Just Another Manic Monday

It's Monday morning, and I'm ready! I'm taking to heart our last week's Bible study and I'm going to apply it. Really. I am.

See, I no longer will focus on what I have to do. The lists will no longer own my day. I will own the lists and tasks that are written on them. It's because I'm blessed in so many ways that I will have the opportunity to make this day something special.

I get to do four loads of laundry. I get to plan the week's menu and shop for groceries. I get to make sure lunches are packed and wrestling gear is taken to school. I get to update my financial records on the computer. I get to scrub toilets and clean my house. I get to attend a meeting at church regarding our renovated building.

When a life focuses on all of the blessings that God has provided, our days take on a different hue. We can rejoice that Jesus has died for us so that we can be compassionate to that person who dropped the ball on the project at work. We can thank God for our health that allows us to take care of the house He has provided and the family He has given to us.

It's a simple change of words that simply changes our hearts and how we live. If we all did this, think about how our days would change and how much our relationships with the people in our lives would smooth over. Our tasks will be rewards, and the people we interact with today will be seen as blessings in all circumstances.

Gotta run - I get to start another load of sheets and then take my daughter to school.

Mindy

Alone... and bored!

The kids are back in school. It's day two, and I'm bored! Oh, I have plenty to do. More laundry to fold. The dishwasher is beeping to remind me of my part of the process. Dust is making beautiful designs on the furniture. But dinner is in the crockpot! Does that count?

Back-to-school is such a time of change for all of us. More pressure to be organized and on the ball. Less time for family fun. And I'm at home, all alone, with my own work begging to be done. Everything was organized and lovely at the end of May because I knew it wouldn't get done over the summer. Come on, baseball and swimming were so much more important than filing paperwork!

But here I am, looking around, wondering where to start. My calendar is filling up with volunteer appointments and visiting friends, but the bulk of my work is here. at home. by myself. It's too quiet. No one is fighting. No one is watching Disney Channel. Just me, myself and a long to-do list. I don't need a job, because I have one. I just don't want to do it today. Maybe I need a vacation. Summer vacation, anyone? Oh, yeah. Better wash the beach towels first.

Summer storms

There was lightning that wouldn't stop, and it was accompanied by deep, rolling thunder. Our family from southern California was enthralled by the storms that we experience in the midwest. During their five nights with us, we had three thunderstorms!

Once again a thunderstorm popped up while we were recently visiting family near Kansas City. My kids and I were swimming in a great community pool, and my husband was golfing as the dark clouds rolled in. Back at the club house, we were all wondering how the evening would be - unbearably humid or cooler and lovely? Thunderstorms tend to make it one way or the other, but we have to wait and see.

I was thinking that our lives are like that. Each experience we have can go one way... or the other. God allows our lives to take various twists and turns. We can't always predict which way it will go. But we trust that it's ok because he is with us. God is a constant in our lives, and he always works for good in those who love him. It's such a simple concept! But we fail to remember that the muggy night is part of God's creation, just like the cool, breezy summer night. We are to find to the joy in every circumstance and be grateful for what he has provided.

I'm so grateful that God allows us to wrestle with these questions without getting annoyed at us and whopping us with a heavenly-sized fly swatter. Which decision is the right one? Where should I live? If the choices we make do not cause us to sin and they are in line with God's will for us, we should rejoice in the life he has given us and go forward with boldness, knowing that he will be with us no matter what the outcome is - muggy or cool and lovely.

Domestic tranquilty - how money plays into this

The big news is that Americans are going to have to one day confront our national debt. President Obama is signing a bill to raise our debt ceiling. Great for now, but...

Our country needs to wake upand look at our lifestyle and recognize the need for true change. We need to reevaluate our lives and how money ties into domestic traquility. I know that my household is much more peaceful when our bills are being paid and we live within our means. As a country, we will live more peacefully when we do not owe so much to the world. Our comfort is in the hands of our creditors, which is a scary thought.

Maybe it's time to look at relative simplicity in our lives. Select sports may go out the window, as well as voice lessons and competitive dance teams. We may make more meals at home and invite friends over to spend the evening at our house and not the nearest restaurant. One parent may decide to stay out of the workforce and focus on the family and volunteering in the community or church.

This approach will result in a short-term economic struggle because consumption will not quickly resume to the levels that sustained our binge. This means our enemployment rate will not quickly come down, but it doesn't mean that our country will be in danger. It means that our country will have happier families which are the basis of society. If we have stronger families, we have happier and more productive children who will feel loved for who they are, not what they accomplish.

It's an interesting idea that will need time to take hold. Let's stop and ask our grandparents what they loved most about growing up. I remember my mom recalling her family's Sunday afternoons - drives to friends' houses, or the family coming over to play cards. Real interaction, not social networking.

