Five Minute Friday: Dive

Five Minute Friday
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Dive

I remember well the two summers I spent learning to swim as a kid. I was quite content to splash around in the 2 feet deep kids pool, but the 10 feet deep divers’ pool freaked me out, always! The deep pool had two diving boards and whenever we had to dive, I would hasten to the lower one and quickly jump in. I found the lower diving board less threatening than the higher one! 🙂

One day, however, my coach caught up with me and insisted that I try the higher jump. I shivered and shook as I inched towards the edge of the diving board. As I hesitated there, I remember the coach asking me to step aside as he plunged into the water in a matter of seconds. He called out to me from the water below, and suddenly the jump wasn’t all that scary. I took a deep breath and plunged in. I already knew how to swim, so rising up to the surface and swimming to the edge of the pool was easy. The dive wasn’t as bad as I had feared.

I look back and realize what a wonderful analogy that is to our spiritual lives. God doesn’t leave us without help, asking us to live life on our own. Instead, He came down, became man and experienced our life. Now, He is on the other side urging us onward as we strive to live a meaningful life.

God is always around – to instruct us, teach us and guide us. His still, small voice is ever ready to whisper an encouraging thought in our minds. All we have to do is trust Him and dive in… go where He calls, speak His Word, walk in His precepts, follow His leading… Go on, dive in; live the life He wants you to live. God’s got your back!

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #14

I rummaged around blogland to find three posts I’d like you to read. Check them out?

1. Luke Bible Study @ Good Morning Girls {If you struggle with reading the Bible consistently, this study will be of great help.}

2. The Ultimate Marriage Vow @ Time Warp Wife {21 Days to a Stronger Marriage – an ongoing series}

3. This video from Sally Clarkson – a must watch for mothers.

If you’ve read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

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5 Steps To Achieve Your Goal

Goal

I’ve learnt over the past year that by setting a goal and meticulously working towards it, it is totally possible for us to achieve our goals. Here are 5 steps that I’ve found helpful in make our goals a reality.

1. Identify your Goal

The first step is of course identifying your goal. Spend some time thinking about what you would like to accomplish this month/year. Pray about it, if you’d like to seek God’s guidance. When you’ve decided, trim your goal so it is specific and realistic. Put it on paper and place it in a prominent spot (to serve as a constant reminder). If possible, share your goal with someone who can keep you accountable.

2. Write down your “Why”

This is something I learnt the hard way. Without the right motive, it is very easy to lose track of why we’re working towards something. Think about why you want to achieve your goal and let that be your motivation. Write your motive down alongside your goal, so you don’t forget. Your motivation could be a quote, a Bible verse, a picture or even something you’ll be treating yourself to when you reach your goal.

3. Break it down

The next step is breaking your goal down into smaller, manageable, time-bound mini goals. Divide your yearly goal into smaller monthly goals. And then make a list of weekly tasks that will help you achieve your monthly goals. You might have heard this before, but here it is anyway:

Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time! 😀

How do you achieve your goal? One small task at a time!

4. Just do it

This is obviously the most logical step. Start working on your goals, that’s it. Do it, one tiny bit at a time. Start with the smallest task at hand (identified in the previous step) and just keep plugging away at it until you’re done. When you plan your daily To-Do list, include one task that will help you achieve your weekly goal. The idea is to start with the mini-goals and slowly build momentum to achieve your goal as a whole.

5. Get back to it

This is my favorite step! Let’s face it; we are not perfect. There will be days or even weeks when we don’t work on our goals and they fall by the wayside. How many new year resolutions have we made that haven’t lasted past January? Despite our best intentions, life happens and we fall off the wagon. But the secret to success here is simply getting back on.

If you’ve missed your Bible reading today, do it the first thing tomorrow… If you’ve had an extra slice of chocolate cake (or 4!), eat something light for your next meal or workout an extra 5 minutes tomorrow. If you’ve had a stressful week, pick up the pace again next week. Just pick yourself up and keep moving forward. Two steps forward and one step back still means you’re moving forward :).

Let’s set our goals and make them happen this year! Who’s with me?

Well, it’s your turn now. How do you work towards achieving your goals? Share with us in the comments below.

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Monthly Goals: January

At the beginning of each month, I share my goals for the month ahead and track my progress on the previous month’s goals.

My goals for December were:

  1. Complete the Good Morning Girls Advent Bible study. — Done
  2. Keep up with my personal Bible study on the book of James. — Done
  3. Read through Galatians, Ephesians & Philippians. — Done
  4. Finish reading The Excellent Wife. — Done
  5. Read How to Strengthen your Child’s Faith at Christmas. — Done
  6. Teach the kids to memorize Psalm 121:7-8. — Done
  7. Read at least 12 books to the kids. — Done
  8. Use Truth in the Tinsel to have a daily devotion with the kids. — Done
  9. Get the house organized with the help of this series by Money Saving Mom. — Incomplete {I missed out a few days}
  10. Memorize Psalm 139:9-16. — In Progress {I’m making the effort to memorize, but I’m not able to recall all the verses}

My goals for January are:

  1. Begin new Bible studies with Good Morning Girls & Hello Mornings.
  2. Read through the books of Thessalonians & Timothy in the Bible.
  3. Read Desperate, Reach & The “Do What You Can” Plan.
  4. Revise Psalm 23, Psalm 121, John 3:16 & the Lord’s Prayer with the kids.
  5. Read at least 12 books to the kids.
  6. Memorize Psalm 139:17-24.
  7. Develop an action plan to persevere in prayer, fitness & home organization.

