Living Intentionally

by Michelle Gill - www.calledishshah.com
Used by permission

The one thing that I am focusing on for this new year is living with intention.  Time passes and tasks get done and events come and go - all the while there are things and ways of living that I would like to incorporate into my life.  It will never happen unless I choose to live life intentionally, on purpose.

One of my desires is to start my day full of His Spirit.  Then to hear Him throughout the day, every day instead of just when I have time.  That will only happen on purpose.

I would like to live a life of noticing people and investing.  I tend to rush around trying to get things done and avoiding what may take my time for someone else.  I don't want to live another year and look back wondering what a life lived out is supposed to look like.  Investing in others is a goal.

I encourage you to examine your thoughts with intention.  Is your thinking TRUTH or just another Christian cliche?  An example of a cliche that burns me up is "He will not give your more than you can handle."  Where do people get that?  He says He will provide a way of escape from temptation, that is usually the verse they point to if they have to give a verse to back it up.  I have been through plenty I could not handle. Thank God that He could handle me.  Intentionally examine your thinking and fill it with truth.  I have been learning this for several years now and realize how much flows from the way we think and what we believe.

I want to intentionally see my daughter, Casi, and watch her heart growing.  I want to hear what people are saying to me when they are speaking, the way they want to be heard.  I want to learn to create a garden and preserve food.  I want to be intentional about what I eat.  I want to move my body throughout the whole day.  I want to create the art that I see in my mind.

Intent takes time and thought but it brings a richness to life that we would ordinarily just be flying by, if we didn't choose to slow down.  It enables us to actually hear His Spirit.  He has created us to be creative like Him.  He has created us to invest in Him and others.  Live this year that He has for you with intention, on purpose.  Live intentionally.

What a Difference a Century Makes! The Year 1905

Author unknown - Contributed by Linda Crosby in Virginia This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!  The year is 1905.  One hundred years ago.  What a difference a century makes!  Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1905: The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.    Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.  Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.    There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.  The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.    The American flag had 45 stars.  Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.   The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30! Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.  With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.      The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!   The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.  The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.  A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home .  Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education.  Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard." Sugar cost four cents a pound.  Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.  Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.  A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars. Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza    2. Tuberculosis    3. Diarrhea    4. Heart disease    5. Stroke Crossword puzzles, canned beer and ice tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.  Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.  Back then a pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."  (Shocking!) Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help. There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

Encouraging Predictions for the New Year

Author unknown

With all the problems the world is facing, it can be unsettling to the mind. It's wonderful to know Who really is in control and that "the Word of God endures forever." ~ I Peter 1:25

Top 10  Predictions for 2011
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth..
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still honor the prayers of His people.
5. There  will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

My New Year's Prayer

Sent by Barb Campbell in MS: This is from a tried and true devotional by June Masters Bacher -- The Quiet Heart: Daily Devotional for Women (©1988)

Dear Lord, we praise You for the beauty and glory of Christmas.  We praise You for the loveliness of the world around us -- and for another New Year, a chance to try again.  You see, we want to continue to give good gifts as the year progresses: to our enemies, we would offer tolerance; to our friends, our service and loyalty; to our children (whether we be mothers, grandmothers, teachers, or neighbors), our patience and a fine example; to our parents, deference and the kind of conduct that will make them proud of their daughters; to ourselves, confidence and respect; to our mates, our love renewed; and to You, our hearts!

But, Lord, we are tired.  There is so much to do.  Already Christmas seems by a memory (except for the tinsel on the carpet, the dropping Christmas tree, and the leftovers to be wrestled with).  And spring seems but a dream.  We need Your help, Lord, as we try to navigate through the snowdrifts we yet must climb.  You have blessed an old world with a New Year.  Now we need hope for old situations and new courage to face them.  Give us, we pray, new boots for our weary feet.

Open our eyes to small things.  No matter how good our vision, let our hearts probe deeper.  Unstop our ears that we may hear the sounds of Your voice in nature.  Strengthen our legs as we search out small corners in which we may serve others.  Sharpen our intellects and our awareness.  let us ponder the wonderment of our existence, building bridges to the unforeseeable future of this year, leaving a daily heritage for those who come behind us.

Pick us up, Lord, when we falter.  Give us the faith and the strength to begin each day anew in service of our families, our friends, the "outsiders," and You.  Let us so live that when this year is finished we may say -- as we say at life's end -- "It is good to have been a woman!"