Planning for the rest of fall 2023

 

 When I posted my Just Three Words for Fall 2023, that was only the beginning of my fall planning.

Originally I was inspired by a wonderful post that I had read by Christa at Brown Sugar Toast about The Importance of Saying No to Good Things.  Christa wrote about a fall planning workbook she had been using.  It's by Jess Connolly and can be downloaded for free here: Fall Into Freedom.  (If you try to download it, it will tell you there's an error.  But you can still find it by doing a search as instructed here: "You can try searching for the content you are seeking by clicking here.")

Christa had challenged her readers with the question, "Have you taken time to think through your next season of life?" She wrote, "Taking time to pray and write out goals for the next months can be a very grounding experience as you prepare for upcoming responsibilities, potential changes, and holidays. As you think through what the Lord has given you to accomplish during this next season, take time to pray through what He wants you to say NO to…even if it’s a good thing.". 

That was wonderful advice then and I believe it is even more so now.  With every passing year, I become more conscious of how swiftly our lives pass and how important it is to use our time wisely, to the glory of God.  So I decided to use this download again this fall. 

I wrote earlier about the words I chose -- restorative, productive, and creative. 

  The second page is "Before it Begins" and on it, we were to list things we hoped to accomplish before fall began.  This is one that I had worked on a bit earlier.  These could be fun things like getting together with a friend, or tasks we hoped to get out of the way.  I listed 12 items.  Many of them were small things like catching up on laundry or going out for ice cream before the seasonal places close.  Some were big tasks on my hubby's plate like getting all the wood in the cellar and building a shed for a friend.  (Both of those big things got crossed off.)  Of the rest of the list, I was able to cross off only three items. 

That was only the start of work that I needed to do in the planner.  So, as I mentioned earlier, I took the pages along with me to our cottage last Saturday afternoon.  My hubby had lots of little tasks he wished to do, and I had a few to tackle also.  Then he built a campfire and we each made a hot drink in the Keurig.  I sat by the fire and journaled away!

This pretty leaf with its yellow lower edge was found at the cottage on the path to the shower house!

The third page was "Ask Him Where to Go" and had to do with asking God for direction for my fall season.  Just getting quiet and asking Him what He wants this fall to look like for me.  Here's what I wrote:

Even though I haven't consciously spent a lot of time praying about this, it seems that God knows my heart (and He surely does!) and is giving me direction.

My heart was almost literally aching because, other than my weekly Scripture posts, I wasn't finding time to blog.  Interestingly, writing even one very simple new post seemed to 'prime the pump' and confirm that He wanted to give me this desire of my heart.  Just completing that one simple post gave me the creative nudge that I needed to finish a draft that I'd started months, if not years, ago.  Then, I found myself prompted to look at simple autumn cross-stitch projects in my pattern stash with an eye to completing one -- and I actually pulled out floss and fabric and started one!

So ... as to where God wants me to go, I believe that He wants me to find joy in this season.  

Obviously, He wants me to continue to use my spiritual gifts and my talents for His glory.  

He wants me to connect with people through mentoring and biblical hospitality, among other ways.

He wants me to continue to cultivate my relationship with Him, especially through relevant, meaningful Bible study.  As Jeanie Stewart pointed out at the ladies retreat I attended in September, we are to be students of God's Word, not merely readers.

Leaf line by Vee

 

The fourth page is "What's Your Land?" and the title comes from Genesis 13 where God tells Abraham to walk the length and breadth of the land He's given him.  We were encouraged to identify our "land" -- the lives and locations we touch.  Here's my list:
 

*Our home
*Our neighborhood
* Our cottage
* Places where I volunteer
*My walking partner
*Jennifer
*Instagram followers
*Extended family on my side and my husband's side
*My friends and church family
*My blog readers
*My women's Sunday School class

And then the fifth page of the workbook is "It's Time to Say No".  We know where we are called for this season, and now we are to identify things that we are not called to.  Here's my list (which may be added to):
 

*Mindless scrolling
*Consuming too much news/politics
*Sugar (currently on a 40-day sugar fast)
*Other people's drama
* Worry/anxiety

The next page is "What Do You Expect?" and it involves speaking some hope and biblical truth into the coming season.  Here are my expectations:
 

 *I expect that I am likely to fail in many areas, but that God will forgive me and help me to get back up and continue on
*I expect to continue losing weight as I continue intermittent fasting along with a 40-day sugar fast
*I expect that God will help me to find His Word and fellowship with  Him increasingly sweet as I look to Him, not sugar
*I expect to feel overwhelmed at times, but when those times come I trust God to give me peace, clarity and direction
*I expect to make progress in memorizing the book of James
*I expect that God will work in the lives of those I am mentoring
*I expect to have times of connecting with friends old and new through extending hospitality.

 

And then the last page, which I guess I didn't use in 2016, is called "Rhythms, Rhythms, Rhythms" and has to do with establishing rhythms for our days and weeks -- activities that are done in the same time frame daily and weekly, such as exercise or grocery shopping.   

This time around, I wrote: 

 

This is something I need to work on.  Although I do have weekly rhythms of a sort, I need to establish more rhythms in my days -- time for blogging,  exercise, Etsy listings, homemaking chores, cleaning, Sunday School preparation and more.  I feel as if things would go so much more smoothly if I would get those rhythms in place.

I've actually set up a schedule based on these rhythms but I never stick with it for long.  We will see if I do any better this time around!

 

 

I found this planner extremely helpful and something I am likely to use again and again.  What about you?  Have you tried this workbook or a similar one to plan your fall?  How is it going?