Mona Hodgson's Blog, page 5

9 Psalms to Bolster You on a Bad Day

Hello, Friends!

Bad days happen. To all of us.

Days that show up as magnets for mishaps and misunderstandings. The kind of days that can launch us into emotional ups and downs.

You might be smack dab in the middle of that kind of day.

You are not alone. David and the others who wrote psalms knew days like that and recorded their emotional roller coaster rides in the Bible. From pouring out their hearts to God to pondering His ways. From petition and pleading to praising God.

The book of Psalms is a go-to for me when I’m battling a bad day, a day of emotional ups and downs. Here are nine Psalms and truths that help bolster me on those kinds of days. I’m hoping these truth encourage you, too.

1

Feeling alone?

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10

The Lord will not ever forsake you.

2

Feeling burnt out?

“You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28

The Lord keeps His light burning inside you and will turn your darkness into light.

3

Feeling anxious?

“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping.’ Your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:18-19

The Lord’s love for you will never fail you, and His consolation will bring you joy.

4 

Feeling overwhelmed?

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

The Lord will deliver you from your troubles.

5

Feeling foolish?

“The LORD is gracious and righteous; and our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low He saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” Psalm 116:5-7

The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

6

Wrestling depression?

“But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the one who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3

The Lord is your shield and will lift your head. High.

7

Feeling stuck?

“He [God] guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” Psalm 25:9

The Lord will guide the humble in doing the right thing and teach you His ways.

8

Weary?

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10&12

God will purify you, give you a steadfast spirit and joy, and He will sustain you.

9

Feeling unloved, unlovable?

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1

The Lord loves you with an enduring, never ending love.

Friends, I’d love to hear from you. Is there a Psalm that is especially encouraging to you?

 

The post 9 Psalms to Bolster You on a Bad Day appeared first on Mona Hodgson.

Hope Building Facts About Forward Looking

I’m excited to introduce you to my hope building friend, Michelle.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson, a board certified clinical neuropsychologist, is also a wife, mother and friend. She knows pain and despair firsthand and combines her professional expertise and personal experience with her faith to address issues surrounding medical and mental disorders, both for those who suffer and for those who care for them.

In today’s post, Michelle talks about looking back versus forward looking.

By Dr. Michelle Bengtson

Have you ever done something that made you feel bad about yourself and kept you trapped in the mistakes of your past?

Have you ever been criticized by someone, and felt guilty, ashamed, or inferior?

Words of another can sting. So can the words of our enemy who seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10).

Words of another can sting. So can the words of our enemy who seeks only to steal, kill, and…
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Often, we don’t recognize Satan’s taunts for what they are: lies.Having teenagers in the house brings with it the opportunity to remember not only my younger years when I was their age, but also the mistakes and poor choices that come with youth.

Sometimes those memories are twinged with guilt, shame, and embarrassment. If I allow my thoughts to go unchecked, I can begin to wonder how God would ever use someone like me who tested the waters of independence rather than consulting His plans for me.

• Have you ever done something so bad that you feared God could no longer use you?

• Have you ever allowed shame over your words or actions to hold you back from God’s call on your life?

• Have you ever believed that your past disqualifies you in some way from serving God?

The enemy would like to convince us that our messy pasts erode any promise for our future.

The enemy would like to convince us that our messy pasts erode any promise for our future.
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Hold onto hope! I firmly believe that God uses our greatest messes to be our greatest message for Him.

God desires that we would first believe in Him, and then that we would surrender our heart to His plans.

Joshua 2 tells the story of Rahab who is a perfect example of just this! Rahab was an Old Testament prostitute. Many would think of her as anything but godly. Yet scripture reveals that Rahab believed in the One True God.

Joshua led the Jews into the Promise Land. Two spies went on ahead into the city of Jericho. Rahab hid the spies on the roof top of her inn, and when the King of Jericho sent soldiers to her inn demanding that she turn over the spies, she lied about their whereabouts and sent them searching for the spies in another direction. Rahab kept silent about the spies’ mission, and in return, Joshua spared Rahab and her entire family’s lives when Jericho was invaded and destroyed.

