At the beginning of last year, I made a goal to spend the entire year focusing on connecting with God in prayer. I read a couple books and did topical bible studies based on prayer and in August, I upped my game by creating a prayer binder. It has easily been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done to invest in my quiet time with God. Now that I’ve had some time with it, I thought it might be a good time to share it here, too.
First things first, a prayer binder is a tool that helps to keep all of the things I want to pray for in one place. The best thing about using a binder, as opposed to a journal, is that it can always be evolving. Throughout the past 5 months, I’ve rotated and changed things out so that the flow of prayer comes naturally to me. My prayer binder now incorporates prayers (both written by me and by others), scripture, photos, and a couple embellishments here and there. I’m really into paper-crafting, so I had a lot of supplies on hand that I used to get started. Even though mine has lots of patterned paper and decorative bits, it can also be as plain as you want it to be. Here are the supplies I used:
When you get down to it, my binder is comprised of 4 main parts that are made up by the acronym PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield. I also have a resources section to keep random information and notes. Each day, I start by praying my way through both the praise and repent sections. When I get to the ask section, it’s set up into daily and weekly prayers. There are things I pray for each day, an then a rotating list of things I pray for weekly. This process give me a more reasonable amount of things to pray for each day and it helps remind me of specific details that I may forget without notes in front of me. This is followed by a section where I yield and being still before God. Throughout all sections, I write my prayers on sticky notes so that they are easily movable. It’s a way for me to wait expectantly, because when God answers the prayers, they get moved to the praise section. This way, I can continually see the work he’s done and the prayers he has answered. Here’s a look into what I’ve included in each of the sections:
I pray specifically for the sin in my life and for my eyes to be opened to the things that I need to bring before the Lord.
A – Ask – Daily
I use an “emergency room” section (an idea from The Reset Girl) which is a spot for anything that is urgent, needs daily prayers, or for specific and upcoming prayer requests.
Bible Verses I include with the “emergency room” section
I pray daily for myself, my heart, goals, divine appointments, and my relationships as they relate to the prayers for the next section.
A – Ask – Weekly
Monday – Our Marriage
Even though I pray for Kevin and our marriage daily, I include it on Mondays as well in more of a ministry type of way and the way we welcome people into our house and life. This is also a catch-all for anything else related to our marriage that doesn’t fall into the daily section. For example:
Our House
Hospitality
Our goals
Tuesday – Friends, Small Group
This is easily my most robust section, as it includes both photos of each person/couple, scripture I pray over each, and any prayer requests or things going on in their lives that I want to pray for. It brings me so much joy to see their sweet faces as I’m lifting them up in prayer.
Wednesday – Non-Believers, Social Media/Influence, Blog
The third day of the week is all about praying for non-believers all over the world and non-believers we interact with on daily basis. I pray for interactions with non-believers and the people we may have influence on in terms of social media, the blog, etc.
Thursday – Our Jobs, Work, Stewardship/Finances, Military
This is a big one – I pray for our specific roles and interactions at work as well as the way we steward our money and pay off our student loans. I ask God to continually give us direction in these things. I specifically work with people who have served in the military, so i’ve included that in this section as well.
This is pretty self explanatory, but I also have pictures, verses, and specific things I am praying for for each person in my immediate family and my relationship with them.
Saturday – Kevin’s Family
This is the exact same set up as I have for my family, except with Kevin’s side.
Sunday – Government, Our Community, The Crossing (Our Church), Missionaries, Ministries and Organizations we Support
This is also quite the doozy of a section. I originally had these split apart but I kept feeling myself overlapping them in prayer, so I put them all together. I’ve found a couple really great prayers online for each of these.
Enneagram Quote about Resting in God’s Presence – As I have studied the Enneagram, I have learned a lot about the impact it has on my faith and some of the things that I have a hard time with. For me, that is being still before God. No question that this has always been a struggle, but I had just always called it a distraction or wandering brain. I picked out a couple quotes from The Sacred Enneagram and some images from @xoenneagram on Instagram that relate to this topic and the Enneagram.
I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from Cori the Reset Girl (her video is below), but there are tons of great resources on the internet.
Mysa Home Styling’s Setting the Table – you have to sign up for emails to get this little guide, but I’m telling you, it’s worth it. I keep this in the front of my prayer binder and it’s been a good reminder to make my home more comfortable for others.
Happy 2019! I just love the feeling of a New Year, not because it’s anything special, but because it gives me time to reflect and celebrate victories of the year and look forward to the next. One of my very favorite posts from last year was my year-end review of 2017, and at the end of an exhausting 2018, it feels even more imperative to count the good things.
January
We rang in the New Year at our house with some very close friends and yummy food.
I kicked off the year with my one little word, Connect, in hopes of prioritizing my connection with God through deeper prayer, connecting with my body, exploring more natural household and beauty products, being more intentional with my online connections, and creating space for vulnerability.
We celebrated Chloe’s 5th Birthday with a big ole treat. Our girl is spoiled.
