Posts Tagged 'priorities'

cut the clutter

Published December 13, 2011 Christmas , enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , missions , prayer , relationships , spiritual 2 Comments
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When I was growing up, my dad would collect antique furniture & the term “collect” was an understatement.  When I would take out the trash to the garage, it was a risky expedition.  I’d be super careful not to touch or brush up against anything for fear of an antique avalanche under which I would be buried.  I remember telling my mom one time that if I didn’t come back from the garage in 15min, to bring a chainsaw & come looking for me.  Needless to say, I survived.  My aunt’s refrigerator was a similar collection, but more lethal ,)

Sometimes I think our lives are like that with God – so full of clutter, that He almost gets buried amidst: work pressures, kids’ activities, house responsiblities, Christmas preparations, etc.  From time to time, its an essential exercise that we de-clutter our lives.  To do this, it helps to look at the priorities that God has put in our lives:  love Him, love people, love our selves, stay true to His purposes in our lives.  From these priorities, we can then simplify & de-clutter our time, bedside reading pile, clothing needs, significance activities, re-structure our relationship priorities, etc.  Avoid the avalanche & cut the clutter :)

balancing important priorities

Published November 20, 2011 enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual , travel 1 Comment
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  I get asked the question alot about balancing family, travel, ministry, church, work, etc. and I think its a GREAT question that I also frequently ask.  I’m comfortable to share my thoughts on the balance topic, with the foundational understanding that I don’t see myself in any way as an expert on the subject, nor would I even pretend to be all-knowing on this really important question.  With that being said, here are some of my thoughts:

  • for me, balance is often a moment by moment & decision by decision activity
  • being flexible is essential for balance
  • focusing on what is most essential helps me to keep my balance
  • balance sometimes means that I have to re-shuffle schedules, plans & activities (with this re-shuffling, its important not to get cranky about a change of plans)
  • for me, margin is essential for balance – when I fill time & energy to the maximum, I find it hard to concentrate & make good choices
  • balance requires wisdom – a gift that God gives to us when we ask Him with faith

Balance – a very good goal that requires agility, wisdom & nimble choices :)

a voice from the past ,)

Published October 5, 2011 Angola , family , Holy Spirit , living , missions , prayer , saving moses , spiritual 1 Comment
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Ok, right off the bat, please forgive me for not blogging since I’ve returned from Angola.  And here’s the honest truth:  when I come back from these trips where I connect with moms, infants, healthcare workers, etc who live on the frontlines of infant mortality everyday, coming home can sometimes be complicated.  This return, especially compared to last year, is less difficult emotionally for me, but is more physically difficult.  Please don’t interpret my thoughts here to be complaints because I’m deeply thankful to God for this absolutely magnificent honor of getting to love “the least of these”.  Nevertheless, my body is pretty worn down so I’ve been endeavoring to maintain my essential priorities that of course include nurturing healthy relationships with my family.

With all of that being said, let me also include that I had one of the richest times of the year with God yesterday morning – waking at 3am due to the time change.  We had some delicious fellowship meandering through Acts 3, when the beggar was healed at the temple.

I’ll get back into the blogging routine here & shortly we’ll be putting up some great pix from our Angola @savingmoses trip :)

pause

Published August 17, 2011 cooking , enemies to intimacy , family , living , prayer , spiritual 1 Comment
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 Do you ever remember going to an amusement park & getting on a ride that looked really amazing, only to wish you could get off, halfway through the ride because it was too intense?  I even remember saying, “how do you make this thing stop?”

Sometimes, life needs a pause button – it can get super intense.  For me, life has been pretty intense of late (back to school prep, work deadlines, etc) & I’m interested in finding that pause button.  So here are some things I’ve found to be helpful (feel free to add more ideas that have helped you):

  • family meals – get in a few during the week & put your phones on silent:  genuine conversations as a family can be very therapeutic
  • instead of looking at time in 1 day increments, consider looking at time in 1 week or 1 month increments – giving demands & deadlines more working space than the daily crisis mode
  • take a walk in the evening – did this a few nights ago & it was extremely helpful [minus the mosquitos ,) ]
  • God time – don’t shortchange what fuels your heart, otherwise life can go south before you know what’s happening
  • good diet & exercise routines – in crunch times, food & exercise can often be the 1st to get scraped;  keep these routines as they can provide some good anchors to weather various storms & seasons

dealing with frustration

Published July 27, 2011 family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual 1 Comment
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 I think our lives go through different seasons & timings.  Some of these seasons are easier than others.  But presently, I seem to find myself in a bit of a frustrating season.  It seems like wherever I look, there’s something messed up, missing or not going smoothly.  I’ve got some kid challenges – dentist adventures, back to school prep, behavior coaching, etc.  I’ve got some work challenges – some changes with how we do our work, some people changes, moving adjustments, etc.  Reece is presently leading a missions trip in Haiti, which is TOTALLY EXCELLENT for him, but adds some pressure on me.  I could continue with my list, but I think you get the gist & you probably don’t want any help to think about your own frustrations.

