2012 Wellness Challenge

Happy 2012 Everyone!

As usual, this past year just flew by and a brand spanking New Year is upon us again. I have to admit: I have always loved that brand new year "mulligan" feeling. Yes, I know that God's mercies are new every morning. There's just something extra freeing about taking down last year's calendar and starting fresh with a new one. Of course, if you're a busy mom like me...there's no such thing as an "empty" calendar. I just printed out my January calendar page from Outlook and it has a whopping 4 days of white space! (For now.) Regardless...it IS a New Year!

Now that the Christmas and New Years' Eve celebrations are behind us and we still have a couple of days of "holiday" left, it's time to ponder. Time to find a little quiet corner and enjoy some reflection on 2011 and some much needed mental preparation for 2012. I don't want my fast-paced life to mean that I'm just a passenger on this crazy ride. No, I want purposeful moments. I see how fast my kids are growing up, and I want to make the most of these precious years I still have them at home!

Here are some of the 2012 Challenges I want to share with you:

• The She Sparkles A to Z Memory Verse Challenge: This is my friend Cindy Bultema's great idea for getting more of God's Word tucked away in your heart. AND, it's the perfect format to turn this into a total family Scripture-memory challenge! Check out Cindy's blog for all the details, but the idea is this: learn one new Scripture every other week for an entire year. The first scripture (the A verse) is listed in her blog right now. At the end of the year, you'll have all 26 of your A to Z verses memorized! I'm excited to take part in this fun challenge. 

• Purposeful Prayer Partners: I have seen the power of prayer. I know how important it is to pray for my children and my husband. Yet somehow, in the craziness of our busy schedule, I don't take daily time to have purposeful prayer time. Oh sure. I pray regularly. I guess it's kind of like my on-going "conversation" with God. And yes, I hear God's voice and feel His hand in those moments. But I know that's just the tip of the prayer iceberg. I feel this sense of urgency to cover my children in purposeful prayer as much as I can before they hit their teen years. I know that I am going to have moments with the twins in the next couple of years that are going to help shape the teenagers they become. It's kind of like I'm right at the beginning of one of those "rubber meets the road" kind of moments. You know the ones. Those moments you contemplate as you're rocking your newborn baby back to sleep at 3AM. The ones you don't have time to think about as you're in the throes of potty-training, teaching them how to tie their shoes, or kissing boo-boos. All of a sudden you realize: our babies are growing up! Try to deny it all we want, the day is upon us. And I don't feel ready! I want to make 2012 the year that I'm purposeful about praying for my children...and my children's parents. Dave and I need to be covered in prayer if we're going to be ready to be the parents of TWO teenagers all at once! These moments are priceless. I want to make sure we're not slacking off on our parental duties. Time to be more purposeful in prayer. If you're ready to be purposeful in your prayer life too, I hope you'll join me!

• My 2012 Wellness Challenge: 2011 was a year of many positive physical changes for me. But it was just the beginning. Time to get re-focused on weight loss and physical endurance and take my wellness goals to the finish line! If you're interested in joining me in this challenge, there are 3 parts:

1. Cinch off the Inches: The Shaklee Cinch Plan is the eating plan that helped me lose 60 pounds in 2011 (I have 40 more to go in 2012). Whether you choose to also follow Cinch, or some other weight loss plan, part of my 2012 Wellness Challenge is focused on weight loss. Figure out how much weight you want to lose and choose your eating plan...and let's drop the pounds together!
2. Fueled for Fitness: Running has become my exercise of choice. It's such a God-thing that I am even saying that (but that's an entire post in itself). I ran a 10K with my husband last May. My main goal from now until this May is to boost my running speed. I'm getting back into training mode and excited to see how much faster I can run that same 10K this year! You don't have to choose to run, but exercise really ought to be part of your 2012 Wellness Goals. So, make a plan for getting off that couch and working up a sweat. We'll also hold each other accountable for our level of exercise.
3. Mind Matters: Anyone who has struggled with weight knows that the biggest part of the battle to lose it is to get our heads on straight. My turning point with my head was when I was chosen to be part of Lysa TerKeurst's audience for her "Made to Crave" Bible study. I still chuckle when I think back on the journey God took me on last year with MTC. He knew all along how much sitting in that audience at my old church was going to change my life. I was so clueless at the time. Anyway, Lysa is hosting another MTC webcast on January 9th and there is a MTC online Bible study this month too. If you are serious about losing weight, I encourage you to make "Made to Crave" part of your journey. It made all the difference in the world on mine.

Whew! So much to ponder! I'll give you a chance to ponder all these challenges. I hope you'll take part in Cindy's Scripture Memory Challenge, join me in being purposeful in prayer, and even consider being part of my 2012 Wellness Challenge. If you decide to join me in the Wellness Challenge, please leave me a comment below. 

For now, I'm off to find my quiet place and do some 2012 planning. Enjoy your New Year's Day and we'll talk again soon.

Blessings Friends!