Category Archives: Personal Growth

Six Steps to Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life

The Confusion Surrounding Finding God’s Purpose

Finding God’s purpose for our lives is like finding the holy grail. Pastors preach on it, teachers teach about it, Christians talk about it… but nobody tells you how to find it. It’s one of the most confusing topics in churches. Most people don’t know how to find God’s purpose for their lives, but all of us recognize when somebody else has found theirs.

When you cross paths with somebody who lives their life accomplishing what God created them to do, it’s contagious. You want to be around them. You want to be apart of what God is doing in their life. So how do we figure out God’s purpose for our lives?

Paul’s Understanding of His Purpose

Before we tackle finding God’s purpose, it is crucial for us to understand that everybody’s purpose in life is different. We can absolutely not compare what God wants us to do with what anybody else is doing. Paul understood this clearly. In II Timothy 4:7, he says,

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

Paul says, I have fought a good fight, and I have kept the faith. When he talks about fighting a good fight and keeping the faith, he uses the words a and the. When he talks about his course, however, he makes it personal. He uses the word my. “I have finished my course.” This tiny word makes a huge difference. Paul understood that his course was different from everybody else’s. He recognized that God had given him a purpose and plan for life that couldn’t be compared to anybody else’s, and Paul didn’t. He focused solely on what God wanted him to accomplish.

A Simple Six-Step Process

If we could latch on to Paul’s idea, we would find so much more peace in our lives. God has created us all uniquely and gifted us differently. If we were all the same, God wouldn’t need each one of us. The fact that you and I are still on this earth and not in Heaven means that God has a special plan for our lives. He has gifted you and me specifically for what he wants us to accomplish. Your purpose will be unlike anybody else’s. We can not compare ourselves to anyone else. Even someone who is in the same line of work as you will be gifted slightly different to be able to accomplish their purpose differently than you.

A Simple Formula

If we spend our lives comparing ourselves and our lives to others, we are wasting the gifts God has given us. It’s time to stop looking around at others and focus on looking inside ourselves at how God has gifted us and wants us to use those gifts to accomplish His purpose in our lives. How do we do that? We can use simple questions and action steps to help us figure out our purpose.

How has God gifted me- what talents do I have?
What abilities have I developed over the years?
What is my personality?
What am I passionate about?
How can I take the answers to the above questions and combine them to meet a need in other people’s lives?
Write down your two or three top choices. Pray about those options. Talk to other close family and friends and get their opinion on your choices. What do they see as a natural fit for you?

Now the formula is simple, but the process may take some time. That’s okay. Take the time to really think through your answers. If you find the answer to number 5, you can begin to find God’s purpose for your life. Don’t overcomplicate it. God only gave you so many talents, passions, and opportunities to grow your abilities. He did that to point you in the direction of what He wants you to do with your life.

Free Worksheet Download

To work through the above process, I have created a worksheet you can download here.

Once you work through this process, it may mean you need to make some changes in your life. Read my 3 Ways to Stay Flexible and Be Ready for a Change. Give yourself time and allow God to lead you.

An Additional Resource

One of the books that really helped me when I was trying to work through this process was Fringe Hours: Making Time for You by Jessica Turner.

When we find out what God wants us to accomplish with our lives, we become unstoppable. We get out of bed, excited for the day and ready to work. Is every day perfect? No. Do hard days still come? Yes; but we will have the motivation and drive to keep us moving forward.

waves on the beach — photo credit: Sean O.

Love the Life You Have, Not the Life You Want

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Focusing on What You Don’t Have

We have the greatest of comparisons in our backyard. When you stand on our deck and look into our backyard, you can look straight ahead and see our four kids playing in a ten-foot-long, 18-inch deep blow-up pool. If you look just to the left into the neighbor’s yard, you will see an immaculate above ground pool surrounded by a large deck. Their pool is beautiful and always crystal clear. Ours is usually dirty and has grass and bugs floating in it, no matter how many times we empty it out and fill it up again.

Do you know what the biggest difference is though? Our pool is full of life and laughter. The kids play in it all day long, laughing, yelling, and having fun. Our neighbor’s pool on most days sits empty. Once in a while, their granddaughter comes over and swims all by herself in the large pool. Madison invited her to come and play in our pool, but she only stayed for about five minutes. Why would you stay and play in a tiny pool when you can swim in your own huge pool?

