as I see it...

Some nuggets of gold that hit the mark in my heart and made a real impact. I'll start with one from the Bible. In a letter written to a group of Christians, Paul says: Ephesians 2:20  For we are God’s handiwork,  created  in Christ Jesus to do good works,  which God prepared in advance for us to do. Every time I read this verse it transports me. I can remember so clearly where I was. It was during a regular time of Bible reflection that I came across it. I was stumbling my way through Ephesians each morning, journalling my reflections on the bits that stuck out to me when I reached this verse one morning. It was at the end of one of my times, I had to be going to get ready for work but I couldn't leave. I felt as though I had been scaling the outside of a ship trying to board it and this was the moment I got a leg over the railings and suddenly I saw before me a huge ocean liner to be explored. This is a verse to build a life around. I could plumb its depths a long time a

1) Read. More. Last year I read... I don't know. This year I shall aim to read at least 12 books, that's doable. 2) Read. Bible. Honestly I think it's my authority for living and my invitation to meaningful encounters with God. I want my diary to demonstrate this. 3) Guard. Thoughts. So in a few days of lazy thinking I know how quickly I can be robbed of my joy, thrown into inner turmoil and left several steps back from where I'd like to be. To guard my thoughts I first of all must guard what goes in and how I allow the content to swim around. TV shows, opinions, secular statements. I can't withdraw from the world and nor would I want to but it's important that I don't allow myself to be preached at. Preaching is effective often simply because it isn't dialogue, it's one way and I know that without response or counter-balance I quickly feel the weight of the water bearing down on me. 4) Holistic living. Break down compartments, embrace all of