Blessing Bags

While participating in new and unknown activities throughout the year can be fun, there is nothing like a family tradition to bring joy, happiness, and memories into the lives of our loved ones. Not only is it fun to see our children remember these special times from the past, but it's such a blessing to hear their little voices share the wonderment with younger siblings who have yet to participate in the experience!

One of our family's most loved traditions started about 5 years ago. I don't even know how it officially began, but it was a mix of our family's interest in the reaching out to the "urban outdoors-man" and our love of helping and serving others. For a long time, we had talked about the best way to help homeless people we saw out on the street and allow our children, at a young age, to help others, and to give in a way that didn't enable the homeless to use our gift on negative influences in their lives.

And through this discussion Blessing Bags were born!

 They have changed and grown over the years. Some years many family members have participated in purchasing, assembling and distributing the bags, other years it has only been our immediate family, while other times family has sent money or items to stock the bags. Some years the bags were the size of a gallon ziptop bag, sometimes a huge laundry bag, and sometimes somewhere in between. The beauty of the bag is that it is the heart of giving that determines what the bags look like each year!

After 24+ days of hectic Christmas preparation, filled with shopping, sewing, baking, and cleaning,  our attention is brought back to our amazing Savior and the awesome gift He came to give! It pulls us away from the distractions and the secular things, and focuses us on spreading His love to those who need Him most. It is also a wonderful time for our children to step away from the toys and goodies they've received that day and see how truly blessed they are....there's nothing like the realization that these special people are living on the street to make their "needs" turn into wants and even over abundance!

The fun begins with a shopping trip!! Most of what we need can be found at Dollar Tree (man I like that store! ;).  We start off by picking the bag we want to fill and deciding on how many we want to fill that year. This year we decided on 12 bags. I recommend packing bags in multiples of 6, 12, 18, etc., because most things at Dollar Tree come in multiples of 3 and 4's making it easy to pack bags without leftovers. Once we have the bag, we purchase things that will fit inside them.  Here is our list from this year:

• Christmas card and candy cane
• Bible/Christian literature
• Gloves
• Socks
• Hand warmers
• 3 in 1 shampoo, conditioner, body wash
• Deodorant
• Shaving cream
• Razor
• Lotion
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush and holder
• Comb
• Band aids
• Q-tips
• Wet wipes
• Washrag
• Travel mug
• Hot chocolate packets
• Instant coffee packages(1 cup size)
• Lemonade packages(1 bottle size)
• A water bottle
• Hard candy
• Gum
• Raisins
• Granola bars
• Crackers and chicken salad
• Honey bun
• Cookies
• Popcorn
• Food in a cup
• Mac and Cheese
• Oatmeal
• Noodles

The Kiddos assembling the bags!

The wonderful part about the bags is that they can be given out any time of the year as well. Our goal is not just to teach our children about giving God's love at Christmas time, but through the entire year, throughout their entire life! We make smaller versions of these bags in 2 gallon ziplock bags that we keep in our car all the time. Anytime we run into someone holding a sign on the side of the road that needs help, we have a real, tangible expression of God's free gift that our kiddos can hand out the window with a "God bless you!" to close the deal!

Family traditions are a wonderful way to instill great memories into the lives of our children, but most importantly they are a fantastic way of instilling the love of God into their hearts. Make sure that during this busy season, you are focusing on what is important, what will last.....Jesus, the TRUE Reason for this Season(and every season)!

Home Organizing 101 Challenge

Over the next 14 weeks, I will be participating in the Home Organization 101 challenge! I'm already super excited and have made huge strides in the first hot spot, THE KITCHEN!!

Would you like to join??

I purge all the time, but lately I've realized that my purging has been half-hearted. As long as things were fitting in the area they needed to fit in, I felt pretty good. But God has really been working on my heart and has shown me that I was putting this stuff in front of Him.

 

I thought it was stuff I would eventually use, but when I really stepped back and saw what I was holding onto and my clenched fists, I knew it was time to bless someone else with it.

An added bonus is that we will most likely be moving this upcoming July and I really don't want to move ANYTHING we aren't using.

I also came upon this fabulous blog that really encouraged me on my mission! What she says as she's trying to turn loose of some throw pillow, small dishes, and knives really inspired me....

"The truth is, decluttering should be hard. I should be standing in my kitchen with tears streaming down my face, beating my breast and calling out to God over all the times I wandered through stores full of fragile items, justifying myse...

lf as I put things I don't need into my cart. I should be on my knees repenting for caring more about polka dot dishes than starving orphans. I should be begging God to never let me forget again that we are here for something so much better than spending and consuming and storing up treasure here on this broken earth. We are here to touch lives. We are here to spend our lives on HIM.

