Today is the last day of January. Time has flown! One month of 2016 has already passed, eleven more to go. So I thought I should do a summary of what I've been doing, and learning this month.
     As you know from my New Year's post, I'm doing a social media fast for the month of January. It has taught me a lot, and I'm actually glad I did it. The first day was almost torture, I didn't realize how much I use my phone. My nephews were here, and I was busy cooking up a storm that day, and you wouldn't think I'd have much time to check instagram. That's what I'd say if I missed my devotions, "I didn't have time, I was on my feet all day!". Well surprisingly all day, at every little spare moment, I found myself reaching for my phone. The second day was just as bad, I kept thinking that I still had pretty much a whole month in front of me.
     After the first week things started going uphill. I found myself absentmindedly clicking on my social media apps, and then closing the app before it loaded. Or I'd see something soooo Instagram worthy, and want to take a picture and post it. There was quite a few times where I was ready to give up, thinking it wasn't really worth it. But here I am, the last day of my fast! (I won't say that I'm a bit excited...)
   So what did I learn from that? I spend so much of my spare time scrolling through Instagram, seeing if anything new has been posted in the last hour, pinning something on Pinterest, or posting something random on Google+. I also learned that we will ALWAYS find something to get in the way of Bible reading. It might not be social media, but it could be reading, or writing, or anything else. If we don't have a mindset of 'God > everything else', we will always find an excuse to deny God the time He deserves.
    
      I've discovered the Bible app this year. I made an account before, but I'd never really checked into it enough to see how amazing it really is. There are a ton of devotionals and Bible plans you can do, and interacting with friends really encourages and pushes me to spend more time in the Word of God. I recommend it 100% and if you're on there already, comment your username so I can add you. I've also been using the She Reads Truth app, which has a lot of devotionals too, and beautiful wallpaper for your phone.
    
   This year I've been reading a lot of books. I review for Netgalley, and I decided to go on a requesting books spree, because I didn't have any books to read. Pretty soon I was swamped in books, if you include the fact that I also ordered a ton of books from the library. Today I finished the last book, but there's more waiting for me at the library now.
   Anyways, some of the best books I've read this year are: The Silver Suitcase by Terrie Todd, Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Diebler Rose, Counted With the Stars by Cossette Connilyn (Review coming soon), and Trouble in Store by Carol Cox.
  
    I haven't seen very movies this year, but the two that were my favorite are Polycarp and Alone Yet Not Alone. Some of the best music new artists I've found this year are Ellie Holcomb, Dan Bremnes, Lauren Daigle, and the best soundtrack is Emma.
    What else have I been doing this year? I've been able to get some more writing done, not as much as I'd hoped, but still a fair amount. I also did an English provincial (my first provincial ever), which went pretty well I think.
  
   To wrap things up, this new year has been wonderful so far. God is so good, already He's blessed me so much. What are some highlights of your 2016 so far?
     Sincerely,
     Rachel R.