New Year Fun - 2013 Edition

Joining in with Sandra's New Year Fun.

Here are the rules:

Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month.

 
January 2013

[no posts]

February 2013

Beautiful.

Beef lasagne...haha (if you're British you'll get that)

March 2013

My longest bloggy friend Michele shared a quote on her lovely new blog Our Daily Work, in her post 'Becoming Yourself'. [NB: Michele has now closed this blog]

Sneaky crocus that I never planted has appeared - a lovely surprise.

April 2013

We spent a night away at the Lake District - Windermere to be exact - we had a lovely time.

May 2013

O' [Sarah], Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain.

Boots being helpful

June 2013

As I hung the washing out this morning using my Nan's old wooden pegs, I thought about all those years she spent hanging out her washing.

July 2013

Well, I'm so excited! It's a new beginning.

August 2013

It's late here, but here's a post!

September & October 2013

[no posts]

November 2013

So spoke the wanderer.

[No pics in November]

December 2013

Helllooooo anybody out there?

Happy New Year!

New Year, New Beginning, Renewed Hope

You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.  Psalm 65:11

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day [year!] with no mistakes in it yet?" Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited!  New Year is almost upon us.  I love the hope, the plans!  It might not work out but each year, each day, each moment is a new beginning in Christ.  His grace is eternal, His love unrelenting, and our hope in Him never ceases.

This year has been a hard year in so many ways, and yet as I look back I have learned so much and grown so much.  Let me not look back with regret, but thank God carrying me through it all and to look forward to tomorrow.  I'll make LOADS of mistakes! I know I will. But I must believe HIM, concentrate on God's Word which strengthens our hearts and minds to pick ourselves up and move forward.

My family and I have suffered as we picked ourselves up from the deceptions of our old church.  But the suffering has refined us and burnt off some of the dross that we carried.  More dross to be burnt off, that's sure, but He will carry us through it, He will bless us, He will love us, these things are sure.

FOR MY HOPES AND DREAMS:

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13

…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:31

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.  Psalm 20:4

MY PLANS MAY FAIL, BUT GOD'S PLANS PREVAIL - MAY I DO THE GOOD HE WILLS: 

Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

FOR WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED, GOD'S PLANS WILL EXCEED ALL WE COULD EVER HAVE DREAMED OF:

Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.  Habakkuk 1:5

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

MAY I SERVE FOR HIS SAKE, NOT TO IMPRESS ANYONE:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

TIME IS SHORT, LET'S LIVE LIFE WITH PURPOSE:

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.  Psalm 90:12

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:18-19

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. 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

GOD WORKS THROUGH JESUS TO MAKE ALL THINGS NEW:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”  Lamentations 3: 22-24

 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.   And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.   Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.”  Ezekiel 36:26-28

WE ARE ETERNAL IN CHRIST. WE ARE MADE BEAUTIFUL IN HIM:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  Ecclesiastes 3:11

MAY I ALWAYS SING HIS PRAISE IN THIS NEW YEAR:

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.  Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psalm 96: 1-3

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.  Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,…  1 Chronicles 16:11-12

Spending our Christmas money :)

As well as some lovely presents, we all got a bit of Christmas money from various relatives this year.  It's fun to have something to spend on fripperies for a change.  The girls spent their Christmas money yesterday on some painting stuff.  They had lots of fun.

Squidge going for an imaginative candle picture

Chatterbox painting, something orange and blue...not sure what it is yet. :)

I spent mine on some new cushions and some light shades.

See the blue one, it took me ages to find the right blue.  You see I started decorating the living room before Christmas.  Our walls were cream and this awful orangey-terracotta colour, so I've painted the chimney breast blue and the rest of the walls will be cream.

Looks nice eh? I'm pleased with it.

And here's one of my new light shades.  It's hard to tell but the shade is cream with gold pattern flocking, with some nice dangly bits LOL.  I have three of these, this one in the hall (see below) and then one half-way up the stairs and one on the landing.

You can just see the top of one of the girls' new scooters.  When you use the brakes on them sparks fly.  It's all very exciting! :)

On the above picture you can see one of Chatterbox's paintings, which looks really nice in my red hall.  I've took a close up (below), it's a bit blurred. #proudmummy.

We all still have some money to spend, well G hasn't spent any of his yet.  He's saving for a new guitar, so perhaps the money will go to that.

Did you get any nice presents this Christmas?

Hellooooo, anybody out there?

New year's resolution: Post more on blog.

How was your Christmas?

Swa cwæð eardstapa

So spoke the wanderer

Ye olde English...isn't it cool?...or pretentious, whatever. LOL

Anyway, I am still alive. If you were worried of course... :)

So, what's new with me?

