Well hello! I’ve missed you! I so wish we could sit down with a cup of something caffeinated and catch up on life — you and me face-to-face. But alas, this is a blog. So we press on.
My December was…full. Good. But full. It seems like I blinked a couple of times and now it’s 2014. What the heck. But my sweet little family made some fun/messy/loud/UNO-shaped memories. And in between our family times I wrote lots of words and spent time with God assessing the direction of my life. You know. The basics.
So as we kick off this new year it’s only natural for me to tell you about the book that is setting the practical stage for my 2014. Seriously. This book rearranged my December and I would not be a kind, loving friend if I didn’t share it with you.
If you’ve been around my blog for any length of time, you know I’m not a book reviewer. I rarely tell you about something to go buy unless I really really believe in it. And this — it’s just too good.
When I took that blogging break at the beginning of last month I shared about a few projects that God was leading me towards. But as I closed the pages of the blog and turned my attention to those projects, I got overwhelmed. Because I’m a mom and wife and homeschooler and and and…and I didn’t know how I was going to do it all.
Enter Amy Lynn Andrews. In recent months her and I have become online friends. And I knew about her book Tell Your Time but I had never actually read it. So in desperation to take my time captive, I purchased the PDF and read it in a day. But I didn’t just read it. By God’s grace I applied it. And, like I said, it rearranged my December.
So what is it? Tell Your Time is a short book that takes you on a journey to discover how God would best have you spend your time. Amy has the reader begin by naming the roles she plays in life (student, mom, wife, employee, etc.). Then she has the reader describe the type of (role) she would want to be (kind, productive, loving, respectful, etc.). Next she has the reader list activities necessary to being that type of (role). And finally she walks the reader through scheduling those activities into a (loose but organized) weekly calendar.
The premise is that we all want to be some type of something. But if we aren’t purposeful, we’ll reach the end of our lives (or the end of 2014) and realize we didn’t do anything to be that type of something.
I think I liked the book so much because if there’s anything I don’t want to do it’s waste the time God has given me. I don’t want to take this one-time gift of life on planet earth and carelessly throw it away.
Tell Your Time isn’t a book that’s meant to tie us down with boundaries or schedules. It’s a book meant to inspire us to tell our time how you will (or how God is leading you to) spend it.
All that to say, if you’re wanting to get this new year off to a purposeful start, Amy’s book may be just the thing for you. It’s definitely become a foundational piece to my personal dreaming and goal-setting and scheduling. Click here to get a copy.
On another note, I’m so excited to release that 4-week Bible study called Life-Giver next Monday (Lord willing). Each week has a five-day plan as well as a set of weekly discussion questions that you could do with a small group. If you’re looking for a Bible study to start off your year, then this might be the one. Plus it will be FREE to my subscribers for the month of January. And everyone loves FREE.
Oh and one last thing, remember Million Praying Women? Well, it officially launches on January 27th with an a-mazing team. Amazing. I’m totally humbled by the women God has called to join me in this exciting journey. So if you haven’t signed up for the free weekly newsletter or our Facebook page, we’d love to have you!
OK, I think that’s all for now. I’ve apparently got lots of words to say to you. In the meantime, I hope you have a blessed New Year!
Fill me, Lord…
How about you? How was your December? Any life-changing books you’d like to recommend?
*Affiliate links are present meaning that at no additional cost to you, if you purchase Amy’s book through any of the above links then I receive a small portion. It’s her way of saying thanks for the mention. Though I would have told you about it regardless.
Happy New Year Lara! Praying 2014 is the best year yet!
Thank you friend! Much love to you, sister. Looking forward to seeing how God works in and through you this year. 😉
Perhaps I need this book….
Perhaps most of us could use a little scheduling assistance. 😉 Hugs, friend.