2013 Right Around the Corner!

I'm not going to call our new series resolutions, but most of us do use the New Year to take stock of ourselves and decide where we could use improvement.  Me; I just like to plan and organize.  So I have an entire year's worth of posts planned for you already!  And if they help you keep any resolutions well, that's just a bonus.  Here's a reminder of what we will be doing this coming year.  Be sure to sign up to get posts emailed to you, or join the Facebook page then add it to the left hand column in your news feed, or sign in to Networked Blogs, or follow on Pintrest, OR simply check back everyday!

Mondays: how to get out of debt and stay out of debt

Tuesdays: quick tips, could be about cleaning, cooking, money, etc.

Wednesdays: Bible study...first up Made to Crave by Lysa Terkurst

Thursday: workouts and exercise tips...first up, triceps.  You'll need 5lb hand weights and a stability ball

Fridays: recipes!

Coming in 2013 - A Woman's Passionate Pursuit of God

I'm excited about this one....and it's not in the typical 5 day study plan...more on that later.  Here's the blurb from Amazon.

Karol Ladd, author of the bestselling The Power of a Positive Mom, shares a passionate exploration of Philippians with women who are longing to love God and life.

With humorous stories, keen biblical understanding, and engaging examples Karol encourages women to live with intention and joy and reveals how they can

• enjoy being a work in progress
• uplift others with sincerity
• change their thoughts and change their lives
• find strength when they are losing heart
• discover contentment in every situation

Karol's trusted guidance and infectious enthusiasm will help women fall more deeply in love with God and His Word as His plan for their lives becomes more meaningful and possible than ever before. Insightful, leading questions make this a great resource for individual or group study.

Look for it at your local Christian bookstore first, but if you can't find it, here's the link to Amazon.

Until Next Time.....

Franny

Coming in 2013 - A Virtuous Woman

A Virtuous Woman: Shattering the superwoman Myth by Vicki Courtney

I am VERY much looking forward to this one!  We have all read Proverbs 31 and thought, "how can I ever measure up?"  Maybe this study will help!  This one is back to the 6 week format with 5 days of homework each.

Check your local Christian bookstore first, but if you can't find it, here is the link for Amazon.

Here is a blurb that gives more description:

Does the woman in Proverbs 31 make you feel like a sluggard? For years Christian women have struggled to understand what the Proverbs 31 woman was all about. Instead of encouragement or instruction, for most, this passage offered “more guilt than eating a one-pound bag of M&Ms.” Is this the ideal woman? Or is the Proverbs 31 woman an outdated fixture of the past? Vicky Courtney believes that this passage is not in the Bible by accident and that a virtuous woman is a rare find in today’s world. Join Vicki as she sojourns with you to unravel the mystery behind the Proverbs 31 woman.

Until Next TIme.....
Franny

1 Year to an Organized Life - December Week Four

This week you can:

• make a list of all last minute details
• create a holiday checklist for the big day
• stock up on after holiday sales
• make use of the week between Christmas and New Year's

Forgot a card, forgot a gift?  Make a final list and go get it done. Do you have everything you need if you are preparing a meal or taking a dish somewhere else?

The day before or the morning of the big day, make a final sweep of your home and be sure everything is in place and ready to go.

Now, stop stressing and enjoy the day and your family....even the in-laws!

After Christmas, you might want to consider stocking up on wrapping paper and cards and such.  Maybe keep track of how much you used and just replace that amount.  It's not a good deal if it just sits around your house and never gets used!

The week between Christmas and New Year's can be a messy one.  Lots of offices and business take this time off as well as schools.  Maybe you can too.  Consider a small vacation this week, or take this time to put away decorations, clean up and just enjoy down time with your family.  Whatever you do, just make the most of it!

Can you believe we made it through the year?  Did you follow along the whole time?  If so you are completely organized and now you are just in maintenance mode for all the years to come.  How awesome is that?!

Hope you enjoyed this series...and don't feel bad if you might need to repeat a few months.  Life gets away from all of us at one time or another!

Have a very blessed Christmas or Chanukah!

Until Next Time.....

Franny

Coming in 2013 - Live Faithfully

Live Faithfully: A Study in the book of James by Lenya Heitzig & Penny Rose

Here is another Bible study we will be doing on Wednesdays in 2013.  This is a 12 week study with 5 days of homework for each week.  You can easily do your homework in 20 minutes or less each day.  This is a perfect one for your quiet time each morning.

James is full of wisdom on how to live.  I've done Beth Moore's James study, which is awesome, and I can hardly wait to jump into this one.  The book of James is so small, but so packed full of wisdom you can't get it all in one study.  This is a book I'll be studying for years to come.

Try to find it in your local Christian bookstore first, but if you can't here is the link to find it on Amazon.

Here is a blurb with more description:

From the Back Cover

Do you ever ask yourself, Am I living what I’ve learned in the Bible? I say I have faith, but am I living faithfully in how I speak, use money, and relate to people in need?

