“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.” Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Each day this week I have encouraged you to spend some time looking back and reflecting. On this Fast Forward Friday, I encourage you to look ahead. I love this photograph by Ray White. It appears the man is frozen in time as everything around him moves in fast forward.

As time moves on towards the end of 2022, many of us may start to write goals for 2023. Often those goals may be health or career related. Today I want you to consider making a spiritual goal for 2023. You may be reading this prior to starting your day, so you may not have adequate time to truly sit and prayerfully consider a spiritual goal. So go about today pondering and praying for God to help you discern what you should focus on for 2023. Then gift yourself some time this weekend to sit with God and craft your goal. Below are some ideas to get you thinking.

* Commit to a daily devotion time and choose a devotional to guide your spiritual growth time-Julie and I have some we could recommend if you need some ideas.

* Begin a prayer journal to list daily joys and concerns.

* Join a Bible Study group.

* Research spiritual growth books you would like to read and commit to reading at least one off the list.

These are just a few ideas to help you start thinking. We would love to hear what you choose as a spiritual goal. Sharing with us on Facebook or Instagram may help inspire someone else. In fact, finding a new way to share your faith may be just the spiritual goal God is calling you to today.

Whatever goal we choose, let’s allow today’s scripture to give us strength, courage and hope for how God will help us spiritually grow in 2023.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On this Thankful Thursday I am reflecting on last week. I was blessed to have a week off from school which afforded me extra time to spend with family and friends who are like family. Today’s pictures are some of the highlights from my week.

I am also reflecting today on my mantra for the year, “be a light.” While I am giving thanks to God for all the blessings of last week, I wonder if I was shining the light of Christ while I interacted with others? Did I do everything “in the name of Jesus Christ”? There were moments that I lost my focus and acted more human than Christ-like. In fact, it’s mostly around family that we let our guard down and act more human. However, I pray the prevalent reflection I present is that of Christ.

How can we stay focused on being a light for Christ, even when we are with family? We must give thanks. Having an attitude of thankfulness for even the smallest things helps me “do it all in the name of Lord Jesus”.

A couple weeks ago, I shared with you the practice of keeping a gratitude journal. Click here to read the post. Have you started writing down your gratitudes daily? If so, we would love to hear about your experience. Leave us a note or text/email one of us. Julie and I love sharing in your faith journey.

Today is also the first day of December. I encourage you to begin to pray about choosing a word, mantra, or both for 2023. Choosing a word/mantra has helped shape my walk with Christ and helped me be intentional. To stay focused on my word/mantra for 2022 I began writing both of them every day at the bottom of my gratitude list for the day.

As we go throughout this Thankful Thursday, let’s carry out Colossians 3:17.

“Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. * * *”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What a beautiful photo captured by Ray White. Look at the intricate details in this mushroom. Once again I turned to Google to research what kind of mushroom this may be and I was overwhelmed with how many different types of mushrooms exist. Wow! God’s creation is amazing! How can anyone look at such a creation and not believe in God?

This week I have encouraged you to look back and reflect. On this Wow Wednesday, I want you to look back and identify some of the amazing things God has created in your life. Was it miraculous meetings, divine interruptions, or perhaps heavenly interactions with others? How has God wowed you over the years? Jot down some of your reflections and allow your list to be a reminder of God’s goodness and mercy. Look for God’s fingerprints on your life today and be amazed at the work of our Creator.

“In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Yesterday our scripture referred to mustard seed faith. On this Teachable Tuesday I want to share with you how mustard taught me humility. Mirriam-Webster defines teachable as;

1. a) capable of being taught

b) apt and willing to learn

2. Favorable to teaching

When I Googled scripture about being teachable, the above scripture was the first one referenced. I interpret that to mean, being teachable also means being humble.

Many, many years ago when I was a student at Columbia College, I took a speech class. One day I had a speech to give and I felt very confident about what I had written. I had worked hard to research, gather information and arrange it for my presentation. The morning of the speech was a warm, spring day so I was eager to wear a new, stylish outfit that consisted of matching shorts and shirt. One might say I was full of pride as I gazed in the mirror at my stylish outfit, perfectly placed hair and well crafted speech in hand. I headed to the cafeteria for lunch prior to my class. Immediately following lunch I headed to my class. When it was my turn to present, I did a great job of delivering my speech, if I do say so myself. As I left class I had a pep in my step, almost walking on air, so proud of the job I’d done. Only a few moments later, my bubble was busted. Once in the broad daylight, I glanced down at my predominately white shirt to see a large, yellow, mustard stain right in the middle of it. I was upset that my new shirt had a mustard stain and more importantly I began to deflate as I realized I had just stood in front of my class with mustard on me. Initially, I felt horrified and humiliated. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to laugh. What a funny way for God to bring me back to earth and teach me humility.

Over the years I have told that story several times as an example of learning humility. However, today, as I reflect on the story, I realize I would never have learned that lesson on humility if I had not been teachable.

Think about yourself. Are you teachable? Are you eager to learn from mishaps and mistakes? Do you view failure as good data to help you learn? What lessons have you learned over the years?

As you start your day, ask God to help you have a teachable spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct your thoughts as you listen and learn throughout your day. Whatever you do, watch out for mustard!

“He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Yesterday I encouraged you to look back and reflect while still looking ahead. On this Move Mountains Monday I want to throw a twist in that idea and encourage you to look back, reflect, and use what God has done in the past to strengthen your faith for the road ahead. How has God shown off in your life? What miracles have you witnessed from the hand of God? Use those faith building experiences to be a catalyst for your faith in God’s ability to move the mountains ahead of you. Believe and trust that your God is bigger than any giant or obstacle you face. As it says in the song by Chris Mcclarney, let’s “speak to the mountains” in our path and tell them “it’s time to move.” Click here to listen to the song and gain strength in the promise that our God is bigger, better, stronger, greater than any mountain we face.

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care”. Psalms‬ ‭95‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This photo was taken one morning on my way to work. As I drove, I was thinking about the day ahead and various tasks on my to do list. That particular morning I was enjoying the various stages of the sunrise as I often do on my ride to work. However this morning was different. When I turned toward school my eyes were drawn to look in the mirror on the side of my car. My breath was taken as I saw what beauty was behind me and I was struck with the idea of how valuable it is to look back and reflect while still moving forward.

Today is Sunday. Thursday was Thanksgiving and yesterday was my 50th birthday. So today I am reflecting while still looking ahead. Today I am looking back at this year and how my word for the year has affected me. My word for 2022 has been “simple” and my mantra has been “be a light.” I am also looking ahead at what word God has laid on my heart for 2023. I imagine you did reflect on Thanksgiving Day and counted your many blessings. Did you have a word for 2022? How did that word affect your actions? Have you begun to look ahead at 2023? Has God laid a word on your heart?

As we worship this Sunday morning, may each of us do as we are directed in the above scripture; “come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel down before the Lord our Maker.” Psalms 95:6

As we worship may each of us reflect while still keeping our eyes on the road ahead. We mustn’t get too distracted by the beauty that lies behind us. Let’s admire it, thank our Maker for it, and continue to move forward with the knowledge of lessons learned. Let’s allow this time of reflection to encourage our steps forward with Christ as our guide and may we each become more like Christ as we march onward with time.