|
You may remember at the end of 2018 when I shared about my morning routine on the blog.
Although I knew how important a morning routine was, it wasn't until I read The Power of Habit last year that I learned how beautifully automatic mornings could become.
Another example might be reaching for your house keys to unlock the door as you walk to the house when you get home.
​​These sequences of events are automatic. You don't even think about them. There's practically no thought necessary to get the mail from the mailbox or unlock your house. Did you know that humans are wired to make a specific amount of decisions each day? We each have a certain decision-making capacity and we often use a lot of our decisions on meaningless activities. (Sidenote: This is often why people make poor food choices late at night. They've hit their decision quota for the day, so they're unable to effectively decide "no ice cream" is the correct option.) By creating healthy habits in our morning routines (and in other areas of our lives), we create automatic sequences and cut out decisions. Make your morning routine a habit.
Here is my morning routine:
Now...in all honesty, over the last few months, my third and fourth steps have gone away. I injured my hip while training for a half-marathon back in the fall and I wasn't able to workout for several months. Now I'm healthy again and will need to re-train myself to include that working out habit in the mornings. For now, it's a daily decision. The beauty of the habit cue is that we have the power to change our habits. Last summer, I started experimented with habit loops. When my feet hit the floor every morning, I would turn around and make the bed. Within two minutes of my alarm going off, I have already accomplished something and now every time I walk by the bedroom through the day, I will remember that accomplishment. As part of my bedtime routine, I've laid out my workout clothes and my clothes for the day. Once the bed is made, I put on my workout clothes and head outside to run, to the basement to the treadmill, or to the living room to workout with a video. It is automatic and once those clothes & tennis shoes are on, it sure is easier to get that movement taken care of first thing in the morning instead of having to decide to fit it in later in the evening. After my workout, I start the coffee pot as I walk to the shower. When I'm out of the shower and ready for the day, I make coffee and do my Bible study. Cue (feet hit the floor)
Enjoying my mornings at the farmhouse,
Hannah
0 Comments
Every single Sunday, I find myself worrying that people think I'm texting or checking my Facebook during the sermon. Granted, I do reply to a text message here and there. But usually, I am looking up the scripture that Brother Matt is referencing or taking notes on my phone. I started taking notes on Google Docs in January of 2017 and it has been amazing.
Brother Matt is in the middle of a sermon series entitled "Second Chances" right now. He preached his first message on Easter. It was amazing. You can check it out here. Today was week 2. The message was from Acts, Chapter 2. Acts Chapter 2 was after... Palm Sunday, the betrayal in the garden, Christ's crucifixion, His resurrections, and 40 days of traveling and teaching. In Acts 2:38, we read these words that Peter had said when the people asked him what they needed to do to make Jesus Lord. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." I grew up in the Church. I can't even tell you how many times I have read that passage or heard that passage read aloud during a sermon or Bible study. And yet today...I got a fresh perspective on it. Repent means I'm turning AWAY from my sin. Baptism is when I'm turning TO God. When we choose to leave behind those behaviors that are not pleasing to Him, we choose to leave behind those feelings of guilt and remorse. The feelings of not being good enough. The feeling that we are "broken by our own mistakes" (good words, Brother Matt!). We choose to turn towards Jesus and the feeling of hope that He brings. So we stop repeating our bad behaviors, turn towards Jesus, and He sends us the Holy Spirit to help us to keep ourselves out of the situations we have been in for so long. It's like a lightbulb popped on for me. So I took notes and journaled about it this afternoon.
Sometimes, my pages are a lot more detailed. But today, this was fine. Turn away from sin. Turn to God. The stain will be removed and a Helper will be sent to you. True story. If you enjoy art and would like a creative way to connect with God's Word, I would recommend the art of Bible journaling.
Happy Sunday from the Farmhouse, friends.
Stay warm. ❤️🏡❤️ I have been using the YouVersion Bible app (by Life.Church) for quite some time now. For six years, in fact. However, it was just over the last few months that I have begun making it one of the social media platforms I use to share my Bible study experience with friends and family. And just in the last three weeks have I become friends with two of the most wonderful little girls you will ever meet...my oldest two daughters.
To be honest, I thought this would be a fun little activity that we could do to spend some time with Jesus and have good conversation about the Bible. I wasn't prepared for the deep thoughts the girls would share on our shared Bible studies.
After reading her devotional, along with a few scriptures from Hebrews and Romans, my sweet Harlee replied profoundly that faith and trust in God is what makes life worth living.
Wow...what a thought for my barely 11-year-old. And a wake-up call for her mama. Since that day, I have taken my Bible study time with her (and her sister) very seriously. God has used these words to speak to all of us... To open up conversations on our Bible apps and in person... To be able to have these teachable conversations through our day-to-day living. If you are struggling with how to talk to your children, preteens, and teenagers about God's Word and Kingdom Work, I'd strongly recommend meeting your kiddos where they are. Let's embrace the technology that is so prevalent today and connect with our kids on the matters of God. Happy Weekend from the farmhouse, friends. ❤️🏡❤️ |
Archives
July 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed