure Hunting"! When I go "Treasure Hunting", I read through the Psalms looking for great treasures which I can think on throughout the day. 

As I was thinking about my "Treasure Hunting" I wondered what God could teach me from the Psalms throughout 2013. I picked 31 Psalms and will focus on a Psalm each day, repeating the same Psalms each month.

I created a book to keep track of what God teaches me. I call it my "I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you." Ps 119:15 (MSG) Book. 

Here is the page for the FIRST of each Month:

I'm excited to see what God will teach me as I focus on His Word. Looking forward to a year filled with God's blessings and care. I have no idea what God has planned for me in 2013, but I know that whatever it is, He will be there with me. My prayer for 2013 is that I get to know my God better and grow in His knowledge and grace. 

Creating a positive day is not about me and what makes me happy, rather it's about living a life that brings honor and glory to God. In order for me to do that, I must continue to learn about Him. 

2012

It’s December 31, 2011, and I’m thinking about my goals (some call them resolutions) for 2012. Oh, there are the “normal” goals which everyone makes, and not many keep: lose weight, exercise more, etc.

But what are my goals?

What do I want to accomplish
throughout 2012?

Okay, that’s not right—they shouldn’t be “MY” goals, rather the question should be:

“What does God want me to accomplish throughout 2012?”

That’s a much better perspective. Since God has a purpose and plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11) each goal I set, needs to fit into His plan. As I move forward in my life, I also have to look back and see all that God accomplished. Over the past eleven years, He has taught me amazing lessons, and has demonstrated His love in the most creative ways. I never would have imagined that a back injury in October 2000, would change my life so dramatically and at the same time present so many different opportunities.


So, as I reflect on the past, and prepare for the year ahead, the main thought which I can’t seem to ignore is “writing”. Oh, I mean more than on my blog. Perhaps it’s time to write a book: “It’s all in the details.” Even if I only write it for myself, I think it would be a wonderful blessing to see how God took care of each and every detail in my life.

As I think of where to begin on the details, it’s hard to know where to start. For so many of the situations, God worked years in advance to make sure everything was ready for me at the right time. But since I need a starting place, why not start in October 2000. For me, that’s when I began to personally notice how detail oriented God is. 

As of today, December 31, 2011, I believe that God’s 2012 goal for me is to WRITE.

If you have favorite stories, either from my blog, or from being part of my life, I’d like to hear what they are. You can email them to me, or comment on this blog post.

It’s all the details.

I'm looking forward to seeing God’s attention to details during 2012. And knowing that God is very detail oriented, He won’t miss a thing!

And that, my friends

will make 2012 a VERY POSITIVE year!

New Years Recipe

New Years Recipe

 
Take twelve whole months,
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy,
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
 
Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or
thirty-one different parts,
but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.
 
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
 
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer,
one part meditation, and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
 
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
 
You're bound to have a Happy New Year. 
Author Unknown

Changing Habits

Not sure about you, but this last week of the year, is...well, strange. I'm winding down from all the Christmas activities, and it's not quite time to begin the "New Year's" activities.... then I thought why not?

Why can't I begin working on the New Year's Resolutions now? What is it about Jan 1st? It's not a "magic" date. "If you begin your resolutions on Jan 1st you will succeed". We all know that's not true.

This year, I'm doing several things differently. One, I'm not making resolutions, I am working on creating HABITS! I want to create habits which will have a positive impact in my life. 

My chiropractor has a very unique idea. He has 6 Factors of Health, which he's divided into the year. Every 2 months, we will work on creating a new health habit to build on the one created the months before. January and February the focus is Nutrition. I'm still working on my Nutrition habit, but it will do with eating proper meals on time. (I tend to eat when I remember or not at all... rather than when my body needs nutrients.)

I'm also creating a habit to be thankful. To help me with this habit, each day I'm writing down at least one thing for which I'm thankful.

Another habit I want to create is to be more aware of and encourage others. I have to figure out exactly what I want to do, and how to make it into a habit.

It's not about a date, or creating some unobtainable goal, rather it's about what habits do I want to change, or create. I like the idea of building on habits throughout the year. The end result is to become a better person. Maybe if I do it slowly over the entire year, the habits I create will actually become part of my life. Habits don't happen all at once.. they are CREATED.

Beginning today, I will begin creating new habits.

Creating a positive day is about habits. To make creating a positive day a habit, write down something positive about each day... then increase it to several times a day.. than as many times as you need to remind yourself that there is much of which you can be positive!

Thanks to Digi Web Studio (www.digiwebstudio.com) for the penguin artwork used to create this blog post.