"Pray for Me, Pray for Others"

We participate in "Pray for Me... Pray for Others" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to add your prayer request.

Once again, I have been touched by a blogging friend – whose family is also in my church – and wanted to share with you what this amazing family has done!

The Riggs family, . . . Where Laughter Lives”, whose little girl has leukemia and is now going through the most life-threatening phase of her cancer treatment, has started a Wednesday edition post titled “Pray for Me, Pray for Others” on their blog. This family is going through so much, and yet their focus is God and sharing their faith and love for Him with others. As others are praying for them, they also want to pray for you. The new Wednesday edition will allow us, as a community, to share our prayer needs and those of others on their blog and allow us to pray for each other. Please visit here for all the details.

I have been praying for little Abby and for the family for some time and have requested prayers, from readers before, but I am especially asking now. Abby has been quite ill these past few days and today began throwing up blood. She needs God’s healing touch and comforting hand so much, as does her family.

Brent and Michelle, Abby’s parents have posted this new edition on their blog and the value of “Pray for Me, Pray for Others” is so great that I want to share with everyone who may visit my site. Please pray for the Riggs family and allow others to pray for any needs you have in your life. I think this will be a great forum for all of us!

In own words:
From Michelle:
Even before Abby became sick, prayer was one of the most important things in my life. I took the Bible's admonition to pray without ceasing literally and ran with it. While I can be quiet in social settings, it is natural to me to keep a running dialog with God, as I go through my day. Life goes so much better when I am focused on serving God and on praying for OTHERS.

I love that people are praying for Abby. You are such a blessing to Abby and our family. But, because what we are going through with Abby is so hard, SO BIG, most people aren't sharing requests with us as much they used to. I really miss praying for things that are on the hearts of others.

I love to pray for both "big" and "small" things. Seeing God bless us by taking care of those little details is a beautiful reminder to me of how much He loves us and how He is watching over us.

One example of this in my life was yesterday when I was instructed by Abby's doctor to bring her in for a blood transfusion, during an ice storm. Abby needed to get to the hospital, but Brent was home with the other children and I was with Abby, 20 miles away, at a doctor's office. With the sun going down, the roads were refreezing. Oklahomans get few opportunities to drive on ice, so I was out of practice and everyone else driving was out of practice too.

Many of you prayed that God would keep us safe while we were driving and He did. Praise God. But what you didn't know was how He provided for us. One of my best friends, Toni, called to check on us, and when she heard what was going on, she offered to drive us to the hospital, stay with us during the transfusion (usually 6-8 hours) and drive us home. Toni moved to Oklahoma a couple of years ago, from Alaska. So we not we not only got to spend some time with one of our favorite people, we were driven by someone who cut her teeth driving on snow and ice.

While Abby was getting the transfusion, Toni read stories to Abby, colored with her and made her feel like a princess. Once Abby was asleep, Toni and I were able to talk. A rare treat when you have a house full of little people. An night that we could have just endured, turned into a blessing. Thank you Toni. You are the best. Don't you love how God takes care of those little details, too?

Would you let us pray for you? I would love to hear what is on your heart and to pray for each of you.

My incredibly talented husband is setting things up so that it will be easy to read everyone's requests, in list form, but so you can also link your blog to ours, so that you can leave more details for us to read and hopefully some pictures too.

Thank you again for praying for our family. I hope you will allow us to pray for you, too.

From Brent:
One goal we have for our blog, is that it becomes a real community of people. One of the trademarks of a community is that people know each other, help each other and pray for each other.

On Wednesdays, we are going to do Pray for Me... Pray for Others to help build the sense of community for our readers.

Because we are blessed with a large community of readers, we know you most likely can't pray for every single need or person on this list, especially as it grows. But by looking over this list on Wednesdays... all of us can pray as God leads us and we can know that each needs is probably being prayed for by a lot of people. This particular feature is near to the heart of my beautiful Bride, so you can know she will be praying for you.

Pray for Me... Pray for Others is pretty simple: list a short prayer request for YOU, and a link for more detail if needed. Then submit a prayer request for someone else, or some other situation that you know about. Include a link for them if available. Be specific.

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Fight FOCA

BREAKING: Obama Checks First Task Off Abortion Agenda, Overturns Mexico City Policy
Obama waited until after 5:00PM on a Friday to hold a "quiet ceremony" to repeal an important pro-life policy established by President Reagan. He hoped no one would notice, but you can read all about it here on the SBA List website. From: Susan B. Anthony List

One of the regular blogs I read - I Am Heading Towards My Destiny - is the site of Beth of NC. When I visited her site today, I found this and knew that I wanted to sign the petition and also pass on the information. This is important information to anyone who is pro-life and I hope you will visit Beth and the other sites listed and maybe, if you feel led to do so, sign the petition.

