1LW Wednesdays 17: April/May Link Up!

Hi friends!

Yes, I realize that it's Thursday. It's OK...I promise! Life is more important that blogging, always.

I'm still trying to mentally unpack some of the things I heard at Orange last week. You have no idea how busy my brain has been! This conference challenged me as a ministry leader, a person, and a parent. I'm just trying to make sure it all sticks!

One of the things that stuck with me is something that Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor of North Point Ministries in Atlanta said during his keynote session. He was speaking about leadership, and making sure that we are leading by serving, the way Jesus did and this is what he said...

"Don't be fair, be engaged."

Five little words that have rocked my world! Our world seems to revolve around "fair". Everyone gets a participation award so no one feel left out, people sue other people left and right because they didn't get equal treatment. Now, granted, sometimes that is completely justified, but I think "fair" has gotten a little out of control.

What Andy Stanley was trying to say was to not avoid helping someone because "if I help them, then I have to help everyone." He challenged us to reject that notion. 

(source unknown)

I don't want to let the fear of not being able to help everyone keep me from helping someone. It just doesn't make any sense. It's like telling an adopting family at an orphanage that they shouldn't adopt one child because then they would have to adopt them all. It doesn't apply to that situation, so why should it apply to others? If I can help someone now, I should. I may not be able to help the next person, and that is OK too. Andy Stanley used the story from John 5 to illustrate his point. Out of the "crowds" of sick people at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus chose to heal one (at least according to the record). I don't know why He chose that. It certainly wasn't because He wasn't capable of healing them all. Maybe it was so 2000 years later I could hear that story from a new perspective and learn that it is OK to just help one. Who knows?

I had the chance to bless a friend of mine in a small way financially today. I could have gotten caught up up in thinking that I shouldn't bless her because I can't bless everyone, but I didn't. Thank goodness for that. If I had gotten stuck in that thought process I would have not only kept a blessing from her, but I would have missed out on the joy of being the one doing the blessing! Seeing someone happy makes me happy. Getting to bless someone is a blessing in and of itself.

I don't want to miss out on being engaged because I'm stuck at fair.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now we want to hear from you!

How have you been living out your One Little Words in the last month?

Go ahead and link us up, but remember to follow the rules! This linky is for 1LW posts only. I love seeing all  of your fun projects, but there are other parties for those! ; )

Things have changed a bit with this link up. Since we've switched to a once a month party, you may not have had a chance to link up for April. Go ahead and link up those posts. This party will be open all month, so as you write 1LW posts in May, come back and link them up too! We'll share our favorites in June!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!

Be blessed!

Heather

1LW Wednesday: Orange Conference Edition

Wondering what 1LW Wednesday is all about? Check it out here!

Hello Friends!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be writing to you from Atlanta!! I'm here for the Orange Conference, and I am thrilled! Orange publishes Christian Education and Ministry curriculum and resources, and they are all incredible. We use their Early Childhood and Elementary curriculum at church, and I love it. 

I am here specifically to follow the Special Needs Ministry track. I told you all a bit about my passion for Special Needs Ministry recently, and I am looking forward to absorbing everything I possibly can. I get the chance to connect and be intentional with other Special Needs Ministry leaders and church members from all over the country. I will also be able to show people how important it is to a church community to be intentional and reach out to families with Special Needs. Nothing like sharing your passion to get you out of bed in the morning, right?

Over the next three days I will be learning about everything from how to effectively use technology in Special Needs ministry (iPads!), to creating a safe environment for my kiddos, to how to support other churches as they create and grow their inclusive programs. The best part of it all? I get to share it with you!! I will be tweeting like crazy over the next three days! If you want to get updates you can follow me @its_alongstory. To hear even more about what others are learning, follow the hashtags #OC12 and #OC12SN (SN = Special Needs).

If you want to learn more about Orange, check out their website HERE

Be blessed!

Heather.

1LW Wednesday #15: On Accountability

Hi friends!

I've been thinking a lot about accountability lately. Honestly, self-motivation is not one of my strong points. I am  way too good at talking myself out of getting something done. So I need accountability in my life. This whole series started out as a practice in accountability. But what does that look like? What are some different ways to stay accountable?

