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The Thin Place

Resolutions 2017: My Refocusing

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January and, on a greater scale, 2017 is upon us. Well, technically it still has been for a week now.

Thus far, I have spent 2017 sick in bed and sick on the beach. I was hoping for a better start but I guess I can’t complain when January is spent on a beach even if dizziness and coughing and tissues occupy my time.

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As is custom, I’ve made plans to refocus my life around my priorities. I would call them resolutions except I am quite certain that they will all fall by the wayside and this “refocusing” will need to happen again and again. By calling it thus, I am giving myself permissions to change and shape them with my life as the year progresses.

Set a Homemaking Routine

Homemaking, particularly cleaning, has never been my forte. As most of 2016 was couch-bound, things especially fell by the wayside. About halfway through the year, I hired someone to help clean and things fell into a nice rhythm. I know what she would do and I knew my meager part. There was order. She left Hawaii right as the holiday season started getting busy and things have been in a state of disarray ever since. Falling into a new homemaking routine and schedule, that’s my top priority for 2017 – reclaiming my home.

Simplify – AKA A Minimal Amount of Minimalim

I’m not crazy about everything proposed in minimalism but, in an effort to reclaim my house, a major purge is needed. The idea of minimalism appeals to the extremist part of my nature of hoarding appeals to the sentimental part of my nature. The “Hoarder Bailey” has been decorating and setting up house relentlessly since I got married. It’s time to reduce and recycle my possessions and keep only what aligns with my priorities.

Lose 30lbs

This one is more about fitness than the actual number on the scale. Last year was rough. I wasn’t able to cook for myself most of the time and certainly wasn’t able to continue with my daily HIIT workouts and weight-lighting. That lead to weight gain and loss of motivation. I want to regain that in 2017. Since I’m still experiencing depression and ovarian pain, I know this won’t look like it once was but I’m hoping to start regaining my sense of fitness with every little bit I can, even if that’s only food for now.

Blog Three Times A Week

One of the positive effects to come from my illness is that I have started focusing on my creative side more. Starting this blog has been incredibly life-giving to me. I hope to continue this in 2017 by posting here at least 3 times a week, posting twice with articles and once with poetry.

Keep a 3.8 GPA

I’m going back to school! One of the most exciting decisions I’ve recently made is to go back to school to finished my English degree. I am excited to take this next step in my academic career and can’t wait to continue learning to refine my art.

Submit a Work for Publication 

Along with blogging regularly and going back to school, I’m challenging myself to take a leap of faith and submit a work or publication elsewhere. There are a few sites I’m looking at. This will be a big jump for me as I tend to keep my writing very private. In an effort to steward the gift I’ve been given (is it really a gift? I’m still not sure) I’m going to submit what I’ve written to a different audience in the hope that some of what I write will share the deepest truth in the world in such a way that people will feel it deep down.

What about you? What are your hopes and dreams this year? Is there anything new on your horizon?

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  • On Minimizing My Life – The Thin Place
    January 13, 2017

    […] 2017, I started out with intentions to take you on, to take back my life. But here I am again, canceling plans and binge watching way more TV than I ever wanted to. […]

    Reply
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Hello, I’m Bailey

The Thin Place was born out of a season of struggle. A season where I felt stretched thin and desperately longed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. The goodness of God showed up in unexpected ways. During that season, the spiritual disciplines laid out in Scripture, the traditions of the Church, and the reminders of His faithfulness seen in liturgial living and the feasts and seasons of the Church calendar all opened my eyes to the hope we have in Christ.

