New Year, New Word

I guess I'm a few days late to be having a "New Year's" post. I've read about many blog individual's "word" for this new year,(joy, balance, freedom, etc.) and I can say that I've been feeling the word more than I've been thinking about one particular word. I don't think it's coincidence that as human beings we feel the need to start fresh in the new year. God has seasons and times, and even though His "nature" doesn't change, He does change things up for all of us that know Him.

Last week a blogging friend of mine seemingly called out of the blue. She said she was heading down my direction and would I be available to get together to meet over lunch and maybe do some shopping, aka junking, antiquing, digging, etc. I was thrilled to hear from her and immediately knew that there was more to this plan than either of us might know at the time. No hotels for her. She would stay here at my house.

We sat and talked for hours, first; About our lives, our past, our children, our marriages, and our relationship with God. The more we talked the more we found we had in common, and then God really started moving and we realized that there had been a reason for us to meet. God was giving each of us a word that our lives will be changing. New direction, new opportunities, new partnerships. Through prayer and listening for God's voice we received a mutual direction for our year, and that was that God was taking a calling that had been on our lives; to "take up the mantle", and "reactivate" it.

He has a separate path for us, (hmmm...I'm beginning to think twice about this statement. God may have some surprises up His sleeve!), but one very similar. We are close in age, have married children, are fiercely independent, and each in a place in our spiritual life that we trust God's heart and direction for our lives.

God brought us together to confirm a work He is about to set into place for each of us. If you've been reading this blog for awhile you know that God placed a"call" in me about ten or eleven years ago. I had embarked on His path when suddenly and without warning, I had three major heart attacks and surgery that have literally sidelined me. For years God has asked me to do other things, but that tug has never gone away. Back in October I wrote a post totally directed by God that acknowledged and identified that.

So, now to the nitty gritty. I feel like things are changing with this little Bible Study Blog. I'm not sure how exactly. I've felt a need to re-read and re-study some of the posts that I did last year. As I've read them they have seemed completely new to me. I've come away refreshed and with a new outlook and understanding. That's the great thing about God's Word; it's always new and enlightening. It's living water that refreshes our spirit.

So what I think I'm doing is reposting more of the lessons that God gave me last year. A year ago, God had me writing and posting every day...long in-depth posts. So I'm going to take some of that material and look at it again. I'll be adding some real time comments at the end. If you've been with me for awhile you might have missed some of these. But many of you are new, so join in and we'll take a fresh look. Be sure and comment as the Holy Spirit directs you. I'm still here. Just in a time of prayerful review; listening to what God says will be coming.

I heard a phrase in my spirit a few mornings ago.
 "the united state of prayer".
till next time...

love, in Jesus,
Debra