“It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” Hebrews 11:31

Rahab’s history as a prostitute may have caused others to doubt her worth, but she believed in and placed her hope in the One True God and risked her life for Him by providing safety for Joshua’s spies.

Rahab heard how God delivered the Jews from their enemy, then because of her faithfulness to God, she experienced His deliverance first hand when all those in Jericho who disobeyed God were killed.

James 2:25 reveals that Rahab was considered righteous because of her service to God.

God does not judge us in the same way we judge others.

God does not judge us in the same way we judge others.
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Nor does God use our status, accomplishments, or a blemish-free record as the determining factor for His ability to use us in service to Him.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).

God is looking for those who believe in Him, and are willing to surrender to His plans. Our history, mistakes, and messes allow for God to receive greater glory for the outcome.

Don’t keep looking back and dwelling on the mistakes of your past—you aren’t going that way!

Don't keep looking back, dwelling on the mistakes of your past--you aren't going that way!
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Look ahead to what God is going to do in and through you for your good and His glory.

Because of Him, #HopePrevails!

Have you ever let your past interfere with your future? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Follow Michelle on Facebook or Twitter.

To read more from Michelle, order copies of her books, Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression and the Hope Prevails Bible Study.

NOTE: Friends, are you receiving my e-Newsletters? If not, click here to find sign up. Don’t miss the May 1 newsletter–Michelle is giving away a signed set of Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression and the Hope Prevails Bible Study.

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Are You Living Connected, or Only in Close Proximity?

I struggle with wanting to give in to our society’s endorsement of individualism. My natural tendency is to make life about me and my tidy comfort zone. Maybe you do too.

Expressing love from a distance is oodles easier and less awkward than responding to up-close and personal opportunities to reach out to others. You with me?

Here’s the scene in Matthew, Chapter 22. An expert in the law posed this question Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus answered, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Relationship with God is number one. But Jesus didn’t stop at a loving relationship with God.

“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

There we have a foundation for everything—all—we do. Love the Lord our God and love our neighbor. “Love others as well as you love yourself,” is the way the second greatest commandment reads in The Message.

The list of synonyms for love include “feel affection for,” “be devoted to,” and “care for.”

Whether we have a healthy self-image or not, even if today you and I can only name things we don’t like about ourselves, we still look out for ourselves—meet our needs and care about our comfort.

Okay, so what does loving others as we love ourselves look like?

We donate blankets to the homeless shelter and canned goods to the food bank. We pack Christmas boxes of hygiene and personal items for children around the world. We purchase goats or chickens for needy families in Uganda.

All these good acts express love for my neighbors.

Some of our neighbors.

What about the woman seated alone on the far side of the sanctuary or even the woman who sits in front of me at the Sunday service? Week after week.

My natural way of thinking focuses on differences. What I don’t have in common. What I can’t relate to. What the neighbors I reach out to might think of me.

But not God. His thoughts and ways are higher. He’s all about connection points.

Living connected to others is an echo of God’s command for us to love one another as He loves us. It’s a call to action—one meant to invigorate hearts and enrich lives, including our own.

Living connected to others is an echo of God’s command for us to love one another as He loves us.
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By God’s design, there is more to living in community than a polite hello. Fine. Thank you.

By God’s design, there is more to living in community than a polite hello. Fine. Thank you.
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BAG OF MARBLES? 

To find me during recess as a third and fourth grader, look for the circle of mostly boys. You’d spot me crouched in the dirt shooting marbles, poised to knock an opponent’s marble out of the ring.

Recently, one of our pastors stood on the stage holding up a bag of marbles. The clink and tink of rounded glass against rounded glass took me back to my grade school playground. Matt Shires labeled the bag of marbles as an illustration of a unique collection of individuals.

I’m a visual learner who appreciates a good object lesson, so I’m running with the analogy. I could trade a steelie for a cat eye. The marble’s absence wouldn’t make any difference to the rest of the marbles. If I were to take a hammer and smash a marble to bits, its disintegration wouldn’t impact the other marbles.

Dump the contents of the bag in the dirt, and the marbles will roll helter-skelter away from one another.

The individual marbles while in a bag are in proximity to one another, but not much else connects them. The marbles can exist in the bag and look like the others, but function as detached, independent units that don’t affect or influence the others.