A Life Lesson from My Kids

Looking at the neighbor’s beautiful pool this spring when we moved in, I was heartbroken for our kids. They have always wanted a big pool, and we moved in right next to one. I thought they would be sad, but I have been amazed that it doesn’t seem to bother them. They are too focused on their own pool to waste time thinking about the beautiful pool next door. Learning from them, I made a commitment to God to focus on the life I have right now, not the life I want. Sure, we need to bring up our income, we need to move into a larger house before the kids get older and much more. But right now? Right now, I get to stand at my kitchen sink washing dishes and watch my kids hav a blast swimming in a small pool. That’s the life I have right now, and I love it!

I hope you are having as great a summer as we are. If you missed it, be sure to read my 3 Keys to Having a Productive Summer. This summer, love the life you have, not the one you want!

Three out of four taking a break from the pool to eat lunch.

3 Keys to Having a Productive Summer

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Summer Break

Because I homeschool during the school year, I take summer break really seriously. I look forward to it, probably more so than my kids. I set goals I want to accomplish, projects I want to complete, books I want to read, and more. We only take off the months of June and July for summer break. To accomplish everything I want to, I have to be strategic. I have found three keys that work for me to have a productive summer.

Key #1: Make a List of Goals

Before summer starts, I write down my goals for what I want to accomplish. Summer goes so fast! If I don’t take the time to write down my goals, summer will be over and I won’t have accomplished anything I wanted to. So before summer started, Matt and I used one of our date nights to write down what we want to accomplish personally and what we want to do as a family.

Key 2: Make a Daily Schedule for the Kids and One For You

I know that if I want to get anything accomplished this summer, my kids need to know what to do and when to do it. Otherwise, they will drive me crazy all day with… What can I do? I’m bored. What’s for lunch? What’s for supper? Can we go outside now? We made a summer schedule and placed it on the refrigerator so the kids know what they can do all throughout the day. We are a few weeks into our schedule, and it seems to be working really well for us. Instead of them coming to me every two seconds, they go look at what they should be doing.

If you are interested, you can see our kids’ schedule here and my personal schedule here. You can also print off your own summer schedule to fill in here. If you check out our schedules, you will see that Sunday and Monday are not on there. On Sundays we have church, and Monday is a Sabbath Day for us.

Key 3: Make a Meal Plan

One of the keys to sticking with the schedule is to have my menu planned out for the week. If I don’t, I will spend valuable time trying to figure out the next meal or fielding questions about it. I use this simple menu printable from iheartplanners.com. You can access it here. I printed off several copies on different colored paper. I fill in a new one each week on Sunday. It makes such a difference! Our days have run so much smoother since incorporating a meal plan that the kids and I can see.

These three keys have made a difference already in our summer. Use these three keys to give you and your kids the most productive summer yet!

What We’ve Been Up To- Moving

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A Big Decision

If you follow me online, you have probably noticed I have been absent online since Christmas. Let me catch you up on what we’ve been doing. We started out the year with a bang! In January, we decided it was time for us to make a move. We took a really heavy pay cut last year in the middle of the year. After several months of scrambling, cutting back, picking up extra hours, and more, we decided we needed to bring down our mortgage payments. Our goal was to cut our mortgage in half. So with that in mind, the second week of January we decided to begin the process of selling our home and moving.

We made a call to a realtor friend of ours, and we were off. Our house needed a ton of work, so we got to work. We painted everything in sight. I told Matt if the kids stood still too long, they would get painted. We redid a bathroom, ripped out carpet, put in new carpet, redecorated and staged the house, cleaned out our basement, and packed up most of the house. It was a crazy six weeks. We headed into open house weekend with lots of prayers and our fingers crossed.

Selling Our Home, Moving, and a Wedding

After a Saturday and Sunday open house with around sixty people showing up, we came away with multiple offers and a bidding war. We officially accepted a bid on Monday night after the open houses. Then all the craziness started with looking for a new house, inspections, appraisals, paperwork, and all that messy stuff. We pushed through all of that and began the moving process. We moved into our new home the second week of April. After just a few days of settling in, we hit the road to head to Illinois for my younger sister’s wedding. We got to spend lots of time with family and friends, laughing, having fun together, and helping to decorate for the wedding.

