let’s count it all joy

welcome!

Welcome to January - and 2025!

The calendars have been replaced and here we stand. Perhaps this new year feels like a fresh start and the beginning of a new journey. But just as likely, the changing calendar may find you mid-season or mid-chapter.

Similarly, some of us walk into the new year full of plans and ideas for what lies ahead and an opposing camp moves forward with open arms or maybe even closed eyes. And yet we know it’s all in God’s hands.

The theme of this month’s mailer holds one big goal: to help you recognize and find peace in the certainty that God is guiding your steps, even when your path isn’t clear.

His protection goes both before us and behind us - hemming us in with His presence and love.

He never slumbers.

In all things, He guides and directs us.

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Your mailer includes little bits of goodness that I hope will bring your faith and your hope in Jesus to mind whenever you see or use them. More than anything, I would love for you to USE the goods from this mailer - to weave them into your projects and your personal devotions, to add color to your spaces, or to gift them to others and in so doing pass on Jesus’ love and promises.

on this special “subscribers only” page, you will find:

• A video showing the ways I’ve used the products in this month’s mailer.

• Some additional quotes on running the race.

• A verse and scripture-section list.

• Images showcasing the ways I used the products.

• Journaling prompts.

• A prayer.

• Links to all supporting supplies that I used (sketchbooks, frames, art supplies, etc.). Please note that many, but not all of the supply links are affiliate links. And if I missed anything you are curious about, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask.

JANUARY VIDEO

Video coming soon!

VERSEs

Jeremiah 29:11

Psalm 16:11

Psalm 18:36

Psalm 37:23

Psalm 40:2

Psalm 66:9

Psalm 119:105

Psalm 121:3

Proverbs 2:12-15

Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:23

Proverbs 4:12

Proverbs 16:9

Romans 8:28

Jude v24-25

quotes RELATED TO god guiding our path

“When you start to feel like you’re missing out on life, remember beautiful things happen when God says, ‘It’s time!’” -Morgan Harper Nichols

“I walk with Jesus all the way, His guidance never fails me; Within His wounds I find a stay when satan’s pow’r assails me; and by his footsteps led, my path I safely tread. No evil leads my soul astray; I walk with Jesus all the way.” -Hans Adolf Brorson (hymn: I Walk In Danger All the Way verse 5)

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” -Frederick Buechner

“So often, we are paralyzed by the fear of missing God’s will. We do not move because we are waiting for 10 confirmations. Here’s the deal, most times you are going to have to step out in faith, to find out if it’s God. God is big enough to redirect you if you’re wrong.” -Christine Caine

“I question. I want to know next steps before I take my first one. But that’s not faith, that’s fear. And when we let fear rule our lives instead of faith, we get a life that isn’t what God had planned for us.” -Kendall Shue

”The closer we walk with God, the clearer we see his guidance.” -Marcus Lamb

“Our limited vision doesn’t allow us to see how God is working behind the questionable scenes in our lives, but we can trust He is. In fact, it may be precisely in the moments we understand Him the least that He is working the most.” -Sharon Jaynes

“People often seem to think that when you’re following the Lord and trying to do His will, your path will always be clear, the decisions smooth and easy, and life will be lived happily ever after and all that. Sometimes that may be true, but I’ve found that more often, it’s not. The muddled decisions still seem muddled, bad things still happen to believers, and great things can happen to nonbelievers. When it comes to making our decisions, the key that God is concerned with is that we are trusting and seeking Him. God’s desire is for us to align our lives with His Word and His will.” -Tim Tebow

“Recognize the goodness that God has bestowed on us and acknowledge that He has our best interests in mind. As we walk with God, we come to realize how He uses even difficult situations in our lives to help us grow in our faith and learn to trust in Him. We come to understand why certain doors were opened to us and others were closed. When we can trace this pattern and see that God did all of this for our benefit, we can trust that He will do the same in every situation we face.” -David Jeremiah

journaling prompts

I process my thoughts (and pray!) through writing. Perhaps you do too. If this is something you haven’t tried before, I would encourage you to give it a go. Sometimes, a little prompt is all it takes to get started.

1. How have you seen God direct or establish your steps?

2. Describe your process of discerning God’s will for your life.

3. What causes me to look to myself or others rather than trusting God with what’s ahead?

4. A verse I want to dwell on today is…

5. When has God held me up as I was falling?

6. The area of my life where I need to seek God’s guidance is:

7. Reflect on a time when you felt uncertain about your path. How did you seek God's guidance?

8. Copy your favorite quote from above and write a related prayer.

9. Write about a moment when you felt God’s guidance leading you to a decision.

10. What does it look like (in daily life and big picture) to trust that God is guiding me?

11. Write a prayer thanking God for guiding, guarding, and directing your steps.

SUPPLIES I USED alongside THIS MONTH’S MAILER CONTENTS

Journals:

EMSHOI dotted journal (my commonplace book journal)

Bible

Dotted washi tape

Art Journaling Supplies:

Here is a list of my favorite and most-often used art journaling supplies.

If there’s something I missed, don’t hesitate to ask!