(source)

1. Write it down: There is a reason programs like Weight Watchers, and others that have you write down what you eat, work. If it's down on paper, you're more likely to stick to your plan. You can't ignore those 3 cookies you just ate because they're right there on the page staring back at you. I don't think a plan like this limited to dieting. I have friends who loooove the act of crossing something off of their to-do list. It makes their day. Me, I tend to forget where I put my list. Maybe it's not my best tactic. Put it in your calendar, write it on your mirror, whatever!

Source: focusonlinecommunities.com via Donna on Pinterest

2. Find a friend: Accountability partners are awesome! I have been incredibly blessed to have been a part of now 2 women's small groups that have challenged me to grow, both personally and spiritually. Hands down, I would not be where I am today without them. They celebrate my successes with me, and call me on my nonsense. It's not always fun to get called out, but it's important. It's like going shopping with your best friend, but better!

(source)

3. Put it out there: Tweet it, blog about it, put it on Facebook, tell as many people as you can! My friend, Sarah, put it out on Twitter that she was looking for someone to do a 30 day workout program with her. I saw the tweet, I have the DVD, so we're going to do it together. If no one knows you're working on something, no one knows to ask you how it is going. 

4. Don't forget where your true strength comes from.

(source)

Be Blessed!

Heather

1LW Wednesdays #14

Hey friends. Glad you stopped by today. I really love this one little word challenge we have been doing for 2012.

If you are new to this challenge we have all chosen one word... It can be any word...just has to be a word that you can focus on daily. My word for 2012 is WORDS.

I have a lot to work on with my words still. When to use them when to hold them in. When to silently say them and when to shout them from a roof top.

One way we can use our words to really make a difference in someones life is to use our words in the most loving way.

Prayer...

Praying for others is one of best ways we can be a better mother, daughter , sister, and friend.

We are all guilty of at times of saying we will pray for someone but never really do. It's time we change that. One way I found is when someone asks me to pray I do it right then. Then I also write it down so I can pray again later but by praying right away you are using your words as promised.

Words spoken to God are powerful words. They are so meaningful.

Let me take a moment a pray for you.
Dear Lord, I come before you today with a thankful heart. Thankful for the beautiful flowers, fresh spring air, and green grass that's all around me. Father I want to thank you for the person reading this today. May this person be blessed. May they have a peace in their life that can only come from you Lord. Father if my friend is a Christian please help them be bold. Help them to remember to listen to your gentle voice and follow the plan you have for their life. Lord if my friend has not yet given their life to you I pray they do. I pray that the right person comes into their life and shares all your glories with them. Allow their heart to be open to hearing your truth. Lord allow them to feel your presence. Father I thank you again for how you allow us to share about your never ending love for us. In your son's precious name amen.

Chrissy

We've made a few changes to 1LW Wednesdays, so go take a look if you haven't already!

Be blessed!

1LW Wednesdays #13: In One Day

Hi friends.

Okay, :deep breath: here we go...

In one day, March 22nd, two of my grandparents died within 12 hours of each other.

In one day my parents both lost a parent.

In one day I lost my Gram, who has battled MS and cancer my entire life, and beat it more times than most.

In one day I lost my Grandpa, who's body just couldn't cope with a surgery that was supposed to save his life.

In one day everything changed.

We entered that week knowing that it was going to be rough. My Gram (my dad's mom) had been on hospice for a couple weeks, and took a downward turn on Sunday. Grandpa (my mom's dad) had his surgery scheduled for Monday. It was high risk, but everything pointed to a slow, but successful recovery. 

In one day they were gone.

I don't think anyone would think twice if I was mad at God about this. And you know what...I tried to be. I did. I tried to be mad at God. (who does that??)

It lasted, about, 10 seconds.

It just didn't make any sense. I mean, let's face it, none of this makes sense, but being mad at God didn't make anything feel any better.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked if I really believed that God allowed things to happen in our lives because He has something better for us. I responded, without hesitation, that I absolutely do. I still do.

Is my life better without my grandparents? Are my parent's lives better without their parents? Of course not. But our lives are temporary.

My grandparents are healthy, whole, and with God. Is that better? Yes, and that's permanent.

Could I be mad at God about this? Definitely.

