10 Tips for Making Friendsgiving Easy

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Tuesday night was our Friendsgiving with our small-turned-large group. We used to be a small group meeting at our house, but it’s grown too much to be able to meet there. So now, we meet at the church on Tuesday nights. This past Tuesday was our Friendsgiving.

*Note: we did a terrible job taking pictures for the night. We only got a few, and none with the entire group.

Growing Our Group

I remember hearing about Friendsgiving for the first time several years ago. Instantly, I knew I wanted to do it; I loved the idea of having Thanksgiving with friends on a different day than the holiday and saving Thanksgiving for family. I loved it so much, I wanted to do it. The problem was, I didn’t have a group to do it with, and I didn’t really know how to start.

Fast forward several years. We hosted over thirty people for our Friendsgiving this week and had such an amazing time together. We laughed hard and had delicious food. It was just a really good time. Tuesday night was the culmination of the last several years.

We didn’t grow that group overnight. It’s taken the last few years to grow our group. We started small, inviting just two couples over to our house every Tuesday night for dinner and a Bible study. Over the years, the group has grown into what it is today. Now, we’re a loud, rowdy bunch.

Starting Your Own Friendsgiving

If you love the idea of Friendsgiving but don’t know how to get started, here’s how to get started in two easy steps.

How to Start Your Own Friendsgiving

Start small. Invite one or two couples or families over to your house for a Thanksgiving meal on a day or night separate from Thanksgiving. (That way you can save Thanksgiving day for family.)
Have each person bring two dishes. I learned this the hard way. I used to make everything myself. It’s so much easier and more fun when everybody brings food. You also get to vary up the food. At our Friendsgiving, we had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, beans and rice, Cajun fried chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, appetizer foods, pumpkin bars, and more.

That’s how to start; then here are a few tips to make it run smoothly. These are just some of the things we’ve learned over the years of hosting Friendsgiving.

10 Tips to Making Friendsgiving Easy and Uncomplicated

Use paper products and plastic silverware and cups so nobody gets stuck washing dishes. I usually get mine every year from either Dollar Tree or Walmart. Then I use my fall decor to decorate the tables, so I don’t have to spend a lot of money.
Add an easy, tangible way to show thankfulness. We printed off “I am thankful for” cards and spread them out on the table with a few pens and markers. Everybody wrote down what they were thankful for, and we just left them on the table to add to the decor. There are tons of free ones online.
Use plastic tablecloths so you can roll everything up and just throw it out.
Have something for the kids to do to keep them busy, so the adults can have a good time too. This year, our youth leader took all the kids for us, which was a huge blessing! Other years, we’ve printed off fun worksheets, bought crafts from Hobby Lobby, and also put a bunch of fun Thanksgiving picture books from the library on the tables for kids to read. Another fun idea is to buy one of those tablecloths that has activities on it that the kids can color and do at the table while they wait for food.
Don’t have a plan other than to eat and fellowship and have a good time. If you get a chance to play a game, go for it. But it’s okay to just sit and relax and fellowship too.
Don’t plan it too close to Thanksgiving Day. I remember one year, we had our Friendsgiving the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. That was a terrible idea. We weren’t hungry at all on Thursday, nor were we in the mood to cook again after we’d cooked all day the day before.
Make it a relaxed affair. Don’t make people feel like they have to dress up. That’s where the paper plates and tablecloths come in. Keep it easy and relaxed. The more formal it is, the more nervous people get. Just keep it relaxed so everyone can have a good time.
Pick easy dishes. Don’t try something you’ve never tried before that has a million steps. You’ll be stressed and nervous and won’t make for a great host. Instead, go for tried and true recipes. Every year, I make mashed potatoes for our group and one of the turkeys. It’s just what we do. I also make these pumpkin bars from Pioneer Woman that are always a hit! For drinks, we always buy Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale. It’s yummy and easy and looks festive.
This year, we made snowballs, chocolate-covered pretzels, and acorns. Actually, my girls made all those. Having fun treats like these are great for kids, and it’s a good way to get your own kids involved. (see the treats below)
Choose to just enjoy the night. I used to get so stressed, trying to make everything perfect, that I didn’t get to enjoy the night. Now, I just go with the flow. Whatever happens happens. Maybe we don’t have stuffing or maybe somebody forgets to bring something. Maybe we don’t have plastic knives for anybody to cut the ham (that happened on Tuesday.) What did we do? We used our forks and sometimes fingers to do the cutting for us. We made it work. It’s all about just enjoying the night.

