All Things New!!

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I don’t know about your 2024, but mine was a roller coaster. There were ups and downs, tunnels and spirals, loop-de-loops and twisty turns. It was a year that taught me so much about myself, a lot about my son, and even more about Jesus. I learned that people are people, and I am only responsible for my own walk with God. I struggled a bit with forgiveness, but eventually surrendered it and became aware of the overwhelming freedom that comes with that.

When it came to a close, I learned how surrender will always lead to the goodness of God. This was the most beautiful thing I experienced. It is this experience that has brought me to the first blog of 2025. I took the first part of the year to connect with God and become open to what He asks of me for 2025. Just like Moses, if God doesn’t go with me, I won’t go. This is a time for all things new. A time for me to recalibrate and move when He moves.

Look, I am about to do something new;
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19, CSB

As I sat and pondered about how God would have me start this year off with a blog, I kept coming back to the phrase “conversations that matter.” I think we skip over the conversations that make a difference because we assume everyone gets it and that talking about the simple stuff of everyday living isn’t very compelling. God began to show me how encouraging what matters in every aspect of life is important as we gain understanding of how to pursue Kingdom living.

We often don’t find time to have conversations about what matters in Kingdom living. This is one of the main thoughts that God brought to my attention. Kingdom conversations about things that matter as we navigate discipleship. All to often we feel as though anything outside of church or the Bible is not important. We forget that our Kingdom living and our faith are interconnected. Without both we will find ourselves stagnate and living in a chaotic world.

Before I get into the blog itself, I would like to start of inviting you to send me your feedback. Find a way to give me ideas about the conversations that matter to you. You can use the connect with me form to send in questions and feedback as well as leave a comment on this post. If you have a prayer request… let me know! If you would like to suggest a topic study… let me know!!

What to Expect From Encouraging What Matters?

Going into a new year, a new season, and a new expectation is so exciting! It is a chance to take hold of the new opportunities and cultivate a new aspect of living healthy and balanced.

This undoubtedly looks different for each one of us. Why? Because God in His unfailing and infinite wisdom knew that we each had to be different in order to create a place where His Kingdom could grow and come together.

So what does matter? How can we become that joyful, healthy Christian that God desires us to be? What does it take to get to that place of knowing that we are seeking a lifestyle that will reflect faith, hope and love?

Honestly, there is not a definite answer to these questions. One thing for sure is that it is up to us to choose changes that will bring us to a place of reflecting the fruit of the spirit.

This blog, Encouraging What Matters: Pursuing Kingdom Living is focused on having conversations about the things that matter to us as Christians. Things that promote faith, hope, and love. In order to promote it for others to become compelled to seek God, we must first understand how to cultivate what matters for us on an individual level. The things that matter fall into many areas of life which I typically categorize as Faith and Lifestyle. I have yet to figure out how I will section these two major areas but here is a start: Bible study, Discipleship, self, home, family, friends, work, and leisure.

So without further ado… let’s get started with “What Matters” as we start a new season and new year!

So What Really Matters?

When it comes to encouraging what matters in Kingdom living we must look at the areas of life that are affected by faith and how it will affect our perspective of Kingdom living. If you research the areas of life you will find anywhere from 8 to 6 that are at the top of the list. Personally, I tend to work within 6. This is something I learned from a great friend, coach and fellow Bible nerd, Elyssa Nalani. You can find her at (elyssanalani.com). You will not regret following her blog or her social media.

Anyhow, Elyssa introduced me to her LiveWell 6 and now I strive to create a Kingdom lifestyle that encompasses all of these areas. Faith, Self, Home, Family & Friends, Career, and Leisure. She does label hers differently, but they are the same areas. It is my desire to initiate meaningful conversations in each of these areas that will compel you to cultivate Kingdom living for each one.

Kingdom living is above all

The term Kingdom living tends to create a buzz. For so long we have thought that the Kingdom always meant Heaven. This is not the case. The Kingdom is where we are now. Having conversations that will encourage each other to seek first the Kingdom will help each of us gain insight as to what that verse really means.

Living a Kingdom focused life means that we are fully focused on living a life that reflects the Kingdom of God in the middle of a chaotic world. It’s living surrendered so that we may live in His goodness.

Encouraging What Matters

Rather than go through each area and give examples of what matters, I have chosen to start with simple encouragement for Kingdom living. I simply want to begin with encouraging you to choose one way you want to cultivate your faith. There is no right or wrong answer or choice. This is something that is between you and God.

Each of us need to start somewhere and for me, it is simply getting back to my morning devotional writing. I put it down when I thought I wasn’t reading my Bible enough. After months of not going through my devotional app and writing out a devotional that God showed me from what I had read, I found that I was in the Word more than I am now. Why? Because it would compel me to read more than just a daily verse in order to get the context. Simple.

I have a THRIVE Journaling Bible that I have been using for the last few years to write out my notes from the daily verses on the apps and I hope to start a new one for a new year. The only struggle I am having with that is which Bible I want to use. Yes, my friend the battle of a Bible nerd is real…. LOL. Who knows, I may continue using the same one and then choose a new one to connect the devotional I write to the scripture. Either way, in its simplest form, my choice is to return to the passion of writing devotionals.

Along with the devotional writing in the morning there is prayer time. There is no chance of writing devotionals when there is no prayer time. Most of the time, it is in the conversation with God that He makes the connection between the verse of the day and what He chooses for me to write. It is a beautiful process that I have missed all for the sake of thinking I was doing it wrong because it doesn’t look like “the proper way” to be in the word with God on a daily basis.

This is not to say that I do not study the Bible at any other time. Depending on what topic we are listening to in weekly sermons, Wednesday night Bible Study, or in another study group, I also love to dive in and research all things Bible. Those are my hours upon hours of study.

Encouragement for the Month of February

All of this being said, I would like to encourage you to choose a book of the Bible and begin to study it out. Look for the who, what, where, when and why of that book. Take time to understand the context as well as the culture that surrounds the book. As you do, please leave me comments on this post or on my social media. You can even use the connect with me” form to reach out and start a discussion.

You can also join us in the Encouraging What Matters FB group to connect and share more good things in 2025.

Happy 2025 my Friend. As my Pastor was told… take heart, and know that God is doing a new thing!

I leave you with this thought:   
              Are you willing to surrender in order to abide in Him?