Sign the Fight FOCA Petition

Barack Obama is now the incoming President.

And he made a promise to Planned Parenthood last year they expect him to keep.

"The first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That’s the first thing I’d do." (You can see the video here!)

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would eliminate every restriction on abortion nationwide.
. . . FOCA will do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial birth abortion, and on all other protections.
. . . FOCA will compel taxpayer funding of abortions.
. . . FOCA will force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.

Barack Obama believes this legislation will "end the culture wars." To him, "ending the culture wars" means eradicating every state and federal law on abortion — laws that the majority of Americans support.

Americans United for Life (AUL), a pro-life law and policy organization, has prepared an analysis of the "Freedom of Choice Act." Please click here to read AUL Vice President & Legal Director Denise Burke’s analysis of this horrendous legislation.

The time to Fight FOCA is now. With Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid in charge of Congress, we can expect a fight over FOCA to begin as soon as the next Congress begins.

Please add your name to the Fight FOCA petition and let your friends know about President-Elect Barack Obama’s promise to expand abortion throughout the country.

Beth posted a letter (which is worth reading) she received from
Marjorie Dannenfelser
Susan B. Anthony List President
703-875-3370www.sba-list.org
Check out the SBA blog: http://www.suzyb.org/

It's a great post and I know that you'll be blessed when you visit Beth and read all the information she is sharing.

Modesty-What happened?

Matthew 6

25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out.

One of the tools Jody and I are using, as we give our marriage to God, were given to us by our Family pastor - are books written by Shaunti Feldhahn “for women only” and the book “for men only” written by Shaunti Feldhahn and Jeff Feldhahn. I have read “for women only” and found it to be a really great book and full of valuable information for wives.

Here’s an excerpt from the back cover of the book:
“In a woman-to-woman conversation you’ll never forget, Shaunti Feldhahn takes you beneath the surface into the inner lives of men. This book is about the things we just don’t “get” about guys. With findings from a groundbreaking national survey and personal interviews of over one thousand men, “For Women Only” is full of eye-opening revelations you need to not only understand the man in your life, but to support and love him in the way he needs to be loved. Grounded in biblical hope, you will discover how to love your man for who he really is – not who you think he is.”

The book covers a lot of areas, but the chapter I really want to write about today is titled Keeper of the Visual Rolodex. This chapter talks about the fact that men are visual creatures and are instinctively pulled to look at attractive women and these visions can be as alluring to a man at the time of the actual vision or even when brought up in their mind later.

One of the things Ms Feldhahn says is:
. . . First, a woman who is dressed to show off a great body is an “eye magnet” that is incredibly difficult to avoid, and even if a man forces himself not to look, he is acutely aware of her presence.
. . . Second, even when no such eye magnet is present, each man as a “mental Rolodex” of stored images that can intrude into his thoughts without warning or can be called up at will.

Of the 1,000 men surveyed, 98% responded that when an “eye-catching” woman is seen they “can’t not be attracted”. The results were essentially the same for all men – even those who described themselves as happily married.

I’ve heard all my life (and for the most part believed), that men think about s*x a great majority of the time. Ms. Feldhahn discovered during her interviews that they not only think about it, but visualize it, as well and sometimes those pictures were not of their wives. “They are often images that have been involuntarily burned in their brains just by living in today’s cultures—images that can arise without warning.” The men also explained that sometimes the images pop up in their brain without warning, even if they are unwanted.

We live, today, in a s*x-filled culture where just living in this world, we are inundated with s*xual images. Modesty has become a bad word, it seems with so many!

I believe it is our responsibility, as women, to dress and adorn ourselves in a way that does not cause a man to stumble. Of course, there will be those men who still visualize scenarios of attractive women and that has nothing to do with, but many times the images come as a result of scantily dressed women – revealing a lot of skin or wearing form-fitting clothing.

This chapter was not written to “bash” men, but to explain the nature of men. Many men, being visual, may be easily tempted – which is normal. Temptations are not sins as we see in the 4th chapter of Matthew, when Jesus was tempted by Satan. Jesus is without sin and yet he was tempted.

Every man (and woman) can make a choice which is the difference between temptation and sin. When a man sees an attractive woman or recalls an earlier memory of a vision, he can either continue to think about it and might even begin to bring other thoughts into the forefront of his memory – or he can immediately put down those thoughts and, as the Bible puts it, “take every thought captive,”.