Here’s a few pictures from the wedding…

wedding picture of bride and groom — My beautiful little sister marrying her best friend.

four kids in wedding outfits — Our four kids all ready for the wedding.

two sisters dressed for a wedding — My older sister and I getting ready for the wedding.

Back to Normal Life

After that, we started the trip home and stopped in Pittsburgh for a few days for some much-needed downtime to relax and have some fun together. Now we are back home, finishing the year homeschooling, and looking forward to summer break!

family photo — Enjoying our time in Pittsburgh.

Fall Mornings Make the Best Mornings

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Fall Mornings and Candles

Fall is here, and that means two of my favorite things- fall mornings and fall candles. I love getting up early on a cool fall morning, and I love fall candles! My favorite scents in my home right now are pumpkin cupcake, pumpkin apple, vanilla pumpkin marshmallow, pumpkin patch, spiced pecan, and caramel corn.

Morning Time Routine

Fall is the best time to incorporate a morning time routine. The kids are back in school, schedules are more structured, and the mornings are beautiful. There is nothing more perfect than a fall morning with a cup of coffee in hand, a candle burning, and a quiet time to pray, read the Bible, and journal.

If you have been wanting to start a morning time routine, this is a great time to get started. Each year, I use September and October to reboot my morning time routine. Usually, during the summer, I get a little sloppy with my routine. By the time fall comes, I am ready to get back at it. If you want to get back in the swing of things, follow these quick steps and you can be ready to get back to that morning time routine.

Quick Reboot

1. Buy a candle. Bath and Body Works and Kirklands are my favorite places to buy candles. Pick one that you love and brings a smile to your face.

2. Find a journal. I use my journal to write down my prayer list for the day and what I read and learned during my Bible reading time. I find I learn so much more when I use a journal than when I just read my Bible.

3. Pick a Bible study or reading plan. There are so many Bible reading plans to choose from. A quick way to get started is to read a Psalm or a Proverb a day, read one chapter of John each day, or choose a Bible study from the YouVersion app.

4. Pick a book to read. I try to read a chapter from a book each day when I am done with my Bible reading and journaling. Here are a few good reads if you are looking for one.

Everybody Always by Bob Goff.

Falling Free: Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted by Shannan Martin.

Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard by Jennie Allen.

You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are by Rebekah Lyons

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

5. Just start. The best way to get into a morning time routine is to just start doing it and continue each day. You will find an excuse every day, but choose to overcome those excuses and stick to your morning time routine each day.

If you are looking for more details on developing a morning time routine, read my post My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time. With just a little bit of work, mornings can be the best part of our day!

Books I’m Reading Right Now

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My Favorite Pastime

I love reading! It’s my favorite pastime. I read pretty widely and read several different books at the same time. I am always scouring other sights looking for book recommendations, so I like to share good books I’m reading with others in return.

I’ve read a lot of books this year so far. Here is a peek into what I am reading this week.

Book Recommendations

I Second that Emotion by Patsy Clairmont. I love Patsy Clairmont. She is funny, witty, and always an encouragement. This book is no exception. It randomly covers several different topics and emotions. It’s a fast and fun read.
You are Free by Rebekah Lyons. I am just a few chapters into this book but really enjoying it. I think it’s similar to Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen. Rebekah writes about her struggles with depression, panic attacks, and anxiety. I love reading people’s stories, so I love that she is so open and honest about her life and struggles.
The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer Nielsen. Jennifer Nielsen is one of my favorite authors. I have read almost all of her books. Her Ascendance Trilogy is one of my favorite series of books! Matt got me her newest book, The Traitor’s Game for my birthday. I am almost halfway through it and loving it. Kestra, the main character, is kidnapped by rebels and blackmailed into helping them. It’s fast-paced and exciting. I can’t wait to finish it.
The Valiant by Lesley Livingston. I just finished this book and loved it. It’s historical fiction, set in the time of Julius Ceasar. The story is about a female gladiator who fights for Julius Ceasar, her enemy. Cleopatra also appears in the book a few times. Fallon, a gladiatrix (female gladiator) must fight for survival and for her freedom. She knows if she can capture the hearts of the people, she can buy her way to freedom. But lots of people don’t want that to happen. It’s a thrilling read and a great finish.

If you are looking for more book suggestions, check out the summer reading list I made. Happy reading!

