A New Year – Plus One Thousand Gifts Giveaway!

On this Gratitude Monday I’m counting gifts, sharing some encouraging thoughts and tools for the new year plus offering a giveaway of one copy of Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts! First…
1. Prayer Changes Things – Last January’s new habit resulted in a paper ream full of answered prayer. “Back in January, at the start of the new year, we agreed to begin our year knowing that prayer changes things. Inspired by a post at (in)courage by the same title, I rolled out the big ream of drawing paper. And we all gathered around. Each added their own prayer requests. Some of serious nature, needs of friends and family and some just plain dreaming big.” Read more…

2. Freedom! A New Year Offers a Clean Slate – “Sometimes I find that performing a common, household task helps me to think. The past couple of years I’ve gotten into the habit of cleaning off the top of my fridge around the 1st of January. I can see the cleared surface and the shine. It’s a visual. A clean start for the new year. This time also affords me a fond look back over the flurry of December. I find all kinds of discarded items on top of my fridge, as well as those that were strategically placed there to stay out of reach. There are a couple of broken tree ornaments I thought I’d glue. The loud, tooty horn I swiped away when I could stand it no more and… ah, the angel halo from early December’s performance…

Something about this physical act of cleaning off and clearing out helps me to usher in the new year. Scrubbing away and clearing off the things that piled up. It’s a fresh start even if it is only my kitchen.

But most importantly, this tackling the top of the fridge also reminds me of the clean slate we have always with Jesus. Not just at the start of a new year. How thankful I am that I get a new start every day! Every hour. Every minute. But what about how poorly I handled… Forgiven…Well, but I should have… Forgiven.” Read more…

3. A handy tool. Yes you can go through the Bible in a year. The Daily Audio Bible App helps you. Sharing at The Curriculum Choice today…

4. A Proverb a day. “There are 31 Proverbs. So one for each day of the month. Just one a day. So, say you start off with good intentions and read Proverbs 1 on the first day of the month. Then you fall behind and suddenly it’s the 4th. It’s ok. Just read Proverbs 4.” Read more…

Counting the gifts of new things. The promises a new year offers. Plus…

• 2901. new organizational tools.
• 2902. The counting of gifts  – officially since August 2009 – and how the practice has opened my eyes to so many blessings!
• 2903. …look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here ~ Ezekiel 40:4
• 2904. The book One Thousand Gifts – a celebration.
• 2905. A wonderful Christmas week full of family, friends, fun, warm fires and good rest.
• 2906. The promise of new things in this new year!
• 2907. The start of a new school semester, new units, new studies.
• 2908. New stack of books from the library.
• 2909. New laundry baskets – one for each child.
• 2910. New family portraits thanks to the talents Worley Arts
• 2911. Greens and black-eyed peas by Nana.

See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

Now, for the giveaway! One Thousand Gifts is currently available from Christian Book for $9.99. Back before Christmas, I bought several copies to give as gifts. I have one copy to give away to one of you!! What better way to start the new year than by counting His gifts?

Already have a copy of One Thousand Gifts? Enter to win a copy to share!

• You can read the first chapter of Ann’s book HERE.
• Read all types of reviews, testimonials and even more about One Thousand Gifts HERE.

Entry details are as follows:

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