James and "O Church, Arise"

I have been working on finishing a Beth Moore Bible study on James for quite some time now and am in my last week of it.  Today was focused on how James could have died through looking at the history and tradition related to it.  I love the confidence we can have in Christ and I think it is a great blessing to think of and study those who have followed Christ before us and successfully made it to the end.  I think the lyrics for the following song encompass that and I wanted to share them with you.  

O church, arise and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our captain;
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We'll stand against the devil's lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is "Love!"
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on ev'ry side,
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died—
An inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This vict'ry march continues till the day
Ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him. 

So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride,
Give grace for ev'ry hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When, with Christ, we stand in glory.

2014 Begins

With each new year that starts I find myself reflecting on the year that ended and making goals for the coming year.  I want to be the best version of myself and to grow as an individual and it seems goal setting is a good way to work on this.  I prefer to set goals in categories and I think it helps to be specific.  Here are my goals for the coming year:

Spiritual: The last two years I have read through the Bible in a year.  This year I hope to listen to the Bible in a year while doing some other more focused studies.  I have a few Beth Moore devotional books I am excited about and some others as well.  Michael and I are also going to memorize our church's fighter verses each week. 

Physical: I have a weight goal just like most people...I am hoping to be there within 3 months.  More importantly than weight (because weight can be fickle), I want to consistently exercise and eat well.  I am starting the year with a workout routine of 4 of Jillian Michaels' videos.  I am shooting to exercise M-F and also Saturdays whenever possible.  I also am hoping to run a big race before the year is up--thinking a half marathon. 

Other (because I don't know what to label the categories for these):
-Finish a crocheting project.  I have a blanket I started last year, but I would actually like to complete it this year. 
-Improve my baking skills in the areas of pies and Norwegian food.  I got a lefse griddle for Christmas and a krumkakke  baker.  I would also like to try making kumla and practice kringla again. 
-Try not to waste food by forgetting about it in the fridge. 
-Be intentional in my relationships--including Michael.  In our marriage counseling we were challenged to see how many of the five love languages we can use with each other in a day/week (I don't remember which) so I am hoping to put that more into practice this year.

I am really excited about this new year.  I know it will have joys and pains, but I am thankful for the blessings God has given me and I know he will remain faithful through it all.

Happy New Year from us!