Moving forward in trust and hope and joy - 2013

2012 was the year that I looked change in the face....and survived it!  2012 was the year I found my life's vision and mission.  2012 was the year I learned that small, steady steps in faith and trust can lead you to a giant, overwhelming goal that seemed impossible at the start. 

My "One Word" for 2012 was shine....I'm not entirely sure how I lived up to that word...but I know with certainty that God shined over my life in so many ways in 2012.  He led me down paths of change, showed me how to let go of fear, taught me to take baby steps in excellence, and showed me His purpose for my life.

I took a Christian peer coaching class in 2012...and learned more about myself than I imagined possible.  I found strength, hope, and joy.  I clarified my values as a Christian woman:  faith, joy, love.   I found the vision I am to follow.  Let me share it with you:

I envision a world where others are encouraged in their walk with Christ through an understanding that by trusting in God their lives can be adventurous, full of possibilities and opportunities, abundant, hopeful and joyful in ANY circumstance.

And my mission in this vision:
To encourage others in their walk with Christ through my writing, teaching, coaching,  and role-modeling what it looks like to live an abundant and joyful life through trusting God. 

You might ask at this point, what will that look like?  Well, I am going to take a training course in Christian Life Coaching that starts this month.  I am going to commit to writing regularly on this blog, sharing God's Word.  I am going to do my best to live a life of excellence in Christ and share what that looks like.  I have long had an urging to write a devotional series...and so I am committed to studying the book of James this year and writing a series of devotionals based on my study. That's the start...where those things may take me?  I am not entirely sure...but God knows, and I will trust His leading...

And this verse will be the basis of all I do:

Romans 15:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ 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.

I wish this joy and peace for all of you in 2013...and ever forward!  Grace and peace and joy to you!