Skip to main content

A word for the New Year

I got this idea from an author friend of mind--every year, she prays and asks God for a word or a short phrase that is her “theme” for the year. It’s something she works on for the year.

One year, my word was “fear.” It sounds weird, but I wanted to understand what it meant to fear and revere the Lord. During my Bible reading that year, I started highlighting every passage that mentioned the word “fear” in relation to God, and it was really eye-opening to understand what it really means to “fear” the Lord.

This year, my word is “prayer.” I want to work on my prayer life and learn how to pray more often and with more intensity. The first thing I did was get an app. :) I got the “Let’s Pray” app on my iPhone because you set up an account and then it’ll sync your prayer requests across all your devices.

I usually pray with my iPad since I use an iPad Bible app for my Bible reading (Olive Tree, because it lets me write notes as long as I want!), but if I happen to ever not have my iPad with me, I can write the prayer request on my iPhone and it’ll sync across both my phone and tablet.

So, techno-goodies aside, I’m hoping to work on my prayer this year.

How about you? Is there a word or short phrase God has impressed upon your heart to work on this year?

Comments

Allie Pleiter said…
Faithfulness is my word for this year.
Krista Phillips said…
Mine is joy.

And wow... signs of the time when we pray with our ipads! HA HA HA!!!

I might have to check out the let's pray app... it's always so frustrating that I tell people I'll pray for them but I don't have a "keep up with it" system and I end up a week later realizing that I dropped the ball.
Unknown said…
Yes Camy, it's trust.

You think you you fully trust until something bigger than what you've ever experienced comes along to test your faith. But I'm loving what I've learned so far.
Seek.

I have NO IDEA where it came from and NO IDEA where I'm going with it, but it will not get out of my brain. I guess I should start with a word study.
Sarah said…
Mine is certainly TRUST. God is really growing and stretching our family this last year and I can see that it's going to continue. I'm a bit like a pioneer on the trail with my wagon and my horses are trying to run full out, but I keep yanking on the reins. I know God want's my horses to run and trust, but I am afraid. My goal this year is to let him lead and try not to pull on the reins. (Not saying God is a horse!!)
Pattie said…
Mine is Dream. It's scary for me.
Camy Tang said…
Nice one! At least it's not "hospital." :)
Camy Tang said…
LOLOLOL!

That's the exact reason I started using my iPhone/iPad for my prayer list!
Camy Tang said…
When you have no idea where it's going, that's the best part! :)
Camy Tang said…
LOL I'm sure God doesn't mind being compared to a horse. :)
Camy Tang said…
Definitely scary, but exciting, too!
Unknown said…
I love this idea! Mine for the year is HOPE!
Mine is, "Hope." I even bought a bracelet with that on there to remind me.
Camy Tang said…
Ooh, a bracelet is a great idea!

Popular Posts

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...