Ms. Feldhahn also says, “Unfortunately, I can guarantee that many adult women are fodder for the mental Rolodex of some devoted married man just because of how they dress. It’s natural to enjoy being noticed, but he doesn’t want you in there. You’re cluttering up a good husband’s mind and tempting him to dishonor his wife. It is our responsibility, as women, to ensure that, as much as it depends on us, this doesn’t happen. In past days, men had to actually seek out visual temptations, but today – they are everywhere and impossible to avoid!"

I know that I will be much more aware of how I am dressed and “adorned” before I leave my house, especially now that I am aware of the things stressed in this book. How do you feel about this subject? Do you make it a point to dress yourself modestly and to cover yourself appropriately? I would like to hear your thoughts and comments and I also highly recommend this book for any woman who wants to better understand her husband!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Please pray for Abby!

I've posted before about a family in my church, the Riggs family, who are in the midst of what must be one of the most difficult battles ever imagined. Once again, I'm asking you to pray for them as Abby begins the most dangerous part of her treatment for Leukemia. This little girl has been through treatments that have nearly taken her life and this phase will be even worse!

This family is truly dedicated to God and trust that He will carry them through - no matter what the outcome. Of course, they pray for Abby's healing, for the treatment to be successful and for Abby to comfortable - without pain and sickness. They pray that Abby will survive this phase of the treatment and that they will have her here with them when it's complete. This is what we are all praying for!

This is what Abby's dad, Brent, has to say in his latest post:

"Tomorrow, Abby starts a phase of her treatment where she is least likely to survive.

For the past few days, we have been asking everyone to ask everyone they know to join us in praying for Abby, and for God to be glorified through this troublesome journey. We aren't trying to focus on death, or the negative aspects because we feel hopeless... we just wanted to use the four days leading up to this next phase to communicate how serious this time is, and bring people into the prayer group with us.

As we begin this new phase, we want to emphasize that we TRUST GOD and His will. We would be sad if Abby goes to heaven, but know that she will be in a far better place. That's not just poetic rhetoric or a feel-good cliche... we BELIEVE it as sure as we believe anything.

We are not asking people to pray to coerce God, but rather to knit together a community with a common point of unity. Imagine the joy of a Father when His children petition Him on behalf of those He considers the MODEL of who will enter the Kingdom: little children.

Please continue to let other people know, share our blog with them, put us on prayer lists, and let us know how we can pray for you.

Again:
Here is a link that will open up a pre-written, preformatted email asking folks to pray for Abby

We have hope and true joy as we move into the "valley of the shadow" because our hope in is God, and His only Son."

You may also want to read a couple of posts that give some of the important updates:
. . . Some sad news about Abby
. . . Abby's Facebook Prayer Group

In His Love and Blessings
annb

An Award!

Lisa over at Family Life has given me an award! Thank you, Lisa - I'm so glad you enjoy my blog and feel that I am able to make lemonade from my "lemons"!

I just recently found Lisa's blog and am enjoying getting to know her, as well. Lisa leads a busy life with her family - husband and four children! She blogs about her love for the Lord and her fabulous family!

The purpose of this award is to give it to someone
who is showing gratitude or a good attitude
("if life hands you lemons, make lemonade") within their life or blog.
The rules:
1) put the logo on your blog
2) nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude.
3) have your 10 pass it along to 10 more!

I enjoy blogging and especially enjoy meeting new people, making friends and following the friends I have found through blogging. The recipients I have chosen for this award are bloggers who share a love for the Lord and choose to share their love, faith, struggle and triumphs with others in hopes of bringing glory to God. I have been inspired by each and am glad to call them "friend"!
I have chosen the following blogs to receive the award:

Danielle - Acres of Diamonds

Robin - Many Meadows

Angela - Fox Family Five

Shawn - Essengo Ministries

Michelle - . . . Where laughter lives

Lydia - Campbell5

MckMama - My Charming Kids

Brent - Brent Riggs

Michael - God is Good All The Time

Susie - All to the Glory of Him

In His Love and Blessings
annb

God's Love / #2 - This Body's a Loaner!

1 Corinthians 6:
19) Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God?
You are not your own;
20) you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body.

Grasping the concept that my body does not belong to me, but to God and that I am to honor God with it has not been a concept that I have easily accepted and put into practice. I always like to think that I did, but really didn’t.

