Reverse Advent

So tomorrow is the first day of December, this - for me - marks the beginning of Christmas. Before December arrives it's too early to get excited about it, but tomorrow advent calendars begin and various Christmas meals and parties begin :)

I enjoy this time of year, its a sociable time - seeing lots of friends and family, and generally enjoying lots of cosy time at home. Christmas is about giving, not just gifts but blessing others. God gave us His son, and it's our duty and privilege to show that love to others. Which leads me onto the idea of a reverse advent.
I can't take credit for the idea, but have definitely been inspired and challenged by it. The idea is simple... For each day leading up until Christmas I have written down a persons name, each morning I will look to see who the person is for the day and think of a way to bless them- it may just be as simple as sending an encouraging word.
Audrey, who created the idea, and her family have made a lovely advent calendar with the name behind the flap, so they give to that person rather than taking chocolate as in a normal advent calendar (hence the name, reverse advent) however I haven't had time to make one (and have also been given a chocolate one) but the concept it still there!
I'm hoping and praying that God will guide me to the right people, at the right time in the right way :)

On a less exciting note, I'm feeling slightly more on top of work than I was. After Tuesday I have no more lectures until January which leaves me with an ideal opportunity to focus and crack on with some uni work. And hopefully catch up with some friends of mine, who I miss seeing because we're all so busy!

Being the best

I'm the kind of person that strives... I strive to be the best at whatever I do, and if I can't be the best then I strive to be my best and if I can't do that then I overreact and think that I may as well not bother doing it all. Probably not entirely the best attitude to have! At the moment I feel like I'm not being my best in anything really - academic life, church life or my personal life. But thankfully God knows me, and knows how this makes me feel.
So last night at church God did exactly what he needed to do to get my attention, to break me down and to work in my life. God always comes through, even when we have hardened hearts and don't really want to listen!
Ultimately I learnt that I don't need to be the best, I don't even need to be at my best all the time, but I can give my best for that moment in time, and sometimes I may be able to give more than other times. But what really matters is that I'm being my best for God. If I can do that hopefully everything else will follow.

On a different note, I'm currently at my Nan's house in the middle of the Dorset countryside, which means instead of views similar to this:



I have this view to wake up to:

Nice to have a change of scenery and hoping this will be a few days of relaxation and catching up with family before returning to the craziness of Portsmouth life. 

Ready as I'll ever be!

Something has prompted me to start blogging again... maybe people blogging around me, or maybe the recent enjoyment and reflections of reading back over some of my old blog posts, either way here I am.
I figured this year is going to a big year as far as life events go and wanted somewhere to record it. So this blog is being started primarily for my own benefit, and if other people enjoy having a glimpse into my life then that's a bonus :)

In a year from now I will be in a very different place, (as long as things go to plan) I will be married, working as a children's nurse, living in a new city and going to a new church. Before I get to that point though a wedding will need to be planned and enjoyed, I'll need to finish a multitude of assignments, complete my final placement, be signed off as a qualified nurse and find a job, find a new place to live, settle into a new church and city, alongside leading Promiseland (Children's group at church) and being a cell group leader, as well as finding time for relaxing, and enjoying the company of friends and family.

Overwhelmed - maybe, excited - yes!

I do feel a little anxious by what the coming year holds, there's some big life things in there! But I am also excited by the changes and challenges. Some of them I may not feel ready for, sometimes I may want to run away but overall I'm willing to embrace these next steps. I know I've got a good support of family and friends around me, (including PJ - my fiancé and best friend) and I've got my God. A God who won't give me more than I can handle, a God who loves me and protects me and a God who has planned my life more perfectly than I could imagine. So I know it's gunna be alright!

So hopefully this blog will capture this crazy year (and beyond), so that I can look back on it with happy memories and be proud of what I've achieved.