Five Ways to Fit More Reading into Your Kids’ Summer

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Summer Break

I love summer! I love the break from homeschooling, the longer days, spending time in the sun, the kids playing outside all day, cook-outs, ice cream runs, and all the fun that summer brings. Summer is also a great time for our kids to fit in extra reading. The trick is being able to do it without them realizing it.

Not Losing Any Ground

We work really hard during the school year on reading, and I don’t want to lose any ground during summer break. I want them to be stronger readers at the end of the summer than they were at the beginning. We take the months of June and July off from homeschooling and start up again at the beginning of August. I really want my kids to get the most out of their summer break because it goes so fast! I don’t make them do math, worksheets, writing, or anything like that during the summer. The one thing I do want them to continue is reading. Reading can be fun and doesn’t have to be “schoolish,” so they can enjoy it even in the summer.

Below are some of the ways we fit extra reading into our summer break.

Five Ways to Fit More Reading into Your Kids’ Summer

Spend quiet time in the afternoon reading. On the days we are home, our kids take a rest in the afternoon for an hour and a half. It’s a chance for my little girls to sleep if they need it, and it’s an opportunity for my older kids to read. Malachi (8) and Madison (6) have to read for at least part of the time; then they can color or play something quietly in their beds.
Go somewhere fun and incorporate reading, but don’t let your kids know that’s what you are doing. We take trips to the library, Barnes and Noble, and used bookstores as apart of our family days throughout the summer. Whenever we do, I ask my kids to find a book to sit and read. Sometimes it takes some coaxing, but after a little while, they will grab a book and read. It’s a great time to get extra reading time in and discover new books.
Take books in the car to read. If we are going to be in the car for a while, I have my kids bring books along to read. They usually get bored enough that they will pick them up eventually and start to read.
Listen to audiobooks in the car. Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time when traveling. We listened to several audio books on our last trip to Illinois to visit family. Here are a few good ideas for audiobooks to get you started.
- The Chronicles of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. Focus on the Family’s Reader Theater Audiobooks of this series are amazing!
- The Pennderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- Poppy by Avi
- The BFG by Roald Dahl
- Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osbourne
Save time for reading at bedtime. Have your kids go to bed while it is still light out, but tell them they can read in bed. When my kids do this, they see it as a privilege to stay up later. I see it as extra reading time!

Developing our children into life-long readers takes work, but summer can be an easy and fun time to keep moving towards that goal.

Summer Book List ~ 2018

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I can’t believe that summer is upon us! I am so excited to take a break from school. For me, that means more time to READ!!

I made a summer book list of some of the best books I have read. I read pretty widely, so this list is just an assortment of some of the great books I’ve read. Any of these are a great pick to take with you on vacation, to the beach for a day, or to the backyard while you watch the kids swim.

Fiction

The Beyonders Series by Brandon Mull. Brandon Mull is hands-down one of my most favorite authors. I love this series. If you like Harry Potter, give these books a try. They won’t disappoint.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I recently read the first book in this series and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. It tells the story of four gifted children who go undercover on a dangerous mission.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. I only recently read this children’s classic book. It’s thought-provoking and a little sad. It’s a good read.
The Secret School by Avi. This book is a quick read and enjoyable. It tells the story of a young group of students who have to take matters into their own hands when their teacher suddenly leaves for the rest of the school term.
The Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielsen. I wasn’t too sure about this book but was quickly sucked in. Jennifer Nielson is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.
The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen. Another book by Jennifer Nielsen, The False Prince is the first book in The Ascendance Trilogy. I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t see the twist at the end of the book coming. Book two is just as good or even better than the first one!
Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull. Another series by a favorite of mine, Brandon Mull. His books pull you in quickly and keep you on the edge of your seat. I have read the first two books in this series and can’t wait to finish the rest of them.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have never read this classic before. Shameful, I know. Anyway, it’s been on my list of classics that I want to read. It took focus and attention to get through it. It’s not a book I could read quickly like I do other books, but I enjoyed it.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood. I read this to the kids this year in school. We started it right at the end of the year and read most of it but still need to finish it. I figured I would still add it to the list. The Incorrigible children were raised by wolves and now have to be trained to fit into society.
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. Another classic well-worth the read, this book is the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I hadn’t read it before, but the kids and I listened to it in school this year. It’s really good. It’s worth the read just to hear Aslan’s explanation of his involvement in the main character’s life. So good!
Poppy by Avi. This quick read tells the story of a field mouse trying to outwit an owl. It’s an enjoyable read, and my kids loved it. This is book one in a series. The series is worth reading simply to meet Ereth. He is the funniest character I have encountered in children’s literature so far. He’s hilarious.
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer. This series of books brings the fairy-tale characters we grew up with to life and continues their stories. The introduction alone will pull you right in.
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. This book was such a good read for my kids and I. It tells the story of a young homeless boy in ancient Korea. It’s raw and incredibly sad, but it was a really good reading experience for us.