Do you celebrate Friendsgiving? What works for you? I’d love to hear about it!

More Encouragement

Looking for more ways to make Thanksgiving week special? Check out my post, Thanksgiving Prompts for Each Day Next Week.

5 Ways to Know that Now is the Right Time

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Collecting Leaves

We worked on a leaf collection this week for school. I think it’s probably my favorite project of the year. When I was young, it was my favorite project for school; and I love collecting leaves even more now as an adult. I love wondering through the woods, looking for the most beautiful leaves in reds, golds, yellows, oranges, and all the shades in between.

I sat for a few minutes in the car before I got out at one of our parks. As I sat and watched, the wind blew and leaves began to fall all around the park. It was absolutely beautiful, and it made me think about the process of falling leaves.

Leaves Falling

What I think is amazing is that leaves stay on the trees all throughout spring and summer. During those two seasons, the winds blow, storms come, rain dumps on them, and still they hold on. The leaves don’t fall off the trees. Yet, as soon as winter gets close, the tiniest little breeze can shake the leaves off the trees.

Why do leaves fall so easily this time of year and yet hang on so tightly to their branches even in the midst of terrible storms earlier in the year? It all comes down to one thing.

Timing.

Timing

It’s such a good picture of how God works in our lives. We can try to do things on our own, in our own power, and it just doesn’t work out. God leads us to do something or to take on something, and it doesn’t take off. We get tired, discouraged, and want to give up.

And then there’s the time when things just go forward, and everything comes together. God works in ways you couldn’t dream of, and you sit back and watch him work. What’s the difference between the two?

Timing.

Different Seasons

You might have the right idea, the right plan, and the right people; but it may just not be the right timing. And sometimes we don’t figure that out until it comes together later, and we sit back and see…oh, this is when it was supposed to happen.

So how do you know when it’s the right timing? How do you know if the right timing is now or if you should wait? The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that life is all about seasons; there’s a right time to do things.

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

God’s Guiding

The only way to know God’s perfect timing is to pray about it, to seek his face and his guidance. I often pray through Proverbs 3:5,6 when I’m trying to get God’s guidance.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5,6 NLT

Here are five ways that’s God’s used in my life over the years to help me know if it’s the right time for something.

5 Ways to that Now is the Right Time

You feel in your heart of hearts like God is leading you to do this now.
Everything you are reading in your morning time routine, is pointing you in this direction.
The sermons you listen to, and the books you read all seem to be saying things that point in this direction.
Your spouse and or other family members are on board and supportive.
God has already started to move on your behalf, even if it’s something small.

If you can relate to these five ways, then it’s time to move forward! Step out in faith and see what God is going to do!

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Knowing When to Wait and When to Move Forward or check out Matt’s book, Momentum.

God’s Given You the Creativity You Need

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The Creativity in Ecclesiastes

I am currently reading through the book of Ecclesiastes in my morning time routine. Ecclesiastes is quite possibly my favorite book in the Bible; it rates right up there with some of my favorites like I Peter, Psalms, and a few others. As an author and creative, Ecclesiastes resonates with me on that artistic and inspirational level and the creative side of me.

There are a few verses in chapter eleven that I love that are both an inspiration and a challenge to me. The first one is verse 4.

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never plant.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT

Time to Go Forward

When you step out to do whatever it is God has for you, it takes faith. It’s the kind of faith that never really goes away. You have to keep stepping out in faith. You keep taking the next step and the next. If you worry about the what-if’s, you won’t get anywhere. There’s a time to plan and prepare and pray; and then the time comes when you have to simply go do. It may not be perfect, but it’s time to move.

There’s a saying that says, “If you wait for all green lights, you’ll never get anywhere in life.” There comes a point and time where you have to just go.

The Mystery of God’s Activity

A few verses later, the author of Ecclesiastes writes these words:

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
Ecclesiastes 11:5,6 NLT

I love the comparison the author gives here. There is so much mystery to a baby being born that we can’t possibly understand the intricacies of it. So it is the same way with God. We can’t possibly know and understand all that he is doing and where and how he is working.

