Join Me On the Journey

Journaling is a powerful tool to help you make lasting change in your life. There are many types of journals, but I think that the most important is what I call the quiet time journal.

I recommend that you keep your quiet time journal in a 3-ring notebook. You will have different sections in your quiet time journal and these sections will grow at different rates. Ideally, you should have tabs, but they are certainly optional. I have also found the using a 5½ X 8½ 3-ring binder works better for me. It is easier to handle because it’s closer in size to my Bible.

You will find the need for several different sections. Some of the sections in your quiet time journal, or notebook would include but not be limited to:

1. Prayer
2. Bible reading and Bible study
3. Application

How many times have you been asked to pray for someone? You soberly promise that you will pray. You have every intention of praying; and then you forget all about it. Later, when you see that person, they thank you for praying for them, and you feel badly. Having a prayer section in your quiet time journal helps keep that from happening.

The prayer section can be as simple as a list you jot down in random order. Make certain that you write down the date you add the request to your list. (I haven’t always been very good at this and I always regret it later!) Also, it’s fun to highlight your prayer request when it is answered and jot down the date of the answer as well.

The prayer section of my quiet time journal is subdivided into several sections. I have a section for my husband and myself; a section for each child; a section for my extended family; and a section for friends. You will probably find that you will have different sections. Just start somewhere and you can expand or change it as needed.

The Bible is God’s love letter to you. We all know the benefits of reading and studying the Bible.

However, reading the Old Testament is difficult for most of us. I recommend reading through the OT chronologically as it helps you to acquire an overview of the history. There are many chronological reading plans online.

I recommend using one of the modern translations when reading through the Old Testament. The modern translations are more like a story and it really helps you to get more out of your Bible reading. There was a time in my life when I would only read from King James Version, but now I use many different translations and use the KJV as my gold standard.

Something else that is interesting is a Harmony of the Gospels. Google it; there are great resources. It is enlightening to see the different perspectives of the same event.

Another great resource is the One Year Bible. This Bible breaks your daily Bible reading into an Old Testament reading; a reading from the New Testament; a passage from Psalms; and one or two verses from Proverbs. There are also several different translations of the One Year Bible.

Pick some kind of Bible reading plan—even a devotional book. There is no rule that says that you have to read the Bible cover to cover. Honestly, few people do. It takes a lot of discipline. Pray about it and ask God to give you the desire and discipline to read the Bible through.

There is a difference between Bible reading and Bible study. I was truly set free when I finally realized that. Bible reading is best done on a regular basis; for example, consistently reading three chapters per day. Bible study should be done when you have a chunk of time—at least 30 to 45 minutes or more.

Again, there are many different ways to study the Bible. Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word by Rick Warren is a wonderful book that introduces you to different Bible study methods. I have really enjoyed learning each different method and I highly recommend the book.

The last area that I would like to touch on is application: application of your prayer and application of your Bible reading and study. This is the part of your quiet time where you listen to your Heavenly Father and ask Him what He wants you to work on in your life.

There are numerous ways to make application in your quiet time. Focus on a verse that speaks to you during your Bible reading. Ask God to help you apply the verse. Listen for God’s gentle correction during your prayer time. Allow Him to reveal those areas of your life that you are trying to hide from Him and from others. Confession truly is good for the soul.

There are several systems that serve to pull all the above aspects together. One of the “oldies but goodies” is ACTS. In fact, I couldn’t find the original source of this system online. The acronym ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. There are many online sources to explain this system. Becky Tirabassi also has a complete quiet time system which you can read about in her book Let Prayer Change Your Life.

It is okay to pick and choose areas to focus on. There are seasons in your life and it is okay to focus on different aspects of your spiritual life during different seasons.

In the same token, it is not necessary to do the same thing every day. You can concentrate on different disciplines on different days of the week. You may have some days that you have more time, for example, on the week end. Your schedule may be more flexible on different days of the week. You may also break up your quiet time throughout the day if this works better for you. The important thing is to have your quiet time regularly.

Your quiet time journal is a personal record of your spiritual journey. Keeping this journal will help you to focus and it will also afford you the ability to look back and see how far you have come. I promise you it will become a priceless tool in your journey toward obedience and consistency.