This is a crazy time for many reasons, and I don't have the time to address every one of them in this session. I just want to start with the idea of fiscal domestic tranquility in our private lives - we need to be pioneers in restraint. Can we do it? Can we really disengage ourselves from the overconsumption of vacations and "me" time? Can we pull our kids out of activities that are over-the-top and really not beneficial?

We can't expect our politicians to do what we're not willing to do, so let's put our money where our mouths are!

Nobody knows the trouble we'll have...

How interesting it is to read the headlines. Yesterday's finanical headlines focused on how the unemployment numbers would be higher, oil was falling, and that home prices would be falling by double digits this year. I just scanned the news and oil is up for the fourth day, median home prices are stable, and unemployment numbers are much better than anticiapted.



All of this confirms what we already know - nobody know the troubles we'll have, or the great times that are ahead. If we had listened to the experts two years ago, oil would be at $200 a barrel instead of trading at $71. I am one who follows the market, and I need to know what's going on today. But why?



Does it matter what my IRA is worth right now, because it certainly won't be the same in 30 years or in 30 minutes. Life changes on a dime. I cannot be secure in my government or my assets because they are based on the actions and wisdom of others. I can, however, be certain of my future as a child of God. I know where I need to focus my time and talents. I know how to treat others and enrich my life in Christ Jesus. I know that my life has a part II where I will be in his glorious presence.



While the world around is like a carousel, going up and down while going round and round, I am standing in one place looking up. It's stabilizing and comforting to know my path, even though it is landscaped with thorns and weeds that try to entice me off the straight and narrow path.



It is this focus that enables me to filter the noise of the world. The abundant love and mercy that God gives me is the greatest gift, and I try to teach my children about the compass he provides. But it can be tough, but nothing is impossible for him who believes. What a promise!

Kids are getting less dependent

It's a bright, crisp winter morning. It's 8:00 a.m. and I'm in bed, waiting to hear our kids stir. The boys and their friends slept in the family room. I don't want to wake them, so I am enjoying a lazy morning. Hmm, once they awaken I'll make waffles and bacon for breakfast. They love homemade waffles, and we have no place to rush to this morning.

But it then hit me that they are less dependent on me, and it's a liberating feeling as well as a sad one. The days of me being their sun are gone - they now look to me for guidance, money, rules and love. They are capable of making many of their own plans and decisions. They're even old enough to willingly accept the consequencse of poor choices - such as not studying enough for a test or procrastinating on a project.

It's interesting to me that God created these little guys, and girls, who enter our world completely reliant on us. We love them with our heart, soul, mind and strength. It's a love that is completely overwhelming when we stop and examine it. We love with no expectations. They grow up and love us in return - they love because we first loved them. God created this relationship to reflect how he loves us - completely, unconditionally, because we are his. We grow and love him because he first loved us.

With that love we grow into the people he has called us to be. That loves extends to our children, too. They grow because of our love and support. We see glimmers of who they will be as they mature. Our love gives them the roots from which to grow. We give them the freedom to explore their gifts and passions, and we pray they make the right choice. Just like God hopes we make the right choice.

It's helpful for us to remember that God has the same expectations of us as adult children of God as we have of our children. We give them rewards when they are obedient and work to their potential, just as God promises blessings to those who are obedient to him. It's a "practice what you preach" type of lesson. So maybe as we remind our children of our expectations of them, we should pray and ask God to keep us obedient to him and his expectations of us.

SOTU speech

It's always interesting to see how people spin political speeches. One party will blast the POTUS and criticize every word. The other party will point out how he resonated with the American public and will accomplish all of his tremendous plans. The truth is somewhere, but I don't always see it. I listen to the speeches through the coloring of my life and my expectations of the role of government and if I like the POTUS.

I don't care for lies, whichever party is spewing them. I like truth, even if it's blunt and bold. What I don't understand is why a President would blast the Supreme Court in this speech. I don't understand why he would continue to attack the banking business, which only responded to the demands of Congress to create loan products that would allow more people to afford mortgages.

I don't understand why this President would talk about jobs creation and common sense approaches to spending now, when he has had a year to do it. Fine, get after it, but don't make it sound like a bold, new idea.

The US is in a difficult place- our standard of living is remarkable, but how do we maintain what we think is our right? We need jobs, but we refuse to work for wages that keep our products at a competitive price. We want to vilify businesses, but we desperately need them to create jobs. We want small businesses to thrive, but we hammer them with so much regulation that it's overwhelming and expensive, not to mention scary.

America, we are at a crossroads. For years we were smacked because we didn't save enough. Now we are being told that we need to consume. What's the right answer? What does the government want from us?

I think we first need to realize that the government really doesn't exist - the citizens exist. We pay taxes, we vote for officials, we have the control. Let's exercise this control and demand accountability from our legislators at all levels of government. Read proposed legislation and comment on it. Think about how government really affects your life. Then think about your day and how you could have lived it better - and do it tomorrow.