I have struggled, most of my life, with things that have deeply affected my physical body. I have battled with being overweight for the majority of my life. I have struggled with depression, low self-esteem and other demons which have tried to take over and control who I was, who I am and who I become!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love
and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

I am, at times, timid – intimidated by others. I have God-given strength, but many times did not feel strong. My strength is something that I have truly learned about this past year through counseling. My counselor, Julie, is a true follower of God and 2 Tim. 1:7 is a verse that she would quote in most of our sessions. Julie helped me to see that I have had that strength and, in fact, used it in situations during my life when it was desperately needed.

Self-Discipline – yeah, that’s the one I struggle with the most. Sometimes it’s easy to see that lack of self-discipline in others before we see it in ourselves and I know that’s true for me. When a person is a “falling-down” drunk, a dead-beat dad (or mom), a child-abuser, a drug-addict – it’s easy to label that person as weak and lacking self-discipline. When a person is an over-eater, a non-exerciser, a junk food junkie, nicotine/caffeine addict, prescription drug addict – those “flaws” don’t seem to be judged too harshly. Why do you think that is?

The man who says, "I know him,"
but does not do what he commands
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
I John 2:4

It seems that some “sins” have become acceptable – easy to overlook. I think that’s where we have truly failed God and neglected our reason for being on this earth.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and
preach the good news to all creation.
Mark 16:15

Psalm 69:
5 You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.

I would never want to bring disgrace to our Lord! One of my goals - as I study more of God’s Word and understanding more of His Love and strive to become the woman God made me to be – is to treat and care for my body as if it belonged to God, because it does!

My Bible is precious to me and I take very good care of it, putting it on the same shelf each and every time I finish a study, take it out to read or pray and when I come home from church! Shouldn’t my body be as precious?! God made me with a spirit of strength and self-discipline and my focus is to put those characteristics into action – every moment of every day. My decisions on what to eat, when to exercise, what to wear (I'll be writing more on this later) – will be based on what is best for this body I have on loan. I intend to begin caring for myself as I would care for anything else that I had borrowed to be used for a period of time.

Romans 6:
11) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin
but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body
so that you obey its evil desires.
13) Do not offer the parts of your body to sin,
as instruments of wickedness,
but rather offer yourselves to God,
as those who have been brought from death to life;
and offer the parts of your body to him
as instruments of righteousness.

It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:32

I’m so excited to begin to live more closely to God’s plan for me. I’m excited to see how He works in my life as I draw closer to Him - through study, prayer, and submission to His will! I’m so thankful for His love and His mercy and will draw on the wonderful strength He has given me as I continue on this journey.

In His Love and Blessings
annb

God’s Love / #1:Seeking Truth

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like without having a relationship in our Lord? Have you ever thought how hopeless and how final your life would feel . . . always? It’s something I think about a lot, especially after the struggles of 2008 - leaving my husband, becoming unemployed and unable to find another job, having no home of my own to live in, having to sell most of my belongings just to live, the trials with my son and the difficulties with family caused by separating from my husband!

My husband and I are now together again. I thank God every day that we chose to work things out, get some counseling and help for the things that caused our separation . . . but mostly the choice that we have both made to give our marriage to God!

I’m not perfect – not even close and yet God loves me as I am. He has known me since before I was even a thought. He has forgiven me for many choices I made in my life that were directly against His will. He loved me even as I chose, at times of my life, to live only for myself with no thought of God or how I was hurting Him or anyone else. He loved me through it all, knowing each and every move I made without Him!

Psalm 139

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

God knew me – before I was. He knew everything I would do in this life . . . the choices I would make, the paths I would select, the actions I would take and the sins I would commit against Him. Even knowing my every thought did not change His amazing love for me, the blessings He provides and the awesome gift of His son who carried each of my sins to the cross as He died for us all!

I John 2:
“. . . 1[b] But if anybody does sin,
we have one who speaks to the Father
in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,
and not only for ours but also
for[a] the sins of the whole world.

Do you honestly know anyone else for which you can say the same? Someone who would love you and continue to bless you and seek your love no matter what you did to them? No matter how much pain you caused them or how many times you turned you back on them?

God shows no favoritism – his promises are for all people. He loves all of us and wants each of us to desire His love. It is His favor that I seek each and every day.

This new year – 2009, God has laid it on my heart to seek a closer understanding of His Truth in His Word. My topmost goal for this year is to strive each day to live my life in a way that will honor and glorify God in everything that I do . . so that those I come in contact with will desire a life in Him, too.

I Corinthians:
19) Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God?
You are not your own;
20) you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body.