Doing our Creative Part

Then my favorite part comes in verse six. Since we can’t possibly know how God is working, we have to work hard to do our creative part. We must work hard and diversify our work because we don’t know where God is going to bless. Start different ministries, tap into different sources, use your creative ability to create different products, meet more people, and use the abilities God has given you to do the work he’s called you to. We do all this, not knowing which part he is going to bless, or which part will be fruitful.

That’s okay. That’s not our part to know. It’s our part to simply be creative and do the work he’s called us to do to the best of our ability. Then, we watch as God blesses. And if God works in your life in the way he’s worked in mine, it’s never where you think the blessing will come from.

Use Your Creativity

Wherever you’re at today, whatever God has called you to do…don’t give up. It may seem like it’s not worth it. The days are long; the work is hard, and there doesn’t seem to be any reward. Let me encourage you with this: You don’t know where God’s working. You can’t possibly know what God is doing, but you can trust. Simply choose to keep at it; keep using the abilities he’s given you and the creativity he’s gifted you with. You can work hard in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, because you don’t know what or where God is going to bless. But he will bless, and you can trust in that.

For More Encouragement

A great book on this topic is Called to Create by Jordan Rayner. I loved this read. It’s free if you have KindleUnlimited!

God is Working on Your Behalf Today

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There’s something about knowing that somebody is working on your behalf. Whether that’s somebody that does a job for you, runs an errand for you, helps you with a project…whatever it is. There’s something that fills us with comfort when we realize we’re not alone in whatever it is we’re trying to accomplish.

Jonah’s Big Crisis

I was reading in the book of Jonah the other day as I make my way through the end of the Old Testament. There’s a small verse in chapter one that snags my attention every time I read it.

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah…
Jonah 1:17

What I love about this verse is that it shows that God is always working on our behalf, even when we don’t realize it. Jonah gets himself into a mess and hits his big crisis moment. At this very moment in time, he was sinking to the bottom of the depths of the ocean. Talk about a crisis!

His Dire Circumstances

He later has these words to say about his experience.

I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
Jonah 2:5

These are some pretty dire conditions that Jonah finds himself in. His crisis comes on hard and fast. At this point, we’re not even sure if he’s had a chance to pray yet. He’s been thrown overboard into the choppy waves in the midst of a terrible storm and is currently sinking to the bottom of the ocean. How long do you have when you’re sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Not long, I’d say. We get the idea he’s already out of oxygen, waiting for his demise.

God Knows Our Future

If God had waited even a few moments longer, we wouldn’t have the story of Jonah. If God would have waited for Jonah to reach out to him, I don’t know that the fish would have gotten to him in time. Instead, God began working before Jonah started praying. From the way the verse is worded, we get the idea that God arranged for the fish to get Jonah long before Jonah ever needed the fish.

That’s the amazing thing about having God on our side. He sees the future and knows what we need before we do, before we’ve even had a chance to pray about it. He works on our behalf before we know the words to pray.

There’s incredible encouragement in that thought, in knowing God is working on your behalf today.

God’s Working on Your Future Today

God was already working. He knew what was in Jonah’s future and was already actively bringing about the pieces of his life to work out His plan in Jonah’s life.

God is doing the same for you and me today. He already knows what’s in our future. Nothing that happens in our lives takes him by surprise. He is already acting on behalf for you for your future, for things that haven’t even happened yet.

If you can trust him with your future, you can trust him with today. So be encouraged today and know that God is working on your behalf today both with what you can see and what you can’t!

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, When You Can’t See God Working in Your Life.

If you’re looking for a devotional to encourage you and remind you that God’s not done working on you, check out God’s Plan, My Purpose. It’s currently on sale on Amazon for $5.70!

Change Your Morning, Change Your Life

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My Morning Time Routine

If there was one thing that has been my anchor over the years, it would be morning time routine. Through all the ups and downs of life, it has been my relationship with God that has helped me to weather the storms. The best way I have found to grow my relationship with God is through my morning time routine.

I really believe that if you learn to change your morning and create a morning time routine of praying, reading your Bible, and journaling, you can change your life. Matt and I are so passionate about it, we write books, journals, and devotionals for Manney Resources. We want to help others find the same hope and encouragement we get from spending time with God each day.

