such things

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things. 

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, 

or seen in me—put it into practice. 

And the God of peace will be with you." 

Philippians 4:8-10 NIV

there's a lot of junk out there. negativity, judgement, bad news, fear-based conclusions, discouragement, and just downright ugliness. there's a lot of comparison, temptation, disbelief, and world-focused, me-focused, sinful behavior. it's out there. and i want to avoid it.

i try very hard to surround myself with such things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. i want to see things, hear things, and do things that bring me closer to the God of peace. i want to put into practice what i have seen in Jesus. 

but too many times at the end of the day my mind is full of the junk i've seen or heard, causing my thoughts to wander to dark places where the enemy lurks, causing far too many sleepless nights.

for the next 30 days, i will be taking a self-imposed challenge to focus on "such things," seeking the peace God intends for my life. less of me, more of Him. less junk, more lovely. 

i think it starts with giving. in the next 30 days, i am going to pack up 30 bags of things i can give from around the house: literally giving. i'll also be giving encouragement, time, and love, at a higher level than my normal. remember the 30 Days of Giving challenge? i'm revisiting. 

i will also be re-starting a study of The Book of Acts, this time with an accountability partner. and i will be off of Facebook for at least 30 days. deep in God's Word and separated from the "world."

i'll still be here, though, because you are all so lovely. 

my prayer is that in 30 days (or less) i will develop a habit of giving more and thinking on only "such things," and the God of peace will be with me.

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