Tag: Goals

Biblical Womanhood · Christian growth · Goals · Uncategorized

A New Year’s Perspective

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Newly fallen snow is a lovely reminder to me of  January 1st.
Everything is fresh.
No footprints have been stomped out before us yet.
All is still with only fresh paths before us.
Each day we trod forward, one day at a time, and make our way through the year until we come to December 31.  It’s a blessing to turn around and look over our shoulder and see the path that the Lord has cleared for us and just exactly where He’s brought us.

I’m not really one to make resolutions, but I do love to look behind me and see what needs improvement and then look before me with a prayer that the Lord will help me make necessary changes by His grace.

Here are some things I’m considering that might inspire you as you step into the snowbank of 2020.

  1. What hindered my spiritual growth last year?  What moved it forward?
  2. What did God teach me last year?
  3. What did I see God do in answer to my prayers last year?
  4. To whom did I give my life the most?  Does this need to change?
  5. What activities did I participate in that I need to repeat this year?  Which activities should I consider removing from my schedule?
  6. What did I read least year?
  7. Did I spend too much time on social media, television or videos (You Tube, Netflix)? Do I need to set limits for myself?
  8. What creative outlets did I enjoy? 
  9. Did I get enough exercise?  What could help motivate me to do more?
  10. What area of my life brought the most joy?  The most frustration?

These would be some great questions to pray about and later to ask your spouse or a close friend.  Some good discussion and accountability could follow!  

Enjoy the snow (the fresh New Year) before you.  It has some wonderful opportunities to witness what God can and will do through you!

Refresh the way you approach the new year.

Happy New Year Friends!

denise a

Refreshment · refreshment at home

Maybe It’s Time for Change

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living room 1b

If you’re a regular reader of Refreshher, you’re noticing a big change in the way my blog looks today!  I felt it was looking tired and needed to be refreshed.  So, with a bit of a nervous stomach (would I lose everything on my blog?!), I set out to change its appearance.  I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, and I finally took the plunge.

I have to admit that I had help! Whitney, my daughter from Come Home for Comfort was here visiting and helped walk me through the process.  She made it much easier to click the tabs that would bring about the change!

This blog is committed to helping others refresh their hearts, homes and lives..  With a brand new year before us, maybe it’s time to stop and look carefully around you and see what needs to be refreshed in your life. I’m not just talking about updating a blog’s appearance, but at the things that are at the very core of your life – your surroundings, your routines, the presentation of your home, for starters.

I remember that even the simple task of reorganizing tools in a drawer in my kitchen last year made baking so much easier! Sometimes just a small change can turn even the most simple things into pleasures! How could change in these three areas specifically help you in this new year?

  • Heart – Was last year as spiritually deep as you wanted it to be?  Did you find yourself more spiritually mature because of the steps you took to walk closely to God?  Or does your heart need to be more engaged with the things of God’s Word, prayer and spiritual growth?  If so, I encourage you to find a “Whitney” to help you.  Get a godly friend/leader at church/mentor to be your accountability partner to gently and lovingly prod you to move forward and to help you make the changes you need to make to allow this year to be spiritually fruitful.
  • Home – Is there an area in your house that you don’t love?  Is there a space that isn’t being used adequately?  A mess that needs attention?  Ask a decorating savvy friend to come over and give a hand in rearranging the furniture, organizing a messy closet or redecorating a space that’s drab!  Not only will they give you some inspiration, you’ll also have fun doing it with a friend!
  • Life – Are there relationships that need work?  Is your schedule so busy that you’re missing out on the simple joys God gives every day like cooking a meal for your family, enjoying a quiet evening at home, or reading a book just for the pleasure of reading?  Do you have goals that you can’t seem to reach?  Talk to a friend that manages their time well.  See if they can help you get some balance in your world.I remember last year talking to two people about desiring to carve out time to write.  I talked to both my husband and a close friend.  They both gave some great input.  I put their counsel into practice, and was able to accomplish so much!

Ask the Lord to bring godly, wise people into your path, and then glean from their wisdom so you can bring the changes that are necessary in 2018!

I get excited now when I open up my blog home page and see the new, fresh look!  What changes are you ready to make?

Denise Signature 150 px

P.S. Thanks for your help Whitney!!  You always inspire me!

Christian Life · Goals · Uncategorized

What to Do When You Don’t Reach Your Goals

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My LG phone has set up a Health app for me.  I didn’t really want it, but I went ahead and set a goal of 10,000 steps a day.  The frustrating thing about it is that I don’t have my phone with me every second of the day!  There may be hours that it’s sitting on the counter charging while I’m running all over the house – upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside, working like a horse, while my phone is sitting there sneering at me, not logging one single step.  At the end of the month I got the message you see pictured above,

You didn’t reach your goal last month.

It may be helpful to change your goal to 9,000.

But you know, even though I know that this app isn’t correct, this message made me think.  Sadly, I’m afraid that is my heart’s inclination when something is hard. Change my goal. You see, then I can feel better about myself.  We each have two choices ~

Lower the goal and feel good about me

or

Raise the bar and feel good!

That doesn’t apply only to physical health goals, it applies in all areas of life.  But let’s think about one area in particular – our Christian life.  Do we…

  • set a goal to read through the Bible?
  • sign up to attend a 12-week Bible study?
  • commit to witness to the lost?
  • agree to help with a ministry at church?
  • volunteer teach a Sunday school class?
  • realize we need to pray more?
  • pledge to give to Faith Promise missions or to tithe faithfully

Then things happen.  Life gets busy.  We feel overwhelmed.  We get caught up with other responsibilities and we carelessly lay aside the commitments we made.  We get the mental message:

You might want to lower your goals.