Getting Up Ahead of the Chaos

Mornings are hard. Complicated. Frustrating, Rushed. Frantic. I get it. That’s how our mornings used to be to, until we discovered that if we got up early enough to beat the chaos and spent some quiet time with God ahead of the craziness, it could and has changed our lives.

So every morning, long before the sun begins to rise for the day, you will find Matt and I at our dining room table with a candle lit, a cup of coffee (hot for him, iced for me), and our morning time baskets. Even on the darkest mornings, when I’m tired or discouraged, or feel like giving up, I know that if I can just get to the table and do my morning time routine, my spirit will change and so will my attitude.

30-to-THRIVE

Our morning time routine is so simple, yet it works every single day. Here’s what we do and now what we teach—we call it 30-to-THRIVE.

Spend ten minutes reading your Bible or a devotional.
Write in your journal for ten minutes. This includes writing down your prayer requests and anything you learned from your Bible reading or devotional for the day.
Read a book for ten minutes. I like to choose a Christian inspirational book that will further enhance my morning time experience.

That’s it. In just thirty minutes, you can find the hope and comfort you need and the strength to face your day. Will every day be something amazing, something that inspires you and lifts you up? Probably not. It’s like eating. Every meal you eat won’t be this amazing life-changing experience. In fact, you probably don’t remember what you had for dinner a week ago on Monday night. But that meal got you from where you were then until the next day and made it possible for you to get to today.

Start Today

That’s how your morning time routine is. It will help you to get through to the next day, and that’s what this blog is all about. Faithfully stepping one day at a time. I believe the best way you can do that is through a a morning time routine.

If you don’t have one, start one today. Start small. I have an easy course you can take for free with more details to help you get started, if you’re interested. Click the image below if you’re interested in that course.

Choose to just begin and meet with God every morning and watch how that changes the course of your day.

More Encouragement

If you’d like a free morning time guide, check out Manney Resources where you can get one for free to help you get started today.

4 Reasons Why Getting Up Early Transforms Your Day

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Early Bird or Night Owl?

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Did you know that most people are neither? Most of us fall somewhere in between. I find that fascinating. There are some people who really enjoy getting up early, and there are some people that love staying up late. But most people are right down the middle—we like to sleep in a little, and we like to go to bed at a normal time.

I didn’t used to be a morning person. I got up early for years in junior high, high school, and then college. So when I got married, I hated having to get up early. But over the years, I have transitioned into a major morning person. That doesn’t mean I like getting out of bed every morning, but it means that I enjoy waking up before the sun comes up and having my morning routine before the rest of the house comes to life.

If I had to point to one thing that helps me to get more done each day, it would be getting up early. That has made the difference in increasing my productivity these past several years. I get soooo much more accomplished when I get up early.

4 Reasons Why Getting Up Early Transforms Your Day:

1. You get a jumpstart on your day. There is something about getting up early that makes me feel so good about jumping into my day.

2. There’s a peace and quiet that you can only experience if you get out of bed before everybody else. For me, the best time to do my morning time routine is in the quiet morning hours when it’s just Matt and I, a candle, and coffee.

3. You accomplish more. There’s something about getting up early that sets you up for success the rest of the day. I always accomplish more in my day when I get up at a good time, compared to the days I sleep in.

4. Early morning hours are like bonus points in your day. Somehow, whatever you accomplish just accumulates into more for the day.

Start Somewhere

If you want to be a morning person but struggle with it, start by getting up just five minutes earlier each day. That’s all you have to do to start. Eventually, add another five minutes and then another. Before you know it, you will be a morning person!

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out Hal Elrod’s book, The Morning Miracle.

What’s Your Cross to Bear?

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I am convinced that each of us has a cross to bear in this life. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Jesus told the people of his day that if they didn’t pick up their cross and follow him, they couldn’t be one of his disciples.

And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27

What’s Our Cross?

It’s sometimes hard to know what he was talking about. It’s kind of confusing. How do we know what cross it is we’re supposed to bear? This thought is so familiar to us as Christians, and yet I’ve never really fully grasped what Jesus meant.

