One Word

I've been challenged this year to focus on one God given Word. Not a verse, or phrase, or rhyme. Just one Word. So far, the word honor has appeared in my mind and my readings.

But now after several days the word has changed to present. To be present in the moment, a human being presently enjoying life. Not a human doing. To be presented before God......

This is the foundation for my 2014 life strategy. Not a New Years resolution, but a life strategy that will ebb and flow and change and mold me.

I've chosen five areas I consider ones needing balance for my life to be God honoring.
Spiritual
Personal
Health
Career
Financial

As I reflect on the weakest areas in the list above, the two, (and no more than two) areas to be addressed first are health and financial. My next step is set a goal in each of these areas and then an action plan.

I also try to stretch myself each year by taking a class, or learning something new. In 2012 that was a statistics class, in 2013 I took an AWARE class by urbansurvivortraining.com.  Ladies you must attend this class! In 2014 I'll be attending a hunter's education class. My wonderful husband has introduced me to shooting sports and I thoroughly enjoy this with him. Not sure if I'll ever hunt, but we'd like to move into more of a self sustaining lifestyle, and this one step closer.
Side note, we also grew an incredible garden this last summer and look forward to that again year.
Stay tuned as I'll commit myself to using this blog to update my progress and potential areas for improvement.

Who knows? My one word my also change as the year builds itself out.

Challenge for you - what is your one word for 2014?

Discovering intimacy with God,
Sarah

Tough questions from my son

Merry Christmas son,

You'd asked me to research God's word on homosexuality. 

In the New Testament God describes the wrath against the behavior of the unrighteous in Romans 1:18-32. In this he lists unrighteous behavior. Righteous can be a word people twist and turn into a negative. Being righteous means right living with and for God through a personal relationship with Jesus His son, and the Holy Spirit who resides in the heart and mind of the believer. Loving people and not their sin. But there's the rub. God desires us to turn away from our sins and seek how He wants us to live and love. Some are called to verbally call out sin. Others are called to teach the scriptures where God will pierce the heart of the sinner. For me,  when I'm reading and studying God's word, my life reflects His goodness and other people are drawn to that. 

So my suggestion to you is to read Romans 1:18-32, and then read Ephesians 5:1-21, and then Philippians 4:4-9.  

Finally, so many people quote John 3:16, but miss the verses after:

God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that who so ever believes in Him shall have everlasting life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged (our sins are forgiven) he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

So in the end, try as we might we'll be sinners until we die. Only Jesus is perfect and we only become perfect when we die. But I prefer to be a sinner with a savior who loves me despite myself and who I'll spend eternity with. And one who doesn't say "oh it's ok if I do this sin, I'm forgiven". Nope. God doesn't play that game. He wants to help us through His Holy Spirit recognize sin and turn away from it. 

I love you and suggest you read 1 John.