Does anyone else feel like it's going to be the beginning of January forever?

I struggle with what to do with this stretch of the year. It's hard to be excited about the bleak winter ahead... it's hard to pick up where I was before the holidays. I was plodding along just fine in the fall, then the buzz of the holidays came and swept me up in the excitement, and now I'm figuring out how to begin doing normal life again (without something big and hopeful like Christmas break on the horizon). I think that must be the nature of January. Time to shake myself up a little and get a new plan. I'm going to need a plan to be resilient through the winter!

My course of action so far has been..
1. God's promises. This is the main thing the Lord has laid on my heart for 2013. To know, claim, and believe His promises more firmly than I've done before. For my faith to increase in fullness, constancy, simplicity. I'm working my way through a collection of biblical promises, picking one promise per week to hide in my heart and watch how God is faithful to it.

2. Fighting for my thoughts with the sword of the Spirit. Grant and I are memorizing the fighter verses this year. It's a super simple tool. Just a list of scriptures to memorize that are useful for fighting against temptation, doubt, anxiety, and any other schemes of the Enemy.

3. Enjoying the things that need to be done. Delighting in everyday jobs. Working hard (and hopefully cheerfully) at the same old things I do all the time. Realizing that the sink of dishes I wish I didn't have to wash is the same sink that I, in reality, like to stand at and make things clean. Remembering that I would be sad if I didn't have responsibilities and how satisfying it is to do a job.

One of the responsibilities I'm especially glad about is simply: meals. They have to be made and cleaned up (or at least thought about) every day, 3 times a day. I like this. It's a constant that keeps me from getting too lazy or too busy. You have to get up off the couch and get something to eat. Or, you have to stop working on that stuff and get something to eat. It's nice, isn't it? And really, I don't think there's a more satisfying feeling than eating a good meal and getting it all cleared away at the end. Here's one of the meals that is in regular rotation at our house. Nothing special, but it's easy to love and perfect as leftovers.


1) Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to hot pan and brown on both sides. Add in carrots first if you need more time to chop the other vegetables (they take the longest to cook) and toss with chicken. 2) Add remaining veggies and stir well, season generously with salt. Let everything sit and cook, without stirring, for a little while. 3) Continue cooking, switching between sitting and stirring, until meat is cooked through and vegetables are as soft/crisp/crusty as you like. 4. Add garlic in the last few minutes of cooking, as well as cooked rice (if you're using it). Finish with a final sprinkle of sea salt and serve hot.