blog is a many splendored thing

For those of you who pay attention to the dates; I fell asleep last night before finishing my post and getting it published…  So, today, you get two for the price of one.  I also have tomorrow’s post ready so I can rest on the Lords day! God really has a special place in his heart for farmers.  God placed the very first man he created on His farm to tend to it.  Genesis 2:8 (KJV) - And the LORD God planted a garden [or farm] eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Jesus loved farmers.  He told His disciples that His Father was a farmer.   John 15:1 (KJV) - I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Farmers must be the best people in The Word, and the world, at keeping at a thing until the finish.  By the way, some of my favorite people are farmers, and they are a wonderful example of sticking to it.  The hardest part, (and the most expensive, I would guess) comes at planting time and at harves...

I suppose it is in all human nature – ok, I am human and it is my nature – to start something new with gusto and zeal and then I get tired, or run down, and I start slipping into my old ways.  It is so easy to make plans, to set goals, to gather supplies, and to get started.  It’s not in getting started I have a problem; it’s in sticking to that which I start. So it is with books, crafts, sewing, and other projects I’ve started…  I look around and I see dozens of projects started; but the finishing is nowhere in sight.  That isn’t good for me, it isn’t good for my sense of accomplishment, and it isn’t good for the clutter levels in our home. It’s not uncommon for me to have several books going all at the same time because I have started one, saw another with an interesting title, and others were recommended to me; unfortunately I may not make it back to the first book to ever get to “the good part”.   You know, life can be that way too!  If we don’...

Yay!  Amy has signed on to this project.  She will be here next Saturday for an initial walk through and for us to start making a detailed plan of action.  Meanwhile, I thought it would be a good idea for me to set down some of my smart goals on paper so I could remember why this is important to me as we get started.  The hard work that is coming means that I need to define what I want out of the project, what I consider a success, and basic guidelines for moving forward. When Amy comes we’ll discuss details, start some project lists, and discuss a realistic plan of attack so we keep moving in the right direction.  It’s important for me to keep my dreams in front of me so I don’t give up when times get tough. Goal let go of the stuff and let God use me S Specific Simplify my life by ridding myself of stuff I do not use. Use the stuff I keep to honor and glorify God . Define Keep or Go Keep – useful stuff we ne...

As promised in yesterday’s post (lists2) , today we’ll discuss Project Lists .  Why so much time on lists?  It’s not just the writing of the list that I enjoy, or the satisfaction it gives me to check-off completed tasks, I love the creative planning that goes into the lists. Lists give us the opportunity to turn on our creative juices, to plan our successes, and to build our dreams.  List making frees the artist in us and lets us imagine the very best that life can be.  I am an accountant, there isn’t much creative about accounting; as a matter of fact, many “creative” accountants have ended up in jail.  So, I have opted to find my creative outlets in other areas of life!  Hence, the need for a project list! Project Lists These lists support special events and endeavors; things I don’t do every day because I need to work in order to eat regularly and live indoors.  Such things might include vacation planning, birthday parties, side jobs, c...

Ok, it is the beginning of a new year, it seems like a good time to set out some goals to get me moving in the right direction; to that end, it’s time to grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing…  Did I mention that I am a list maker?  Yes, I am!  I really like lists! Lists motivate me.  They give me a sense of accomplishment.  I love the little checkmarks that accumulate along the side of the page as I finish each item.  I even like the little “X” marks, and scratch out lines, which signify to me that items I once considered worthy of listing have now lost their urgency or appeal. Lists can be fun!  They help me sort through my thoughts, and to prioritize them, so I can see what I need to accomplish.  List making provides flexibility.  Putting pen to paper allows me to respond to distractions but brings me back to what I originally started out to do. Sometimes I get lazy and I am always easily distracted.  I have c...

I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of my friends and family who have been so supportive.  I received many very kind words of encouragement in response to my very first ever blog post.  I do have to admit that it was fun to see those words in print knowing that they had been published to the internet!  So... now you know...  I am very easily amused , hahaha! I would like to talk to you about something God has placed on my heart today:  ENCOUR'AGEMENT , noun The act of giving courage, or confidence of success; incitement to action or to practice; incentive.   ( http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Home?word=Encourage ). Encouragement can take the form of the least little thing but it is so important to each of our lives.  A little Godly advice from a friend, a kind word from an acquaintance, or a cheerful attitude from someone we look up to helps to validate our feelings of worth, of accomplishment, and of belonging.  A smile, a to...