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THE WORD






THI NK ABOUT I T
Lets Celebrate!
Its a new year! Did you celebrate the first new day? Wear a silly hat, laugh, and

!"#$"%& ()*+

Its January, the start of a new year and time to dust off the treadmills we use as
clothes hangers, analyze our bad habits, and make those New Years
resolutions. And heres how those resolutions usually work: we make em and we
break em! In fact, studies suggest that fewer than 12 percent of us keep our New
Years resolutions. Yet weve been making them for thousands of years. Its true!
Records suggest that as far back as 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians were
making (and undoubtedly breaking) New Years resolutions.
Why have we been making resolutions for so long? Its our human nature to
constantly evaluate and want to change things. We ask Whats wrong with me?
and then we vow to give up our favorite coffee shop in the morning and head for
the gym. But history has a way of repeating itself, and soon our steering wheel is
inching its way back toward luscious mocha, whipped cream, forgo-the-skinny
land. After 4,000 years with an 88 percent failure rate, its obvious that
resolutions are long overdue
for retirement.
This new year, say goodbye once and for all to the old way, and let a new way
begin. Because a better way of looking at things has come. The Message
translation of 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 makes it plain that we dont have to ask
whats wrong with me? or evaluate ourselves (or others) the same way
anymore:
We don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked
at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We
certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what
we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created
new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!
Time to get rid of the old mirrors and start looking at a new reflection! Our human
way of evaluating ourselves just doesnt work. It really is whats on the inside, not
the outside, that counts.
Stop looking to the same old resolutions to change your life this new year, and
look instead for the new changethe inside-out changethat is your new life.
Not in what you do but who you truly are. Rather than a list of resolutions, make a
list of revelations! And celebrate the true joy of a happy new year!



So we have stopped evaluating
others from a human point of
view. At one time we thought of
Christ merely from a human
point of view. How differently
we know him now! This means
that anyone who belongs to
Christ has become a new
person. The old life is gone; a
new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:16-17

My New Years Revelation List:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.



"#$%#&' ()*+ , -#./ (

Celebrate the Silly!
Did you know that January 3 is Fruitcake
Toss Day and Festival of Sleep Day? And
the 10th is Houseplant Appreciation Day?
According to internet sources, theres a
silly holiday for every day of the year. And
if its on the internet, it must be real, right?
Well, maybe not, but at least we can keep
laughing all year! Especially if we
celebrate National Kazoo Day (January
28) or Squirrel Appreciation Day (January
21). (Its the middle of winter, so perhaps
squirrels need encouragement?)
Here are a few more silly holidays to add
to your joy for today calendar this month:
11Step in a Puddle and Splash
Your Friends Day (Be nice!)
12National Hat Day
13Blame Someone Else Day
18Winnie the Pooh Day
20Penguin Awareness Day
26Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
27Chocolate Cake Day
29National Corn Chip Day

Everybody Eat Cake!
In honor of Chocolate Cake Day on January 27 (a well-known holiday to
Americans as well as internationally!) here is a fabulous recipe for a
yummy chocolate cake that is gluten-free, too. So there are no
excuseseverybody eat cake! (Recipe courtesy of glutenfreehomemaker.com)
Cherry Chocolate Cake
1 cup regular flour OR gluten-free flour mix
(available in most regular and natural grocery stores)
1 cup sugar
cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup boiling water
Mix the dry ingredients together
in a large bowl. Add the eggs,
pie filling, and extracts. Mix in
the boiling water, stirring gently.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13
pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at
350 degrees. Top with
powdered sugar, and enjoy!

Time Out for Fun
Its National Hobby Month, so you have permission to lay aside the to-
do list for one day and spend time doing something you enjoyquilting,
photography, crafts, cooking, reading. Even taking a nap can be a
hobby! Need a new idea for a hobby? Here are a few not-so-ordinary
suggestions (comments added) from the website notsoboringlife.com:
People-Watching (Its officialwe can now call this a hobby!)
Dumpster-Diving (Only for fearless treasure hunters with the
right gear!)
Pyrotechnics (Are there community classes for this?)
Geocaching (One of the newest and most popular hobbies
for all ages!)
Tea-Tasting (Preferably with a good scone!)
Yo-yoing (With a real yo-yo, not about decisions you have to make!)
Building a House for Habitat for Humanity (What a great idea!)



"#$%#&' ()*+ , -#./ 0



Media Morsels

Book Reviews

God Sightings: The One Year Bible
(available in NIV or NLT translations)
Catch a glimpse of God every day for the rest of the year!
Revitalize your Bible reading this year, and experience the power of
Gods Word each day as you study excerpts from the Old
Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. Discover the
amazing ways God expresses the truth found in the Bible to the
world around you and in your own life. Read, meditate, and then
celebrate the God sightings he will reveal to you every day.
Invite your family and friends to join you in reading the Bible in a
year, and share your God sightings as you journey together!
God Sightings: The One Year Bible is available at Christian
bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or
group.com. Additional God Sightings resources for small groups can
be found at group.com.

__________________________________


Internet Review

Internet Caf Devotions
Grab a seat, and let the counter baristas at Internet Caf
Devotions serve your daily cup of inspiration!
Dont waste time on the internet this year; make the
most of it by connecting to daily inspiration for your
everyday life. At Internet Caf Devotions, they have just
the right blend to help you grow in your relationship with
God and his Word. Youll connect each morning with a
team of women sharing devotional specialties from their
real life, along with Scripture nuggets of Gods truth for
you to savor.
Thirsty? Grab your empty cup, and join the gals at
the Caf for your favorite inspirational flavor! Head to
internetcafedevotions.com, where youll have the option
to fill your cup via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.


This page is designed to inform and educate you and is not an endorsement. Our prayer is that you will make informed decisions on what you see, read, and listen to.

Design and base content 2011 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO, group.com/women. Permission to photocopy granted for local church use only.
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat


1 2 3 4
Happy New
Year!

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Worship
11 am


Sewing
Sisters
5-7 pm
Pat
Meredith BD
Craft Day
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Worship
11 am
Sewing
Sisters
5-7 pm

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Worship
11 am

Twila
Bishop BD
Sewing
Sisters
5-7 pm
WM 1 p m
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Worship
11 am

Chocolate
Cake Day

Sewing
Sisters
5-7 pm
WM 1 p m
Contact for more information
Contact Name: Captain Sally Davis
Phone: 616-842-3380
E-mail: Sally_Davis@usc.salvationarmy.org

January
A Taste of 12#345 6#77/$8$. 9:& 1:;/$