CLUSTER OF GRAPES?

Unique individuals also make up a cluster of grapes. The difference is the grapes are not detached but connected to one another. Grapes on a vine share the same source of life and nourishment.

If we are a follower of Jesus, we are called to live connected like grapes dependent on the same source of life.

If we are a follower of Jesus, we are called to live connected like grapes dependent on the same…
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“And let us consider how we may spur one another on

toward love and good deeds,

not giving up meeting together,

as some are in the habit of doing,

but encourage one another—

and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

This week at church, introduce yourself to someone  you don’t know.

Ask an acquaintance how her week went.

Offer to pray with a woman who is going through a tough time.

Thanks for joining me here, friend.

Hugs and smiles,

Mona

 

You might enjoy these other posts . . .

Practicing the Art of Paying Attention

Victim of Grace: An Amazing Truth Every Woman Should Know

12 Verses to Live By in 2018

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What a Bone Rattling Bobsled Ride Taught Me

Let me introduce you to my friend, Loree Johns.

Loree, a Write Brilliant buddy and one of my iron sharpeners, is an interior designer who offers inspiration for  your heart and your home, earning her the title Decorating Devotional Gal. Loree and I met in person in Park City, Utah, last summer at the Write Brilliant live event for online academy participants.

I opted out of the bobsled ride, but not Loree. And I couldn’t think of a better time to share her story than the week the 2018 Winter Olympics kick off.

by Loree Johns

How bad could the bobsled ride be?

If the Utah Olympic Park let the public sign up it must be safe, though the list of health warnings on the ticketing site hung half a page long. When anxiety threatened to tangle with my peace, I stuffed anxiety into my back pocket.

At our Park City, Utah, writer’s conference, the Write Brilliant mantra was, “The answer is always YES!”

The Write Brilliant team encouraged us to step away from our norm during the afternoon breaks and seek adventure.

The adventure that kept jumping out at me was the Olympic bobsled.

Park City is an Olympic training center for downhill skiing and that crazy bobsled. The stunning amenities were built for hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic games.

My new writing friend Jen and I were the only adventurers from our group that day. Grabbing our wrist bands, we spent the morning having the time of our lives on the ropes course, the A-Mazing fifty-five mile an hour zip line, and the crazy-fun-heart-in-your-throat inner tubing down the steep drop of the ski jumps.

Then came the time for our last event.

Time for the greatest thrill? Terror? Of all.

Strapping on our helmets we piled in after the professional bobsled driver. Squashed in the middle, I gripped the hand straps like no other and braced for the wicked descent.

The thrill was real. A sixty-second rush like no other. Hurling seventy miles an hour down a mountain around vicious curves in a tin can sled.

And after the first twenty seconds, all I could think about was, Is it almost over?

Seventy miles an hour may not seem so bad. But picture yourself in a tiny narrow sled flying down the interstate with one hairpin turn after another with only a frail helmet to protect your skull. My head squeezed from the pressure like it was being compressed in a vise. And it felt like my neck was having a hard time keeping my head from flying off into the great blue yonder.

Now I know why they caution against those prone to neck problems and migraines. Oh, and they forgot to mention preparation for bruising. Jerking from side to side as we rounded each corner with violent speed, my upper arms were thrown again and again into the “padded” sides of the sled.

Now, with two feet planted on the terra firma, I’m glad I said Yes.

Just so I can say I did it.

But don’t ask me to do it again.

Ever.

Probably.

Unless it’s like childbirth, you forget how painful it was and before you know it you’re doing it all over again.

I think of our life-walk and those times when our hearts are squeezed in a vise and arrows of men pierce deep the soft tissue. Attacked and overloaded with fear and pain, our poor hearts feel as if they will burst.

At times with too many to-do’s piled on us, we are so crazy stressed that we feel as if our head is spinning and could pop off at any minute.

At times with many to-do's piled on us, we feel as if our head is spinning and could pop off at any…
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If we will take sixty-seconds, close our eyes and breathe God deep instead of hurling pell-mell around one curve after the next, vulnerable and unprotected, He will cover us with a blanket of peace, warm and soft and comforting so we can face another day and another curve.

