I wasn’t a faithful blogger in 2019. It was a year of trials in my household. I had to let go of a number of things in order to keep the most important balls in the air. So regular blogging took a hit.
My Word for 2019
“Run to Win” (Ephesians 2:8)
I’ll be honest. I didn’t feel like a winner in 2019. Anything but. But I know that God was right there with me in the race. Maybe that was the lesson of my word.
Bible Reading and Study
May 2019 brought the conclusion of the BSF study of People of the Promised Land (Part 1), an Old Testament study, and in September I started the BSF study of Acts and Letters of the Apostles. These BSF studies, as always, are so good, and the fellowship with other women studying at the same time is a special part of the journey. I am so thankful to God for both the learning experience and for the people He has brought into my life through the studies.
2019 Releases and WIPS
In June 2019, my 80th release, Cross My Heart, hit bookstore shelves. It’s book 2 in the Legacy of Faith series.
I also was able to bring two out-of-print books back in Kindle editions: Another Chance to Love You and Bundle of Joy.
My main work-in-progress for 2019 (How Sweet It Is) took longer than usual to write due to “life,” but it’s now written, revised, and edited. Yea!! Look for its release in July 2020.
Currently, I’m writing away on a novel with a biblical setting. Guideposts is the publisher, and the series is the Ordinary Women of the Bible. I should have more news to share about it (including title and cover) in the spring.
Favorite Movies seen in 2019
In 2019 I saw several movies in the theater and streamed quite a few more at home. A few favorites were:
- Toy Story 4
- Downton Abbey
- The Lion King
- Dumbo
- The Art of Racing in the Rain
- Little Women
5 Star Reads of 2019
My 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal was 36 books, but I almost doubled that by year’s end. And among those books were some wonderful 5 star reads.
- The Wednesday Wars (my second time to read this hysterical book, this time an audiobook which was perfectly narrated — Read it!)
- Christy (not my first time to read this amazing book)
- Secrets She Kept
- When Jesus Wept
- The Story Keeper
- It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way
- Long Way Gone
- The Grumble-Free Year
- Summer by the Tides
- The Fifth Avenue Story Society
- Holy Roar
- The Screwtape Letters (another repeat; probably my fourth or fifth time to read this one)
- If for Any Reason
- The Butterfly and the Violin
- Before Amen
Life in General
As I mentioned, 2019 had plenty of challenges. But it had great moments too. A few highlights from the year:
- I had to put my college studies on hold for a while. This was a big disappointment, but necessary.
- My oldest granddaughter gave birth to a daughter in February, and I became Grandy Robin.
- That same day, after 24 hours at the hospital, I went home and took a serious fall on the ice that caused a number of problems. My left shoulder continues to cause me pain almost a year later. (For some reason I don’t bounce back the way I did in my twenties. Hmmm.)
- I visited my daughter and her family in Corpus Christi, Texas for a full week in the summer. We spent a lot of time at the beach which was wonderful.
- In the fall, the hardware from my 2010 broken ankle (a plate and nine screws) all of a sudden decided it didn’t want to be in my body any longer. Apparently I developed an allergy to the metal, so I had surgery to remove it.
My word for 2020
REVELATION
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Ephesians 1:17, NASB95)
I’m looking forward to the new year. I’m choosing to look forward and not back. When I finish my biblical novel, I have a new series in mind that I’m excited to begin (even though it is hard to say goodbye to Andrew Henning, his family, and all his descendants). I plan to be more intentional about my writing, my exercise and overall health, and my interactions with those around me. I want to spread love and joy in a culture so often gripped by hate and strife. I hope to spend more time Bible art journaling while meditating on God’s word. And, of course, I’ll probably spend time laughing at the antics of Boo and Pinky, the wonderful pets who allow me to live with them and wait on them.
I pray that you (and I) will lean into God in 2020 and reflect His glory to the world around us.
~robin
Thank you for your post, Robin. Your words are an encouragement to me, and I appreciate your willingness to share such personal moments. Blessings, Linda
What a year you have had! I’m so glad for the positives like the grandbaby, time with your daughter in Corpus Christi, BSF, and your writing. May 2020 be a year of health of mind, body, and spirit!
Thank you for your honesty and sharing your heart with us. Congratulations Grandy Robin.
To me, you are the perfect example of a Proverbs 31 woman. Many blessings to you in 2020, and thank you for sharing with us.
At almost 65 I have learned challenges draw us closer to God and sometimes make us look around and see that while yes we have challenges we are so blessed. Every time I read of how some people don’t know God or know they can go to Jesus and share their burdens with him I feel blessed to know that He is my refuge and strength. While I am mostly home bound due to health issues and poor depth perception which enables me from driving I plan to use 2020 in every way I can to better share Jesus with others. This will mostly be on Facebook and through prayer, but every bit helps. I really appreciate reading books that share Jesus with others.
I enjoyed your post, and your look back has inspired me to do that too. It sounds like this has been a challenging year, but the Lord has used you to encourage many people. May 2020 be your best year yet!