A Look Back, A Look Ahead

As we start a new month and a new year, I wanted to take a few minutes to look back at my blogging experience thus far and also look ahead at what's to come!

Last June, I started my blog, and I've been blessed to meet many new and wonderful people (you, of course!) I wrote 50 posts in that time, and here are the top 5 (based on page views):

My Mid-Year Resolution (in which I vow to overcome my fear of breastfeeding in public)

Faithful in Little

Menu Plan Monday

Goals for 2011

Housekeeping Meme

It makes me laugh (and scratch my head a little) at what has had the most page views. "My Mid-Year Resolution," I understand, because it was part of a blog carnival type thing. But the others? Well, I don't really know. So here are my top 5 personal favorites (that were fun or meaningful to me- and ones that you may have missed):

Calling Me Home (My personal story about becoming a stay at home mom)

Control the Chaos

Laundry, Laundry Everywhere

Pregnancy Series Part 1: What Are You Thinking? (As well as the others in the pregnancy series)

Quietly Supportive = Very Helpful

I'm also happy to say that I've had 42 page views on my tab "Got Happiness?" where I share the Gospel message with readers.  (That's kind of the ultimate purpose behind my blog).  The Bible says "some plant, some water" and while I would imagine that many that have viewed that page already have a relationship with Jesus, you never know! 

Now looking ahead: I will be sitting down in the next couple of days and creating a calendar of posts I would like to do. One thing I know I will be starting is book reviews! I'm really excited about that. I love reading (though I haven't been reading nearly as much lately) and I would love to introduce you all to some great titles that are relevant to your life as a woman, wife, mother and daughter of the Lord (not necessarily in that order!) That will probably take place on a monthly basis.

Food will be the another thing that I will highlight in the new year. I will be focusing on whole foods, for the whole family, and teaching how you can break away from depending on processed foods in your family.  I'm still growing in this area too, and learning new things all the time, so this will be fun!

Now, I would like some feedback from you! As you can see in my header, the purpose of my blog is to provide "Biblical encouragement for the woman of the house...and some other useful stuff!" Are there any areas that you especially need encouragement? Maybe you need ideas to keep your home running smoothly, or maybe some Biblical insight for raising children or being the wife God created you to be??? How about the "other useful stuff" part? Is there anything you would like to learn about this year that maybe I could help with?

Let me know in the comments (or if you prefer, you can contact me by email at happychristianhome(at)gmail.com)! I'd love to hear from you! :D

Be Strong and Courageous!

"Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them." Joshua 1:6 Amplified (emphasis mine)

That's a big responsibility! Thankfully, I'm not Joshua and I don't have the entire nation of Israel depending on me, but that Scripture still spoke to my heart! I have others depending on me, and while it may not be an entire nation, it still is a group (however small) of very important people.

Who depends on you, friends? Your children? A ladies group at church? Your husband? Whether you realize it or not, you are a person of great influence! God desires for you to "be strong and of good courage" because people are watching you! They need to see your light shining in the darkness.

Once upon a time (okay, it was about six years ago), our church went through a very difficult time. People were leaving the church left and right, and, at one point, it even crossed my mind to do so. In a peaceful moment, God spoke to my heart, and He pointed out several people that I would be affecting if I left too. Well, that was too big of a price for me to pay. I could not bear to risk hindering someone else's walk with God.

You may be thinking, "are they really my responsibility?" YES! They are! (To a certain extent, anyway). Romans 14 reminds us of the impact we have on our brothers and sisters- and warns us to not cause them to stumble.

I encourage you to take steps to strengthen your walk with God- wherever you are at today. Do you need to spend more time in fellowship with God? Make a commitment to spend at least a few minutes reading your Bible, or in prayer. Or maybe you need to commit to spending more time in fellowship with like-minded believers in a church or small group setting.

Make it your goal to positively impact everyone you come into contact with. Speak words of encouragement; words that edify (build someone up)- whether it be your husband, your children, another woman, or a child you come into contact with throughout the course of your day. You never know how far reaching your influence can be! Your positive influence can cause others to inherit the promises of God!

For me, that's a good enough reason to get my act together! God is depending on me to help others receive all that He has for them!

What are some ways you can impact others in your world for God?

Linking up for Living Well Wednesdays