After all, it would be easier.  It would make life less complicated.  We might feel better about our self.

But not really.

When we have set a spiritual goal for ourselves and then the Holy Spirit brings it to our mind, unlike my Health app, He will always be accurate.  He knows.  He sees.  Oh, not to make us miserable, but to help us, like the 10,000 steps would benefit me.  He desires to bring us to a place of obedience.

So when you realize you’ve missed the goal, all you have to do is start again.  When this new month rolls around in a few days, I’ll have another clean slate with my LG Health app!  Our gracious God forgives and wipes the slate clean when we tell Him we’ve messed up again and we need His help! 

As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

What spiritual goal have  you set aside? What responsibility have you shirked?  Perhaps this post is the Lord’s gentle way of nudging you to get you back on track.  Confess it, ask for His help to do it, and then take the next step in following through. We don’t live our Christian life based on feelings, but when you obey He gives joy, so you will indeed be feeling better when you get back on track!

Oh, and look at the message I just got on my phone…

 

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Another lesson for me is, wear something with pockets so my phone will track every single step I take!!

Do you have spiritual goals you need to give attention to?  Start back today!

Denise Signature 150 px

Goals · Uncategorized

Friday/Summer Favorites

RefreshHer6 Comments

Hello, September!  You kind of snuck up  on me!

Were you prepared to wake up and find that today is September 1st?  I have to admit that I’m sad to see summer go – I always am.  I will enjoy fall, but oh, those long, sunny days, beach walks, late sunsets, and Dollywood days are hard to say Goodbye to!

With the coming of September also comes an end to my blog vacation on Tuesday – Thursday.  I’ll be back each day with a fresh post!

Let’s end the summer with a look back at a FEW of my favorite Summer 2017 memories!

Summer 2017 2

 

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One great thing about this summer was that I set some goals for myself that required making a schedule for my week.  I accomplished many of those goals and feel like these were really productive months!

  1. Finish 9-patch quilt squares and have ready to sew together by August 31.
  2. Write three chapters in reference to Proverbs 31 before Aug 21.
  3. Write Tuesday – Thursday from nine to noon.
  4. Begin a cooking ministry for others.
  5. Finish Adorned. – Still want to finish this by Sept 29.

As I look to the fall, I’m going to be setting new goals for myself and giving a timeline in which to get things accomplished.  Here are a few:

  1. Finish Christmas shopping by October 31. (I’m about half way there now!)
  2. Work on hand quilting at least one day a week (Monday?).
  3. Walk each morning at 7:00.
  4. Use Tuesday’s to serve others from my home.
  5. Invite one family over each week.

If you could make three goals for fall, what would they be?

Refresh yourself for fall!

time

Summer Plans and An Exciting Goal

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Happy June everyone!!  I’ve sure loved our spring and I look forward to the summer ahead!  Our tomatoes are planted, my flower boxes are full, the fire pit is primed for marshmallows, the grill is ready for delicious entrees’, pizzas, breads and treats, and the patio is fully decked and ready for guests, afternoon naps and dining alfresco.

My calendar is also filling up with some planned events that I’m excited about – visiting family, shopping excursions, day trips, Bible studies, prayer with friends, home improvements and ICE CREAM are just a sampling of the goals on my list.

Another item that I’m planning is time to work on a project that has been on my “To-Do” list for a very long time.  Some projects take an afternoon, others a week, and yet others months (maybe years!).  This adventure will be taking good chunks of time each day and I’m asking the Lord to help me be intentional to accomplish a long-time desire and get this accomplished.  What am I desiring to do?  I’m longing to do some writing.  But in order to accomplish that, I have to say “no” to some other responsibilities or even interruptions.

My blog is a true love of mine, but it takes lots of time each day.  I’m always thinking about my next post and what I want to share.  Then I write, edit, post photos, edit the photos, edit some more, and then schedule the entry.  I’m not leaving my blog for the summer, I just couldn’t do that after NINE YEARS and  2,195 posts!!     Instead, I’m planning on writing new material every Monday and Friday.  So you’ll still be getting new recipes and ideas for your kitchen on Monday.  Then on Friday I”ll probably post about a sundry different topics.  Tuesday through Thursday will be re-posts from my blog from over the nine years.  I’m sure no one has read every single post, and even I forget what I’ve written!!   So hopefully even though it’s not new material, it will still benefit you to reread it.

My goal is to have a theme for each week ~

  1. Sensational Summer – Ideas for fun with your kids, meals, and dates
  2. Parenting – The joys the struggles, the helps for tough times
  3. Conflict 
  4. Home Comforts
  5. Helpful Tips for Home
  6. Frugal Living
  7. Godly Friends – Being one and and having one.
  8. Knowing and Doing God’s Will
  9. Effective Evangelism

Now, let me ask you, are there other topics you’d like to see covered this summer?  Leave me a comment here and I’ll definitely do what I can to add that to the list! 

I’m excited about what the Lord will do this summer!  How about you?  What plans do you have?  Do you have any ambitious goals you’re seeking to accomplish?  I pray you will do whatever is necessary to make the most of your time for God’s glory!

Lovingly,

Denise Signature 150 px