Happy New Year

**Thank you to my friend Cassandra Hicks for making a header for my blog. Isn't the picture cool? I will explain the meaning behind the title "Stones of Remembrance" in an entry next week.

Happy New Year everyone!

It is the time of year to think about those New Year's Resolutions. When January rolls around I am always thinking about how I can be a better wife, a better mother, and a better person in general. All of these are connected to my christian walk and my relationship with God. As I strive to connect myself on a daily basis to my Savior, He empowers me to become better in all the areas that I listed above.

I found a great little list of resolutions in the January issue of Home Life magazine that I wanted to share. The list is short and sweet, but all of the ideas are so important for professing Christians.
1. Have a personal quiet time with God on a DAILY basis.
The time we spend with God in prayer and reading the Bible is foundational to becoming a better wife, a better mom, and a better person is general. The relationship I develop with Him gives me the strength and the power I need to fulfill all the roles that He has called me to. If I am too busy to find time to spend with God every single day then I am just too busy. If you feel too busy, then I encourage you to think through your schedule and see what needs to go. A great verse to read about the importance of reading your Bible everyday is the one I shared in my last post, Psalm 1:2-3

2. Commit to a local church and attend worship and Bible study groups regularly.All believers need the encouragement and the teaching that comes from being part of a great church. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." My Bible tells me that to neglect Christian meetings is to give up the encouragement and help of others Christians. We gather together to share our faith and to strengthen one another in the Lord.

3. Commit to serving in your local church.
We are not saved to warm a pew. We are saved to serve in a way that will advance the kingdom of God. Serving brings great joy and and it brings a strong sense of significance. God has given each one of us gifts that we should be using to bring Him glory. If you call yourself a Christian, you should be serving somewhere in your church, even if it is something as small as keeping the nursery once a quarter. Our service is not just limited to our local church either, but it is certainly a great place to start. If you are not serving, start praying that God will show you where to get plugged in, or just jump in and see what you enjoy doing. The Bible says in Matthew 20:28 "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

These 3 suggestions are basic spiritual disciplines and I hope you will join me and integrate them into your life in the upcoming year. You will blessed, beyond measure, as I have been.

I am looking forward to the year 2010. God has been so good to me and to my family as a whole. We have experienced blessings that are too great to list. I am most thankful that I am entering this new year as a family of four. After 13 years of marriage God allowed me to get pregnant and I am still amazed by that fact. My cup is full with a wonderful husband, two amazing children, one adopted and one biological, a loving and supportive extended family, a great church family, and great friends.

Thank you God for each and every blessing.