Tag: Intentional living

hope, Uncategorized

Intentional Living, One Step at a Time

The Kedge Anchor
Open door leading to a cozy living room with an armchair, bookshelf, lamp, and fireplace

I used to think showing up was the win. Now I think it’s just the doorway.

Since my last post, I have been intentional about showing up. And as usual, when I do that, when I sit down to do anything I need to do, especially creative work or time with God, voices enter the scene.

I hear: “You shouldn’t be doing this… what about laundry?” Like Lisa Simpson having to organize her CDs first. IYKYK. Or “Why bother, no one cares.” And the classic: “You’re not good enough.”

All distractions. All lies.

Showing up requires intention and preparation. My corner of our shared office, or really my little studio corner, needed organization. I didn’t want to work in a space where I couldn’t access my art supplies. There was no room to spread out, and it became frustrating.

So I changed it.

One day while my husband was at work (he had to be for me to do this, his allergies… OY!), I rearranged the layout and organized my supplies. It’s still a work in progress, but I have to admit, it is so much better. (I have a few photos I’ll share in another post.)

Once things were more organized and accessible, I felt more encouraged to actually go in there and create.

Some days I have a specific project in mind. Other days, I just make marks on paper—paint, markers, or hand-letter a verse of Scripture. And there are days when a migraine shows up, and that’s when I give myself grace. Pushing through migraine pain has never benefitted me, or anyone else, for that matter.

I used to think showing up was the win. Now I think it’s just the doorway.

I’ve started applying the same mindset to my time with God. I’m not just “showing up” – I come prepared, usually with my Bible and a favorite pen. There was a time I would simply open Scripture anywhere and read whatever landed in front of me. But now I have a plan.

One of my goals was to read the Bible all the way through. My mom gave me a chronological Bible a few years ago for my birthday, and I only made it halfway through.

Now I’m more intentional. In January, I bought a journal and decided I wanted to create a kind of junk journal as I read. I write notes on passages that speak to me, not as a theology student or someone in seminary, but simply as someone listening for God along the way. I add notes, doodles, and small decorations to the pages. It helps me remember, and it draws me back in later.

Showing up in my office/studio space has become more inviting. I’m more prepared to work on projects and to journal.

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” – Proverbs 22:3  To me, this speaks to being intentional and aware with how I use my time, choosing what deserves my attention, instead of moving forward on autopilot.  I’m trying to be more discerning with my time, intentional about when I create, when I rest, and when I simply let an idea come through.

hope, salvation

Steady, Present, Anchored: Your 2026 Reminder

The Kedge Anchor
Photo by Peggy Anke on Pexels.com

Happy New Year! Time really flies as we become more seasoned in life and when we are having fun. I am thankful for another day, another week another month and another year. And just like I am not one for bucket lists I am not one for resolutions. I would rather be focused, present and intentional about my goals and projects. LOL I guess that is a resolution of sorts. 

Challenges

My family has had a few challenges over the past three years. It’s been a struggle making the season merry and bright. But God, has been through it all with us. It didn’t always feel like He was there. However, I know He has been. Focusing on God and His Word have been key. There were days I didn’t feel like it or wanted to. So, those days may have been reflective and creative. So if your holidays have been challenging and short of merry and bright, I wish you New Year Blessings. 

The challenges our world has faced in 2025 have made me become more aware of the “labor pains” in Matthew 24:8 – “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.” I began to think; this could have been said 50 or 60 years ago. What’s the difference? Like a mother in labor, they become stronger and closer together. The events that are unfolding have been happening for centuries, the only difference is, these events, wars, rumors of wars, immorality, etc., it’s just happening more frequently and in some cases more intensely. 

New Hope

But there is hope. Hope came in the form of a baby over 2000 years ago. We just celebrated His birth. Jesus came to be born as a baby, grow up and start His ministry, die on the cross, be buried, rise again and ascend to Heaven. He did all that for us while we were still sinners – Romans 5:8. Jesus’s death and resurrection, His blood that was shed is for us. But it’s only for those who acknowledge their need for a savior, who confess they are sinners and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  One day Jesus gather us up and we will meet Him in the clouds –

“Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:17

There’s our Hope. Then one day all this, the earth, all that we know here on planet earth will pass away –

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” – Matthew 24:35

Then God will create an new Heaven and new earth –

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.“ Isaiah 65:17

When I look back at the challenges and the state of our world, I am reminded of God’s sovereignty, His omniscience and His redemptive plan for us and all of His creation. It’s all in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation and all in between. It even tells us how it ends. (Read the book of Daniel if you want to read about what has been prophesied and what has already passed and what’s to come). Today we all have a choice. We can choose God, His plan of salvation and His Hope or not. It’s that

Anchored in Hope

Here we are, stepping into 2026. I’m not chasing perfect days or forcing resolutions—just staying anchored. Anchored in truth. Anchored in Hope. Anchored in Christ. Life will throw highs, lows, and everything in between, but He’s faithful, He’s present, and He is sovereign.

Stay focused. Stay present. Stay intentional. And above all, stay anchored—because that’s where real hope lives.