If we will take sixty-seconds to breathe God deep, instead of hurling pell-mell around another…
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One day at a time.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you,

In God, whose word I praise—

In God I trust and am not afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?”

Psalm 5:3-4

You can follow Loree on Facebook and on her blog.

 

Note from Mona: I’m now posting on my blog the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month. 

 

You might also enjoy reading . . .

Practicing the Art of Paying Attention

Victim of Grace: An Amazing Truth Every Woman Should Know

What Everyone Should Know About Panic Disorder

A Cheat Sheet for Defeating Distractions

The post What a Bone Rattling Bobsled Ride Taught Me appeared first on Mona Hodgson.

Practicing the Art of Paying Attention

On the last day of 2017, my twenty-something girlfriend leaned toward me. “Do you have your one word for 2018?”

I gulped. “Not yet.”

“Well,”–Kara’s brown eyes still glimmered with anticipation–“when you do, I want to hear about it.”

“Uh. Sure,” I sputtered. “We’ll get together.”

In the freshness of 2017, Kara and I had huddled at the island in my kitchen eating chicken salad. Our conversation centered around the concept of prayerfully considering one word or phrase that sums up a spiritual practice or posture for intentional focus.

I’d shared my 2017 word and related Bible verses, and talked about the applications stirring in my heart. Next, Kara asked about a focus word for her. When one word raced into her mind, the excitement nearly toppled the kitchen stool supporting her.

That was then.

Not yet, my answer for 2018, stood out as a stark understatement. The idea of one year ending and a new one starting the next day hadn’t sunk in. Until Kara posed her question.

December 31st marked the absence of any real reflection on 2017 or goal setting for 2018.

Later in the day, seated in the passenger seat, I quieted my heart and breathed a prayer, “Lord, do You have a word for me to consider when I step into 2018 tomorrow? An area in which You’d like to see growth?”

One area? I expected the narrowing process to take some time. But before my hubby parked the car in our garage, a single word rose to the rim of my consciousness, as if whispered into my spirit by the Father.

Attentive.

I researched various nuances of the word attentive.

Being alert.  Observant.  Paying close attention.  Undistracted.

That all shakes out to having a focal point and remaining focused.

My friend Rachel understands the value of choosing a focal point. As a photographer, she carefully adjusts her camera lens to capture a core image for each photo. Will she capture the scarred trunk of the maple as the center of attention? The green garnishing on the branches? Or will the focal point go to the caterpillar lunching on a leaf?

The lens setting Rachel chooses can cause all but the focal image to fade into the background. The background images still exist, but aren’t commanding all the attention and draining energy from the main focus.

Attentive may not be the word you chose for 2018, if choosing a word is even one of your spiritual practices, but paying attention to our focal point is essential if we wish to live life as Jesus followers.

Attentive may not be your focus word for 2018, but paying attention to our focal point is essential…
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We all choose a focal point for our lives. We all place someone or something at the center. Even if we do so as a default. Without intention.

After considering the dictionary descriptions, my next step was to see what the Scripture had to say about paying close attention.

Three benefits to being attentive to God’s Word and His ways stood out to me.

Three benefits to being attentive to God's Word and His ways stood out to me.
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Paying close attention to what God says guards against drifting.

“We must pay the most careful attention,

therefore, to what we have heard,

so that we do not drift away.”

Hebrews 2:1, NIV

I experienced a visual last summer while kayaking with my then thirteen year old grandson. When my arms and shoulders grew tired of paddling, I withdrew the paddle from the lake and laid it across the kayak in front of me. Within three minutes, he was many yards ahead of me. Partly because Ryan was paddling. Also because I’d begun to drift backward.

What happens when we’re not intentional about our spiritual direction and paying close attention? We drift.

We move forward or go backward. There’s no standing still in life’s  swift and swirling current.

The prophet Jeremiah said that because the Israelites did not listen or pay attention, they followed the stubborn inclinations of  their evil hearts. They went backward, not forward. (Jeremiah 7:24)

Being attentive positions hearts to listen.

“’Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.‘”

Jeremiah 33:31, NIV

Hmm. I’ll improve in the area of paying attention when I become more intentional about silencing myself and listening for His leading.

Paying close attention to what God says brings peace.