How many more children could we have sponsored through compassion international if we weren't so busy filling our home with trinkets? How many people in our community could we have reached out to if we weren't spending our time trying to find a parking spot at the mall?

But instead I stand in my kitchen wondering whether I want a more authentic walk with the maker of the universe, or some really cute polka dot dishes.

And this realization, this conviction, brings me to my knees. Lord, break my heart with the things that break yours. "
During the last three weeks of August the sermon's at church were about contentment and again, these messages were transforming! I encourage you to listen to them!

I was being bombarded by these all of these messages on contentment from every angle and would be a fool not to listen, take heart, and put what I've learned into practice!

Join me on my mission to simplify, give to others, and rethink what needs really are!!!

Treasures.....Earthly or Heavenly?

Last time, I shared how we as a family are on a mission to live a simple life. Not just because it's fun, (sometime it's not fun) but because the Lord has impressed upon us the need to turn to Him to get our satisfaction in life not to this world and the things it offers.

In the Bible, it says in Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We constantly feel the pull of the world on us, to keep up with others, buy the newest and greatest, and fulfil our "needs" with things that are really wants. Adult peer pressure is a big distraction from living the way God wants us to.

God knew that these worldly things would be a great temptation to us or He wouldn't have been so clear and direct about how we should live.

So in order to give temptation the boot, we had to start thinking in a different way. When deciding that we wanted our home, our lives, and our hearts to look different than the world, we knew that others might not get it or understand our new focus, but we felt a total peace about what we were about to adventure out into. Our thinking had to change from "I want that!" to "What do I already have?"

We had to make a conscious decision to choose CONTENTMENT.

We needed to start saying "Thank you" to God for what He had blessed our family with, and start saying, "No thank you" to what the world was offering. The world offers temporary excitement, but it will decay and turn to dust, but if we focus our lives on stockpiling heavenly treasures we will have eternal rewards waiting for us.

We think it is so important that any family goal  we have is based in scripture and that we are trying to accomplish it for the correct reasons. Heart issues are of highest importance, because habits wont really stick if they aren't based in true convictions. Those convictions lead us to making decisions with eternal significance.

We've had many hurtle we've had to face on this journey, and one of the biggest has been having how we got  here? No little girls grows up saying,

"I can't wait to just fill my house to the brim with things I don't really need so I can clean, organize, and hoard them!!!"

Yet somehow our house was full of things that we just HAD to have at one point. We didn't stop to ask any questions about the purchases we were making.....they were cool, they were needed, and we wanted them now. Months, weeks, and days later, those same items were stuck in a closet or drawer gathering dust and taking up precious space.

We've had to take a step back to see why some things are in our home and why we bought them. We realized that decluttering and purging is great, but the real way to practice simple living is to be intentional in everything that we do. We realize we can't stop the "stuff cycle" until we start really evaluating what we are bring in to our home. We've introduced a new evaluation technique that we review with any purchase we are thinking  about making. Here are some of the questions we ask ourselves:

• Do I need this?
• Do we have something else that serves a similar purpose?
• Where will this item live?
• Does it fall into our budget?
• Would I enjoy packing this item into a box and transporting it when a move comes?
• Have I talked to my spouse about this?
• Have we prayed about it?
• Have I walked away from it, thought about it, researched it, and still want it?

What are some questions you ask when evaluation a purchase? Have you been convicted about the things your purchase?

It's That Time Again! (and Giveaway!!!!)

I don't know about you, but I am so in the mood for some spring cleaning!!!! I don't think that there is anything quite like the feeling of pulling everything out of a space, throwing away the junk, blessing others with items no longer needed, and putting only the most special items back in in an organized fashion! It's liberating! It's frustrating! It's humbling!

During the month of March, I will be joining the challenge given by Simple Mom to simplify our lives by unburdening ourselves of the stuff that is laying seige to our homes!

On Mondays (the 5th, 12th, 19th, & 26th) in March, there will be a new Hot Spot to work on that week! There will be a prize at the end, but as Simple Mom says the real prize, "is a clean, more decluttered home."

Here are the Hot Spots:

*5th - Kid's Stuf ~ Toys, clothes, etc.*

*12th - Kitchen and/or pantry*

*19th - Closets, counters, & drawers*

*26th - Choose your own adventure*

Since it's only the middle of February and I'm ready and rearing to go, I thought I would spend the next two Mondays preparing my heart and head for the Great Spring Purge of 2012!

