Tag Archives: Year of Faith

7 Quick Takes (#3)

12 Oct

Below is a list of highlights from the past few weeks and some other fun stuff to come…

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The latest thing that I’m really excited about is learning more about website design! I signed up for the very first month of courses offered by Ro Little of Mommy Blog Designs! The courses include Photoshop, HTML/CSS, and WordPress, and I have learned a lot so far! (She also offers courses on Blogger and other topics). I have been experiencing some frustration, though, because one of our computers refuses to download the trial version of Adobe Photoshop (or any comparable free photo editing software) and the other does not have enough free space for me to do anything productive! I have spent all week trying to fix our desktop but it looks like we are close to having to wipe the whole thing clean and start over if I ever want to be able to download anything from the internet ever again! Anyway, my husband bought another hard drive and removed tons of files from the laptop, so now I can get back to some hands-on learning… hopefully!

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Another thing that I’m excited about is the fall wreath that I made (and hung on the door with an hour left to spare on the first day of autumn)! I ran across instructions for this DIY fall wreath on Blissfully Domestic. It was pretty simple to make, but did seem to take a lot of leaves. I think I used about 8 stems worth of leaves for an 18-inch wire wreath. Good thing they were half off at Michaels!

{3}

The biggest news for Catholics this week is the start of the Year of Faith. I know a lot of bloggers have been spreading the word about this newsletter from Flocknote, but if you haven’t done so yet, be sure to sign-up to get daily emails so you can Read the Catechism in a Year! It’s encouraging to know that so many others are reading the same thing at the same time!

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In addition to making it through the Catechism and trying to keep up with reading Scripture daily, I have several books that I plan to read in the next year. I’m sure I will add others to this list, but here are some that I can’t wait to get started:

  • Style, Sex, & Substance by Hallie Lord
  • Surrender! by Fr. Larry Richards
  • Finding God’s Will for You by St. Francis de Sales
  • Choosing Joy by Dan Lord
  • Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo

{5}

I heard about a great prayer from somebody on Twitter this week and thought I’d share it here on A Dreamer’s Wife. Check out Praying for My Husband from Head to Toe available from Renee Swope.

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COMING SOON! One of the regular 7 Quick Takes participants will be featured in my Dreamer in the Spotlight series for October! Be sure to check back on the last Friday of the month to see who!

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And, lastly, an inspirational verse about faith to end on…

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. -Hebrews 11:6

As usual, please check out Jen’s and other 7 Quick Takes posts at Conversion Diary!

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The Year of Faith: Living Without Fear

21 Sep

Usually January 1st marks the annual time to contemplate goals and make resolutions, but in a few weeks many Catholics will begin a new year of sorts that will consist of challenges to learn more about the Catholic faith, grow deeper in a personal relationship with Jesus, and evangelize. The Year of Faith begins October 11, 2012 and lasts until November 24th, 2013. The Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith  from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Vatican’s website details different events and opportunities for celebrating, as well as explains more about what the Year of Faith entails.

The Year of Faith is intended to contribute to a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith, so that the members of the Church will be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world of today – capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to the “door of faith.”

I’m really excited about this upcoming Year of Faith, especially since I recently came across the idea for living “A Year Without Fear” in the book She’s Got Issues by Nicole Unice. I feel like the two “years” match up very well. In order to live without fear we must step outside our comfort zones and put our trust in God. It is a daily choice to let go of our false sense of control and say “Yes” to what God asks of us – whether big or small. The best way that we can share the true peace and joy that faith offers is through our actions and interactions with others.   I think Saint Francis of Assisi said this best.

Preach the gospel at all times — if necessary, use words.

As those who are familiar with this blog know, I am passionate about pursuing dreams and following God’s plan. The Year of Faith will be a great time to re-evaluate how we can use our God-given talents to serve others. When people see how joyful we are about what we do (because we truly enjoy doing what we love), it will speak more to convert hearts to Christ than anything we can say.  Understanding our faith should not be minimized, though, since it is the foundation for what we do and is necessary in order to explain the reason for our joy to others.

My plan for the upcoming year is to continue to look for opportunities and not use obstacles as excuses to live an “average” life. I want to continue to grow in my faith and be open to possibilities I never would have considered to be options in the past. I want to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit when He moves me to act or say something. I plan to enhance my faith by spending more time reading scripture and books about following God’s will!

How do you plan to embrace the Year of Faith?  What does living without fear look like for you?

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