However, I am intentionally choosing to run to Him in my grief. I am clinging to Him because that's the only thing that makes sense, and by doing that my faith and relationship with Him will grow even bigger. Is that better? Yes. Always, yes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Alright friends, it's time for you to share your 1LW stories with us this week! 

First, though, I want to announce a little change. 1LW will continue to be a weekly post. You will still here from Chrissy and I. However, the linky party is going to be changing to once a month. If you want to keep posting 1LW posts each week (Lani, I'm looking at you!) do it! Link them all up at the party! We would love to read them! Otherwise, watch for the party on the first Wednesday of each month.

Don't know what a 1LW is? Check out this post.

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

1LW Wednesdays #12

Hey friends. I am so glad to be back here today.

I feel like life is getting in the way from my blogging lately. 

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Melissa Barr on Pinterest

Monday night I attended a meeting at church and a friend gave me a pamphlet called  " Names of God".

I think this little pamphlet was filled with some of the most amazing words. 

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite names for our God. 

Besides the most comfortable like, Lord, Father, Daddy I was really moved by this list of names.

Adonai (ah-doe-ni) meaning The Lord, My Great Lord. God is our total authority! How comforting and reassuring is that. 

Elohim (el-o-heem) meaning Creator, The all powerful one. This is how God is referred in Genesis 1:1. Elohim is found over 2300 times in the Bible referring to God! The is amazing and makes you think that He really wanted us to remember this name! 

El Roi (el Roy) meaning The God who sees me. There are no circumstances n our lives that escape His fatherly awareness and care. Did you hear that NO CIRCUMSTANCE. He is always there, always watching, ;always listening, always caring. 

Jehovah-Jireh  (juh-HO-vah JI-rah) meaning The Lord will provide. God will meet all our needs, not what we THINK we need, but our actual needs. He provided His son Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice. We have no reason to doubt Him. 

Jehovah-Shalom (juh-Ho-vah sha-LOME) meaning The Lord is peace. Jesus is our Prince of Peace. God is the only one who can give us a peace that transcends all understanding. 

Do you have a favorite name for God? maybe it's Emmanuel, YHWH, or friend.

what ever it is we are so blessed to have such a loving heavenly father. 

Thanks, Chrissy!

Alright, now it's your turn! Link us up with your 1LW post!

Don't know what a 1LW is? Check out this post.

Looking for a great place to share your other fun stuff? Check out my 1LW blogging partner Chrissy over at Boerman Ramblings!

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

1LW Wednesday #11

Hi friends!

No big post for you today for 1LW Wednesday. We are experiencing some fantastic weather here in Chicagoland, and I'm being intentional and taking full advantage of it! Abbey and I have been doing all sorts of fun stuff outside! She's taking a nap now, so I'm hoping on here super quick.

I still want to hear what you all have been up to this week, so link up!

Remember, this is a linky party for 1LW posts only. I love all of your arts and crafts, but this isn't the place to share them. Don't know what a 1LW is? Check out this post.

Looking for a great place to share your other fun stuff? Check out my 1LW blogging partner Chrissy over at Boerman Ramblings!

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

1LW Wednesdays #9

Hello everyone! Chrissy is here with us this week. I have to say, a lot of what she talks about today resonates with me. Hopefully we can all keep each other motivated!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey there again friends.

It's starting to feel like my second home over here! 

How are you doing? How is your 1LW going?

I would say mine is going okay...

I wish I could say great but i have dropped the ball in a few area's

The worst is my time in the Word.

I have not been doing good with this. 

I am really behind on my reading the Bible in 1 year plan. 

Source: google.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

I have to remember to not beat myself up over it. 

It's hard not to though. 

I feel like I am doing better with communication.
I am returning calls, answering emails, and responding to texts more often!

I will be honest when I am having a bad day (due to my crohn's) I ignore all calls and texts.
Sometimes it's hard to muster up anything nice and it's probably better that I don't say anything at all!
I knew you would agree with me.

I am looking forward to this Lenten season.
It's kind of a hot button topic i found out.
I am trying to find the right words to express why we participate in lent.
When I find those words I'll be sure to share them with you!  HA

This week we are memorizing...
E - Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

I cannot believe we are on E already.
My 10 yr old has most of A-D memorized! Yeah!