Are you in the habit of setting weekly/monthly goals? If you do, how did you do last month? If you don’t, how do you keep track of things you need to get done?

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Counting My Blessings: 803 to 835

Blessings

“… give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

More of the little things I am grateful for… Join me this year in a journey of intentional thanksgiving?

3 Gifts in Luke 2

803. Jesus sought knowledge (Luke 2:46).
804. He knew His place & His ministry (Luke 2:49).
805. Jesus obeyed His parents (Luke 2:51).

3 Gifts in Christ

806. Healing for the sick.
807. Light for the blind.
808. Strength for the weary.

A Gift Found, Shared, Saved

809. Fire trucks for the boys.
810. A 5D movie experience with my husband, thanks to a precious family that babysat our kids.
811. My sanity! {Thanks to an understanding husband}

3 Gifts Lingering

812. In the lobby of our hotel with family.
813. Memories of the past year – good and bad.
814. Tough, faith-building lessons.

3 Gifts of Hope

815. Hope that sickness will end sometime soon.
816. Eternal life, a mansion and forever worship.
817. Prayers for loved ones that will be answered.

3 Gifts Remembered

818. God’s healing power.
819. His provision.
820. His protection.

3 Gifts Anticipated

821. Returning back home after a vacation.
822. New Year’s eve late night service in church.
823. A fruitful 2013.

3 Gifts Heard

824. Worship in church, heralding the new year.
825. Jon & Judah making music with a toy guitar, an empty box and a stick.
826. Jason & Judah giggling at bedtime.

A Gift Outside, Inside, On a Plate

827. Clear skies.
828. Belts & crowns discarded from this photo shoot.
829. A healthy breakfast.

3 Graces you Overheard

830. The boys wondering when Jesus was going to come back to the earth.
831. A discussion about God, good people and death.
832. A mother soothing her daughter.

A Gift Old, New, Blue

833. A comfortable salwar.
834. My husband’s new T-shirt.
835. The door leading to our prayer group.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Five Minute Friday: Opportunity

Five Minute Friday

Opportunity

The start of this year has been unlike any other. I’ve been learning a lot about goal-setting over the past year, and the new year has given me an opportunity to set a few goals to be more intentional with how I want to live this year.

But a part of me wonders how long until the novelty of the new year dies down. Will I still stick to my goals a couple of months down the line? What happens when the excitement of starting afresh fizzles? And then I remind myself that each new month, each new week, each new day is an opportunity to start over.

Why wait until next month to cultivate a new habit, when I can start right now? Why wait until next week to be more organized, when I can work on it today? Why wait until tomorrow to watch what I eat, when I can start at the very next meal?

Every day brings with it several opportunities to start over. Why wait?

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #13

Here are 3 links to help you with your goals/resolutions this year. Check them out?

1. Refresh your Old as it becomes your New @ RooMag {Out with the old, in with the new; 4 simple questions to get you started with a clean slate}

2. Goal Setting for Kids @ I Can Teach My Child {I’m inspired by this post to set a few goals for my own boys}

3. 31 Days to your Goal @ Work Your Way {If you’re new to goal setting, you should check out this ongoing series}

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Persevere in 2013

2013 is here! There’s something about a new year that gets me all fired up to change for the better. But that feeling soon evaporates if I don’t have the right motivation. Anybody know what I mean? 🙂

So, this year I decided to pick out One Word that will motivate me. I was reading through the book of Galatians when I came across this verse:

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

The words echoed in my head – Do not give up… in other words, Persevere… And that’s how I came up with my word for 2013!

Persevere 2013

2012 was a year of getting my priorities in order. I learnt a lot of hard lessons and improved a bit in these areas:

So, this year I decided to apply the word “Persevere” to 3 other areas of my life that need improvement. This year, I will intentionally persevere in:

  1. Building up my prayer life.
  2. Working towards a healthy lifestyle.
  3. Organizing my home.

Last year I made a list of things I was looking forward to, and they all happened :). I’ll be following the same pattern to accomplish my goals this year as well. Stay tuned to read more about it in the coming weeks.

Have A Blessed 2013!

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Wise Men Still Seek Jesus!

Three Wise Men

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

HAVE A BLESSED SEASON!

…and I’ll be back to blogging next year :).

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Counting My Blessings: 782 to 802

If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” – John F. MacArthur

3 Gifts Miraculous

782. That God would call (unworthy) me His daughter.
783. The triplets actually mingling with other kids at their school picnic.
784. Educating 3 kids on a single income.

3 Gifts Manger-Small

785. The  boys’ school jackets.
786. A baby who would one day save the world through His death.
787. My old NIV Bible.

3 Gifts Angelic Song

788. Buffering YouTube Christmas videos for the kids to watch.
789. Listening to Christmas songs at an online radio station.
790. Hearing our boys sing in tandem.

3 Gifts Lit

791. Lights twinkling in our prayer group center.
792. Red & green candles at home.
793. The lights on our tree.

A Gift with Rejoicing, Wonder, Praising

794. The boys attending their first carnival.
795. Looking in wonder at two medals the boys received at their sports meet.
796. Praising the boys for their grades this term.

3 Gifts Starry

797. 36 tiny stars hanging from our ceiling.
798. A bright star projected at our kids’ church Christmas program.
799. The stars on a special candle holder.

3 Gifts Humble

800. Jesus’ birth.
801. His life & ministry.
802. His death.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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