Recommended Reading:

Let Prayer Change Your Life by Becky Tirabassi

Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word by Rick Warren

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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isa 61:1-3 (KJV)

What ashes do you carry?

Ashes are the end product of something that has been destroyed by fire. So, what do I mean when I talk about the ashes in your life?

Statistically, it is safe to say that if you are reading this post, you have suffered abuse of some sort, at some time in your life. You may have been emotionally, verbally, physically, or sexually abused by a parent or caregiver. You may have suffered neglect; a failure on the part of your caregiver to supply your basic emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. You may have been a victim of a violent crime such as rape. You may have been abused in a bad relationship of your own choosing. Hurting people hurt people…and there are a LOT of hurting people out there.

When you are hurt by others, a part of your life is destroyed…and turned to ashes. You may react to that destruction in many ways.

• anger
• grief
• hopelessness
• depression
• shame
• guilt
• regret
• anxiety

You recognize these emotions. These reactions to abuse and neglect can burn your heart to cinder and ash. Often, like me, you may hold on to those ashes far longer than needed.

We just can’t help it sometimes. That human tendency toward self-pity is just too strong. Or perhaps, we’ve never been shown another alternative. Well, I’m here to tell you that there is an alternative. And like many of the most important things in life, it’s simple, but it isn’t easy.

Just give it up.

I know, that sounds too simple. I know it is difficult to do. But, it can be done. I am living proof. And you most certainly have given some of those ashes to God in the past.

How do you give those ashes over to God?

I have known of a few people who had a miraculous encounter with God and were forever changed right there on the spot. But, this is the exception rather than the rule.

The rest of us must make a conscious decision to hand over those ashes. You have to acknowledge that the ashes are there and exactly what they represent. You have to take them out, scoop them up in your hand, and give them to God. You do that by journaling, or sharing with a trusted friend, or working with a counselor…or through prayer which is simply talking with God. You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.

And, most of us do this gradually over a period of time. I know for me, I have had crisis points in my life when I have scooped up a big handful of ashes and given them to God. But, mostly, I give him a little pinch here and a little pinch there. I’m stingy with them. I don’t know why.

But God is faithful. He gives me so much beauty in exchange for my ashes. He makes a great exchange.

Today, why don’t you take some time to sit down and think about the ashes that you are carrying in your life. Write down your thoughts in a journal; or talk to a friend; or talk to the greatest Friend of all. Scoop up some of those ashes and exchange them for His beauty.

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You have most likely heard the saying, “Confession is good for the soul.”

One of the things that I am focusing on in my life is keeping a short account with God; admitting to God, and more importantly myself, that I sin…regularly.

So, what is sin? If you’re like me, you have heard the definition that sin is “missing the mark.” It’s a term used in shooting. In other words, you shoot for something and you don’t hit the bullseye.

There are also sins of omission…things we don’t do.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17 (KJV)

This means that I always have plenty to confess.

But, rather than just tell you that confession is important, I would like to show you how to practically implement a time of confession into your quiet time.

Sometime during your quiet time, turn your heart inward and ask God to show you what  in your life you need to confess. My favorite passage that speaks specifically to this is Psalm 139:23-24.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (KJV)

I like this passage because it talks about knowing my heart and my thoughts. Heart here is another word for soul, which includes mind, emotions, will, and conscience. And that’s where you want God to be at work…in your mind (thought-life), your emotions, your will, your conscience. Actions follow beliefs. If you submit your thoughts to God and allow Him to work in your thought-life, your actions will change.

When your ask for God’s revelation, take a moment to listen.  Things will begin to come to mind; things you need to do; things you need to stop doing; attitudes you need to change; people to whom you need to make amends. God will speak to your heart; write down what He says.

God is so faithful and He honors your efforts to change.  If you are faithful to ask, He will reveal areas of your life that need change.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

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In order to effect lasting change, you need to define:

1. where you are now
2. where you want to be
3. how you plan to get there

Yesterday, we talked a bit about defining where you are and where you want to be. Today, I would like to talk to you about how to get there.