So here are some helpful thoughts:

  • some frustrations are temporary – when there’s a foreseeable end, it helps to remember that there will be a conclusion
  • deal with one thing at a time – when we pile frustration upon frustration they can get overwhelming;  looking at them one at a time makes them more manageable
  • lessons:  it’s important to ask yourself what ways God might be challenging you to grow in (stop procrastinating, self-discipline, time management, etc)
  • exercise:  there’s alot of merit to getting into some exercise routines to help release stress through physical exercise :)
  • escaping isn’t always the answer – sometimes there’s no better solution than to look a frustration in the eyes & deal with it head on;
  • prayer – this is probably my best tool to deal with frustration:  lifting up to God what’s happening or what I’m frustrated about & then listening & watching for His answers & help
May God help us to not be overwhelmed with our frustrations but to keep our confidence in His abilities, love & wisdom :)

time

Published July 22, 2011 family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual Leave a Comment
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It’s easier to make money than time – indeed, one could argue that we can’t make time.  So how we use the time that we have can be a direct reflection of our values & priorities.  We all spend time doing the normal things of life:  school / work, family interactions & investments, friendships, working out, reading, etc.  Some of the things in our life are mandatory time demands & other things are discretionary time demands.

In relation to the discretionary time demands, I’ve watched many families over the years fill up their time with sports, activities, etc & every so often, they seem a little frazzled.  Now please don’t jump to the conclusion that I’m opposed to sports, activities etc.  We have our kids in several different things over the course of a given year.  But I think we have to be careful to make decisions with our time that reflect our values & priorities.  For example, my husband & I don’t see our oldest son being an NFL recruited football player.  As such, we have him in flag football over this Summer, but its primarily for the purpose of getting him some exercise & increasing his sports exposure.  My point is that its important for each of us to use our time as a reflection of our priorities & not allow it to be frittered away into oblivion.

I want to give my time to the most important priorities in my life & may God help me to make decisions with how I use my time in ways that are pleasing to Him.

seek 1st God’s Kingdom & His righteousness

Published March 24, 2009 living , spiritual 7 Comments
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imported-photos-00018Ok, I’m speaking tomorrow night on Matt 6:33 – seek 1st God’s kingdom & His righteousness & all these things will be added to you.  The previous verses are when Jesus tells us not to worry.  So with that in mind, what do you think Jesus meant when He said to seek 1st the Kingdom AND God’s righteousness???  Please leave a comment – would enjoy getting your feedback! :)

what I liked about this day

Published November 14, 2008 living 4 Comments
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sunset1
From time to time, I think its a healthy exercise to think about all the good things in a day – keeps me thankful, hopeful & positive (all good things to have / be).  So here are some things:

  • coming in to wake up Isabell & seeing her sprawled like she used to sleep as a baby
  • Reece making the kids’ breakfast & lunch (he does this almost everyday and its wonderful!)
  • getting to do traffic today at the kids’ school (aka crossing guard).  I did the cross walk so I get to say “hi” to lots of friends and people.  :)
  • thinking about Jesus’ words about forgiveness after the Lord’s Prayer in Matt 6 – He’s a big forgiveness promoter.  Gee, I wonder why?!?!?
  • a GREAT parent / teacher conference w 1 of Benji’s teachers – he’s brilliant and she thinks so too.  Its so pleasant when we all agree  ;)
  • reading the Cat in the Hat to Benji
  • having pho, eggrolls & avacadoe boba for lunch w a friend (how do you spell avacadoe?)
  • having some solitude & quiet to myself this afternoon at the house – an extremely RARE treat!
  • walking to pick up and walk home w David & Bell – great conversations & hang out time together
  • making a healthy dinner for my family & having a great family time together
  • bedtimes – see nice to read, snuggle, cuddle and be

    • Reece is going skiing tomorrow.  He bought a helmet & he keeps asking me these questions about how its supposed to fit – my clueless answers are only seeming to make him ask more questions to which I know not the answers.  I’m very HAPPY he’s wearing a helmet now.  No details necessary.  :)

    sarahbowling

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