Well friends, I better run. See you next week! 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks, Chrissy!

Alright, I want to hear from you!

Remember,this linky party is meant for posts about how you are living out your One Little Word. I love all of your crafts and projects, and I'm sure you are super proud of them, but this isn't the party for those! If you're looking for somewhere to link those up, my parter-in-crime, Chrissy, has a great one on Tuesdays!

Don't know what a One Little Word is? Check out THIS post to find out more. 

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

1LW Wednesday #8: Ash Wednesday edition

Hello friends!

Before we get to 1LW Wednesday, I want to share our most viewed post from last week!

Katie from Intentional Pursuit wrote a beautiful post about her 1LW, Wait.

If you haven't read it already...you should!

I don't know if all you celebrate Ash Wednesday, but I do. For any one who may not know, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar, which is the 8 weeks leading up to Easter. Some denominations practice the act of either giving something up, or adding a new commitment to their daily lives during these 40 days. It is meant to be a season of sacrifice, with the intention of growing closer to God. 

                                                                          Source: Uploaded by user via Heather on Pinterest

In all honesty....I've had a hard time being as intentional as I would like these past few weeks. I'm not sure why it's been a struggle, but it has. I am hoping that I will be able to take this Lenten season to really improve that discipline. I need God's help, I know that for sure! Obviously I don't need a calendar to tell me when to cry out to God for help, but I'll take the reminder while it's here!

This year, I will be giving something up, as well as adding in a discipline. It may be a bit ambitious, but I need it!
This year, I will be giving up fast food for Lent. It will help me to be more intentional in a few areas that I have been losing focus in:
1. What I put in my body: I am trying to treat my body better, and filling it with junk is not helping with that. My body is a gift, and I need to get better at treating it as such.
2. What I spend my money on: We are working very hard towards getting out of debt (more on that another week). Blowing money on food that isn't good for us is not going to get us closer to that goal! With what we spend on fast food, Matt and I could be going on a nice date each month! I would certainly rather spend that money toward meeting our goals and feeding my marriage...not my cravings!

As for what I'm adding in...some friends from church and I are all going to be doing the 40 bags in 40 days Challenge!

Source: littlelucylu.com via Heather on Pinterest

I won't be doing quite this list, since I have different locations in my home, but the point is the same! I think it is so easy to get lost in our stuff, and this season is perfect for clearing out the clutter!

I am truly looking forward to Lent this year. I know that God is doing work in me, and I can't wait!

Alright, I want to hear from you!

Remember,this linky party is meant for posts about how you are living out your One Little Word. I love all of your crafts and projects, and I'm sure you are super proud of them, but this isn't the party for those! If you're looking for somewhere to link those up, my parter-in-crime, Chrissy, has a great one on Tuesdays!

Don't know what a One Little Word is? Check out THIS post to find out more. 

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

1LW Wednesday #5

Hi Everyone! I can't believe it's already February! I hope you've all had a great first month living out your 1 Little Word!

Chrissy is here to share with you this week...take it away Chrissy!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey friends. I am glad to be back here today.
I have been really enjoying this 1LW thing.

Source: theamateurwriter.com via Ginger on Pinterest

I can honestly say it has kept me accountable so far this year.
For those of you that are new, or the ones who forgot (how could you)
my word for 2012 is WORDS..
If you want to know why i chose this word head {here} 
If you want to see what changes I have already made read {here}

today I wanted to share with you some words that came to a new light for me today...
I am participating in a Bible study with 4 other women and we are studying the book of Matthew.
Today we focused on chapter 5 but mainly the beatitudes...
I found this website that broke down the beatitudes in a way that was more understandable..

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

            We must depend on God’s unconditional love.

2. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Those who are in anguish due to sin, sickness, death, poverty, war, or injustice will find their comfort someday.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. (meek meaning humble/gentle)

We must realize our abilities inherited from God and then in doing well for others.

4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

We must work for good relationships with our neighbors to promote peace among   nations.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

We must instill compassion on others and learn to forgive those who have hurt us.

6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

            We must be pure in our thoughts, acts and deeds. We must do the right thing.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

            We must bring about peace with others, even if they are our enemies.

8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Those who are condemned for the right thing will gain the courage and strength for as long as Christ lives in their hearts.

