Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

12 Articles to Inspire You in the New Year: A Roundup

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New YearYesterday was National Resolution Planning Day.  And also National Bacon Day.  Anyone else love irony?

 

I am no expert on goal setting, organizing or losing weight, but so many of us are looking for ways to do this next year a little better than the last.  So I called on some of my friends, and they came through. 

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These articles inspire me to set new goals and change mindsets – all for the glory of God.

 

For easy reference, these blog posts are broken up into 4 categories:  Spiritual Growth (first because I consider it the most important), Health, Word for the Year, and Other Improvements.  I pray you find something really helpful here.

 

Spiritual Growth in the New Year

 

  1.  I have already placed an order, and you might too after you see inside this beautiful planner reviewed in Planning for a Faithful Life on instaencouragements.com. New Year
  2. Sara from theholymess.com supplies us with a New Life in Christ Bible Reading Plan.  Dive into your time in the Word with intention!
  3. I found this tool new and interesting.   Check out the Christian Growth Wheel to Mature Your Faith from thinkaboutsuchthings.com.
  4. The Abundant Life…How to Flourish in a Frazzled World from simplyscripture.org is so self explanatory.  And so needed.

 

Health in the New Year

 

  1.  healthyasyoucan.com tackles arguably one of the most popular resolutions in How to Set and Slay Your Healthy Weight Loss Goals for the New Year.  New Year
  2. And I tackled mental health with the help of my friend Stacey – who is a licensed professional counselor – in Saying Goodbye to the Inner Critic.

 

One Word for the New Year

 

  1.  Many choose a one word focus for the year.  A word to study, pray over, meditate on.  I chose trust last year and continue to learn so much about depending on the God of the Universe.  Lisa from lisanotes.com chronicles 3 Steps to Choose the Right Word.  You may not even think you need a word.  But maybe you do…New Year
  2. pattyparker.me tells us about picking a Family Word of the Year and what it means to her.

 

Other Improvements in the New Year

 

  1.  Patty Parker to the rescue again with Living Clutter Free in the New Year:  9 Tips That Will Rock Your World.  Who doesn’t want to have their world rocked?
  2. How about some general tips on planning for success?  4 Keys to Planning Your Best Year Ever from livingwithmargins.com.
  3. And How to Beat the Odds and Reach Your Goals This Year from marvasmith.com.
  4. And it may be a little uncomfortable, but Accountability Helps Goals Become a Reality.  Thanks angelpenn.com.

 

And One to Grow on in The New Year

 

Last year at this time I hosted friend Shannon Pugh writing about evaluating last year before jumping into any of this other stuff in One Minute…Makes a Big Difference!

 

I would love to know if one of these struck a nerve with you or if you’ve decided to implement a plan or suggestion!  Also, do you have any New Year’s traditions?  Leave a comment below.  And Happy New Year!

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Fellow Grace and Truth host Lisa Burgess captured my attention with 7 Tools to Overcome Your Addiction to Certainty.  Her message nestles right up against my word for 2021.  Trust.  And I still have so much to learn.  Maybe you do too.

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Now Let’s Link Up!

 

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Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

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Let’s Talk About Mental Health

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Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are the latest prominent figures to speak publicly about their mental health.  I appreciate anyone who uses their platform – big or small to draw attention to the rising mental health epidemic in our country.  These conversations were hidden in dark corners for too long.  The more we bring these issues to light, the more awareness we have.  The more awareness we have, the better we can recognize early signs and seek help.  Not only for ourselves, but also for others.

 

I have suffered from low level depression and anxiety.  As a result, counseling has been a great help to me.  In addition to my own struggles, family members with different mental health challenges spur me to try to stay informed.  But there is so much I don’t know.

 

Even though I’m no subject matter expert, I couldn’t let World Suicide Prevention Day pass without at least sharing a few resources I found this month.

 

Websites and Articles

 

  1.  Why Olympian Athletes Break Down and Why You Could Be Next – an article from Relevant Magazine by Debra Fileta
  2.  Watch Those Calories!  A Digital Diet for Mental Health from The Gospel Coalition.  David Murray expounds on how our online activities contribute to mental and emotional issues.
  3. Am I Actually Depressed or Just Sad?  by Andrea Jongbloed for Relevant Magazine.  A good primer on recognizing the difference.
  4. How Do I Know if This Counselor is Right for Me?  from Beth Claes and The Gospel Coalition.
  5. KatieRDale.com – formerly BiPolar Brave.  Katie writes with frankness and truth about her struggle against Bipolar disorder.  Spend some time clicking around and reading about her experiences and insight.
  6. hopefortheheart.org  June Hunt’s organization has been around for 35 years and the resource offerings keep getting better and better.  Check out the books, articles, videos, radio program and therapy options with licensed professional counselors.

 

Helpful Numbers

 

Text HELLO to 741741 to connect immediately with a crisis counselor 24/7 for free.  Or chat online at crisistextline.org.  And most importantly, if you are having thoughts about self-harm, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or simply dial 911.  Don’t hesitate.

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

My fellow link up host Maree Dee is writing about suicide prevention this month, and doing it much better than me.  She has some great tips for how you can get informed and involved, and some great resources in Suicide Prevention:  Will You Be the One to Save a Life?  Thanks so much, Maree.

Grace and Truth_Rules

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace Truth_Button

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

 

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