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Baruch, as you may recall from the book of Jeremiah, was the scribe of Jeremiah. This is a prophetic book written by Baruch calling the people of Jerusalem to repent of their idol worship and return to the Lord. 
Baruch is a great reminder of the importance of confession. The book opens with a call to make respond.
Then they wept, and fasted, and prayed before the Lord; and they collected money, each giving what he could – Baruch 1:5-6 RSVCE 
Baruch is a collection of the response to sin – both the acknowledgment of sin and the call to God’s mercy. 
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime 
#biblequotes #bibleinspiration
thethinplace
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Baruch, as you may recall from the book of Jeremiah, was the scribe of Jeremiah. This is a prophetic book written by Baruch calling the people of Jerusalem to repent of their idol worship and return to the Lord. Baruch is a great reminder of the importance of confession. The book opens with a call to make respond. Then they wept, and fasted, and prayed before the Lord; and they collected money, each giving what he could – Baruch 1:5-6 RSVCE Baruch is a collection of the response to sin – both the acknowledgment of sin and the call to God’s mercy. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #biblequotes #bibleinspiration
4 weeks ago
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1/5
The Book of Sirach is part of the Wisdom literature of the Bible. It was also written during the Maccabean revolt to encourage the people to hold fast to their Jewish faith and not to neglect the traditions and commandments handed down to them. 
Sirach is one of the books of the Bible found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s. It is also found in every copy of the Septuagint suggesting that is was considered to be Scripture by the Greek speaking Jews of that period.
It is full of practical, clear wisdom that is incredibly applicable to our lives today such as: 
The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. - Sirach 3:18
The higher your position, the more you have to actively seek humility. When you are in a low position, when you rely on others, humility is a more natural disposition and you recognize your dependence on God. When you are great, you need to actively seek humility. 
Do not say, “Because of the Lord I left the right way”; for he will not do what he hates. - Sirach 15:11
This is pretty straightforward. We cannot blame the Lord when we choose sin. The Lord does not do what He hates. He will always provide a way for us to choose good and it adds to our shame when we choose sin and blame God for it. 
A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily. - Sirach 20:18
As the Book of James expands upon the importance of bridling your tongue but more abut consistently in the Book of Sirach we are exhorted to keep charge over our tongues. Ironically, this is much easier said than done. 
Whether you’re new to the wisdom literature or have spent years pouring over proverbs, Sirach is a great place to begin in living a wiser, more biblical life. 
#bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture
thethinplace
thethinplace
•
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The Book of Sirach is part of the Wisdom literature of the Bible. It was also written during the Maccabean revolt to encourage the people to hold fast to their Jewish faith and not to neglect the traditions and commandments handed down to them. Sirach is one of the books of the Bible found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s. It is also found in every copy of the Septuagint suggesting that is was considered to be Scripture by the Greek speaking Jews of that period. It is full of practical, clear wisdom that is incredibly applicable to our lives today such as: The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. - Sirach 3:18 The higher your position, the more you have to actively seek humility. When you are in a low position, when you rely on others, humility is a more natural disposition and you recognize your dependence on God. When you are great, you need to actively seek humility. Do not say, “Because of the Lord I left the right way”; for he will not do what he hates. - Sirach 15:11 This is pretty straightforward. We cannot blame the Lord when we choose sin. The Lord does not do what He hates. He will always provide a way for us to choose good and it adds to our shame when we choose sin and blame God for it. A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily. - Sirach 20:18 As the Book of James expands upon the importance of bridling your tongue but more abut consistently in the Book of Sirach we are exhorted to keep charge over our tongues. Ironically, this is much easier said than done. Whether you’re new to the wisdom literature or have spent years pouring over proverbs, Sirach is a great place to begin in living a wiser, more biblical life. #bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture
1 month ago
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2/5
The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors.
While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. 
It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. 
For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” 
There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. 
Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask.
#proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword  #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld
#thinplaces #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
thethinplace
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The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors. While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #thinplaces #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
1 month ago
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3/5
Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with!  It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah.
To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. 
It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials.
In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. 
The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. 
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
thethinplace
thethinplace
•
Follow
Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with! It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah. To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials. In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
1 month ago
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4/5
Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. 
During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people.
It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. 
But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. 
“And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10
It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. 
#proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword  #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
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Follow
Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people. It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. “And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10 It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
1 month ago
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5/5
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