  I just love how it gives us modern day application.
Having my focus being on Words has had me in THE WORD so much more this year!
I am loving it and love learning all that God has to show me.

thanks for having me friends!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks, Chrissy! If you guys haven't already, make sure you pop over to Chrissy's blog Boerman Ramblings. I totally stalk love it!

Alright...let's play! I want to hear what you've been up to!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!
Be blessed!

1LW Wednesday #4

Hi Everyone! I am so excited that we have Andrea (aka retrohipmama) of she*sCRAFTY with us here today! She was our most viewed link up for the first 2 weeks of 1LW, so you guys must love what she has to say! I know I do! 

So, without further adieu....Andrea, and her 1LW: ENJOY!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

  via
 honestly, no one's really looking at you or talking about you or thinking about you like you think they are. so you know what? do whatcha like! i wore pink sweater tights to work. i enjoyed myself and paid them no mind. (even though my office gals said i looked super cute.)
 
 i took gibson out for dinner to Buffalo Wild Wings. he sat on the same side as me in the booth. sometimes quietly watching the only tv with football on. sometimes joking around with his chicken strips. sometimes quiet. sometimes dancing a little crazy to that stupid milkshake song. we enjoyed ourselves and paid them no mind.
 
 gibson told me that he and matt were driving last week in the car and they were having a shouting contest. (this happens often in our house. matt will holler, then gibson will holler louder and they go back and forth getting louder and louder and more ridiculous, each of them trying not to break into laughter.) but matt topped the charts of hilarity when he rolled down the window and yelled out at the top of his lungs. i asked gibson if he enjoyed himself and he answered yes but it was a little embarrassing. then i reminded him to pay them no mind.   marshall wanted to sleep in his cowboy hat the other night. he says he's not a dirty rotten scoundrel so i let him enjoy himself and we paid no mind to conventional sleeping arrangements.
It's what we enforce and re-enforce with gibson (and soon with marshall) so often is 'just do you'. don't be anyone else. don't let anyone else suck the joy out of you. if you like your purple skinny jeans, then wear them and tell those little a-hole kids to shut up if they diss you. enjoy your good friendships. allow other people to enjoy being around you. be the ice cream cone and not the gallon of ice cream. enjoy your life. enjoy being a kid or a parent or a friend. do what makes you happy. (except stealing cars and doing drugs.) make good decisions so you can enjoy your life the way God intended you to. making Him the center of your life and doing things He would be proud of you for. He is really all that matters. now go ENJOY something and pay them no mind.
hugs to you...drea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Thanks so much Andrea!
Alright ladies (and gents?) what have you got for us this week? I want to hear how you're doing!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!

1LW Week 3 Round Up

You guys were quiet this week! I hope you're just too busy living out your words to write about them!

Lucky us, we get to feature all 3 of our wonderful linkers this week. We got some fantastic link ups!

Heather's Pick

I actually found this post at another linky party, and fell in love with It's Overflowing by Aimee.

Lucky for us, she came over here to play too! Go take a look at her post about her word: SPARKS!

Chrissy's Pick

My favorite was from Lani over at It's My Life and I love it. I Love how she shared the struggles she encountered and how she overcame them by being positive. I find her open to share her struggles comforting and inspiring!

And now...our most viewed link up for this week....

Another blogger who is new to 1LW: Katie from Intentional Pursuit! (Intentional? I like her already!)

Katie wrote a beautiful post about an incredibly important word. Go over there and check her out!

Thank you ladies, for playing along this week! I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone this week! This week's linky party will be up this afternoon, along with a post from a special guest!

Be blessed!

1LW Wednesday #3

Hi everyone!

I have been enjoying reading your link ups so much! I am thrilled to be on this journey with you, and I hope we can continue to keep each other accountable for the rest of the year.

In my first post there were a few things I mentioned wanting to be more INTENTIONAL about.

One of those things was my time with God, and another one of those things was myself. This week I want to tell you a little bit about how I'm working on both of those at the same time!

I've struggled with my weight, well....pretty much forever. The stay-at-home mom transition wasn't helpful with regards to that, and I'm still, 2 1/2 years later, trying to get back to my pre-baby weight (let's not even discuss my wedding weight.)

