Sane, Simple, Sacred: Maybe in 2014

Maybe in 2014

A walk in a nearby nature preserve on a sunny afternoon

towards the end of 2013

represents my mood in the earliest hours of 2014...

calm, reflective, energized and appreciative of God's blessings.

I'm thankful for evidences of personal progress in faith

(some almost imperceptible, but undeniable),

for mysteries that remain,

and for confidence in the goodness of God in spite of those mysteries.

I've struggled to formulate resolutions

and would have happily settled for "my" word for 2014.

So far, nothing.

Maybe still in this first day, clarity will emerge.

Maybe.

7 comments:

FlowerLady LorraineJanuary 1, 2014 at 7:17 AM
Dear Rebecca ~ I wish you and your family a good year in 2014. One filled with goodness, love, peace, fun projects to work on together, good health.

Thank you for all of the encouragement you have given me this past year.

Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady
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TamaraJanuary 1, 2014 at 1:49 PM
I love the very last picture of the tree bark! Isn't God a great artist? Rebecca, you've had a tumultuous year and have remained steadfast and loyal. It took me awhile to find my "word" but it came. My wish for you this year: Peace. I wish you peace.
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JoanieJanuary 1, 2014 at 2:10 PM
Happy New Year, Rebecca! A lovely post for the beginning of 2014. God has given me a theme for this year and while always excited, I never quite know how it shall all play out. But, I am also reminded me that He is with me and His faithfulness will sustain us through whatever comes our way. Praying God reveals His word for you in 2014. Praying Joy and Peace and many lovely outings like the photos posted above. Thank you for being a blessing in my life ~ Joanie
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elaine @ peace for the journeyJanuary 2, 2014 at 5:02 PM
And just maybe it's "maybe"! Oh the possibilities are endless, but I don't think you'll suffer one bit by not having a word/verse focus. Maybe ... you could focus on forward movement in a particular area if you're so inclined; that would be a win in my book. Blessings to you as you move into the promise of a new year.
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BohemianJanuary 4, 2014 at 9:47 AM
I like the Word May BE for your 2014 Inspiration and Intention Statement! I also send Healing Energies your way to get over your 'bug' and Be Well for the start of the New Year. Blessings from the Arizona Desert... and a Happy New Year !!! Dawn... The Bohemian
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"We simplify, not just to be less busy, even though we may be right to pursue that. Rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ. We prune activities from our lives, not only to get organized, but also that our devotion to Christ and service for His kingdom will be more fruitful. We simplify, not merely to save time, but to eliminate hindrances to the time we devote to knowing Christ. All the reasons we simplify should eventually lead us to Jesus Christ!" (Donald S. Whitney)

Dedicated to my sister-in-law, Beth--a TRUE home manager....

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." --Lydia Sherman

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry,
and see a fine picture every day of his life,
in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Contentment makes poor men rich.

-Benjamin Franklin

"What I am gradually discovering is that in the writing I come in touch with the Spirit of God." ~ Nouwen

~~"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting."~~Edmund Burke

C.S. Lewis: "To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in trusting a person if you wouldn't take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him."

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony." William Henry Channing

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Apostle Paul: "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

"It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand. It stops us from taking anything for granted. It has also taught me alot about living in the immediate moment. I am somehow managing to live one day, one hour at a time." Madeleine L'Engle

FIVE CERTAINTIES
WITH WHICH TO
START YOUR DAY

God holds you. Each day he carries us in his arms. Psalm 68:19 NLT
God sustains you. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1 AMP
God covers you. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust. Psalm 91:4 AMP
God pours His love upon you. Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me. Psalm 42:8 NLT
God will not fail you. The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Lamentations 3:22 NLT

THE BLOGGER'S PRAYER Lord, help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me, dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.
Love, The Dust Bunny Hostage

Sane, Simple, Sacred

Mercy

Maybe in 2014

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