A Look Back at January

Here’s another new thing at this blog. At the end of each month, I’ll take a look back and find the things I learned, the favorites I enjoyed, and other moments that stood out. Hopefully I’ll learn from my mistakes and remember what has inspired me. So here we go.

Moments to Remember

1. I turned 30!
And found 20 things I learned in my 20s. And the world didn’t end. I didn’t have a panic attack because I thought I’d be married with a child by now. I’m single. I’m happy. I’m making this year thirty, flirty, and thriving. Well…maybe not the flirty part 😉

2. God answers prayers
I didn’t just learn that, but He answered a very specific prayer of mine in a big way. I’m heading to Washington DC! Tomorrow. It’s winter right now, and cold over there (especially because of that blizzard). I’m a Cali girl who thinks anything below 60°F is super cold, but I asked God for this trip and He gave it to me. I’m taking it.

Have you ever asked God for a very specific thing? I remember Jesus’ story about the woman who kept begging an unjust judge for justice. The wicked judge granted her justice because he was so tired of her insistence. How much more will God answer the cries of His children?

Much more! I think I’ll share more about what my church has been doing and the testimonies pouring out from the people. I hope you’ll be blessed by it. Stay tuned!

3. My bff got married
And I learned that it takes at least 2 people to help a bride use the toilet. Something to remember about wedding dresses!

Favorites to Enjoy

1. Rimmel London ScandalEyes
I was looking for waterproof makeup for my bff’s wedding and found some Rimmel London products I received as a prize and there were a bunch from their ScandalEyes line and I’m loving these right now:

Waterproof Kohl Liner in Black: It’s intense so I smudge it right away for a smokey look
Eye Shadow Stick in Bulletproof Beige, Eye Shadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze, and Eye Shadow Stick in Witness White: The shadow sticks are easy to work with and lasts all day. The combination of the 3 above is a great natural look or intensified for a brown smokey look. I took them to SF with me earlier this week and plan to take them with me to DC. They store and travel easily!

2. Trivia Crack
on Facebook or as an app is a really fun game. I’m very clueless when it comes to the Sports category. I guess a lot. Oh speaking of which, I just found out the Superbowl is this Sunday. Didn’t know that.

3. The Librarians
I am loving this new TV show “The Librarians.” I was bored one day a few years ago and watched the movie “The Librarian: Quest for the Spear.” Then this TV show came out and my geekiness flared up. The special effects are sometimes cheesy, but the plots and storylines are interesting, imaginative, and adventurous (sometimes Dr. Who-esque).

Lessons Learned

1. I get frustrated if I’m offline unintentionally.
As I learned here.

2. This year I’m focusing on Freedom.
I didn’t feel very free when I got super sick (still not a hundred percent recovered). I think I have a lot to learn about living in the freedom of the Lord.

3. “If you have the faith to be saved, you have the faith to be healed and the faith to walk in the power of God,” Pastor Greg Terry.
Our church had a revival and I remember Pastor Greg saying that. He asked us who was saved. We raised our hands. He asked us how we knew we were saved. By faith through grace. Then he dropped the bomb. The same faith that saves us heals us and enables us to walk in the power of God. We tend to remember the front of the cross, but forget that there’s a back of the cross, the back of Jesus that was whipped and torn for our healing. Healing from sickness, from debt, from emotional/relational brokeness, etc. If my church has videos of his revival sermons, I’ll share the links with you 🙂 I found a certain freedom in remembering that the faith that saves us does much more than just save us.

What have you learned or have been enjoying or want to remember from your January?

Linking up with Crystal Stine, What I’m Into at Leigh Kramer, Chatting at the Sky, and The Single Life.