But the longer I’ve been a Christian and the longer I live this life, I have come to believe that each of us is given a cross to bear. Our crosses all look different, but I believe that God gives each of us something difficult in this life that we have to choose to pick up and carry every single day.

Something Different for Each of Us

For my daughter Macey, it’s type 1 diabetes. There is no cure, and she will have that disease for the rest of her life. For my mom, it’s a lifelong debilitating disease. For my husband and I, it’s been financial burden and the weight of a small church. My friend’s cross is being single for so many years and wanting so desperately to be married. For another friend of mine, it’s being stuck in a bad marriage. Another friend of mine faces debilitating mental health. I could go on and on.

For each of us, it’s something different. But it’s our “thorn in the flesh,” just like Paul had. It’s something God gives us to keep us humble and keep us trusting in him.

Jesus taught us that we have to pick up our cross every day to be a follower of him. How does that work? Why would he say that? Does he not love us?

The Answer to Why?

On the contrary, God knows if he gives us something that’s “our cross to bear” in this life, it will drive us to our knees every single day. We will have to depend on him. There’s no chance of making it through this life without him.

There are so many questions we don’t have answers to this side of Heaven. Kay Warren says we should write those questions down and save them for Heaven one day. Your cross to bear—loss, a bad marriage, divorce, singleness, infertility, poverty, health problems, a wayward child, a blended family, being wronged…is one of those questions to ask God one day. I don’t have the answers.

Encouragement from the Psalms

I think of the verses that the Psalmist writes in Psalm 77.

When I was in deep trouble,
    I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
    but my soul was not comforted.

And I said, “This is my fate;
    the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
Psalm 77: 2, 11

From Hopelessness to Hopeful

You can feel the hopelessness, the sense that God doesn’t care, that he’s turned against us. But thankfully he doesn’t stop there.

But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
Psalm 77:12

What was the answer to his desperation? To remember the things God has done in the past. That’s the same answer for us today. How do you pick up your cross every single day? How do you deal with whatever it is God has given you as your cross in this life? You remember what he did for you in the past. You focus on the fact that God got you through yesterday, and he will get you through today.

So you choose each day to pick up whatever it is God has given you to deal with in this life, and you choose to carry it, while following Jesus. And just maybe, lead some others to Jesus along the way.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post, Handling Trials, or check out my book, The Hidden Pain.

Looking Past What is to What Could Be

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One of my most favorite things is to watch those before and after pictures of homes on HGTV. There’s something so satisfactory about watching an old house transform into something beautiful, trendy, and fresh. It always makes me look around my house and imagine what could be.

Before and After

We love to see the after; but for most of us, it’s hard to see the after when you’re looking at the before…unless you have a gift like Joanna Gaines. I do not have that gift, and I am perfectly okay with that.

God is in the business of creating before and after pictures, but he does it through our lives. He has the amazing ability not to see us as we are now, but for what we can become.

Jesus’ Conversation with Peter

At the last supper, Jesus tells Peter that he’s going to betray him. Peter can’t even begin to imagine any circumstance in which he would deny Jesus. In the midst of this conversation, Jesus tells him something that is so key to understanding how Jesus works.

Jesus says to Peter, “After you have repented and turned again to me, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus could see past Peter’s failure to the man Peter would become, in spite of his failure.

God has always had the ability to look past what is, to see what could be. He started the world that way. He took what was and turned it into what could be, an amazing creation. All throughout the Bible, God sees people for what they could become.

How God Sees People

Zacchaeus. Jesus tells him, “I’m coming to your house today.” He said that before Zacchaeus even changed his heart.
Gideon. The angel calls him “mighty man of valor” even while Gideon is hiding.
Mary. Gabriel calls her “favored” before she chose to go through with the pregnancy.
David. God saw him as the great king of Israel while he was still a lowly shepherd boy.
Esther. God saw a queen in a young Jewish girl.
Samuel. God saw a mighty prophet in a small boy left at the temple.
A little boy. Jesus saw a little boy who would feed over 5,000 with a simple lunch.
Jesus saw some lowly fishermen as the men who would turn the world upside down for Christ.

Seeing Us for What Could Be

God has never been content to leave us where we are. No, he sees what could be, who we could become. So he pushes in on us and chisels and works on us, chiseling off the rough edges. He sends trials into our lives that change us and mold us and grow us into who he knows we can become.

