a new year, a new start

Happy New Year, my sweet friends!  I hope that your New Year's Eve was a blast and that you rang in the new year with those you hold close.  Tyler and I had a really fun New Year's Eve and I'll have to show you some pictures later on this week!  Today, I want to share a few "new year" things with you.  I've never been much of a resolution girl, but there are a few things I am doing to kick of this new year and I want you to join in, too!

I've always listened to Christian music and I love getting in the car and tuning in to our K-Love station. However, I've noticed over the past couple of months I have started to choose more secular music over Christian music and I've really been convicted of that over the last few weeks.  I don't believe that secular music is outright sinful by any means, but I do believe that what goes into your heart is going to come back out.  Am I listening to music and ultimately allowing things in my heart that would be glorifying to God when they come back out?  

I want to begin this year with a heart that seeks Christ first.  I want to lay aside things in my life so that HE can become my main focus.  When I heard about the 30 Day Challenge on K-Love, I knew that the Lord was encouraging me to take it.  

For 30 days I am committed to listening to only Christian music.  It is my prayer that as I lay down my own earthly desires to seek Christ more, I would find Him more.  I pray that my attitude, my thoughts, my words, and my actions would look more like Him.  I encourage you to take this challenge with me! Go sign up on the K-Love website and comment below letting me know you did.  Over the next month I will be sharing some of my favorite Christian artists, albums, and songs so that you can be encouraged to find new Christian music that you enjoy.  I can't wait to look back at the end of this month and see what all the Lord has done because of my (and maybe yours, too!) obedience to put him first.  He is faithful.

I'm also excited to be a part of the She Reads Truth community for another Bible plan!  The new plan, A Fresh Start, is available in the YouVersion bible app and also on the She Reads Truth website.  Here's a little snippet from the website explaining this new plan.  

"It’s a new year. A new day. If you are in Christ, you are a new woman – made clean and redeemed. And yet, just because the day has started over and a new year is on the calendar – we don’t always feel so fresh, do we? This year, we have a proposition for you. Instead of resolving to get better, to grow yourself, to finally get it right – walk with us through His Truth as we let Him do the getting it right. We’re going to spend a few weeks searching the Word for fresh starts, the kind only He can provide. And our prayer is that as we study the ways that He is making all things new, He will be working out + growing new things in us for His glory. We’ll look at creation, we’ll walk with the Israelites through their redemption, we will read stories of personal restoration, and we’ll end with the final fresh start that we’ve yet to see – Revelation. And we’d love for you to join us."

I've just finished with day 1 and I'm already thrilled about what we're going to read over the next couple of weeks.  Here is the picture and the caption that I posted on Instagram this morning following my time in Genesis 1.

In Genesis 1 for the first day of the new she reads truth plan.  I circled the phrase "Then God said" to emind me that everything originates with God.  From my creation to my salvation, NOTHING comes from me.  I've not earned an ounce of this, but the Lord continues to pour out life, freedom, love and redemption.  Thank you, Father.  It's all because of you and, thankfully, none of it is because of me.

It's going to be a great journey, y'all!  Visit the She Reads Truth website and learn how to get involved.

Over the past couple of days I've been thinking about what my "word of the year" would be.  Last year I did a word, verse, and song of the year.  While I still may pick out a verse and a song this week, I know for sure that I have a word.  Nothing had really jumped out at me, so I figured I'd just wait until the Lord showed me something whether that be on December 30th or January the 10th.  How fitting that He showed it to me on January the 1st. :)

As I was praying this morning the word "renew" found itself in my prayer a lot. I prayed for renewal in many aspects of my life and as I ended the prayer I realized that "renew" was clearly my word for 2013. 

Webster like to define renew like this:  to make new, to restore, to begin again.  I'm praying for all those things in my life this year.  Renew is a verb and I want to be actively pursuing renewal in my life.  As I begin the year with the K-Love challenge, I know that is only a small aspect of what the word "renew" will look like in my life.  I pray that the Lord would restore the areas of my life that have been broken to sin, I pray that the Lord would make my heart new and clean, I pray that the Lord would put a new fire for the gospel in me this year.  I pray that as I begin a marriage that the Lord would refine and renew me through the process.  I hope to look back on January 1, 2014 and say, "Wow, what a work God did in my life in 2013."  Renew.  I want to be renewed.   

Well, ladies.  It's 2013.  My heart is so, so full.  I love you gals so much and I can't wait to see where the Lord takes this blog and our friendships this year.  I just want to gather you all up and give you a big squeeze.  

Are you taking the K-Love challenge with me?  Are you going to be a part of the She Reads Truth bible plan?  Do you have a word of the year?  Chat it up in the comments, girlfriend!

Happy New Year, loves.