Happy New Year, friends! Yes, I realize it's already January 7 (where is this year going?), but this is only the second day that the boys have been back at school, so I have been trying to get my ducks in a row after the holidays. I just wanted to share a couple of things and then I will get back to slipcovers (and maybe some diys - have you been following along on FB and IG?).

First, for the last few years I have been choosing one word for the year (you can see my previous words here and here). This year my word is Faith. I chose it based on this quote by Angie Smith in a recent She Reads Truth devotional:

"The kind of faith God wants—the kind that is credited to us as righteousness—is that of Abraham’s, who believed in spite of his circumstances (Romans 4:19-21).

It’s the belief that lifts our heads from the words on the page and looks to the God who speaks them over us.

It’s the trust that comes when everything around you says, “impossible,” and yet you dare to hope anyway.

It’s the audacity to believe that His promises apply to us."

I love that last line; I wrote it on the chalk board above my desk right away. Faith, real faith that has God as it's object and isn't just a feel-good notion, really is audacious, isn't it?

In the past few months, as a family we have started down some paths that, regardless of the outcomes, are requiring ongoing faith in God's promises and purposes. If and when I am able, I will share more. For now, this is the word I need.