Again, I would like to emphasize that it’s nearly impossible to go forward until you evaluate where you are. In the same way, if you don’t know where you want to be, you may find yourself wandering aimlessly.

When you begin a cross-country journey, you need to know two points: your starting point and your destination.

Your life is a journey. You are born (your starting point) and you will die (should the Lord tarry). There is, of course, one caveat. You don’t know when the end of the journey is. However, when I am promoted to glory, I know that I want to be working hard on whatever it is that God has placed in my heart to do. If I’m not finished, I know that He has someone else to finish for me.

So, you have defined where you are and you’ve dreamed about where you’re going. You have spent time in your journal dreaming and in prayer seeking God. You have dreamed some big dreams. Now, how do you go about accomplishing those dreams?

First of all, you must define your dream. It must be specific. “I want to be a writer” is a great dream. However, you need to decide exactly what that means to you. A better goal might be, “I want to write Christian fiction.” This is specific enough for you to aim at.

Some of you are naturally disciplined. Some of you thrive on achieving goals and dreams. Some of you have no difficulty breaking down a goal into its component parts, putting a time limit on when you will achieve each aspect and then working until it’s done. (I envy you!)

I struggle with discipline. I continue to work on it, but it is something that is difficult for me. I used to try to make myself “just do it!” However, that didn’t work for me because I was railing against my natural bent. (It took me a l-o-n-g time to learn that.) I’m sanguine, and self-discipline isn’t one of my strong points. (For more information on personality types, please read Intentional Living! Vol 1, Num 2)

I finally discovered that one thing that helped me (and perhaps it will help you if you’re sanguine or phlegmatic) was to write down in great detail, what life would be like when I accomplished a certain dream. For example, if your dream were to write a book, write down how it will feel when your book is finished; write down how it will feel to have people tell you how much they liked your book; write down what bills you would pay off with the royalty checks (if that’s a part of your dream).

As you work toward that dream, you need to periodically stop, reevaluate, and redefine. Dreams can change over time. Hold your dreams loosely and don’t be afraid to allow a dream to slip away. Your priorities change. Life goes on. Your attitudes and situation will change. It’s okay to let go of a dream if it no longer fits. (I know that for some of you, that will be hard, but it can be incredibly liberating. You don’t have to finish everything you start.)
I would recommend having a DREAMS journal. Begin by journaling some of the questions that I posed yesterday. Let yourself dream big dreams. Put down EVERYTHING that comes to mind, no matter how impossible it seems at the time. Writing it down doesn’t commit you to accomplish it…now, or ever. You will have dreams that are for now and dreams that are for someday. You will have dreams that you think are important and over time, you’ll realize they weren’t for you. Sometimes, you’ll find that dreams you thought were your dreams are actually someone else’s dreams for you.

Once you have all those dreams out of your head and onto paper pray about where to begin. If you’re really goal-oriented, break your goals down into steps, put a time-limit and go for it. If you’re more of a free spirit, write down—in great detail—how it will feel to accomplish your dream and purpose to work on it regularly over time.

You will be amazed at the power of writing it down. In addition, make sure that you revisit your dream journal often.

I pray that this will help you to get On Your Way to Where You Want to Be.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

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One of the reasons I started writing here was to share with other women about change and how to accomplish change. That is one purpose for writing to you and I strive to keep that in mind as I write.

In order to accomplish lasting change, you must define three things:

1. where you are now
2. where you want to be
3. how you plan to get there

Now, this may sound like I’m telling you to just make up your mind where you want to go and get there no matter what. It may sound as if I’m telling you to forge ahead without seeking God for direction.

Well, I am making some assumptions here.

First of all, I’m assuming that you are a Christian. If you don’t have a relationship with God, the Bible teaches that you can have a relationship with Him by simply acknowledging that Christ died for you to provide for that relationship. There’s nothing magical about it. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you want a relationship with God, call on Him and He’s there.

Secondly, I’m assuming that you have a desire to fulfill God’s will for your life. Most of us don’t see a huge, instantaneous change in our lives when we make a decision for Christ. The change occurs gradually over time. But, eventually, most of us reach the point where we think, “I need to figure out what God really wants me to do with my life!” It can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

The Bible is replete with references that reassure you God wants to direct your life. Two of my favorites are:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Prov 3:5-6 (KJV)

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Ps 37:4-5 (KJV)

Now, when I was a younger Christian, I used to think “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” meant, “He will give you every little thing your heart desires!” But, I came to realize that passage meant that God would place in my heart the desires that He has for my life…He will make me desire what He wants for me. So, if I’m following Him, I can trust that the things that I want to do are desires that He has placed there.

In other words, if you’re thinking, “If I follow God, He’s going to make me go to the deepest darkest place in Africa and be a missionary and eat worms for dinner,” God doesn’t do that. If you follow God, and He asks you to go to the deepest darkest place in Africa, it will be something that burns in your heart…something you cannot deny.

So, now you are a Christian. You are following God and yet you still feel that you’re not fulfilling the call God has on your life.

First of all, if you don’t have the habit of journaling, I would encourage you to take it up. I suppose there are people who can do these things in their heads, but I’ve never met one. When you read biographies of those who have done exploits for the Lord, you’ll find they kept journals…they wrote it down. There is something powerful about writing down your thoughts, dreams, concerns, and fears.

Start with where you are.

• What has happened in your life until this point?
• How have you reacted?
• How can you use what has happened to benefit others?
• Are you married or single?
• Are you a parent to young children, teen-agers, older children, or all of the above?
• Are you part of a ministry outside your home?
• Do you work outside the home?
• What do you like?
• What do you do well?
• What things “come naturally”?

Look at where you want to be.

• What have you “always wanted to do”?
• If money were no object, how would you live your life differently?
• If you knew you only had a year to live, how would you spend that year?
• What are the things only I can do? (be a mother to my children, for example)

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we’ll look at getting from where you are to where you want to be.

I would encourage you to take a few minutes to figure out where you are. It will take some time, but before you can get to where you want to go, you must know where you are.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

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Did you know that there is only one thing in this life that you can control? Do you know what it is?

It’s that person you look at in the mirror every morning.

You cannot control world events. You cannot control the weather. You cannot control your hubby…or your kids…or your dear mother-in-law.

But…you can control your reactions to all those things. You can control what hours you are awake and how you use your time while you’re awake. You can control how you take care of yourself: whether you exercise, eat right, get enough sleep (unless, of course, you have a little one deciding this point for you). You can control the things you read, the things you see, the things you think about and focus upon.

So often in my life, I have found myself railing against those things I cannot change. This, as I’m sure you know, is incredibly exhausting and unproductive.

If you’re tired and bogged down, I encourage you to take a few moments to examine your life and assess whether you may be struggling to control things that you really cannot change.

“How do I do this?” you may ask. Well, it’s really not as hard as it may seem. All you need is a pen, a piece of paper (or your journal) and several minutes of uninterrupted time. If you work outside the home, take a few minutes during your lunch break. If you’re a full-time mommy, take blanket outside and sit on the ground while they’re playing near by.

Write at the top of the page: “What is REALLY bugging me about my life right now?”

Then, just begin to write. Don’t censer yourself; just write whatever comes to your mind. Give yourself a good amount of time; at least twenty to thirty minutes of continuous writing. The longer you allow yourself to write, the more effective you’ll find this exercise.

Now, some of you are so conditioned not to complain, this may be a hard exercise for you. If you have a hard time starting, begin by just simply writing, “I don’t know what to write…This is a stupid exercise…There’s nothing wrong with my life…Everything is wrong with my life, where do I start…I never did like that Tamera…” Whatever comes to your mind, just write. Don’t worry about your handwriting or punctuation. This is called stream of consciousness writing. There’s no mystery about it. It is simply writing down every word that comes to your mind as you’re thinking about a specific topic…like “What’s REALLY bugging me about my life right now?”

This is a powerful exercise and if you take the time to do it, you will discover powerful truths concerning how you’re truly feeling about some of the different aspects of your life.

So, I challenge you to “just do it.” It is so easy to read something like this and think, “I bet that would be interesting,” and then go on about your busy life. Put it on your “To Do” list. Purpose to fit it into your schedule some time in the next few days. Don’t put if off.

(This is a reposting from a couple of months ago, but it’s been on my mind again. I encourage you to perform this exercise intermittently. It really helps me to refocus.)

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I love watching birds. I suppose I like nature in general, but I love birds especially. I find that I learn so much from God’s creation.

As in all of God’s creation, there is a great deal of diversity in behavior among the different species of birds, but there is a particular behavior that some species exhibit that I find interesting. Did you know that some bird species, when it’s time for their little ones to leave the nest, start to pull out all the soft fibers and feathers and fur? This leaves only the pokey sticks and it makes the nest uncomfortable for the baby bird which serves to motivate them to leave the nest.

Are you feeling uncomfortable in your nest?

Do you ever have those times when you’re going along in life and things are feeling pretty good; your nest feels comfy. Your family is healthy, everyone is getting along; your marriage is stable; your homeschooling is sailing along; your house is clean; your career is on track…and then, one day, you wake up and it just seems like things are uncomfortable. You readjust a little; perhaps you need to go on a date with your hubby, or one of the children needs a little extra attention; perhaps there’s something you’ve been putting off; a bill you haven’t paid; that closet you need to clean. So, you take care of it. But, the nest is still uncomfortable.

What then?

Might I suggest that this could be a sign that you need to fledge? According to Wikipedia, Fledge is the stage in a young bird’s life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. Could it be that your discomfort is from your Father who is trying to get you to leave the nest by making it just a little bit uncomfortable?

God Bless You!

If you’re feeling uncomfortable, take some time to journal about it in your quiet time. Pray about it and ask God to reveal the underlying cause. He is so faithful to do that for us.

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What do you think of when you hear the word “journal?” Do you think of the diary that you kept in junior high? (Dear Diary, today I saw Doug again in study hall. He’s such a cutie!) Do you think of an assignment in English to keep a journal for the semester? (yuck!) Do you think of The Diary of Ann Frank? (”…despite everything, I still believe that people are basically good at heart”) Do you think “That’s just one more thing to do in my already overloaded day?”

A journal can be anything that you want it to be.

Simply, a journal is a personal record of thoughts, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis. You define what thoughts, what experiences, what reflections, and what a regular basis means to you. There is no right or wrong way to keep a journal. Except, not to keep one.

Why do I say that?

Well, first of all, there is power in writing it down. I know you have heard that before, but it’s true. Why does a cliche become a cliche? Because it’s true!

A journal can be as simple as a written list of goals that you regularly revisit. You can have a “quiet time” journal; a place you write down the thoughts you have during your Bible reading or prayer or meditation or Bible study. You can have a day book; a place where you write down the things you accomplished that day. Experiment and find what works best for you. You can even have more than one journal.

Having a journal can be an excellent way of developing discipline in your life.

When you pick a point and draw your line in the sand and say, “Today is the day that things are going to change for the better in my life,” writing regularly in a journal is a way to begin to develop discipline in your life and also a way to look back and see how far you’ve come in your journey.

So, do you keep a journal? Why or why not? Click the “comments” link below and tell us about it.

I will warn you that I’ll be regularly revisiting this question. I know that I’ve made mention of it in other posts–directly and indirectly. I believe that it is such an important point, I want to encourage you to consider it and act on it.

Today, if you don’t have a journal, pray about it. Ask God to reveal what benefit you could receive from writing it down. After all, the written word is one of the ways He chose to reveal Himself to us.

Buy a pretty journal at a bookstore or a discount store or a dollar store. Or, buy a composition notebook (if you don’t already have one around the house). Or, just “borrow” a spiral notebook from one of the kids.

Begin to write things down and you’ll find that a journal can become a vital tool for implementing change in your life!

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I’m reading a great book right now. The title is 25 Ways to Win With People by John C. Maxwell and Les Parrot, PH.D. The premise of the book is that there are tangible things that you can do to have better relationships.