I've always been a pack rat at heart. I have great emotional attachments to things, the feelings those things give me, and the guilt of letting an item go. But as with everything in life, if you are trying to fill a round hole with a square peg, it's not going to work. I used my things as a crutch for many years when I should have been relying on the Lord to fill that space.

I used my stuff, my wordly goods, to try to complete me in a way only my Savior could. Only in the last couple of years have I been able to let go of those mere things and realize that they can't fulfil me. I've learned that not only can they not fill a void, but they also distract me from who the Lord wants me to be.

Stuff has held me prisoner for much to long. I've had to

buy it,

clean it,

store it,

move it,

organize it,

straighten it,

dust it,

box it,

unpack it,

declutter it,

and sadly there's been times I've worshipped it.

It made me feel good, feel important, and feel special. Those are feelings I shouldn't be trying to get from material items. By God's grace, He has opened my eyes and heart and showed me that STUFF can be a derogatory word and has shown me my errors and given me a fresh outlook!

I'm so excited to share this journey with you, so I hope you will come back on Mondays to hear how the Lord has convicted our family to focus on Christ, not our things and to share your progress!!

GIVEAWAY!!!

To get this party started I am giving away a copy of Karen Ehman's The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized!! This is a fabulous book that shows you how to manage your time, eliminate clutter, experience order and keep family first! I really enjoyed this book and I know you will too! It's a easy read and it may help you in your journey too!!!

To enter, please leave a comment on why you would love to win this book!!

Extra entries:

* Join the Challenge*

*Share this post on FB*

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Lent Challenge!

So I found this great blog and I loved her idea of purging for Lent. Her goal, 40 bags in 40 days!! It could be donations, things to sell, or just trash and junk. I have been in a nesting mood for a while now and already have piles of things to donate and give away, not to mention tons of trash!! Lent starts on March 9th, so you have plenty of time to gear up with trash bags and boxes! :)

Every day for 40 days my goal will be to lighten our load in order to have an easier place to clean, a happier place to live, and encourage a heart for giving in our family. We have so many things that we could bless others with and now is a perfect time to focus on Jesus' gift and sacrifice for us. This is a really good hands on way to let go of some things that may be weighting us down, share with others, and focus our attention on not being materialistic!!

I would love for you to join too!! Don't forget to take before and after pictures to share! Check out Clover Lane, she has some great ideas!!!

Chance meeting? I think not!

This weeks challenge is to share how we met our wonderful husband, so here goes....



I was a 2nd semester freshman, Tom was a second semester Junior. He had been the floor president on the 3rd floor in Willham North for a couple years, a vacancy had just come available on my floor, the 2nd floor, and I stepped up to take the job. I had gone to only one hall wide meeting and met a few people, but I had made a lasting impression on a guy I'd never even seen or spoken to.



Tom says that the moment he saw me at the meeting, he knew he had to meet me, so a couple of days later when an incident happened on his floor, he saw his chance. Tom's RA was a pot head that was univolved and never present on his floor. Tommy called me to help him when a problem arose a week later. There were some guys smoking pot on his floor and he asked me to come help. I said I would be right up, but in my head I was thinking, "Why are you calling me? I've been a president for one week, I don't know what to do?"

I was soon in his room and we discussed what we would do. We decided we should verify for sure what the huge cloud of smoke was coming from and then we would call the hall leader and the police. Out we trudged down the hall. Tommy knocked on the door and the "brainiacs" actually opened the door to see what we wanted. After being knocked over by billowing smoke, we called the authorites and allowed the professionals take over.

While still in his room, after finishing our reports, Tommy asked me if I wanted to come back later that evening to watch a movie with his floor! Way to take advantage of the situation! And here we are today! A couple months later Tommy asked me to marry him and on June 12, 2004 we were married at Theta Pond on the OSU Campus!

God had a plan for our lives, He had a perfect plan! I learned from this experience that SOMEONE is always watching. I went to a meeting to help out when a floor president was needed, but a guy I didn't even know was watching and liked what he saw. God is always there watching too! No matter how small the role, no matter what situation, remember someone is watching you and hopefully they are encouraged with what they see. Our lives are always a tool to witness and share God's love. Remember - even our smallest action can influence those around us.

Be the Woman Your Man Needs!!

Join Women Living Well for the Completing Him Challenge!!

