One Word 365 - Shift 2013

I wrestled for weeks with what my One Word would be. I was actually quite frustrated that it was taking me so long to narrow down the list I was keeping of possible words for 2013 (there were 19 words on the list). 

Then, in the course of one whole week, every time I turned around it was if I was having to "shift" my plans, thoughts, direction -- you name it, it was shifting.

It was then that I knew that SHIFT was a whole lot bigger than it looks. 

Yeah, it "seems" simple enough, but to SHIFT you actually have to see that there is actually another way.  Thanks to Dictionary.com I wanted you to see a little bit more about SHIFT;

shift

 

verb (used with object)

1.

to put (something) aside and replace it by another or others; change or exchange: to shift friends; toshift ideas.

2.

to transfer from one place, position, person, etc., to another: to shift the blame onto someone else.

3.

Automotive. to change (gears) from one ratio or arrangement to another.

4.

Linguistics . to change in a systematic way, especially phonetically.

Then I started to dig around in the Bible and found a couple of fantastic examples of what God has been trying to tell me when it comes to the word SHIFT.

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. Matthew 6:6 The Message (emphasis mine)

But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it. Romans 3:31 The Message (emphasis mine)

It's time for me to take myself out of the equation here--

time to start to SHIFT in every aspect of my life.

Shift - My Thoughts to things that bring Him glory,
Shift - My Quiet Time to seeking Him in the Word,
Shift - My Ministry Priorities to those He wants me to focus on,
Shift - My Health back up to one of my top priorities,
Shift - My Family Time to focus on being fully present with my boys,
Shift - My Focus on my Marriage so that the next 20+ years are better than ever,

Shift - My Blog in a new direction.

It's time for a change and instead of hanging on I'm going to lean in and SHIFT with God to see what/where He is taking me on this journey.

With that, I'd love to have you come over and visit me in my new "world". Welcome to the new Mel's World, now called "Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith with Melissa Mashburn".

It is still a work in progress and I have lots to do to finish up all the details...but the time is NOW! 

Please jump over and let me know what you think! I'm now at MelissaMashburn.net, I will be fixing all the links and stuff soon...but instead of waiting for everything to "come together" it's time to open it up! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, if you want to find out more about ONE WORD 365, see all the info below. If you haven't done one yet, then I'd love to challenge you to consider jumping in too. It's not too late.

If you already picked out your ONE WORD for 2013, then I'd love to hear what word you picked and why you chose it!

Forget New Year’s Resolutions. Scrap that long list of goals you won’t remember three weeks from now anyway. Choose just one word.

One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.

It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your word will shape you and your year. It will guide your decisions and help you grow.

Discover the big impact one word can make.

One word. 

365 days. 

A changed life.

Book Review: ”The Tutor’s Daughter” by Julie Klassen! Enter to win a “Downton Abbey” Kindle Prize Pack

The Tutor's Daughter

Julie Klassen

My Thoughts About the Book:

If you love all things Jane Austen, Jane Erye, Sabrina, or Downton Abbey, then you are absolutely going to fall in love with Julie Klassen's new book, The Tutor's Daughter. With intrigue, excitement, adventure and all the drama of a historical romance there is something for everyone in the Tutor's Daughter. 

I found myself tucked inside the pages of the book enjoying every sweet minute of Emma's adventure. Stomping along, holding my breath and sitting in the background of every moment along her journey. I'm sure Emma would be great friends with Elizabeth Bennett (from Pride and Prejudice) and be able to share stories of prejudice and misjudgment. I can't wait to tell my Downton Abbey fan friends about the Tutor's Daughter.

About the Book:

Filled with page-turning suspense, The Tutor's Daughter takes readers to the windswept Cornwall coast-a place infamous for shipwrecks and superstitions-where danger lurks, faith is tested, and romance awaits.

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems-and secrets-of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her...

When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart? 

About the Author:

  Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Find out more about Julie at http://www.julieklassen.com/.  

To read what others are saying click here.

Julie is celebrating by giving away one of the new Paperwhite Kindles, Downton Abbey (season 3) and hosting a fun Author Chat Party on Facebook. (January 31st)

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Paperwhite
• Downton Abbey, Season 3
• A Julie Klassen library (The Tutor’s Daughter, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Silent Governess)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on January 30th. Winner will be announced at "The Tutor's Daughter Author Chat Party on January 31st. Connect with Julie, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be great giveaways - gift certificates, books and season 3 of Downton Abbey!

So grab your copy of The Tutor's Daughter and join Julie on the evening of the January 31st for a chance to connect with Julie and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Secretly Smitten | An Evening of Giggle, Gab & Prizes

My Thoughts About the Book:
Delightful,  heart warming fun. When I read that these four powerhouse women were collaborating on a book I just knew that I had to get my hands on it. I mean, I have been a big Kristin Billerbeck fan for years and recently have enjoyed the creative writings of Colleen Coble, Diann Hunt and even Denise Hunter. What I love about this book is that you have one great big story being woven together from four very different creative avenues. Each almost like a mini-book in the big book of the story.

Just when I thought I liked one better than the other, I was wooed into the pages by sweeping stories and the hope that comes along like it is a Hallmark movie (which, by the way this would make an amazing movie). I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall while these women put their heads together for this book. I can only imagine the giggles that must have gone on.

I loved this book and secretly hope they decide to do another one together. Secretly Smitten ~ Love Changes Everything, love it, a perfect Saturday afternoon snuggled on the couch with a cuppa coffee and blankie type book!

About the Book:

Summer, fall, winter, spring-Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!

There's a secret in Grandma Rose's attic-a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?

The mystery intrigues Rose's three granddaughters-Tess, Clare, and Zoe-and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?

Join popular romance novelists-and real-life BFFs-Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.

Meet "The Gals":  

  

 RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including "Tidewater Inn", and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. * Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include "A Billion Reasons Why" and "What a Girl Wants." * Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including "A Cowboy's Touch" and "Sweetwater Gap." She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. * Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate.

Find out more about Coble, Billerbeck, Hunter, Hunt here.

Author Chat Party:

The "gals" are celebrating the release of Secretly Smitten with a fun Live Webcast on February 5th. They'll be debuting the *NEW* animated Smitten trailer, giving away tons of prizes, dishing on the book and their friendship. 

They'll also be wrapping up the Secretly Smitten blog tour, answering audience questions and testing your trivia skills. 

Don't miss the fun and bring your friends. Click here to RSVP and set up a reminder.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”