Life Update

Hello Everyone!

Wow it seems like forever since I last write a post for this blog. I may have forgotten how to do this. So much has happened since my last post titled Seasons of Change. As you probably noticed the header changed. I felt it was time to give the blog a new look that really represented me and what I stand for. So I hope you like what I came up with.

You are probably wondering if I'm going to start blogging regularly again and as much as I would like to that just isn't in the cards right now. However I do plan to start up again this fall. I have some really exciting changes for this blog and where God is taking it. So please be sure to check back.

Just a little update. While I have been gone I am still writing. I've been writing once a month for Daughters of the Deep and occassionly for my church blog. Outside of writing I have been very involved with my church volunteering at Anthem which is our new young adult college age ministry. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for my generation.

The big news is that I am writing a book. Yes you read that right. I AM WRITING A BOOK!!! God has been calling me to do this for a while now and I finally took the plunge. As of right now I don't have a date for when you will be able to read it but hopefully within the next year. I will say that this book is a very personal story of how I dealt with grief. I don't want to say too much just yet. So stay tuned for more updates on that.

As I am planning to return to full time blogging here again this fall I would like to know what you my readers would want to see more of. Do you want short devotions? Worship Wednesdays? Bible studies you can join in? Scripture writing challenges? Ways to pray God's Word? I want to hear from you.

Throughout the summer I am hoping to be more active on instagram and facebook. I will be joining in on Entrusted Bible study by Beth Moore with a very sweet friend of mine this summer and will be sharing what I learn from it on my social media throughout the summer.

Well I must end this post before it turns into a book. I pray for each and every one of you. Please let me know your thoughts and I look forward to returning this fall.

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Influence Knows No Season

Do you just have one of those phrases people use that just strikes you the wrong way? 

Recently someone told me that we weren't as close as we once were because we were in different seasons in our lives.  At the time, I agreed and we caught up on some superficial chit chat and went our separate ways.  The more I replayed the conversation over in my mind, the more I thought about being in "different seasons" and tried to figure out what season I was in and why that meant we weren't continuing to invest in each other. 

This encounter lead me to a couple realizations that pointed me to God's Word. 

First, we are always influencing the people around us whether we are aware of it or not.  I have only to look at the words and actions of my five year old son to see that he is influenced by me on a daily basis.  This influence know no season. 

Second, we get to choose how we want to use that influence.  Hebrews 10:24 says, "And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works."  As followers of Jesus Christ we are to point others to Him  We do this by truly caring about people and where they will spend eternity.  We show we care about our fellow sisters in Christ by pushing them to pursue holiness by bring obedient to the Word of God.

Third, our time of influence is limited to the days we have on earth.  Rather than excusing ourselves due to our current "season" of life, I believe we should be intentional with our impact by living out Ephesians 5: 15-16, "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk- not as unwise people but as wise- making the most of the time, because the days are evil."  We must seek to invest ourselves in the lives of other, this requires effort and it is urgent for we do not know how many days we have left. 

So, I have determined that no matter what different seasons me and my dear sister may be in, it is not an excuse to neglect the powerful influence we can have on each another.  It just may mean that we have to work a little harder at it right now.  Now, I encourage each of  you to consider the people God has placed in your path and evaluate what kind of influence you are having in their lives.  Are you pointing them to Christ by how you live your life and what you say or are you neglecting the gift of influence you have been given?

Go forward and use to gift of influence you have been given sweet friends!
 
-Kristi

Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017

Happy New Year Everyone! I still can't believe it's 2017. Did the year seem to go by fast to you? I know it sure did for me. I had every intention on posting this Sunday but sadly I didn't have time.  

As you probably have noticed there wasn't a devotional up on the blog yesterday for our Meditation Mondays. I decided to take the week off and start posting again regularly next Monday. I'm getting over a cold and finishing up finalizing a few exciting things for the blog. I hope you don't mind. 

First off I would like to remind everyone what this blog was started for. The blog verse or motto is Romans 1:12 "when we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." This verse was given to me by God last year and I have held fast to it and put it into practice throughout this blog. 

2017 is going to be a great year for the blog. I am currently writing for two other blogs as well as this one so I needed some help. I'm really excited to bring new writers to the blog. I'm still working out details and scheduling but can't wait to share them with you all. We will still continue with Mediation Mondays and Worship Wednesdays as well as starting to post on Fridays. 

Another thing I'm excited about is being more active on our Instagram and Facebook pages. I'd like to also do more live events for you. A couple videos each week where we can just chat about how God is working in our lives. Another new thing is I am going to post each Sunday afternoon on the Facebook page a post where you can share your prayer requests so that we can all be praying for each other. 

I would just like to take a little time and tell you a couple of my personal goals for this year. Every year I have big ideas and plans for goals I want to reach but never seem to follow through. This year I thought that I would make more reasonable ones that are easy to achieve. 

1. Spend more time diving deeper into the Bible. I want to know God more and study His Word consistently throughout the year. I'm planning to do a few Bible studies this year to help me reach my goal. I already know God but I want to know Him more. My personal word for the year is Deeper. I want to goes deeper then I have before. I will talk more about this in another post sometime. 

2. I want to write more. I get stressed out a lot on my writing because I always manage to wait until the last minute to write. This year I want to focus on writing quality articles and devotionals not just to get them done. It goes along with my word for the year for this blog and writing. My word is Quality. I want whatever I do for my writing or for One Girl One Life One God to be the best quality it can be.

3. Spend more time with the people I love and care about. Life is short and tomorrow is never promised. I want to live life having no regrets. No regrets about wishing I would've hung out with a friend or just talked to a loved one more. I want to cherish every moment as if it were my last. 

What are some of your goals for 2017? I'd love to hear about them. Let me know in the comments. 

Blessings and Shalom, 

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3