Christian

Falling Free by Shannan Martin. I have so many favorite books, but this is another of them. Shannan Martin tells how she left her dream life on a farm in the country to move to the inner city and minister there. It’s a beautiful story of God’s grace.
The Power of a Woman’s Words by Sharon Jaynes. This book is a great resource for women who do public speaking. It’s full of great stories and illustrations. It’s an inspiring book that reminds women how much influence our words have and how we can use them for good in this world.
Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen. The book is such a good read and an amazing reminder that we don’t have to strive to please others. For those of us who are people-pleasers and never feel like we measure up, this book is a must-read.
The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. For anybody who loves HGTV and loves the Gaines from Fixer Upper, this book is for you. It surprised me that it was not only a great story but also inspirational. I really enjoyed it.
Wild and Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan. This book reminds us that we can live our lives free from others’ expectations and give ourselves permission to be wild and free.
Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle. This book is surprisingly hilarious. It’s a really fun read about life, relationships, God, and how it all works together to create a beautiful story.
Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst. Lysa TerKeurst is one of my favorite Christian authors. The cover pretty much says it all for this book. It’s a great read and teaches us how to deal with our emotions.
Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors. Such a great book, this is the sequel to Katie Davis’ immensely popular Kisses from Katie. It’s raw and emotional and tells of Katie’s persevering faith in God in the midst of life’s hardships.
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. Shauna is another of my favorite authors. In this book, she encourages us to focus on what’s really important in life and leave everything else behind.
The Super Mom Myth by Becky Kopitzke. I really enjoyed this book. Becky encourages moms that we don’t have to be perfect or raise perfect kids to fulfill the role God wants us to be to our children, but she also encourages us to become the kind of mom God wants us to be.
Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul by Ruth Soukup. This book is for any person who feels their home or life is chaotic and out of control. It’s inspirational and practical at the same time, which I love.
Life-Giving Leadership by Julia Mateer. This book is a must-read for any woman in leadership. She gives such great insight and practical advice for leaders.
So Close to Amazing by KariAnne Wood. This book is a combination of stories and DIY projects. It’s a fun, quick read that will inspire you both in your faith and in your creating abilities.
Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington. This book is an encouragement to focus on God’s purpose for our lives and not to get distracted by everything else around us.

Business

Money Making Mom by Crystal Paine. I love Crystal Paine’s blog moneysavingmom.com and her other two books, so I was super excited to read this one. It’s a great book for any mom trying to decide what to do to help bring in extra income.
Soar! by T.D. Jakes. This book is both a practical hands-on book as well as inspirational to help anybody get a business off the ground.
Business Boutique by Christy Wright. This book is a guide for women who are interested in starting a business. It’s a nice step-by-step approach.
Called to Create by Jordan Raynor. I really enjoyed this book. It’s a reminder that we are most like our Creator when we create. It’s a fascinating book filled with the stories of the companies we know and love like Chick-Fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, TOMS shoes, and many more.
The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner. I love this book. Jessica helps women to find time in their schedules to do the things they love.

Homeschool

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessica Wise. For those of us are interested in classical education, this is the flagship book. The book is over 800 pages, so it’s quite a task to read. It reads quickly, though and has lots of book suggestions.
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. This book motivates any parent or teacher to get children to read more books using the philosophy recommended in her book. It’s a good read and has great book suggestions.
The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie. I absolutely love Sarah MacKenzie and her Read Aloud Revival Podcast. Her much-anticipated book just came out this year and is chock full of amazing book lists for every age!

Best Books I’ve Read (these I always recommend)

Imagine Heaven by John Burke. This amazing book will challenge the way you think about Heaven and Jesus and the future awaiting us.
The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts. This beautiful story of God’s grace in a young mom in the midst of her hardest trial will touch you deeply. Keep the tissues handy; you will need them!
The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling. Obviously, this series is incredibly successful and popular and rightly so. The books are amazing works of fiction. I picked them up last summer and couldn’t put them down. I read the entire series in just a few weeks.
Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst. Another favorite of mine, I give this book away all the time as gifts. It’s an encouragement for any woman in any stage of life who feels lonely and needs to be reminded of God’s unfailing love.
Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. This book will touch your heart as you follow Katie’s story of leaving behind her life in America to love on children in Uganda and the incredible impact she has there.

