Here I come!

Jan 3

Oh crumb! I did it again! I wrote the numeral “2018” when I should have replaced it with the numbers “2-0-1-9”.

Let me just admit – I will probably be doing that well into March when I will finally realize that it’s a new year identified by a new number.

Is anyone else guilty of subconsciously living in the old year when the New Year has begun?! Come on … don’t leave me standing alone here in my numerical confusion!

There is something about the past that is comforting and convenient even when all that is new is beckoning me on.

I think of yesterday and I smile and remember the sweet joys that were there … I when I think of tomorrow, I am filled with a bit of trepidation and perhaps even worry from time to time.

I must choose not just to turn a calendar page – but I must turn the pages of my heart and mind as well toward all God has for me in 2019.

Fill me with wonder again, Lord!

Help me to believe that You have been to my future and it is good because You are good and You are already there.

Lord, remind me during this fragile month of January that the past is a place of reference – not a place of residence.

I am being called during these newborn days of 2019 to reside in the unknown that is ruled by a known and good Father.

I must remind myself daily … almost hourly during the month of January … that merely leaving the old year behind is not enough. I must run toward something passionately in the coming year.

It seems that losing weight … painting my bathroom … or spending a week at the beach is not enough to give my life purpose in the coming 12 months.

I must actively pursue a change that will change me. I must be the change for which the world around me is aching.

The world must become a better place simply because I am living in it this year.

I must find a reason to choose joy 365 times in 2019.

I must create a life that is more powerful … more faith-filled … and more significant in 2019 than the life I lived in 2018.

How can I do that? Is it even possible? Or should I just continue to write “2018” on everything that identifies my period of existence?

What if 2019 is the year that changes everything for you?

What if you are the change that 2019 is waiting for?

I want to challenge you – and myself – while 2019 is still a possibility of untouched wonder and delight that God’s plans for this year are beyond anything you could ever think of or imagine!

I want to remind you – and me – why we have been called to make our presence known in any given calendar year.

This year – in 2019 – I resolve to worship more than I whine! I declare that my life will be a sanctuary of glorious praise and unmatched songs! I will sing the great hymns of the faith that thousands have sung before me. I will sing the new songs of this generation as they discover that we serve a God who is worthy of our highest praise!

This year – in 2019 – I resolve to be a woman of extraordinary integrity and honor. I declare that I will live a life that is guided by principle rather than by preference.

This year – in 2019 - I will refuse to gossip about others made in the image of God but will choose instead to give an encouraging word. I will honor others and their opinions. And, when confrontation is necessary, I will do it in person and not on social media! I will speak with words of love and in tones of kindness.

This year – in 2019 – I resolve to give generously to those in need and to those I love. I declare that my life will be a resource for others to tap into time after time after time. I will not only give of my money but I will also give of my time, of my talents and in friendship.

This year – in 2019 – I resolve to be available for the Lord to use me in unprecedented and in unpredictable ways. I will have heartfelt conversations with children and with the elderly. I will stop and listen to the lonely and to the weary. I will visit nursing homes and I will work in the church nursery. I will serve the Lord in the sanctuary and in the marketplace.

This year – in 2019 – I will throw off worry and will be a woman of unshakable trust. When my circumstances taunt me and when the hard stuff of life threatens to overwhelm me – I will declare the goodness and the promises of God in defiance of the difficulties of life.

This year – in 2019 – I will spend more time on my knees than I do on social media. I will pray for those that I love and I will also pray for those that frustrate me. I will pray loudly and I will pray softly. I will pray first thing in the morning and I will pray as I lay my head on my pillow at night.

This year – in 2019 – I will be kind to the lovely and to the unlovable. I will be gracious to the fractious and I will be compassionate to the difficult. I will look into every person’s eyes and choose to see Jesus there.

This year – in 2019 – I will take Jesus with me everywhere I go. His presence will be my constant companion, my source of strength and the reason I live!

Ready or not 2019 … here I come!

Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!

Carol McLeod

Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN. A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers. Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain. She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY. Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN. A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers. Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain. She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY. Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!

Here I come!

#Goals

Where did Christmas go?