Living Well, EnJOY Today

In 2004, the essence of a book bubbled up, overtook my thoughts, and became my dream—to write a book that would encourage me and others to enjoy this day. Amidst the rush of each day, I found myself questioning, “What is our purpose?” 

Life speeds by. We can’t rewind and live in the past. It’s gone. And we can’t yearn for the days beyond the horizon of this day without losing the present completely. The only way to live well is to soak up the joy in the moments we are given.

Now, at the cusp of 2019, fifteen years later, many life events have occurred, and most of them have not been easy. But the one thing that has stayed the same is the intention to soak up each day for what it brings.

Making the Most of Every Moment

Appreciation and gratitude are the bedrock of a life well-lived. With a heart turned toward saying thank you—for this day, this moment, this opportunity, these loved ones, this life—we are open to receive the gifts in our lives. This is the secret to making the most of every moment, and to really enjoying our lives. Gratitude.

The Journey to This Book

I am the last person who should have written a book. I am a Mechanical engineer from Purdue, trained to write equations in block print on green grid paper. But serendipity sometimes surprises us. This is one of my greater life surprises—in 2005, an editor from a large publishing house read my work and asked me to write a book in their series. Of course, I said yes!

The format was strict: 200 words for each day of the year, including a Bible verse, a closing thought, and a bit of a story from life. And, I had three months to write the book.

It was daunting, but with a lot of help and notes scratched on the closest paper I could find, I finished writing it. The book published in September 2007 in hardcover as The One Year Mini for Busy Women. It sold well—nearly 40,000 copies. But because the contract hadn’t included e-book rights with the advent of digital publishing, the rights to the book reverted to me in 2010. I published the e-book in 2010 and it has continued to gain impactful reviews. But it hasn’t felt right with the bulk of the book sitting on my hard drive. I have often pondered what to do with it.

The Need for Encouragement

If there is one thing I know now, fifteen years after writing The One Year Mini for Busy Women, it is the universal need for encouragement. Life is hard. I don’t know a single person who finds life and living well to be a breeze. Maybe, if we stay on our couches and channel surf our days away, life could be easier. But that’s not the life we’re called to live. We need to get out of our shells and give each day our best by discovering a little more each day the person we are created to be. In the process of discovery, we are called to love those around us.

Not everyone believes faith is important in life. I get it. I have recently lived four years in Central Europe. Religion there seems dead, essentially. The Church has hurt many people, and people have hurt other people in the name of the church or other beliefs. But though people of different places may hold their core beliefs differently, those who decide to live well draw up positive things from somewhere, and my belief is that deep well of encouragement comes from faith in God. We all have a need for encouragement. We all have a need for God.

And so, through the process of my own living over the past fifteen years, I have discovered the words that came through the writing are still true. The words I wrote so long ago, surprisingly, still resonate.

Daily Encouragement

I personally read one or two devotionals per day, to lift my eyes from my present circumstances and remember the bigger purpose in it all. And now, as 2019 approaches, my goal has been to offer the entire year of devotionals I wrote as a free email subscription. That way, each day arrives at your inbox with a brief pick-me-up, something to encourage us all to live each day as best as we can, powered by God’s words and with a reminder of his love for us. A sample is below. Reviews can be read here.

Sample of EnJOY Today:

January 1

Hopes and Dreams

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)

As the clock rounds midnight and another year closes, a new year rushes to greet us. A new 365 days are waiting to fulfill our hopes and dreams. In this new beginning, we can receive each day like a gift waiting to be unwrapped. Discover the possibilities by becoming more aware of God’s great love for you.

God has made you unique, like no one else in history. You are a precious individual in the history of the world with gifts that no one else can offer. You are a masterpiece of the master Creator who longs for you to become the person he made you to be.

Does this New Year hold new beginnings, a new path toward fulfilled dreams? Only you can set your goals and chart your course. Write down your intentions and hang them on your mirror. Talk to God about your hopes, for God’s desire is to bless you as you live out the dreams he has placed in your heart.

Unwrap the gift of the present by living your dreams!

Onward to 2019

The first day will send on January 1, 2019 and thereafter throughout the year.

I would love if you would share your thoughts and the subscription link with friends. There is no greater goal than that the words would reach those who need them and that they would touch hearts, impacting our world for the better in quiet ways.

Thank you! I am grateful. Happy New Year 2019!