How To Make Most Of The New Year

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Many people give advice on how to make the most of the New Year. They may suggest a new diet, a new exercise routine, new learning programs, new money management, or new relationships, but there is something else we should consider. Something that includes all those areas of our lives and more.

God’s word! Read your Bible. It’s as simple as that.

The goal isn’t just to read some verses and walk back into the rest of your life unaffected. The goal of reading your Bible should be to know God better and do what He says. How will the Bible change our year?

God communicates His truth and love through the Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). By reading the Bible, we are learning that God came to rescue us and give us what we need for our lives, through purpose and meaningful connections. When we experience the truth revealed in Scripture, we are given the opportunity to change. Since the Bible is full of truth, we have so many things to learn and ways to grow.

Scripture is a powerful tool God can use throughout our lives. Even if you’ve read the Bible for most of your life, there is always more to learn. Each time we open the Bible, God shows us something new and leads us further than we’ve been before.

Today, Jesus wants us to have a better New Year than we want for ourselves. The best way to discover what He has in store for us is to listen to Him and do what He says. That process begins with the instructions He has given us in His Word. As you move forward into this year, walk with Yahweh by reading the Bible and obeying Him. Scripture itself promises that God’s words would not return to Him void but accomplish what He desires (Isaiah 55:8-11).

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) 

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, as the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends. Father, help us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us spend time daily in your word. Learning to live in the most loving and God-conscious way. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race, colour or creed. God may my year be filled with peace, prosperity and love. May blessings shower upon me and bestow upon each of us a bright, healthy and peaceful new year. In Christ’s name, Amen

In Reflection

Do you want to see how much your New Year and your life can be changed by God? Read your Bible and follow Jesus, step by step.

Pocket Living in London: Micro-flats Gain Favour as the Answer to Big City Urban Density

Young Londoners have revealed that they would rather rent a tiny studio flat than a large property in a less desirable area.

We Haven’t Reached the Density of Hong Kong. But We’re Heading That Way

London’s population is expected to reach 10m by 2031 from its current 8.3m. London needs an estimated 49,000 new homes a year. This is not a new phenomenon, architects have confronted population growth and social changes before.

Obvious solutions include rental and shared ownership, while community building is also gaining ground in the UK. But there are other solutions out there, adding to the bigger picture. One of these is Pocket Living  micro-flats, backed by Mayor Boris Johnson.

Micro-apartments Are in Vogue Today. But in Japan, People Have Been Living in the Nakagin Capsule Tower’s 100-square-foot Housing for Decades

Some 45% of 18-24-year-olds in London said they would consider living in  a micro-flat  if that was in the “perfect” location. A  micro-apartment, also known as a micro-flat, is a one-room, self-contained living space, usually purpose-built, designed to accommodate a sitting space, sleeping space, bathroom and kitchenette with a size of 4-10 square meters.

They are  essentially modern versions of the British bedsit and are becoming popular in urban centers in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and North America, as  they represent a seemingly straightforward antidote to persistent affordable housing shortages in dense growing cities.

In fact, some micro-apartments are  being marketed as  cost-effective  fashionable lifestyle products.

Hogarth Architects transformed another large one-room flat in London into a stylish apartment using a wood insert that creates a separated kitchen and loft. It’s essentially one big piece of furniture custom-made for the space.
Large one-room flat in London
Hogarth Architects transformed another large one-room flat in London into a stylish apartment using a wood insert that creates a separated kitchen and loft. It’s essentially one big piece of furniture custom-made for the space.
Large one-room flat in London

Hogarth Architects transformed a large one-room flat in London into a stylish apartment using a wood insert that creates a separated kitchen and loft. It’s essentially one big piece of furniture custom-made for the space.

Micro-Apartments-Sloped-Roof-1

Micro-Apartments-Paris-Storage-2Curved  surfaces can make a small space even smaller. The ability to organise the rooms vertically is reduced. But Dutch architects Queeste Architecten have managed to give this 320-square-foot micro-flat a spacious feel using lots of white, with built-in furniture and storage.

Guide price  £8,000: the prototype of Ecodom's portable micro house is set to go to auction on 30 July
Guide price £8,000: the prototype of Ecodom’s portable micro house went to auction on 30 July

That oh-so-unfunny joke about moving into the garden shed is  now a reality for young Londoners.

The prototype of a portable  130sq ft  eco-friendly micro house that comes with a fold-down bed, kitchenette and shower room.

The micro houses, by Ecodom, will be constructed off-site and delivered fully made within two months of ordering, so it couldn’t be simpler to drop it into place and move straight in.

Oak Tube Apartment in Moscow
Oak Tube Apartment in Moscow

Architect Peter Kostelov turned a small flat  into a oak-lined tube. Kostelov removed all the walls from the center of the apartment and replaced them with glass so light could get from windows on one side to the balcony on the other.

Micro-Apartments-NYC-Loft-2

Specht Harpman Architects have turned a penthouse with a high ceiling into a two-level apartment and even managed to fit in a small grassy terrace.

Housing Complex in Slovenia is a Series of Honeycomb Modular Apartments
Honeycomb Modular Apartments
Housing Complex in Slovenia is a Series of Honeycomb Modular Apartments
Honeycomb Modular Apartments

Housing Complex in Slovenia is a Series of Honeycomb Modular Apartments

Japan’s famed Capsule Tower (and its scheduled demolition!), an iconic structure and unique archetype for contemporary prefab architecture. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa
Japan’s famed Capsule Tower

When it was built in 1972, architect Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower was meant to be the housing structure of the future.  Now in 2013, his “masterpiece” stands dilapidated and virtually empty.

21 Rooms in One Creative Condo
21 Rooms in One Creative Condo

Now here’s a solution that could revolutionize tiny spaces  a  slide-out system that turns a 350-square-foot space into 21 different rooms with bed, washing machine, entertainment, a bath covered by the bed when not in use, shelves, cabinets and more.

Do you believe higher density housing  is the  answer to London’s housing crisis as some believe  or will it turn the city into Hong Kong and Shanghai?  

 

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