Listen to how the prophet Isaiah recorded it.

“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.

If only you had paid attention to my commands,

your peace would have been like a river,

your well-being like the waves of the sea.‘”

Isaiah 48:17-18, NIV

Peace that backs down fear. Peace that satisfies. Peace that passes all understanding. If we’re paying attention to God’s Word and the counsel of the Holy Spirit, you and I can breathe in that kind of peace.

What or who is it that is capturing your attention, distracting you today?

Lord God, make me more aware of Your constant presence. Help me pay attention to the working of Your hand and heart.   Woo me with Your Word. Tune my heart to hear Your voice and to sing Your praise. Fix my eyes on Jesus, my Good Shepherd. For Your glory. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I’d love to hear from you . . .

What practices help you observe God’s ways and remain attentive to His leading?
If you chose a focus or growth word or phrase for 2018, will you share it with us?

What practices help you observe God's ways and remain attentive to His leading?
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NOTE: For more time to work on my next book, I am cutting back on the frequency of my blog posts. Look for them on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month, beginning on Monday, February 5th.

 

You might also like to read:

A Cheat Sheet for Defeating Distractions

12 Bible Verses to Live By in 2018

Victim of Grace: An Amazing Truth Every Woman Should Know

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Victim of Grace: An Amazing Truth Every Woman Should Know

I’m excited to introduce you to my friend, Robin.

Robin Jones Gunn is an award-winning storyteller, the much loved author of the popular Christy Miller series for teens and Sisterchicks® novels as well as non-fiction favorites such as Victim of Grace: When God’s Goodness Prevails. Robin and her hubby live in Hawaii where she writes from her lanai, sipping iced tea with a fresh slice of pineapple. What? Me? Jealous?

Follow Robin on Facebook or Twitter.

I asked Robin if she’d share an excerpt from her book, Victim of Grace. She said “Yes.” Thanks, Robin!

By Robin Jones Gunn

Something happened on that day of catastrophic loss when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God.

Something happened on that day of catastrophic loss when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God.
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Something that draws the rest of us in generation after generation with a gasp of hope.

While Adam and Eve were in hiding, fearful and ashamed, they “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the evening.” He made Himself accessible. No lightning bolt struck them from the heavens. No invisible hand reached down and choked their last breath from them.

Instead, the Lord God came looking for them, seeking to restore what had been demolished.

Adam and Eve were about to become the first victims of grace.

Grace; verb, love that you do not deserve.

What did it sound like when the Lord God walked in the garden?

Were His footsteps heavy and earth pounding? Or was the sound of the Lord God more like a telling breeze? A rushing wind that set the birds to singing and the leaves of the trees to clapping their hands.

Did He come with a gentle rain to wash away all that was soiled?

Whatever God sounded like when He walked in the garden in the cool of the evening, Eve knew the sound. She knew it was God. It was not a deer or a rabbit or any other created being. It was God and God alone. And He was coming for her.

God called out, “Where are you?”

Eve was the first woman to hear the cry of the Relentless Lover.

Eve was the first woman to hear the cry of the Relentless Lover.
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From that ancient moment until this very day Father God has not stopped calling out to each of us.

God comes walking in the garden of our hearts, pursuing us, making Himself accessible and inviting us to come out of hiding.

Why does He continue to pursue us when all we do is disobey? I believe it’s because we are His first love and He wants us back.

Did you catch that?

God doesn’t want to get us back in a vengeful way. He wants to get us back. Us. His sons and daughters.

God did not demolish Adam and Eve even though they had broken their relationship with Him. He did not wipe them off the face of the earth or ignore them or leave them in their terror and misery.

He came to them. He invited them to come out of hiding.

In this first expression of an extraordinary and extravagant outpouring of grace, God established through their lives the theme of His Book: Everything is redeemable.

Do we still believe that today? Every life can be ransomed.

That which was destroyed can be restored. Everything is Redeemable.

That which was destroyed can be restored. Everything is Redeemable.
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To read more from Robin, pick up a copy of her book, Victim of Grace: When God’s Goodness Prevails, here.