This scripture speaks volumes to me. So many of us are concerned only with self in pleasure, gratification, etc. But really, who is self? I believe this scripture proves to me that self is God and He is where I must center my concern.

I was bought at a price – the price of my Savior’s death on the cross. He died, carrying my sins with Him . . . even though I am the least deserving of such a sacrifice! Knowing the price that was paid for my salvation, how can I choose anything other than to allow Christ to live in my heart and express that relationship with Him in all of my thoughts, words and actions?

This is the beginning of my journey which will lead me to a closer and clearer understanding of God’s plan for my life. This is a new beginning of my journey to seek a closer relationship in Him by really digging into His Word, recognizing the lies I’ve listened to about what my life should be (worldly view) and recognizing and accepting His Truths and applying them to my life. I want to share this journey so that others can see God’s love in action. This is just the beginning! Stay Tuned!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Favorite Foto Friday - FAVORITE Foto 2008

Favorite Foto Friday

This week's FFF theme was to choose your ONE

favorite photo of 2008.

I chose this photo of my husband, Jody and me. It was taken last Saturday and it is one of my favorites because it shows us together! We are back together after separating earlier this year and we are learning so much about each other - through counseling and by opening up to each other. We are choosing to be together, to be honest about everything that has transpired - causing our separation and everything that happened during the separation.

We now know, with certainty, that we can not make our marriage succeed without giving it over to God and allowing Him through His Word to lead us. I think this picture shows our joy over being together again.

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Happy New Year!

It’s that time again . . . the beginning of a new year. The time when so many are making New Year’s resolutions they may or may not keep over the next year. I’ve never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions – just a couple of times during my life. Usually by the end of the first week of the new year, I’m through with them!

2008 brought many changes to my life – some good – some bad! One of the good things is that I have strengthened my relationship with God and have spent more time in His Word – always a good thing. I will not be doing a list of New Year’s resolutions this year, but instead will be resolving each and every day to spend time in The Word, spend time in prayer, recommit to my marriage, be a better friend and spend more time time with friends and family!

For those who feel the need to make their “list” – I’ve included the most popular goals that make New Year’s resolution lists each year, plus Bible scripture that I feel is good instruction for each category.

New Year's resolution
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Most Popular Goals[1]

. . . Lose Weight
. . . Gain Weight
. . . Get Fit
. . . Eat Right
. . . Drink less Alcohol
. . . Quit Smoking

I Corinthians 6:
19) Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you,
whom you have received from God?
You are not your own;
20) you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body

. . . Get out of Debt
. . . Save Money
. . . Get a Better Job
. . . Get a Better Education
Jeremiah 29: 11) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

. . . Reduce Stress

Matthew 6:25

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink;

or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more important than food,

and the body more important than clothes?

. . . Take a Trip

Mark 16:15
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Romans 10:15
And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
2 Corinthains10:15[b]
Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,
our area of activity among you will greatly expand,
16) so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you.

. . . Volunteer to Help Others

Romans 12:7
7) If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8) if it is encouraging, let him encourage;
if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;
if it is leadership, let him govern diligently;
if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
I Corinthians 10:
23) "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial.
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.
24) Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way
you will fulfill the law of Christ.

. . . Be Less Grumpy

I Peter 4:
9) Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
10) Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
11) If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.
If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

. . . Be more independent

John 7:18
He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself,
but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him
is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

. . . Watch less violence

Proverbs 13:2
From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.

Success Rate
Recent research shows that the New Year’s resolution starts the day of new years (January 1st) and ends the first day of the next year .While 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. [2]

References
^ http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml [1]
^ Quirkology Study: [2]

One of my daily "recommitments" will be towards loving my family and friends in a more open and constructive way. I want them, especially my family members, to know by my words and my actions they that are important to me – an intricate part of my life.

I want also to be able to listen if someone comes to me with a problem – especially a problem they may be having with me. I want to pray about it, consider that it may very well be true (even if I’ve never thought I was wrong in a particular situation) and resolve any/all problems with mercy and grace, honoring God with my response.

I know that God wants peace and harmony between us on this earth and when there are unresolved issues between a family member, friend or acquaintance – it is a sin against our Heavenly Father and I have to know if I’ve offended someone or I will not be able to resolve the issue.

Matthew 18:
15) "If your brother sins against you,[a]
go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.
If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16) But if he will not listen, take one or two others along,
so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[b]

Romans 12:
9) Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.

Proverbs 12
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

22 The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.

25 An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.

This year, I will daily make choices and I pray that each of the choices I make will reflect my love and my faith in God and bring honor and glory to His Name.

In His Love and Blessings
annb