My best friend, Brittany, got engaged and they set a wedding date for September! I literally screamed when the text came through and was thrilled when I realized I would get to see her multiple times in one year.
We played lots of games with friends: Bananagrams, Jackbox, What Do You Meme?, Utter Nonsense, Code Names and Forbidden Island.
Book Read: Grit: Passion, Perseverance, and the Science of Success
February
I took on a daily photo challenge in February and learned a lot more about the DSLR I purchased last year.
After lots of studying, I PASSED MY REAL ESTATE EXAM. Kevin surprised me with a sign in the yard and yummy dessert.
Helped Taylor paint almost every room in their new house. Truly one of the sweetest memories of our friendship.
Brittany asked me to be the matron of honor in their wedding.
Kevin traveled for work for the first time, and Chloe and I held down the fort.
We got some amazing weather, so we opted for a picnic and the obligatory family feet photo.
Books Read: Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better and All the Leader You Can Be: The Science of Achieving Extraordinary Executive Presence
March
Kevin and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.
It snowed the most beautiful sloppy snow, and I snapped my favorite photo ever of our home. Check out Chloe watching me through the window.
We celebrated a HUGE milestone in our debt free journey.
Mom and I went to a cooking class to learn all about how to use and cook with an Instant Pot. Macaroni and Cheese game changer, my friends.
April
We celebrated our Two Year Highridge Ranch-iversary, which meant it was time for a little home reno project. April was the start of the research phase.
We upgraded to iPhones with Portrait mode. Game. Changer.
Books Read: A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World and 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge and Found Self-Help That Actually Works, Yes Please
May
I had an entire week of PTO to burn (or lose), so we took a last minute trip to Las Vegas!
Sarah saw us struggling to take selfies in our new hammock, and offered to take these photos of us. For sure, my favorite photo of us this year.
We made the last payment on our Honda Civic – a couple years early!
Books Read: The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Have Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store, Capturing Light: The Heart of Photography, Ruth’s Journey, and The Road Back to You
June
We traveled with my family to La Jolla, CA for a week and stayed in a stunning house on the coast.
We started on our bathroom renovation project after having a window installed and a couple months of researching.
Books Read: Great at Work and The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth
July
We celebrated fourth of July at Missouri’s state capital with Alex and Tony.
Kevin’s brother, Dave, moved in with us (and Chloe gained a best friend)!
Kevin had surgery to remove his gallbladder and we spent time recovering.
Books Read: The Genius of One, One Thousand Gifts, 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
August
I celebrated my 27th birthday (without a major break down).
I made a prayer binder to help focus on my prayer life and goal of connecting with God.
We completed the bathroom renovation and I’m thankful (a million times over) for family that helped us through the project. We could not have done it without them.
Books Read: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life
For the past six years, I’ve chosen a word to focus on for 365 days. As I think about my word for 2019, I thought it would be fun to reflect on past words and how they have impacted me.
Bible Verse:You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
Intention: At the time, my intention was to learn to live in the moment and stop wishing away each day in hopes for the weekend or the next thing. I wanted to be thankful for all that I had been given. Psalm 16:11 was my favorite and I wanted to discover how that fit into my daily life.
What I learned: Joy isn’t necessarily the opposite of sadness and definitely doesn’t mean that hard days don’t exist. It is about finding the little things to be thankful for and spending time in God’s presence. I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann VosKamp for the first time and it really played into the gratitude aspect of this word for me.
Bible Verse: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)
Intention: Kevin helped me choose this word as a reminder that I was right where God wanted me to be. My main intention for 2014 was to choose to be rooted in my decisions and in my God. Following His plans and making the best decisions for my future, so that I can be my best and my happiest. I chose this word because I was going to be making a decision about where I was going to find a job and live following college.
What I learned: Making the decision to stay in the same city felt like being planted in the same pot with new soil and fresh rain. I realized that we had already built a foundation and friendships, we just needed to change our mindset that this was “home”. Finding and getting involved in a community church as opposed to a church through our college made a big difference in that.
Bible Verse: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:9 (NIV)
Intention: I chose adventure knowing that Kevin and I were going to be getting married and moving in together. I wanted to focus on trying new things (like cooking, hosting, owning my own business) and being happy with not immediately being good at them.
What I learned: Kevin surprised me with our honeymoon destination and I think that really opened my eyes to the idea of being spontaneous and not needing to be in control of every single thing. In the first year of marriage and living together, you really have a lot to figure out – sometimes being adventurous meant cooking new meals and it also meant having a car breakdown two hours away from home and having to figure out buying one in a pinch without it seeming like we were in a pinch.
Nourish – 2016
Bible Verse: For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 1 Timothy 4:4-6 (NIV)
Intention: I was looking for a more peaceful and relaxing word to encompass a lot of the goals I had in the realm of self-care. I wanted to slow down and make time for myself and the things that God wanted me to make priorities in my life.