 

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Choosing Clutter Free: 7 Steps for Getting Started

I’d like to introduce my friend, Kathi Lipp. I’ve known Kathi for several years, and then had the privilege of getting to know her better when we worked together for a couple of years at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference in California. The author of Clutter Free: Quick and Easy Steps for Simplifying Your Space, Kathi excels in simplifying and organizing. That’s why I asked her to share an excerpt from her book with a few basics steps to help us declutter in this new year.

By Kathi Lipp

Since starting Clutter Free Academy, we’ve had many people ask, “Where do I start?”

We all want to be more organized, more disciplined when it comes to dealing with our stuff. This excerpt from my book Clutter Free offers a beginners’ guide to help you jump in and get results quickly.

1. Pick a major source of pain. Get mad every time you go into the garage? See red when you try to relax in the living room? Is your office where papers go to die?

Whatever area of your home is causing you the most pain, that’s what needs to be addressed first.

The area of your home that's causing you the most pain, declutter it first.
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2. Start with surfaces. Some people want to dive into grandma’s photo albums that have been sitting in the attic for decades. Deal with the layers first, giving yourself a goal (Twenty items a day? Thirty?).

Start the decluttering process with surfaces that confront you every day: Your kitchen counters, kitchen table, nightstand, desk.

Start the decluttering process with surfaces that confront you every day: Your kitchen counters,…
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As you get practice with the day to day clutter, you can start to deal with the deeper clutter.

You are building your “flinging” muscles! Oh – and when you start – only pick a small area. One counter, one shelf, one drawer. I know that’s not a surface, but if it’s a drawer you use all the time and it’s so stuffed you can’t open it,  bad words come to mind every time you try, feel free to tackle that drawer.

To stay focused, you can even use blue painter’s tape to put physical boundaries on the area you are working on. Great for young kids. Or easily distracted adults.

3. Set up a donation space. I have a bin in my garage where all my donations go. When it’s filled up, I take it to the car and stop at the “donation station” on the way to church on Tuesdays for a meeting.

For the first few weeks of flinging, you may have more garbage and recycling than normal. That’s OK!

One the way to clutter free, you may have more garbage and recycling than normal, in the first few…
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Understand that you may have to pay for past clutter indiscretions, but going forward, you will remember the cost of bringing clutter across the threshold and will resist the urge.

4. Get your tools together. You will need five bags or boxes to sort out your stuff.

Label the bags or boxes: Other Rooms, Put Away (anything that belongs in that room, but is out of place), Give Away, Recycling, and Garbage.

We use nifty color-coded bags with handles.

5. Declutter. Get all your containers and bags around you so it’s easy to sort out your area. Set a timer for 15 minutes and start sorting.

6. Deal with the fallout. At the end of the 15 minutes of sorting, it’s time to start dealing with the stuff you are not putting back onto/into that same space. Set your timer for 5 minutes and take care of any container or bag that is full (or close to full).

If that is all the decluttering you are doing for now, deal with all the containers/bags. Don’t leave a bigger mess than when you started!

7. Stay encouraged with other flingers. You’ll need a cheering section, especially when you’re getting started or “leveling up” (dealing with harder clutter: sentimental things, family items, expensive clothes, etc.).

Connect with people who have made the same hard decisions and know your pain.

We have a Facebook group dedicated to learning the Clutter Free way. Join us there for encouragement and motivation. Miracles are happening in that group. Join now!

To read more from Kathi, click here to purchase Clutter Free: Quick and Easy Steps for Simplifying Your Space.

 

Note from Mona: Friends, my desktop is my first decluttering project for 2018. How about you? Anything you plan to make clutter free this month?

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12 Bible Verses to Live By in 2018

Happy New Year, friends!

December 31, 2017 snuck up on  me, but I wasn’t sad to see the old year end. The New Year will bring one of our two daughters and her family back from Africa for a visit. We have much to look forward to in 2018.

Whether you’re cheering on the New Year or not, let’s you and I press pause for a few moments to begin 2018 with ready hearts, resting in the light.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105, NIV

2018 represents a fresh start. A New Year gives the gift of twelve months abounding in opportunities and, yes, challenges. What better way to welcome a New Year than to direct our attention to 12 Bible verses or passages that can point us to the path of truth and grace.