He does all this so that one day, we can become the “after” picture. In heaven one day, we will look back at the “before” picture and not even recognize ourselves, and we’ll see that he was busy crafting and changing us and molding us into who he wanted us to become.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post, There’s Beauty in the Unmaking. A great book to read is Love Does by Bob Goff.

The Simple Tool I Use to Get More Done this Fall

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It’s September 1st! Happy Fall! I love September. I love getting back on track with schedules and structure, working on projects, hitting writing goals, and of course all the fun that comes with fall—hayrides, apple picking, pumpkin spice everything, the leaves changing, walking on trails, doing fall crafts with the kids, and more.

The Busyness of Fall

Every year when we hit September, we enter our busiest season of the year. I think most of us do. Our school schedule is full, our family days are packed, and our church and growth group schedules are overflowing. Then there’s all the work goals Matt and I have—book deadlines, writing projects, and more. If we’re not careful, it gets overwhelming really fast. I have to really protect my time and make every minute of every day count.

The easiest way I do this is so simple, you’ll probably laugh. But it’s the system that works for me time and time again! Here it is: I write down my to-do list for the day with a little empty circle next to it. When I finish that task, I check off the circle. It sounds so simple, but honestly, it helps me stay on track every day because otherwise my mind whirls and twirls with all that I need to be doing. Without a to-do list for the day, I can spin my wheels the entire day and work hard but not actually get anything accomplished for the day.

I’ve used a lot of planners over the years, and I love them. I have one that I’m using right now for the calendar. Honestly, though, what has worked even better for me is a clean sheet of notebook paper every single day, either loose-leaf or in a notebook. There’s something about a clean sheet of paper that represents a new, fresh day with endless possibilities.

My Favorite Tool

One of my most favorite thing in the world is spiral notebooks. I use them for everything!! I use them for meal planning, homeschool assignments, budget work, meetings at church, planning dates with Matt, book project deadlines and tasks, and so much more. I have found that they are absolutely invaluable. The other great thing about them is that they are cheap! I always buy a huge stack in the summer when they’re on sale for school. I just went to Staples yesterday, where they are currently $.35 and bought thirty of them (because that was the limit.)

Simple Hacks

I have found over the years that sometimes the simplest ideas have the most profound impact on our lives in the area of getting things accomplished. So that’s my hack for getting more accomplished this fall. Grab a spiral notebook and write down a to-do list every single day.

What are your hacks for meal planning, chores, getting more accomplished, keeping the house clean, etc? I’d love to know!

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post, 3 Things I Do Every Night before Bed.

When the Winds of Change Begin to Blow

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Most of the time, we plod along in our journey of faith. We take step after step, following God’s leading in our lives. Most days, we know exactly what to expect. Each day is about choosing to do what God has for us that day.

And then, there comes those times when everything starts to shake up. I call it the “winds of change.” The ground beneath you isn’t quite as steady as it used to be. You start noticing things, small things at first. But those small things start adding up until you realize that something is happening. It takes a while to put it together, but then you realize that the Holy Spirit is working and moving, and things are starting to change.

Change is Both Exciting and Fearful

These times don’t happen a lot in life, but when they do, it’s both exciting and fearful at the same time. It’s exciting because you don’t know what God is doing, but it’s also fearful because you don’t know what God is doing.

It’s these seasons of life that make being a Christian exciting. It reminds you that you aren’t living your own life. No, God is directing and guiding you in every aspect of your life. He is working and moving, and you and I are simply instruments to be used however he sees fit.

Some people get worried when change comes, but I get excited. Why? Because it means God is still working in my life; he is still actively involved in my life. It’s way more scary to not have God do anything in your life for decades.

God is at Work

When you feel the winds of change begin to blow, you’d better hold on. God is at work; he’s starting to move. Don’t be afraid; instead, be excited. Do what you can to be ready. Because when God decides to move, there isn’t anything that will stand in his way.

Matt has a saying for times when God is working.

When God opens a door, you can drive a Mac truck through it!

So if you’re feeling God moving, if the ground beneath your feet is beginning to shift, don’t fear it. Lean into it. Get excited and ready to see what God is going to do in your life!

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Knowing When to Wait and When to Move Forward. A great book to read is Matt’s book, Momentum.