I had heard about the book Made To Crave by Lysa TerKeurst (of Proverbs 31 Ministries) on the radio, and it sounded intriguing. Cravings are something I deal with all. the. time. and I thought this might be a good read for me. 

Photo: www.madetocrave.org

As I started reading it, I knew that I needed to be going on this journey with someone. I asked my incredibly fantastic friend Karly to be my accountability partner. Karly and, I met each other in Phoenix, and were part of the same church community. Even thought she has since moved to Spokane, and I have moved back to Chicago, I consider her one of my best friends, and I knew she would benefit from this book as well. 

Each week we read a chapter and send each other our responses to the discussion questions at the end. This book is rocking my world! I've always asked God for help in my weight loss journey, but it's always felt like "my battle". This book is showing me that God should be part of the process every step of the way. By making good choices and taking care of the body I have been given, I am glorifying Him. He wants to walk through this with me, and He wants to set me free from this cycle. I have to do my part now. There are some  logistical ways that I am keeping on track with my weight loss, but I'll post about those another day. For right now, I am focusing on keeping God at the center of this experience, and allowing Him to grow me (and shrink me! *snort*) in the process!

How are you living out your 1LW this week? I want to hear about it! 

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!

My One Little Word

Here it is...our very first One Little Word Wednesday! I'm so excited for this new adventure. Chrissy and I are looking forward to hearing about all the ways people are living out their OLW's! You'll hear from Chrissy next week, but this week I wanted to share my word with you.

My One Little Word for the year is...

Intentional

I want to live my life with more intention in several areas. It is so easy for me to just get lost on pinterest and facebook go with the flow, and let my days slip away from me. How many times have a made it to the end of the day feeling like I've accomplished nothing. Now, granted, some days are like that regardless of plans, but for me they happen too often. There are several specific areas of my life that I want to be more intentional about:

My time with my family: I want to be more intentional with both my daughter and my husband. Abbey is at the perfect age for all sorts of fun activities. With winter weather setting in, I want to make sure that I am providing her with fun, stimulating activities whenever I can. As for my husband, we need to spend more time together, just the two of us. We live in a large household, and "couple time" is hard to come by. I want to commit to (at least) a monthly date night!

My time with God: This is a discipline that I have not mastered. I go through bits and spurts of being good at spending time in the Word, but I have gotten out of the habit lately. I have a wonderful small group at my church, but time spent with just God and I needs to get back to a daily occurance. Whether it's a formal bible study, or 15 minutes of reading before bed, I need to make sure it happens. My life is always better when it does!

My Household: Even our little basement home needs some management! I can't spend quality time with my family, if laundry is piled up all over the place. My mom and I share cooking duties, and I know that I'm always in a better mood when I've done some meal planning. These are not things that come naturally to me (at all!), but they are things that make me feel better when they happen.

Our finances: We just recently finished Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (more on that later!). We finally feel like we are in control of our finances, but we need to make sure we stay there.

My projects: Oh my goodness...if you could see my unfinished project stack, you would cringe and run away! Time to be a big girl and get some stuff done!

This blog! This little project is part of me becoming more intentional about this little ol' blog. I new I wanted to start a blog, but I never could have guessed how much I would love blogging! Hopefully my last goal will help out with this one as well...I can't do more blogging if I don't have anything to blog about!

and last but not least...

MYSELF: Right now I work 2 days a week, and one of those days involves jeans and a t-shirt. (Yes, I get to go to church every Sunday in jeans and a t-shirt. Not gonna lie...it's pretty awesome!) On all the other days, I spend way too much time in yoga pants and a tank top with my hair in a pony tail. Watch out...there may be some What I Wore posts coming your way!

Ok, ok....so this is a huge list. I know. However, that's what I love about One Little Word. It's not a resolution that is either kept or lost. This isn't Pass/Fail. My OLW is a mindset, a motivator, a way of keeping me on track. I may will not succeed at all of these things all the time, but I can be intentional about them, and try again another day. Over the next year, you will be hearing about the ways I am working on all of these things. You will also be hearing from Chrissy, and all sorts of fantastic ladies around blog land! We will also be featuring the most viewed OLW from our linky party each week...so get to linking!

I can't wait to hear from you!!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!
Grab a button:









<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!