We have a lot to be thankful for on this Thankful Thursday. This picture below is of my family and our Pastor. Last Sunday my mom joined our church at Herbert Memorial United Methodist. It has been a long journey for my mom since my Dad passed away of cancer almost two years ago. Mom has adopted a saying for her self; “Not all who wander are lost”. In other words my mom wasn’t lost from God or family but lost in trying to figure out her new normal and where to put roots.

In this scripture from Ephesians, as a body of Christ Jesus, we are held together and support one another. Through the outpouring of God’s love, we help one other to love, serve, and grow in Christ Jesus. Fellowship is vital part of nurturing our relationships. We are thankful that we have the opportunity to worship together. In 2020 we learned to appreciate fellowship as most of us were not able to gather due to COVID. I encourage us all to not forget that season and to always be thankful for opportunities to fellowship and worship together with our brothers and sisters in God’s house.

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In this photo by Ray White, God paints a beautiful picture. The sky reflecting on the water reminds me how we are made in God’s image. It reminds me that God pays attention to every little detail. Not one thing has been left undone. I consider Philippians 1:6 NIV to be my life verse; “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

If God completed the earth in 7 days, we can be confident he can complete his work in us throughout our lifetime and beyond. He continues it on even through the legacies we leave. On this Water Walking Wednesday I encourage us all to be confident and keep persevering. The current path may seem long but God will finish what He started in each of us.

Will you look for God winks and opportunities that God is presenting to you today to carry you through?

I think it is safe to say that we all like to control our calendars, our plans, our emotions, our health, our relationships, and basically everything. I am sure we have all had our ups and downs at some point throughout 2021. Admitting we really don’t have control is the first step to surrendering everything over to God. One prayer that has always helped me maneuver through trying to control life is the Serenity Prayer; God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer has inspired my word for 2022; Serenity which means the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. I think it is safe ro say we would all love a calm, peaceful, and untroubled life. In reality there will be many days the exact opposite. I can remember the serenity prayer and have the courage to change what I can. The scripture I have picked to stand on comes from Rom 15:13 NIV; “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The gift of the Holy Spirit will also give me the wisdom to discern what I can not control.

From that same scripture I pull out the word “trust”. Trusting God with today, not worrying about what tomorrow will bring. I challenge us all to pay attention to how much our minds drift into tomorrow throughout our day. It is natural for us to dream and plan and even more natural to worry. From that I choose my mantra; Live for Today. If we don’t surrender today, tomorrow will hold us in chains. If we don’t surrender our best laid plans, our control may become out of control.

Choosing a word of the year can be what you want it to be. It can be as detailed as you have read above or as simple 😉 as you want it to be. The important part is that we remember that word and or mantra throughout the year. Even more important that with Gods help we grow from that word. Deborah and I have found it is easier to stick with a word for 365 days than it is a New Years resolution. What word or mantra will you choose?

In case you missed Deborah’s word of the year last week, you can click here.

I have run past this garden many times and seen all its beautiful phases. When you look at this photo today, you don’t see a garden. Yet underneath this grass is rich soil that has been carefully and thoughtfully taken care of. There are many steps to planting a garden. Once you know your location, layout, and what you want to plant, then you get the seeds and prepare the soil to plant. Once planted you have to weed, water, and control any pests. The harvest comes after the preparation.

On this Mindset Monday let’s look at this verse from Isaiah 26:3 NIV; “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Steadfast means firmly fixed in place. Just like the steps to gardening, we must stand firm and trust the process God has in place for us. Although the days, weeks, months, and years seem long sometimes, we can’t remove a step.

Today is the first Monday of the new year. We can move forward with a mindset to trust in the steps God has laid out for us. Let’s take one day at a time, not skipping a step. Will you choose to trust God with the process of your harvest?

We have been talking about our word of the year and mantras on Transformation Tips Tuesday. I plan to share mine for 2022 later this week. Today, on this Spiritual Sunday I wanted to reflect on 2021. Yesterday I was blessed to sit on the South Pawleys Creek with my mom and daughter. The wind was chilly but the sun made up for it with its warmth. I enjoyed the salty smell, cold sand in my toes, and the watching the sun’s reflection glistening on the water. I thought about this past year and how much we change and grow in a year.

In 2021 my Word of the Year was Refine, meaning to remove impurities and improve. The scripture I referenced came from 1 Peter 1:7 NIV; “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

My 2021 mantra was “To be a fruit bearer”. The scripture I referenced came from Galatians 5:22-23 NIV; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Spiritual Sunday can end our week or start our week. I encourage us all to look back on 2021 and reflect on love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What strengths and weaknesses do you see as you embodied the fruits of the spirit? Today can be a new day and new year to surrender and make changes. As we go to our places of worship we can ask God to refine us. We can surrender our impurities. We can seek God to guide us through 2022. Making small changes can start today. Small changes overtime can make a big impact!

Will you choose to surrender 2021? Will you choose to seek God to guide you through 2022?