Hello Internet world! Can you believe I haven’t been here to write since July? A lot has happened since then.
The most important thing that has happened in our crazy life is that we added to our family. Madilynn Lane Marshall was born on August 21, 2017. It’s hard to believe that she has been part of our family for a month already. Adding a baby into a family is such a strange experience. It’s like you can’t remember/imagine what life was/would be like with out that little person there on one hand. And on the other it’s like time is flying by so fast that it was only yesterday that you brought them home.
Along with the excitement of adding to our family, the kids have started their school year, Dusty and I are back in school (I am taking a VERY light load this semester), and we are slowly getting back into the routine of daily life.
As we enter into the Fall season, I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year.
I absolutely LOVE the fall season due to the colors, smells, decor, and the beckoning of the holidays. I am a huge fan of pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, and everything else that goes along with this time of year. I look forward to the changing of the leaves and the rich reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. (Yellow is my FAVORITE color after all).
However, I HATE the fact that the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. I am not a fan of the dark and I’m not a fan of the cold. To be honest, if we could have the colors, tastes, and smells of fall smack dab in the middle of summer I would be a happy girl. The shorter days cause me to spend much of the fall and winter season in what feels like a panicked rush. I have always been wired to feel like when the sun goes down, the day is over. Which means, when the sun is going down at 4:30 in the afternoon, my body begins to shut down and I still have SO much to accomplish. This means that I spend much of my days rushing as fast as I can to get everything done and often times go to bed feeling like I am starting the next day behind schedule.
That is why, when I came across the Women Living Well 4-week Bible study called Rest and Release I jumped all over it. Having the reminder over the next 4 weeks to slow down, rest in God, and release my anxieties to Him is going to be a great experience.
How It Works
Each week has a focus for the week. This week is :STOP. Everyday there is a passage of scripture to meditate on. The journal lays out the SOAK method: S for Scripture, O for Observation, A for Application, and K for Kneeling in Prayer.
There is also a weekly challenge that is designed to draw your thoughts back to the devotion for the day as you go about your daily routine. This weeks challenge is to light a candle and each time the flame catches your eye to stop and pray for peace.
My Study Set-Up
It is a great way to get my day started before the craziness starts and I get lost in the routine. Each week I plan to share the focus for the week along with the challenge on Monday (or early Tuesday) and share a weekly wrap-up on Friday (or early Saturday). I hope you will enjoy following along as I go through this journey of learning to rest and release during the busy seasons of my life.
A Wise Woman in Progress 
Congratulations on adding to your family! That sounds like a wonderful morning routine, and a very applicable devotional. My goal as school started (I'm a teacher) was to spend one morning in quiet time with God. It has quickly turned into 4- I'm addicted! Kelseyacupofteawithkelsey.blogspot.com
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