I've gone through quite a 'thing' recently.  Before I went AWOL I was not in a great place church-wise.  In fact until quite recently I just felt sort of dead, numb...you know...not very spiritual.  I felt cynical about anything church/Christian related. Worship music? Just so annoying.  Bible? Couldn't read it. Prayer? Very little.  Preaching? Made me panic.

No, not in a great place.  In fact I even asked God - am I losing my faith? Is this what it's like?

But I just could not give up Jesus.  I know He's real. I know He's alive. I know that He is AWESOME.  I did acrobatics with my mind, but whichever way I looked Jesus was in my life.

No, every time I analysed my feelings my conviction about Jesus was still there.

I was so confused though.

Sitting in a Women's meeting at church listening to a lovely lady speak I suddenly had my epiphany.  I am not losing my faith, God is stripping away all the dross.  All the rubbish I had been fed since being a child.  All the twisting of scripture.  All the misrepresentation of God.  All the lies about what a 'real' church is.  The setting up of the pastor as mediator between me and God.

It all had to go.

I had to be emptied in a way. Cleansed.

I cried that night when I realised this.  Cried with relief.  God hadn't given up on me.

Jesus had to be my absolute cornerstone.  God had to take away the shaky foundation.  He can't build on sand.  It all needed stripping away until all that was left was Christ.  My Saviour.  The reason for my faith.  The reason I live.  He had to be my everything.

All of that old church tradition, religion, legalism, burden, chains, cage, gossip, criticism, idolisation of a man, lies, mixed up theology.  It all had to go.

Even then though, I didn't feel any great 'spiritual awakening' until the following Sunday.  People were invited up after the preaching for prayer.  I went up ostensibly to ask for prayer about fear.  I've always been anxious and I can see it rubbing off on my two lovely girlies.  Two people prayed with me and I was so moved by their words.  They prayed that my fears would go, but what they also said spoke so deeply to me.

They are precious words that I don't want to share on my public blog, but from that moment it was as if my Bible was reopened to my eyes and my prayer-life is back.  The zest has returned.

I still have scars to heal, I have lots to learn, but the last brick of my jail-cell was taken away and I am now free.

My desire now, my passion, is that others will be free too.

[L]et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

~Hebrews 12: 1b-2a

[NOTE: If you're new here, my family and I recently left a cult-like church...that is where the re-processing of my faith stems from.]

A drive-by hello

I've not forgotten my blog and I've not forgotten my blog friends. Just a little busy right now. In the words of Arnie: I'll be back. x

Happy Homemaker Monday - 12th August

For more HHM posts visit Sandra

The weather...

Rainy but quite bright.  Going to be about 15 C today. 

Right now I am...

Listening to Chatterbox playing Temple Run and Squidge playing City Island.  The music is quite annoying. :)

Thinking...

That I STILL haven't cut the grass and now it's raining!

On my reading pile...

Jane Eyre

On my TV...

Last night we watched Number 23 with Jim Carrey.  It's all about something called the 23 Enigma and this chappie who gets obsessed about it.  Apparently, Jim Carrey agreed to do the film as the 23 Enigma is something he is fascinated with.  I think the film was a pile of tosh and very boring.  There's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back! :)

What I found while surfing the net...

I rather like this post from The Moxie Wife: Love for Love's Sake

And this post from my hubby:  Children

On the menu for the week...

I have some tuna steaks, some steak pasties, and some chicken in the freezer...I'll probably do something with those but I haven't made a plan.

On my to-do list...

Mow that grass!!  *shakes fist at clouds n rain*
Do my usual Monday 'home blessing' as FlyLady calls it
Shopping
Ring the Child Tax Credit people

In the craft basket...

Nothing at the moment

Looking forward to this week...

Time with G tonight as the girls are staying at my friend's for a sleepover. :)

Looking around the house...

I can now hear the girls screaming as it has just started to absolutely pelt it down with rain and hailstones and they're trying to fasten up the waterproof cover on the guinea pigs' hutch.  Haha, good timing! LOL

From the camera...

From our friend's camera:

Chatterbox getting hugs off two little girls at a church kids club

On my prayer list...

Friends of mine who are having family issues
My husband and his health issues and his hospital appointment tomorrow.

Bible verse, devotional...

Here's the verses I'm memorising today (I'm memorising Psalm 91):

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
WhoShall abides under the shadow of the Almighty
I will say of my God the LORD, "He is my refuge and
My fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Surely He will shall save you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.  (Psalm 91:1-3)

OK I'm going to check I got that right...not bad, a few small errors. :)

Here's a few devotional thoughts:

On Gratitude:
Waiting till you're happy before you give thanks, is like waiting to be healthy before you take your vitamins ~ Ann Voskamp

On forgiving others:
For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life - namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things. Consequently, Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them. Not one word of what we have said about them needs to be unsaid. But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere he can be cured and made human again.~ C.S. Lewis

Have a blessed week! Hugs.