The book begins by exhorting you to start with yourself. Neil Clark Warren has said “Your relationships can only be as healthy as you are.”

The Bible teaches this concept as part of the two great commandments.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt 22:37-41 (KJV)

Now, we all know that this can be taken to excess. There is such a thing as loving yourself too much. In fact, the natural human tendency is toward selfishness. Romans 12:3 exhorts us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.

On the other hand, that is not the problem with most of us. As women, we tend to be just the opposite. Many of us have been wounded by people who have injured us with words and deeds and it’s difficult to overcome those wounds.

But, it can be done.

And, it should be done.

And, the reason is this: when you value yourself, you will have more to give to others.

Isn’t that the desire of our hearts? to have more to give to those we love?

Take a few moments to think about how much you truly value yourself. Are you spending regular time with God? Do you regularly take time to recharge and refresh? Are you taking the time to learn new things? Do you regularly evaluate your life to determine the need for a course correction? Do you have people in your life who build you up rather than tear you down? Are you spending too much time listening to those voices from the past (or even the present) that are telling you that you’re no good?

This is a long list of questions and perhaps reading it does nothing but raise your stress level. I’m not telling you that you need to do all these things today. I’m just saying that these are some of the ways to fill your cup so that you can pour out and provide for the people you love.

I would encourage you to pray about what God wants you to focus on right now.

We’re all in a different place in our lives. Some of us are already having a regular quiet time with God. Some of us may need to focus on that first. I believe that having that regular quiet time is crucial because when we have that regular time with God, He can show us what we need to do next.

Some of us have toxic people in our lives right now that we need to deal with.

Some of us need to exercise our brain and learn something new…something we’re interested in learning “just for the fun of it.” (Some of us need to exercise our bodies, LOL.)

Take a moment today to stop and think about what your greatest personal need is right now. Write it down and come up with a plan to meet that need.

If you’re stuck, I would be happy to receive your specific question and give a suggestion. E-mail me.

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A few days ago, I encouraged you to spend some time listing the things that are truly bothering you about your life.

Did you do it?

If not, I would encourage you to read Control and perform this exercise.

Once you have your pages written, go back through and re-read them.

(Ideally, a little time should pass between performing this exercise and evaluating the content. It also works best if you do it without a preconceived notion of what you’re going to be doing with the material, so I would encourage you to perform the exercise before you finish reading this.)

Do you see some common threads? Did you make some discoveries that surprised you?

On another piece of paper (or in another page of your journal) make a list of the items you discovered. Look at each item and determine whether you control that thing or not.

If you’re unsure about whether you have control over that item on your list, just ask yourself, “Is there another person involved?” If so, you do not have total control over that item.

There are likely things over which you have no control. Again, you cannot control world events, or natural laws (such as the weather), or another person’s behavior. One way to make these problems less stressful is to change your attitude. You must work to come to a place where you accept what you cannot change. (remember the Serenity Prayer?)

There are likely several items over which you have only partial control. For example, if there is a relationship in your life that is troubled, you do have partial control over that situation. You can control how you feel about that person. You can control how you react to their behavior. You can become proactive in your response to their behavior.

Lastly, it is probable that you have items on your list over which you have total control. If much of your list contains things you can totally control, you are truly blessed.

When you have divided your list into things over which you have no control, things you partially control, and things you totally control; pick a place to start.

Start with the thing that’s really bugging you the most. Or, perhaps you discover a common theme to your list. You may discover your problems separate themselves naturally into different categories than I have suggested here. Remember, this is your list; your life. I am suggesting one way to tackle this list but you may intuitively follow a different trail. That is between you and God.

This is your journey and it begins with one step. Small, deliberate changes can have a big effect in your life.

One year from now, God willing (and He is), you will be a year older. You can determine today (and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow) if you will be a year older with the same problems plaguing your life; or if you will be a year older with some of those problems taken care of.

I want very much to walk with you on this journey. The first edition of my e-zine will be coming out tomorrow and I will be talking about habits. Habits are the smallest units of change. Taking one of the items on your list, breaking it down into something small that you can change, and weaving that new habit into your life is a way that you can become proactive and make profound changes for the better.

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