Here's the Topic Schedule for those who want to link up each week:

June 7 - announce to your readers you are participating by posting the button on your site and leaving your link below.

June 14 – Post Pictures from your dating days (or tell us all about it!). Think about one thing you used to do or have as a couple that you have lost in the shuffle of life. How can you regain it?

June 21 - Remember Your Vows - post pictures of your wedding day. We will review the sacredness of this day.

June 28 - Ask your husband every morning how you can pray for him that day. Bonus: Fast and pray for him one day this week.

July 5 - Admire Your Husband. Write this post and then show it to him! He will smile!

July 12 - Make a list of 5 things you currently do and ask him to prioritize them for you of what is important to him. For example - a clean home, home cooked dinner, coupon clipping, service at church, having friends over for dinner, watching/doing sports with him, etc.

July 19 - Make him a priority. Ask him what his favorite dinner, dessert and drink are. Be sure to serve him all three one night this week. Bonus: cook his favorite dishes all week long!

July 26 - Support his vision. Discuss his vision for your family. Where does he see your family in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. Share with us how you let your husband lead.

August 2 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T! No complaining, criticizing, rolling your eyes, nagging, or giving him any friction this week. Enjoy a week of peace in your home!

August 9 - Kiss Him Like You Mean It (and be sure the door is locked!)

The Beauty of God's Creations

Hot Topic: Health Care Reform

Well Joy got me all fired up again about the healthcare bill. I've been encouraging people to sign the petition to remove the abortion mandate from this crazy bill, but it would be great if we could totally get the bill scrapped. As a medical family, we did not spend all this time and money to be regulated by the government in how much we charge and how we treat our patients. The doctor knows best not some money hogging politician. Just ask people in Canada how they feel about waiting weeks, months, and sometimes years for procedures that could have saved their lives if performed more quickly. Not to mention that the bill will be telling my husband (OB/GYN) to kill unborn babies whether he wants to or not, and OUR tax dollars will be going to murder these innocent lives. The overall goal of socialized healthcare is to regulate the population by regulating who lives and dies, who gets treatment and who doesn't, why pay for treatment for someone who is just going to be a burden on society when we can just let them die and keep the population under control, same for those tiny precious lives that they will be taking, fewer mouths to feed.

Sorry to preach, but human lives are too important to allow Washington to sneak this bill in quickly. If you would like to help, please check out this site and sign the petition to at least take the abortion mandate out of this crazy plan.

http://www.aclj.org/

Also, it's so important to call your representatives in Washington and let them know that you want them to vote to not pass this healthcare bill, Obama is trying to get it rushed through before people figure out what is going on and realizing how it will affect them. Please pray that God will turn the hearts of America back to Him. With HIS help we can accomplish anything!

Overwhelmed

I wrote this on my other blog today, I know a lot of us are settling in to a new life and having some difficulties in the process. I hope that these scriptures and what was on my heart today will help some of you get through these trying days easier. You are all in my prayers and I hope you will keep our family in your prayers.

http://devotioninmotion.blogspot.com/2009/07/leaning-on-everlasting-arms.html

Beware the Big Fish

As I write this, I am almost in tears. It has finally hit me that we are leaving this coming Tuesday to PERMANENTLY move to Michigan. I knew it was coming, but I don't think the reality of it really set in until today when our buyer's agent called and asked "Thursday or Friday?" for our closing day and I started running around packing last minute things, making a reservation for a moving truck and making lists of things that had to be completed before we blast off. I was so relieved and refreshed when I looked over at my daily devotional on my blog and it had this wonderful scripture for me.

Jonah 1:1-3 NIV: "The word of the LORD came to Jonah´Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.´ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish."
Jonah learned the hard way what happens when a child of God does not yield to the will of God. In our lives as believers, it is probable that God is going to lead us in a direction we did not expect, or lead us to do a work we would never have chosen to do. And within that moment, we (like Jonah) have a choice: we can be obedient to God´s will, thus allowing God to work through us as He wishes; or we can run from God´s will and, essentially, be miserable. It is not God´s intention to make you miserable. But rest assured that since we are His, and since we have a purpose of God´s desire, we must function accordingly if we are to have peace. The benefits far outweigh the costs. Letting go of what we think or want is difficult, but necessary, if God is to complete His perfect work in us. Anything else is like kicking "against the goads." The best thing we can do is simply follow His way, and stop trying to force our will above His.

