Happy First Day of School!

Hi there!

I know, you thought (hoped) I was never going to post again, right?

HA!

Gotcha!

It was a long and wonderful summer filled with lazy days and a lot of laughter!

But of course, 

time marches on and here we are-

Back 2 School!

For Team Hertogh, 

today is the first day of school for the 2013-2014 school year.

Here are my 3 Blessings!

Just yesterday they were like this...

well, more than one day- many years!

(wipe tear)

Most of the population begins the New Year on January 1st,

but for me,

after 11 years of teaching, 

(that does not include 2 years of being a Teacher's Aide, 1 year of Student Teaching

and 7 years of Substitute teaching)

MY year always begins NOW!

I set goals for the year,

think about what the kids are going to learn and accomplish this year,

and prayerfully consider what Jesus wants me to pursue,

focus on and walk towards.

It doesn't always turn out the way I planned-

in fact, it usually doesn't,

so I lay expectations down and surrender what I think so I can hear what He thinks.

ONE thing we can do for our children EVERYday is to pray for them, 

each child-specifically.

(their friendships, academics, self-talk, covering for protection of what they hear,

who they let into their lives, mental and spiritual protection)

If it sounds overwhelming- 

yet as a parent,

our children are our FIRST ministry from God.

And whether your children are babies or adults,

you can and should feel privileged to continue praying for them.

As I pray for them today, I am also praying for their futures-

their jobs, ministry, relationships 

and

thanking God in advance for all that He IS doing and WILL be doing.

My prayer for YOU today-

that you would spend MORE time with God this year-

in HIS word,

sitting with HIM,

chatting or going deep with HIM,

and listening to HIM,

and for Pete's sake,

SLOW the heck down!!

This devotional from HomeWord was really good about slowing down-

also,

Doug Fields, one of my favorite Teachers/Speakers

wrote another good one regarding families Here

called, "Busyness Doesn't Satisfy".

We move too fast and focus on so many things that will not be important in 

5, 10 or 20 years.

One thing I know for sure-

OUR children are out there-

and without prayer,

there is no protection or covering.

Can bad things still happen?

Absolutely,

but I know our prayers are heard by God.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:

1. Journal your prayers to God (as if writing Him a letter)

2. Go through one of the books of the Bible (Psalms, Proverbs)

*read a sentence or paragraph and ask yourself what God is trying to say to you*

3. Purchase a Devotional such as Jesus Calling- read and write out your reflection or pray,

Stormie Omartian also has many great books on praying for your family. 

4. With all this technology- you can Google "prayer" to find blogs discussing prayer

5.Ask someone in your church for some help in this area ( an older attender or friend)

6. Use the Acronym, "ACTS" to get started.

(A-Acknowledge God for who He is

C-Confession of our sin

T-Thanksgiving for all He is doing and has done and will do

S-Supplication- where we come humbly to HIm with all of our requests through prayer

6.You can also find a local prayer group like Moms In Prayer,

 (used to be called Moms In Touch)

or start your own!

7. Allocate time EVERY day to pray -priorities are put in the calendar!

(something is ALWAYS better than nothing! Start with 5-10 min)

8. Don't guilt yourself into doing it- this is precious time spent with Jesus,

I look forward to being filled and fed by His Spirit,

but it was not always like this, do it and you will see fruit!

Though we will go through difficult and challenging times,

knowing that there is a purpose and opportunity for growth during those times and knowing that

We have God covering us, Jesus beside us 

and the Holy Spirit within us,

gives us an assurance and a peace that we cannot explain.

Dear Lord,

THANK YOU for this beautiful day!

Thank you, 

that I can come to you with all of my concerns, wishes and worries

and ask that you carry them for me!

I ask Lord, 

that you would do the same for my friend reading this today-

that my friend would be filled by a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Phil 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I pray that my friend would have a JOY that only YOU can give through your Spirit!

I pray that this school year would be incredible for our children,

knowing that YOU have their lives and futures under control!

I also pray that this year would be a year that we all grow closer to you-

that we would lean into you for ALL of our needs-

physical, emotional, relational and spiritual

because you, Father,

are the Provider of all.

I love you Lord, and the friend reading this.

Please bless my friend and bless all who pass through this post!

Remember,

it's NEVER TOO LATE to start praying for your children,

to start all over, 

or

to try something new!

Do you pray?

If so, how do you pray?

What is your process?

PLEASE share!!

HOW can I pray for you?

Love & Blessings-

Fit, Fabulous 40's Friday!

A New Year, a NEW YOU!

If you haven't worked out in a few years, months, or even a few weeks or days, 

sometimes the most difficult part is just starting!

Starting something new or different can be challenging for most,
exciting for some, 

but

it is determined by your perspective.

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want.

You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. 

We can make the best or the worst of it. 

I hope you make the best of it. 

And I hope you see things that startle you. 

I hope you feel things you never felt before. 

I hope you meet people with a different point of view. 

I hope you live a life you’re proud of. 

If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 

― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

It's NEVER too late to change...

I don't like change, I'll admit it. I like to learn something, get good at it, then keep doing it.

I love weight training and have seen amazing results, but I know that it is good to change your routine. This may be as little as changing the order that you usually perform your exercises, 

or it may mean increasing weight or reps.

It's also great to try different classes and types of exercises.

Let's make some mistakes together this year!

 Let's do some things we have never done before!

Instead of only walking, add some skipping or jogging or sprints!

Instead of going to the same class at the same time to see the same people, 

try a different class at a different time!

Instead of making exercise the LAST thing on your list, 

make it the FIRST thing so that you are finished 

by 11:00 a.m!

And here's the thing,

this doesn't only apply to fitness.

This applies to other areas of our lives that we need to focus on.

Maybe you need to be better at listening to others.

Maybe you need to be better at being flexible!

Maybe you need to be better at dealing with anger.

Maybe you need to be better at ......you fill in the blank!

I believe that God made us in His image and we, as humans, mess things up.
we over eat and/or eat the wrong things, 

we can make wrong choices for wrong reasons,

we can do things impulsively that we maybe should not have done.

This is not just about fitness,

this is about life.
My life,
Your life.

I like competition, 

but when it comes to being me,

I need not compete

except 

with myself.

This goes for YOU, too.

The goal is to be a BETTER me

and a better YOU-

every. darn. day.

Let's strive for being the person we wanted to be last year - 

THIS year.

What are you working on being better at this year?