So my word for this year is FAITH. God has been gently nudging my heart in this area of my life in a few ways…and I thought I’d share a few links with you. Instead of waiting for the perfectly written, beautifully worded post, I want to share little tidbits of my journey – mostly for my own memory’s sake! I’m so forgetful, and if I put down even the smallest things God is showing me or books I’m reading, at the end of the year, hopefully I will have a bigger picture of all that God taught me about FAITH.
You may remember that I am memorizing James chapter 1 right now with my children. I just want to encourage each of you moms out there – MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE with your children!!! You will never know the blessings you are missing out on by not doing this!! I can’t tell you how God has blessed my heart, grown me, stretched me and TAUGHT ME through this time each morning.
For instance, we’ve been working on the first few verses of James since a few months ago. We kind of put it aside and went on to other verses. (We had memorized the “consider it pure joy…” portion. Well, we have picked it back up and are going further now, we are through verse 11 right now.
We are taking it slowly…but God has given us SO many conversations regarding PERSEVERANCE from this passage that I know His timing is perfect. We have discussed and discussed what perseverance means. I have shared with my children that parenting is one of the biggest lessons in perseverance that I’ve ever had in my life. We have talked about how they have to persevere in learning long division and piano practice. 🙂 It has been so neat for me to see the very words of God COME ALIVE in our everyday moments!!
Talk about a FAITH boost!! 🙂 God is so good!
Other than memorizing the passage in James, I am also watching the James: Mercy Triumphs 
DVD sessions that Beth Moore is teaching on the book. I started out watching at church, but with Belize and sick children I couldn’t get there every week, so I’m checking the DVD’s out from our church library and really enjoying watching these and taking notes at home. These teaching sessions are PERFECT for my growing in FAITH this year. James has so much to say about faith!!
DVD sessions that Beth Moore is teaching on the book. I started out watching at church, but with Belize and sick children I couldn’t get there every week, so I’m checking the DVD’s out from our church library and really enjoying watching these and taking notes at home. These teaching sessions are PERFECT for my growing in FAITH this year. James has so much to say about faith!!
Finally, I am also reading Angie Smith’s What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms
. I really love her writing! As you can see in the subtitle, walking in FAITH that transforms, this book also fits perfectly with what God is teaching me and showing me this year. I do not struggle a whole lot with fear. I do praise Him that this isn’t one of my huge struggles, I have plenty of others to choose from. 🙂 But, this book has been SO good in showing me that while I may not have many specific fears that I obsess about, I do have weaker faith in some specific areas. I love that this book explains how FAITH is the opposite of FEAR. Wow. Good stuff.
. I really love her writing! As you can see in the subtitle, walking in FAITH that transforms, this book also fits perfectly with what God is teaching me and showing me this year. I do not struggle a whole lot with fear. I do praise Him that this isn’t one of my huge struggles, I have plenty of others to choose from. 🙂 But, this book has been SO good in showing me that while I may not have many specific fears that I obsess about, I do have weaker faith in some specific areas. I love that this book explains how FAITH is the opposite of FEAR. Wow. Good stuff.God has been so gracious to give me these little (or not so little) lessons on faith. He has already grown my faith by answering prayers very specifically in several areas, especially my recent trip to Belize. I think answered prayers are a HUGE boost of faith!
He also grows my faith by allowing me to grasp His timing in things…just little things, like my friend Debbie offering to loan me her kindle book by Angie Smith. God’s timing was perfect! Little things like discussing perseverance with my children and actually NEEDING those words from James 1 to teach my children.
Little things are really huge in our faith-walk with God. They seem little, they seem like coincidences, but they are so much more…they are love letters from God…life lessons in faith…God growing me and stretching me. I’m so thankful.
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