Happy Summer and Happy Reading!

My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time

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My Morning Time Basket

We want to, but…

Most of us want to have a morning time for prayer and Bible reading every day. We really do! We decide that we are going to do better, get up earlier, stick with it this time; but more often than not, we fail. It’s not that we don’t want to, but life happens. We’re tired, one of the kids gets sick during the night, the morning is crazy prepping for school for the day, and on and on the list goes. We know that our day goes better when we start it by spending quiet time with God, but fitting in the time is a different story!

The best way to do something consistently is to make it easy and enjoyable. I am all about simplifying! So I am sharing with you what works for me. It’s simple, to-the-point, and effective!

My Best Morning Time Tips

1. Get up early.

This one is so painful! I get it! We have a million and one excuses why we can’t get up early. Just know, you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. Do what works for you. All I suggest is that you get up at least half an hour earlier than your kids do. Thirty minutes of quiet time with God with no children around equals bliss!

If your kids wake up at the crack of dawn, and there is no way possible to get up ahead of them, I’ve got you covered. You can make your kids their own basket with a Bible and journal and have them do that quietly while you read your Bible. If they are super little, put a coloring book and crayons in a basket along with a Bible for them. Make it exciting for them. Make it a special time, and I promise they will look forward to it. Learn how to make kids’ morning time baskets here.

2. Light a candle.

This is the first thing I do every morning when I wake up. Lighting a candle adds a level of ambiance and enjoyment to my morning time. My favorite candles are the three-wick candles from Bath and Body Works, but my mom has recently helped me to discover Kirkland’s awesome candles. So right now, I am using those. Some mornings I skip the candle and get my essential oils diffusing. Either one works. I’m simply setting the mood for an enjoyable morning time.

3. Start with a cup of coffee or tea.

It’s such a simple step, but I am so much more awake and in a mood to learn and enjoy my morning time with God if I have a hot drink. So after I light a candle, I head to the kitchen to make coffee. While I am waiting for the coffee to brew, I take a few minutes to unload the dishwasher so it’s open for the day’s dishes.

4. Grab my Morning Time Basket

I love using a morning time basket! This keeps everything I need in one place. I buy a basket that I love. The one I am using now is from Hobby Lobby. (Gotta love Hobby Lobby!) Inside my basket, I keep my Bible, a journal for morning time, pens, notecards, another journal for creative ideas, and books I am currently reading.

5. Use a Journal for an Effective Morning Time

The most important tip for an effective morning time is to use a journal. There is a big difference between just reading your Bible for the day and reading and journaling. When you take the extra step to write down what you learned or what encouraged you, you are taking the extra time to apply what you are reading. It stays with you longer.

I have a journal that I use that Matt and I created several years ago. Eventually, I hope to make those available for sale. For now, you can use any blank journal and use your own system or borrow mine. Here is the system I have used for several years now.

**UPDATE: My Faithfully Stepping Journals are now available on Amazon!! They are a six-month journal, available in three different covers. Click HERE to order one today!

Prayer Time

There are three parts to my prayer time.

Gratitude. I write down at least three things I am thankful for today.
Confession. I write down my sins to confess from the day before. What did I do wrong the day before? Did I yell at my kids, snap at my husband, talk bad about somebody, have an attitude, etc?
Requests. I write down the things I am praying for today.

Bible Reading

Next, in my journal, I write down what passage or passages I read in my Bible. I write down anything I learned or anything that encouraged me. Sometimes I write down a thought that encouraged me; other times I write out a verse that is a help to me.

My Tasks

I have space at the bottom of each journaling page to write down tasks I think of while I am journaling. Maybe it’s a note I need to write somebody. Other times it’s simply something I remembered I need to do and don’t want to forget. This helps me to stay focused. I can write down whatever it is that is distracting me so I don’t forget it, then I can continue with my morning time.

5. Pick a Bible study or a Bible plan to follow.

You can do anything you want for Bible reading each day. Here are some ideas to get you thinking.