Welcome the New Year with 12 Bible verses that will light your path.
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For your convenience, here are a few ideas for how you might use this listing of 12 Bible verses or passages, one for each of the 12 months.

• Meditate on the month’s verse daily.

• Download the month’s verse graphic to your phone or computer for easy access.

• Keep the listing or month’s verse in your Bible for review during your daily reading.

• In your journal, rewrite the verse as a personal prayer.

• Examine the verse, considering the setting and context.

• Do a word study on the words I bolded, or on other words in the verses that draw your attention.

• Memorize the verse or passage.

• Print off the verse or passage graphic for the current month and post it on your bathroom mirror or on the refrigerator door for quick reference.

 

JANUARY

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12, NIV

 

FEBRUARY

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7, NIV

 

MARCH

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10, NIV

 

APRIL

“Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.” 1 Chronicles 16:11, NIV

 

MAY

“He [God] guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” Psalm 25:9, NIV

 

JUNE

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:21, NIV

 

JULY

“But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3, NIV

 

AUGUST

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5, NIV

 

SEPTEMBER

“The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11, NIV

 

OCTOBER

“The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs  in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11, NIV

 

NOVEMBER

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs…. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever.” Psalm 100:1, 2 & 5, NIV

 

DECEMBER

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45, NIV

Do you know someone who might enjoy this 2018 Bible Verse Calendar? I’d be thrilled if you’d share the link on your social media or in a private message with family and friends!

I’m grateful we’re on this journey together. Thanks much for walking through 2017 with me. Here’s to God’s best for you in this New Year!

Love and hugs,

Mona

 

If you’re starting the new year grappling with grief, you might find encouragement in When Grief Gives Way to Gifts.

If you’re starting the new year punching it out with panic disorder, you might find encouragement in What Everyone Should Know About Panic Disorder.

If you teeter-totter with perfectionist tendencies, you might find inspiration in 3 Things Perfectionists Won’t Tell You.

Click here for a download of 30 Bible Verses that will help you grasp more of the grace and freedom that is yours in Christ.

The post 12 Bible Verses to Live By in 2018 appeared first on Mona Hodgson.

My Christmas Prayer

Lord Jesus, with “O Come All Ye Faithful” playing in the background, I pause  to be still. Reset my spirit to remember that you are God. The Beginning and the End. The life-giving Light who came to earth all those years ago.

Father, may the lavish love that compelled Christ to come as a babe swaddled in a feed trough, then to walk the way of the cross for my transgressions stir me, move me to lay my life at Your feet anew–a sacrifice of praise and an offering much too small.

Holy Spirit, guide me to breathe in and live out the grace Jesus came to give.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Jesus Day, friends! May the peace He came to give us starting with that first Christmas pour over you afresh as you remember and celebrate His unfailing, enduring love.

 

The post My Christmas Prayer appeared first on Mona Hodgson.

Christmas: Simple Beginnings

One week from today, we’ll gather with family, friends, or neighbors to celebrate Christmas with merry decorations, gift-gifting, and a festive feast.

As I reflect upon God’s provision of a Christmas baby, who would grow to become our Easter Savior, I find myself contemplating the simplicity of His plan. Not an easy plan, but a modest one.

Jesus would come to earth as both God and man to simple folk: a teenager and a carpenter. Not to be birthed in a pristine palace, but on a gritty road trip instead.

Mary labored.

Joseph stopped.

The inn keeper pointed to the stable.

Jesus came from Glory to gloom, to seek, to serve, and to save.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.“

Luke 19:10, NIV

Christmas, a simple birth witnessed by a warm-backed donkey. And a heavenly Father with a heart tender toward those He created.

Angels sang of Jesus’ birth.

Shepherds, not Sadducees, followed a beaming star to His cradle-side.

Jesus came, a package of coos and cries in an unprecedented, incomparable gift of grace.

For the love of us, Jesus came, pure and simple.

What one thing are you doing to simplify your Christmas celebration?

 

Jesus came from Glory to gloom, to seek, to serve, and to save.
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Jesus came, a package of coos and cries in an unprecedented, incomparable gift of grace.
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For the love of us, Jesus came, pure and simple.
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The post Christmas: Simple Beginnings appeared first on Mona Hodgson.