What I learned: By the end of the year, the term self-care felt over used as an excuse not to do hard things, which wasn’t my intention. I am proud of the way that I scheduled (yes, actually scheduled on my calendar) time in for myself and grew as a person during this year.
Thrive – 2017
Bible Verse: They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:3 (NLT)
Intention: My intention with thrive was to live intentionally and outside of my comfort zone. I kept thinking “thrive, not just survive” and I think that came from the feeling that life was flying by me. For the first time, I felt the settle in of routine without new classes, the excitement of getting engaged and married, new house, new jobs, etc.
What I learned: I feel like one of the easiest traps to fall into is the one of discontentment, which is what I was trying to fight. I know that I personally am often looking toward exciting events, weekends, and the next thing without actually living in the moment. I did some learning on how to be content with what I have – capsule wardrobes and minimalism – and I think for me I realized that to some degree, I’ll always be longing for something more because I was made for eternity, and glory with God.
Bible Verse: You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 (NIV)
Intention: My goal was to prioritize my connection with God and take action to work on relationships in my life, including my relationship with myself and the things I’m putting in/on my body.
What I learned: Connection has felt like a fairly passive word for me, because it came a lot easier than expected. I feel like this year has solidified a lot of friendships I’ve made over the past couple years and was easily transferrable to my job as well, in the way that I invested in co-workers and formed partnerships. As far as connecting with myself, I did a lot of research on the Enneagram (I’m an eight) and that’s been really eye opening to my motivation and certain parts of my personality that felt misunderstood, even by me.
I’m hoping to finish the year strong with connect and really glean every possible thing I can from it at this moment. At the beginning of 2019, I’ll be sharing my new word of the year, which is already all picked out. Any guesses as to what it might be?
Happy 2018, Happy Monday, and Happy New Goal Setting Season!
This time of year is so inspiring and a teeny tiny bit overwhelming. I’m always excited for the week after Christmas when I get to celebrate victories of the previous year and uncover new goals for the next. Over the last week, I’ve been mulling over it slowly and praying the Lord’s guidance over the next year of my life. Just like last year, I coupled this reflection and prayer with Lara Casey’s Powersheets and I couldn’t have been more pleased with how things are looking for 2018.
I’m taking action on what matters.
I evaluated my life in terms of a couple different categories – Health/Wellness, Personal Growth, Spirituality, Self-care, Romance/Significant Other, Friends/Family, Finances and Career – rating them on a satisfaction scale from 1-10. It can be difficult when using this strategy because a lot of the areas over lap, but doing this exercise helped me to narrow down places of strength and places of weakness. Of these sections, I choose the three with the lowest scores to focus on next year. As I was reflecting on the numbers, I made a huge discovery: my goals last year resulted in those areas being the highest rated! I felt so validated about making progress even though my efforts and the outcomes weren’t perfect.
On the other hand, last year I struggled with in my goal setting last year is that I added a lot of “fluff” to my monthly, weekly, and daily goals – things like reading a certain number of books, completing Project Life, or taking a photo every single day. These things are all valuable, but setting specific numbers and timeframes for things like these won’t have a positive impact on my life right now even though I like doing them! I found that by adding these things and being able to check them off, I was less likely to spend time focusing on things that were more challenging or new to my routine.
As the goals began to unfold, I considered how these goals would impact me and the people around me and what measures I would use to determine if the goals had been met or not. This really helps me when it comes to motivation.
As I considered these categories and wrapped up my journey with the word thrive, I considered a myriad of new words to choose from. For the longest time, I thought it was going to be whole or brave, but I think those are going to end up being companion words to the one I eventually settled on – connect.
Connect | verb
to bring together, associate or relate
to form a relationships or feel an affinity
synonyms: unite, attach, join, secure, combine
So here we are, my goals for 2018:
This year I’m prioritizing my connection with God. I want to do a deep study in prayer and intercession as well as read the Bible in a year.
This year I’m connecting with my body by focusing on the foods I eat and investing in time moving. I also want to explore more natural household and beauty products.
This year I’m connecting more intentionally online, in friendships and in my marriage. I want to be silly and spontaneous and flexible to trying new things
This year I want to do a better job of connecting with myself. I want to consider my need for simplifying and perfection. I want to create space for vulnerability and being open. I want to explore new ways of saving money and reducing the temptation of the shopping high.
For each of these goals, I’ve created smaller action items that I’m going to be working on throughout the year in hopes of overcoming burnout and the typical slow down that I start feeling halfway through the year.
I don’t plan on participating in the official One Little Word project like I have in the past, but I am going to keep a journal and follow some of the prompts Ali Edwards has provided through the class in the past. I know that showing up to my word is really going to be the pinnacle on whether or not connect makes a difference in my life.
As a first practice, made this vision board for my planner so that each day I can remind myself what I want to come out of this year and why. There are feelings of cozy, pups, simplicity and body love – all good things for 2018!
Are you choosing a word or making goals this year?