Read one chapter of Proverbs each day.
Read a chapter from Psalms each day.
Pick a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and read one chapter a day.
Start in Genesis and read a chapter a day through the entire Bible.
Read about and study a character from the Bible. Here are some good ones.
- Joseph
- Abraham
- Esther
- Ruth
- David
- Solomon
- Moses
- Elijah
- Leah and Rachel
- Joshua
- Paul
- Jesus
- Lydia
- Mary
- Mary and Martha
Read and study a book of the Bible. Here are a few of my favorite books to start with.
- John
- James
- I and II Peter
- Philippians
- Esther
- Ruth
- I John
- I and II Samuel
- Ecclesiastes

Here is what I do each day. I read four chapters a day. First, I start with reading two chapters in Genesis, a chapter in Psalms and a chapter in Matthew. I continue that pattern until I read through the entire Bible. Then I start over again. I don’t get stuck on getting through my Bible in a year. When I finish, I just start over again.

Example:

Day 1: Genesis 1 and 2, Psalm 1, Matthew 1

Day 2: Genesis 3 and 4, Psalm 2, Matthew 2

And so on…

The Contents of My Morning Basket

So there you have it- my best tips for an awesome morning time!

Don’t Give Up on Your Heart’s Desire

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Have you ever really wanted something to happen, and it just won’t? Have you prayed and prayed for God to answer your specific prayer, and you feel that He won’t? Don’t give up! I want to give you a give some encouragement.

Our Dream to Start a Church

When Matt and I got married, we knew we wanted to be church planters. Matt was an intern at a church at the time, but our goal was to leave and start a new church. We figured it would only be about a year and a half. Four and a half years later, we were still working at the same church and the dream of starting a church seemed lost. We still had the desire, but God just wasn’t opening the door. We were so discouraged and hopeless.

Five years! That’s how long it took. It took five years for God to open the door for us to be able to leave that church and start a church in the greater Philadelphia area. We didn’t think it would ever happen, but we stayed faithful and God brought it to pass.

Waiting for Your Heart’s Desire

I don’t know how long it has been that you have been waiting for something to happen. Maybe it’s a baby, maybe you want to get married, to start your own business, to begin a ministry opportunity, to move to a new house… whatever it is, don’t give up on that dream!

Here are a few verses of encouragement to remind us not to give up on waiting for our heart’s desire.

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.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Psalm 37:4-7 KJV

There are a few simple truths in these verses that I use over and over again to encourage myself and other women.

1. If I am truly focused on God, He will fulfill my desire, or He will change the desire.

When I delight in the Lord, He will fulfill my heart’s desire. The word delight means to receive pleasure in. When we take pleasure in developing a relationship with God, He will, in turn, fulfill our desires.

Sometimes this train of thought gets Christians tripped up. These verses don’t say that God is a vending machine, and if we put in the appropriate amount of money, exactly what we desire will come out. It’s deeper than that. If we are truly focusing on developing a better relationship with God, our desires are going to change to line up with His desires for us.

What does this look like practically? I often use these verses when talking to singles who want to be married. Either a relationship will come in time, or God will take away that desire and replace it with a desire to be single. In the mean time, they can focus on their relationship with God, while simultaneously praying and seeking out a relationship.

2. If I commit what I am doing to the Lord and entrust it to Him, He will bring it pass.

Focus on what God wants me to do whether in my life’s purpose or even just in what He has for me for the day, and let Him work out all the details.

I often quote this verse to God on a day when I am overwhelmed with a task or an event or even just a forever-long to-do list for the day. I pray through what I am trying to accomplish and surrender it to Him. Then I get to work, and God always carries me through.

3. I can be at rest while I am waiting patiently on God because I know He is working on my behalf.

The hardest thing in life is waiting. Whether it’s the little things in life like waiting in a long drive-through line, waiting to get a prescription filled, or waiting to check out at the grocery store. Or whether it’s more difficult than that… waiting for God to answer a prayer, waiting for God to heal a loved one, waiting for Him to provide financially once again. Waiting is hard. The Bible says that when a desire has not come to fruition, our heart is sick. But once the desire comes, it is a tree of life!

Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” KJV

Waiting for God to work can make or break our faith in life’s hardest moments. When the time comes that the only answer we have is to wait for God to work, we can delight in Him, commit the problem to Him, and then sit back and wait for God to work.

photo credit: Artem Bali