Seriously Write: New Year, New Possibilities by Annette M. Irby

Monday, January 7, 2019

New Year, New Possibilities by Annette M. Irby

2019*

Happy New Year!

A fresh year, a fresh start. I love this feeling, don’t you? Anything is possible. Here’s how to make the most of this new opportunity:

* Pray. Without God, we can do nothing. This truth can stump us at times, unless we take it very literally. Our breath comes from God. Our lives were His idea. So, let's cover our year in prayer. What does God want this year? How can we grow closer to Him? He's asking certain things of us. How can we both find and achieve those things? It's time to get alone, set an atmosphere, seek Him. Hear from Him. Enjoy Him.

* Believe anything is possible. Nothing is impossible with God. How wonderful is it that God included several verses to this effect in the Bible? See Luke 1:37, etc. If you’ve got big dreams, keep believing they can come true. Work hard. Rest. Pray. Let God show you the next steps—or possibility a new dream.

* Plan. I recently ordered a new type of planner. It’s put out by Susan May Warren and her team at My Book Therapy. It’s called My Brilliant Writing Planner. She includes sections for spiritual and physical goals and chances to review how things are going. And of course, there are areas for setting goals and making plans. If we’re going to make the most of this new start—this new year—let’s prayerfully consider our goals and make plans to reach them.

* Celebrate every step in the right direction. There are plenty of opportunities to become discouraged as we chase our dreams and walk out our callings, so we should make a point of celebrating every effort we take in the right direction. Maybe that’s making time to write every day. Set a goal to do that daily. Celebrate the first day you sit down and write. Once you’ve gone a week—celebrate! A month—celebrate. You’re creating habits that will help you accomplish your goals.

* Rest. We all need a time of refreshing. God commands rest, for our sake. It’s not lazy, it’s necessary. Take time to feed your soul, be encouraged and refueled. Then, you’ll be ready for work again.

All His best on your new year, friends!

Your turn: What plans do you have for 2019? How do you make the most of a new beginning?

~~~~~

Coming in March

FL on Whidbey Island

Finding Love on Whidbey Island, Washington

Could what drove them apart be what draws them back together?

Liberty Winfield lives with loss every day. She’d rather leave her history behind her, but when faced with moving back to her hometown, the past becomes unavoidable. She takes a job at the florist shop owned by her ex-boyfriend’s family from a decade ago. Now he’s unavoidable.

Clay Garrison knows the pain of ruing his mistakes. Most of his regrets center around Liberty. If he could undo his poor choices, he would. Liberty is back. He has one more chance to make things right. She doesn’t believe anyone could love her unconditionally, so he sets out to prove her wrong. He must also try to right the biggest wrong of their past, knowing that in doing so, he could lose her forever.

Will addressing the past together help them find love?

~~~~~

Annette M. Irby**

Annette M. Irby has been writing since her teen years when she sat pounding out stories on a vintage typewriter just for fun. Since then, she’s joined Christian writing groups and launched blogs so she could share the joy of writing. She likes to say she’s addicted to color as flowers and seascapes inspire her. In her off hours, she enjoys gardening, photography, and music. She lives with her husband and family in the Pacific Northwest.

Learn more here on her Seriously Write Page.