I am still always amazed at how God always has just the right message for me at the right time. I know that God has great plans for our family there and that these next four years are going to be a wonderful adventure as long as we remember to rely on Him. I'm sure post-pregnancy hormones are playing a big part of this too, but all the unknown is sometimes overwhelming. Please keep our family in your prayers during this next week with our closing, new car, traveling, remodeling, and settling in all comes to fruition! I hope you all have a great week!

The Glad Game

For any of you that know me, you know that I love, love, love old movies! I really have always enjoyed the movie Pollyanna. For those of you not familiar with this film, Pollyanna is an orphan that is finally taken in by her negative, bitter, and controlling Aunt Polly. Pollyanna's parents were missionaries and lived basically off of nothing in the town that they were ministering. She is always grateful for anything she has and when she moves in with her town-owning aunt, she can't understand how so many people in the town are so negative and unhappy when they have been blessed with so many wonderful things. She plays the Glad Game constantly, always finding the positive in situations and sharing her ideas with those around her. Finally, her kindness, positive attitude, and witnessing wins over her aunt and the entire town.

I'm a very positive person and this movie for me is a little reminder of what it means to be thankful and "glad" for things, people and circumstances around me. Because I try to see the positive in most things, this sometimes annoys my sweet hubby, who likes to say he is realistic not pessimistic, "tomato, tamato"! hehe

Lately in my walk with the Lord I have really been trying to be a better wife, more respectful of what my husband's needs, and wants and wishes are for our family. Again, I'm so glad it is his responsibility not mine to lead our family. I have also been really trying to make sure the things I do and say are godly and pleasing in the sight of God. Lately, I have noticed I have been negative, down trodden, and unhappy with things around me. The Bible says in Philippians 4:8,

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

I realized that I hadn't been thinking on these things lately and that a lot of my thoughts had been negative and judgemental. I started thinking about things I had been doing lately and realized that I had been spending TONS of time online. Since Tom has been home and has been taking care of most of things around the house, I have been spending my time resting on the couch, with the computer on my lap. Not only has this led to a permanent discoloration on my left leg, due to the hot fan on the laptop burning my skin, but has also been distracting me from important things. While I do spend most of my time on uplifting sites looking at ways to save our family money, ways to be a better mom and wife, and plans to update our new home (if we ever get there!), there were also sites where women were venting about their husbands, whining about their kids and family, and being unhappy about their emotional, mental, financial, and physical status.

This obviously isn't rocket science to anyone, but I realized in reading those posts and sites, I was getting worked up about those matters too and unkind and ungodly thoughts and words were creeping into my life. I was being idle and letting those things replace the Christ-like ideas that I hold dear. In 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15 Paul warns the church,

“We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.”

I even noticed that some people that I am around were bringing this distraction into my life and I was having difficulty staying positive and seeing the good things when I was around those people. I talked to Tom about what he thought the Bible said about hanging around those people or going to those sites that are a negative influence. We are still discussing the long term effects and what changes would have to be made and are praying that God will show us clearly if those friendships need to be worked on, changed, or left behind, but we want to make sure we are keeping our walk close to the Lord, while not judging others for their choices. I know that I am no where near perfect and that I am growing everyday, and while it is hard to think of having to move on from a friendship, it is our goal to follow Titus 2 in our daily walk.

But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

As Christians, how we live our lives is so important. I never want to cause another to fall because of something I did or didn't do. It is so easy to say I am a Christian, but if I'm not living like one, what a great dishonor I am doing to God's word. I want people to know without a question of a doubt who is in charge of my life and our family's life.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.-Romans 12:2

I have no idea who is watching my life, who is seeing how I react or what I do, and even if it is only my husband and my sons that see my Christian walk, those three people are enough motivation to make sure I'm following Christ's example. He has given us all such a wonderful gift that I don't ever want to take it for granted and get lazy in how I live. So in saying all of this, I took most of last week off the Internet to really refresh myself, I stayed away from those negative sites, and made sure the things I was watching, listening to, and reading were glorifying to the Lord and I had such a great week! Tom and I started a new devotional series together, we listened to a great relaxing hymn station online, and read uplifting books to ourselves and to Grant!!!

I know that balance is the key to everything, but with all the negativity in the world, did I really need to be adding to my load - for the fun of it? I would encourage anyone to take a sabbatical from the Internet and media and really refocus on your family, yourself, and the Lord......It's always a good idea! When I look back at my time on earth and when my family and friends look back at my life, I hope that they can easily say that I was as close to being a Proverbs 31 woman as I could be, with God's help!

Proverbs 31:10-31

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.