Monthly Archives: November 2019

Hello, Mornings!

My Morning Time Routine

I love mornings! Do I always love getting out of bed? No, but I have never regretted the mornings I get up early. Mornings set the tone for my day. A successful morning for me is any morning I get up early and complete my morning time routine before my kids wake up!

My morning time routine consists of lighting a candle, making a cup of coffee, and getting out my Bible, journal, and a pen. In my journal, I complete the prayer section- gratitude, confession, and requests. Then I spend time reading my Bible and writing down anything that stood out to me or a verse I want to remember for the day. It’s simple but effective. My morning time puts my heart and my mind in the right place for the day. For a more detailed description of my morning time, you can get a free copy of my ebook, Better Mornings, Better Moms by clicking HERE or you can read My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time HERE.

Why Does Journaling Matter?

It’s common knowledge that we remember better when we simply write it down. I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember what I ate for lunch an hour ago, let alone something I read this morning! Just spending a few moments writing down something from our morning time will keep it with you throughout the day. I see a huge difference in the days I read my Bible and journal and the days I only read my Bible.

Journaling also helps to develop consistency. I can see how many days I have read my Bible each week. It also helps with consistency in prayer. If I don’t have a list in front of me, my mind often wanders. Having the requests written out in front of me helps me to stay focused.

Another benefit of writing something down is that I can come back to it later on in the week and look back and be encouraged or share it with someone else. My journals are my life-line.

Faithfully Stepping Journal

Matt and I developed a journal years ago that we have printed for ourselves personally and for our church family, but I am so excited to announce that they are finally available for purchase. Matt created three beautiful covers! I love all of them. They will be available on Amazon on Black Friday. Each journal contains six months of journaling pages and uses the system that Matt and I have used in our morning time for several years. If you want to take your relationship with God to the next level, these journals are the answer!

A Second Chance in Life

A Second Chance for Maggie

My children and I were doing chalk art as part of our homeschool today. We follow Nana from You Are an Artist, and absolutely love her! Today, in honor of Frozen II coming out in a few weeks, she did a drawing of the characters from Frozen. A few of my children are perfectionists and get frustrated when they don’t get it perfect. I try to do these art projects with my children, so they can see that I am not perfect either. Actually, I am downright terrible at art.

Today, we were following along when suddenly my five-year-old, Maggie crumbled her paper up and threw it away. She cried in frustration because she couldn’t get her paper to look just like Nana’s. She ended up not finishing the rest of the lesson with us. My older two children and I completed our chalk drawing. While they were not by any means perfect, they were finished.

I tried to explain to Maggie lovingly that a finished project is better than none at all. Our art papers weren’t perfect. There were smudges, coloring outside the lines, and things were lopsided and not proportionate; but they were finished. We proudly showed our papers off to Matt. The kids were so proud of their papers. Teasingly, I told Matt that if writing doesn’t take off for us, it’s okay. I got us covered; I think I have a career in art. Ha! After Maggie calmed down, she asked for a second chance. Of course, I was all too happy to give her one.

The Picture of Our Lives

I think our lives are kind of like our chalk art papers from today. They’re not perfect. They’re messy. We color outside the lines and get dirty and marked with smudges. It’s messy and doesn’t look anything like we thought it would. We look at it in disgust because it’s a hot mess. Yet just as a parent looks at their child’s artwork and thinks it’s amazing, even when it’s not, that’s how our Heavenly Father sees our lives. Jesus looks at the picture of our life and sees a masterpiece because he loves us.

Peter’s Second Chance

When I think of second chances, I think of the story of Peter. Could there be any better example? I was reading this week in the book of Mark. Chapter sixteen tells of the resurrection of Jesus. An angel appears at the tomb and talks to the women who are searching for Jesus.

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. Mark 16:5-7 (KJV)

I love that phrase, “Tell his disciples and Peter…” Peter, the man who just betrayed Jesus gets a shout-out. Jesus gave him a second chance. Jesus knew Peter’s greatest moments would follow his greatest failure.

Those Who Have Been Forgiven Much

I think of the story of the woman who wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears. The Pharisees criticize Jesus. They say, “If Jesus really knew what an awful sinner she was, he would never allow himself to be near her.” Jesus rebuked them and responded to them saying, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Of course, the opposite is true. To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much.

People who have been forgiven much are capable of great love for others. These people are the ones who help the hurting and the down and outers in life. These are the people who really make a difference in this life.

A Masterpiece

So to you, your life looks messy and nothing like you thought it would. But God looks at it and he sees a jewel in the making. He sees all the crooked lines and the mistakes coming together. He’s the masterful artist creator who can take anything and turn it into a beautiful showpiece. Remember, sometimes we have to choose to love the life we have, not the one we want.

If you don’t feel like you add up to anything today if you feel like you’ve made too many mistakes, know this- Jesus loves you and hasn’t given up on you. If you’re breathing, you still have a life to live and a picture to paint with your life. God’s given you a second chance. Let’s make the most of it. When you let God be the master artist, he makes a masterpiece out of your life.

New Books Revealed, Our Trip to Colorado, and More

Our Trip to Colorado

My parents moved to Colorado during the fall of last year. We haven’t had a chance to make it out there to visit yet. We decided this fall was the perfect time to rectify that. So in the middle of October, we made the twenty-five hour trip to Colorado. On the way, we stopped in Illinois to see my two sisters and their families. We had an awesome time together for the few short hours we were there.

My sisters and I and our husbands and kids.

After that, we drove the rest of the way to Colorado. We were able to be out there for a week. We got to see my Grandparents and our other family out there. On Sunday, we got to visit the church my dad pastors and spend time meeting all the amazing people who make up their church. I finally got my husband to Estes Park. I’ve been wanting to do that since we’ve been married- 13 years. We got to experience Rocky Mountain National Park as a family. My older kids were not fans of the mountains! They were too scared to walk around at the higher points of the park. All in all, we had an amazing trip and can’t wait to get back out there.

Macey was the only one brave enough to walk around up high in the mountains.

Matt and I finally getting to Estes Park.

My Fantasy Fiction Book

I am so excited to finally be able to announce my new fantasy book, Red Rose Rising. I’ve been working on this book the past several months and am entering the final stages for this book. It will release on Amazon on Black Friday. I can’t wait! For a look at the book, teasers, and quotations, check out my Facebook page A. J. Manney Books.

Faithfully Stepping Journal

I have also been working on my Faithfully Stepping Journal, which will also release on Black Friday. This six-month journal uses an easy format to help you grow in your relationship with God using journaling, Bible reading, and prayer time. Matt helped me design three amazing covers that I absolutely love! I will be revealing the covers soon, so stay tuned!

My New Book: The Hidden Pain

I will also be releasing my new book The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life. This book took me a lot longer to write than I thought it would. I share my story about church planting looking nothing like I thought it would. I also share about the season of difficulty that we have come through this last year. This book is for anyone who is going through a season of difficulty and questioning God’s goodness.

The book is finishing the editing stage. I will be revealing the cover soon, so keep an eye out for it.

Black Friday

Black Friday is going to be a huge day for us as we will be rolling out multiple items. Along with my journals and books, Matt’s newest book, Chase the Wonder will also be rolling out that day. This Christmas book is one you will want to order for friends and family for a Christmas present.

Black Friday is only 17 days away! Watch your inbox for cover reveals for all our new books, and stay tuned for giveaways as we hit black Friday and head into the Christmas season!