This year is half gone today, or if you want to look at it with the “glass half full” attitude, half the year is left! Six whole months to do great things, adventures, fill it with joy. Make a new start. Making a new start doesn’t always have to happen at the beginning of a year. How about today?

We are only guaranteed this very moment. We don’t know if we will have a half of a year, a day, or many years ahead of us on this earthly journey. We’re just passing through. It’s a few moments on our continuum. It’s such a minute slice of our existence.

Some of you may have had a painful year. Sicknesses, death, pain, abandonment, shame…you fill in the blank. You would like to erase the first half of this year, or maybe many years for that matter.

Others may feel hopeless thinking there’s no way to take one more step. Maybe the mountains you face seem so steep that you are ready to sit down. Let yourself be depressed, get bitter, give up.

There may be a person so far down in a valley, they’re beyond that point-defeated. You’ve already thrown in the towel, are letting the waves of depression wash over, wanting to end it all.

Possibly, you have regrets, feel too old, too young, unqualified, uneducated, inadequate. You’re being held captive by your own self-defeating thoughts and fears, or allowing someone else to feed those kind of thoughts to your mind and soul.

Some have absolutely no choice but to be where they are-a prisoner in a real sense. It may be helpless child, or young woman in the sex-trade, a battered wife.

Most people have a choice. It’s a new beginning today, or it’s stay exactly where you are. What do you want? If you have a choice, then take the next step!

While kayaking today, I was praying for many things. A main topic was for the Holy Spirit to infuse into all areas of my life, my inferiority, my fears, my writing, my mind, my soul.

I’ve been praying so much about what and how to write. I have no formal training in writing, I didn’t major in English in college, and often think I’m just fooling myself thinking that I will write a book, more devotionals, and maintain a blog. And to top it off, I’m certainly not getting any younger! But I do occasionally get greatly blessed by someone I interview. They say something along the lines, “You know, these were healing tears when talking about my mom; I haven’t had someone listen to me talk about her for a couple hours straight-ever!” Or someone mentions that they were blessed by a blog piece or a devotional that I wrote. It is terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

So…I can decide to use the second half of 2016 to write for God’s glory with the help of the Holy Spirit. I can choose to learn at conferences, and listen to advice of experienced writers. I can keep praying against the spirit of distraction and procrastination. I can pray for the nasty claws of minor illnesses to release me. I can keep giving my anxieties and fears to my God and keep plugging away.

I’m thankful for the choice. It sure helps to know I have an army of believers who will pray with me and for me. Message me, and I’d be honored to pray for you too.

Sometimes it seems too good to be true, I really love it as the words flow so easily, and other times it seems incredibly difficult to write something I think people would want to read.

So, off we go! Tomorrow is July 1! How will you begin?