 

In twelve thought-provoking lessons, Live Faithfully explores the practical wisdom of James, the brother of Jesus and a leader in the Jerusalem church. James wanted to make sure his readers understood how to live what they believed. His wisdom and real-life applications are as helpful today as they were thousands of years ago.

 

Each twenty-minute lesson in Live Faithfully is structured in five parts:

 

Lift up (prayer)

         Look at (God’s Word)

                  Learn about (new insights)

                           Live out (application)

                                    Listen to (quotes from other believers)

 

Come take a fresh look at James’s no-nonsense words and encouragement for living what you believe.

 

The Fresh Life series was created by women, for women—women who crave a profound experience of God’s Word without an overwhelming commitment of time. With each lesson, you will come to a deeper understanding of the truths of the Bible and develop a deeper intimacy with God.

About the Author

Lenya Heitzig is an award-winning author and Bible teacher. She and her husband, Skip, founded Calvary of Albuquerque, and Lenya has served as director of She Ministries at Calvary since 1984.

Penny Rose is also the award-winning author of numerous books and Bible studies. Penny and Lenya lead a Bible study at Calvary for a thousand women every week. 

Until Next TIme.....
Franny

1 Year to an Organized Life - December Week Three

This week you can:

• find ways to give back
• complete any holiday details left undone

I know this is a busy time for everyone, but it is also a time when a lot of those less fortunate than us get overlooked in the busyness of our lives.  There are many ways you could carve out a few minutes or hours from your schedule to help others.

1. contact your house of worship for any programs or people you can help with
2. check your local newspaper
3. look for holiday meal programs you could help with or donate to
4. check the internet for quick ways to help or donate
5. check with your chamber of commerce
6. hospice, nursing home, or hospital
7. don't forget the animals! check with shelters and rescue groups

I won't take anymore of your time so you can have more to go help someone else!

Until Next TIme.....

Franny

Coming in 2013 - A Woman's Wisdom

A Woman's Wisdom: how the book of Proverbs speaks to everything by Lydia Brownback

This is a 9 week study that is a little bit different than most of the ones we will do in 2013.  There aren't definite labeled days of study.  What I did was go through the book and decide to break each week down into 5 days like most of the other studies.  So this is how I am doing it, you feel free to do it however you wish.
Mon: read 1/2 of the chapter
Tue: read 2nd 1/2 of the chapter
Wed-Fri: work on the study guide questions at the end of the book.
Each week there is one question that is marked as being longer than all of the others.  I usually had that question on it's own day then for the other two days left in the week, I split up the rest of the questions.
for example:
Wed: question 1 by itself since it is long
Thur: questions 2-5
Fri: questions 6-10

Check your local Christian bookstore first, but if you can't find it, here is the link to Amazon.

Here is a blurb that tells more about the book:

Advice books are no short-lived trend, even though much of the advice parading as “wisdom” proves shallow in the long run. What we need is biblical wisdom, and even more than that we need hearts set on the One who governs all our practicalities. The book of Proverbs unlocks the key to both, helping us to face very real challenges such as:

• handling our freedom, independence, and material resources wisely
• keeping ourselves sexually pure
• practicing biblical femininity in a world that scorns us for it
• sustaining God-glorifying marriages
• elevating biblical priorities ahead of day-to-day pressures

Exploring the timeless counsel in the book of Proverbs, A Woman’s Wisdom teaches us to know the very Author of wisdom and to apply his relevant, how-to riches.

Until Next TIme.....
Franny

1 Year to an Organized Life - December Week Two

This week you can:

• tune up your home for guests
• bring out the decorations
• hit the stores

Declutter before you decorate!  For me this entails putting away a lot of framed pictures.  I just happen to have a drawer in an end table that has room for most of them.  The cabinet part of my entertainment center holds a few knick knacks and other framed pictures.  Another idea: take down all the knick knacks and framed pictures that will be in the way for decorating and place them on a table or some other out of the way place.  Then decorate, and when finished, put the knick knacks and pictures in the boxes and bins used to hold your decorations.  Then when it's time to take down the decorations you just work backwards.  Take the pictures out of the bins and place them on the table. Put decorations back in the bins. Place pictures back where they go.  No need for extra storage boxes or space.

Your list is made so hopefully you are ready to shop...if you haven't already started.  I am done except for my husband.  Remember to stick to the list and budget or you will regret it next month!  Use the internet to "shop around" to be sure you are getting the best deal before running out to the store.  Most stores have a website so you can see the in store price and save a whole lot on gas.  Sometimes with special deals on the internet, it's cheaper to shop online and get it delivered to your house.  Just do the math first....you'll be glad you did!

One extra tip:  when you are done shopping this year (if you don't already do this) add up everything you spent and how much for each person.  Now add this amount into your budget for next year so there are no surprises or scraping to get by next holiday season.

Be sure to read the chapter for other great tips from Regina!

Until Next Time.....

Franny