Year two anyone?

Last October I took part in a super exciting 31 days series. Some of you may remember my topic was music. Well, it's that time again and I've been looking forward to this. For those of you who have been around here for a while, this year has been all about change for me.

God's done some amazing work in my life, allowing me to strip off old labels I'd worn since childhood. Giving me the courage to place new labels, His labels on to myself. Even if I haven't fully come to understand or believe them yet.

My goal for the month of October is to highlight the transforming power of His love and grace. Taking one label the world loves to place on people and shedding His light on them. Fighting them tooth and nail with His truth. That we might become more secure in who He made us to be, and strip off the ugliness of who the world thinks we are.

I'm going to ask for grace, encouragement and support this month. I'm praying that this will re-ignite my love for writing and deepen my understanding of my creator. As well as reconfirm who I am in Him. This journey is also one I look forward to helping with my life-long struggle with chronic insecurity.

I hope you'll join me for....

Day 1: From New to Old

Day 2:  From Worthless to Priceless

Day 3: From Captive to Free

Day 4: From Rags to Royalty

Day 5: From Loner to Connected

Day 6: Musical interlude

Day 7: From Broken to Whole

Day 8: From Dead to Alive

Day 9: --No Post--

Day 10: From Good to Grace

Day 11: From Heartbroken to Hopeful

Day 12: Whatever You're Doing

Day 13: From Forgettable to Memorable

Love Impacts

I've been scarce around here lately. It's not that I haven't wanted to write, because believe me...there has been plenty on my heart to write about. No, the issue has been due to the exhaustion that crept back up on me. Hit simultaneously with the start of the third trimester. With that being said, there has been two songs lately that I hear all. the. time. Each time I hear them I can't help but stop what I'm doing and focus on these songs.





So...if those two songs didn't make it clear enough and emphasize that my life needs to be a reflection of His love. This morning, I read through the end of week 5 of the Kept Study from the Hello Mornings gang. The point to ponder at the end of the week was:

"I cannot love like He loves unless I follow Christ's example and die to self."

Ohh kayyy... I think I get the point. Just maybe. Then again...this seems to be one of those lessons that just keeps coming up. One of those I have to learn, re-learn, and then have it taught to me again.

The challenge I set out for myself is to look for ways each day, hour, minute to be a better display of His love to those who are around me.

Seeing the beauty {Multitudes 121-145}

Up until last week, this pregnancy has been fairly easy. Not too many of the negative symptoms and enjoying the bliss that is known as the second trimester. Then the third trimester hit, along with muscles ache (primarily in the back and legs) as well as major heart burn. Couple that with a long, stressful, and behavioral week at work, it makes for a tired mama.

Now, even though I know in the end, it will be worth each and every thing that may seem annoying right now. Sometimes it's hard to look through the forest for the beauty. Which is why I love this practice on Mondays of counting the gifts given to me on a consistent basis.

121. New challenges
122. Baby movement
123. Steps in the right direction
124. Cool mornings
125. Bright cloudless skies
126. Fall temperatures
127. How the grass shimmers with dew
128. Kevin’s curiosity about Andrew
129. Peaceful mornings
130. God’s energy that  carries me
131. Boldness
132. Books that challenge me
133. Friends that do too
134. Daily grace
135. Perspective alignment
136. Confirmation (repeatedly) of call
137. Deep conversations with my love
138. Spirit movement
139. Our double-wide chair-perfect for cuddle time
140. Shared interests—especially unlikely ones
141. His vision for us
142. Registering for baby Andrew
143. New beginnings
144. A sweet, yet stubborn dad
145. Commitment

Won't you join all of us who take part in the community? All you have to do is jump on over to Ann's place and link up with us!

Five Minute Friday: Graceful

It's time again for one of those weekly link-ups that many of us love so much.
Dare we be so bold as to write for a solid five minutes without second guessing ourselves?
Today's prompt?

Graceful

How is it that so shortly after just studying about a very topic, we forget that it's meant not only to be taken into my heart, but also poured out onto others. It almost never fails that on the days that we're prompted to study or write on a subject, it's that very subject we're tempted with.

To be graceful is to show grace just like our Father has shown to us. How can it be so hard for us to freely give to others what was freely given unto us? Is it because we so often think that the grace we have been given falls on us because of something we have done? Forgetting that it's a free gift that HE gave unto us. Unto me.

Can we stop trying to earn it, and just let it fall on us. To allow it fill us to the point where it just naturally just pours out of us onto others? To be full of grace is to be full of God. For at His very core we'll find grace.

Father,  Forgive me when I fail to show grace to those around me. Forgetting that you have given me grace, free without condition. May I learn to extend that same grace to others. In Jesus Name, Amen.

STOP

Need a reset?

Sometimes we all need to simply hit reset every now and then. That's precisely what's taking place over at Must Love God. With the start of a new school year often means a similar refreshing of priorities as January 1st brings about. We thought this would be the perfect time to re-prioritize our lives by looking at the four key areas of life that need to be in a constant state of evaluation anyway.



We had the intro post a few days ago. Then yesterday we had an amazing post about how to read the Bible effectively  especially if you don't feel you understand it thoroughly enough. Today, yours truly is sharing on ways to better process what we read in the Bible.

I hope you'll join us for the rest of this reset. I cannot wait to see what transformations God's going to do through this reset! It may hurt, but I know in the end it will be worth it!