Happy New Year Lovelies!

Yep, I'm kind of late to the party, my momma always said, "Better Late than Never;" I am trying to embrace this.  The late I am talking about is not being late to places, events, appointments, but the concepts, the processes!  I have always processed differently than others (please don't judge), but I am embracing this in my fifties. Take for example New Year's goals....here it is middle of January, and now I am thinking about it, processing the goals, putting them on paper, oh I have an obsession with paper, pens, I digress.....

What I have decided is to try a monthly goal process.  I really love reading about others' goals; it inspires me, sometimes inspires me so much, I can even check it off my list...haha!

What are your goals for the year or for the month or even the week?   Do you even like goals?  It would be great to have some comments on my post and on the other posts; it's encouraging...don't you think?

So here we go with my monthly goals...

****Make something chocolate for my husband; this is a no-brainer, I know his love language

****Stay to my weekly meal planner, not eating out so much

****Start a new Bible Study; join us on Wednesday nights @ 6:30 at TUMC for the new study, "Stronger," by Angela Thomas

****Ask for the Holy Spirit to fill me, guide me, and grant me a willing spirit...oh this is powerful, thank you Jesus for sending us the Holy Spirit 

****Support my friend Courtney at her exercise party; I did this earlier in January. I still can't do yoga, can someone please tell he why I get so dizzy?  I am not balanced (again, no judge)

****Smile out loud, oh this feels so good....Amen

****Thanks Therapy is God's prescription to Joy, writing out 1,000 gifts, at least one a day (having a pretty journal is a must)

****Encourage at least five ladies a month!

Oh, I would love to meet my Christmas secret sister, Jessica; can we make this happen?

So lovelies, what are your goals?

By Julie Ford

Thanksgiving Prayer

This Thanksgiving, we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing on our families, our friends, our feasts of food and faith. We lift up Troy and travel and Truth and trucks headed for hurricane relief. As the days draw shorter, we pray for longer patience, thinner waists, wider smiles, higher incomes, and lower gas prices. Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home, and the tunes of the nine o’clock Praise Band, and the melodies of the hand bell choir, and the voices of the chancel choir. Let’s give thanks for new babies, new potatoes, new shoes, and Good News; for post offices, post-it notes, Army posts, and post-op progress; for Black Friday, the Red Cross, the Green Hornet, and Blue Nun. In the shadow of Veteran’s Day, we pause to pray for soldiers and sailors, colonels and corporals, commanders and our Commander-in-Chief. Oh Lord Our God, when we in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made, we offer thanks for our EMTs, our PTOs, our DVDs, our MRIs, and our OB-GYNs. What would we do without diapers, deodorant, dentures and donuts, or strollers, straighteners, string cheese, and stretch pants, or white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and hot chocolate? Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, to include email, iPhones, t-bones, and J. Crewe; L.L. Bean, u-turns, Z. Z. Top, and you tube. All of us creatures here below are grateful for grandchildren, grand pianos, the Grand Canyon, and grand slams. We praise Him above for Christmas cards, the Cards, and Cardinal Glennon, for the Rams, honey hams, and Sam’s. For Starbucks, eight-point bucks, and birthday bucks, we praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We double down that praise for our homes, our heat, our hand-held games, and our hoops; for microwaves, micro-financing, microscopes and Microsoft. Hallelujah for lap tops, Swiffer mops, Corn Pops, and small town cops; for food drives, faithful husbands and wives, and rich and full lives. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, for dentists and doctors, and teachers and techies, and pastors and pilots; for four score and seven years ago, ten little monkeys, and tea for two. This is my Father’s world, O le me ne’er forget, the battle is not done, ‘til earth and Heaven be one. We bow in humble gratitude for Your sovereignty, Your sacrifice, and the gift of Salvation through You. In the precious name of Jesus, the people said, Amen! 

Sue Busler 

Prayer Time with Sue: No to the little Things and Yes to the BIG Ones

Non, Nein, Nyet.

I know how to say it in other languages, Lord,

why can’t I say it in English?

The teacher asked me to assist with computers

on the one afternoon I had reserved for myself.

I hear myself saying, “Yes, I’ll be there.”

The Bible Study Coordinator called and said

they were in a pinch. Could I teach this year?

Every week. 34 weeks. Sure. Why not?

The Brownie leader stopped by and introduced herself.

Any chance I could help at the meetings?

“No problem,” I chirped. “I’d be happy to.”

Who wants to be in charge of soccer pictures?

I look around. No hands are raised.

“It can’t take much time,” I thought. “I’ll do it.”

The Food Pantry called. They need volunteers.

You told us to feed the hungry, didn’t You?

Of course. I can do that. When do you need me?

But somewhere along the line, I learned to

say it, Lord. I heard myself saying “No.”

My daughter asked, “Can you read to me?”

“No, not now. I’m working on my lesson.”

My son limped in from football practice. “How

about a back rub, Mom?”

“Sorry, honey, I have to get to a meeting.”

My husband called home from work.

“Can you meet me for lunch?”

“Afraid not, dear. I have to work at the school.”

And You whispered in my ear, Lord, and

asked me to spend some time with You.

“I can’t. I’m really busy,” I said. “How about next

week? Maybe I’ll be caught up by then.”

Yes and no. Little words. Big implications.

Give me the wisdom I need to say no to the

little things so I can say yes to the big ones.

And, yes, Lord, that means You.

In Whose Name, I Pray, Amen

Sue Busler