Time to Defrost?

There have been times at our house when the freezer door didn’t get closed properly and stood open long enough that everything was spoiled. It was really discouraging to unload and throw away shelves of fish and fruit. Other times food hasn't spoiled, but the freezer frosted up bad enough to need defrosting.

I have a tendency to put off defrosting the freeze because it's one of my least favorite jobs. One time I’d been putting it off for over a year, so it was really bad. Many things were frosted to the shelves and had to be pried or chipped loose. Other things were completely buried in frost and needed to be dug out. I was appalled. When I finally confronted the true condition of the freezer I felt chastened.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I’m working on a cleaning job I start praying. Not the usual list of “gimmee’s” but more along the lines of “What am I missing, Lord? What’s the next step?” That time, because I was feeling so chastened it was, “What can I learn from this, Lord?” I was aggravated with myself because it seemed my mind was wandering instead of praying and seeking God, but I suddenly realized it wasn’t aimless wandering, it was God-directed wandering. I saw my life as my freezer, in the same condition, too and that was an awful sight.

Just as I have stocked my freezer, God has stocked me. He’s given me gifts, talents and resources to be used in my life for Him. But, because I hadn’t decluttered and defrosted my life recently, many of those things He’s given me were buried under layers of frost and ice. Sure, in a freezer you want frost and ice—but it has to be in the right place or it makes the freezer labor harder to do what it was meant to, and it makes it harder to get to or even find what’s hiding within.

That day as I unloaded the freezer so I could defrost it, I found all sorts of things I’d forgotten I had available to me, as well as things I hadn’t been able to find in a long time. I kept thinking, “Rats! I just bought some more because I couldn’t find this.” And, “Where was this when I needed it the other day?”

The same thing goes on in my life. God has equipped me to do the things He’s called me to do. If I take care of things well, I can easily put my hands on everything I need. I’m efficient and I run smoothly. If I do not take care of things, then I spend all my time trying to find things, then the time is gone and I wasn’t able to do what God called me to do.

Many times I've said to God, “Lord, I can’t do that! I don’t have what I need to do that.” I’ve said it hundreds of times--and I was wrong. If God wants me to do something, He’s given me all I need to do that task for Him. The real question is, where did I put it?

My freezer had lost all its previous organization. Everything was simply crammed into any spot that would work and nothing could be found. It was a constant source of irritation to every family member who went to find something in there, and my life had deteriorated to the same point.

So, do I throw up my hands and walk away? Do I scrap the old one and buy a new one? Or do I get down to work, freeze my hands off, and get it cleaned out? Lives need cleaning out occasionally, too—especially mine.

Paul told Timothy...

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you... ~1 Timothy 4:14

For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. ~2 Timothy 1:6-7 NAS

God has given us gifts to use for Him, not to set on a shelf and forget about. Not to be lost amongst everything else. Not to be wasted and thrown out.

I don’t want to reach the end of my life and be like a freezer stuffed full of freezer burned, bad food—food that is no longer usable because it wasn't used when it was meant to be. I don’t want God to have to go through my life and throw everything out because it’s no longer valuable.

The things He’s given me—the gifts, the talents and skills, even the interests—are given to me for a reason. I’m to use them for God, for furthering His kingdom, not just to let them sit on the shelf and go bad.

So tell me, does your freezer need defrosting?

And more importantly, does you life need defrosting?

p.s. These pictures are not my freezer. ;-)

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Flying whats?

Today is elephant appreciation day.
Uh huh. I heard you say “So what?!”

Since you asked (hehe - see the line above, it has a question mark), I'll tell you.

An elephant has helped me on this writing journey I'm on.
Really.

Almost three years ago, still in my first year of blogging, I participated in WordFilled Wednesdays several times, and it's still one of my favorite memes. The very first time I joined in, Ellie the Elephant came to be in If an Elephant can fly. Lemme tell ya, I loved Ellie—she inspired me, but I was a little embarrassed by her. See, all the WFW I visited were very dignified pictures, and then there was mine. Whimsical. eh. Once I got over feeling like the oddball, I didn't worry about it. She was exactly what I needed. So much so that she became the theme for my year (2009) and lived at the top of my sidebar.

"Un Petit Voyage I" by Ségo

Many, many times I've thought of Ellie and her verse and it's helped me keep going.

If an elephant can fly, then I can do what God's called me to. I can write for Him. Can an elephant fly on its own? No! All the more reason for me to hold fast to God because it's by HIS strength and power that an elephant can fly and I can follow Him. Which ties in with this year's theme verse Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6) That one's in the sidebar now and it's been crucial this year.

So tell me, what is it God's called you to do that you need His help to fly?

Oh yeah, and since it's Elephant Appreciation Day I'm guest posting at the Faithwriters blog. Why? Because when I told Joanne I really thought she should post on elephant appreciation day (since she's the one who learned about that juicy tidbit) she challenged me to come up with a tie-in to writing, and when I did, she invited me to post, instead of doing it herself. *eye roll* Somehow that's not what I had in mind. LoL. So, come join me there and see how else elephants tie in with writing. ;-)

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Group and Capture

Something that I've found that helps increase my productivity is grouping my work. I do my best to not write just one post. Instead, I write at least two, preferably three, while my mind is in that gear. For more about grouping, check out Time Managemet Ala Patty.

The next natural step in that equation for me is to capture my post ideas when they spring up--that means while I'm working on the first post, often another idea comes to mind. Rather than trust my memory (which never works any more!!) and rather than reach for a note card or post-it, now I immediately open a new post window and capture that idea before it flies the coop. Then, as I work, I can seamlessly flow between the posts, adding things as I think about them. Rather than go to CBD or Amazon three separate times, I'll go once and get the info I need for all three posts in one stop. Rather than look for pictures for one post, I'm looking for two or three.

It may take a few minutes longer to get one post done, but when it's done, I usually have another post well on the way, if not two additional posts under way. The extra 10 or 15 minutes I spend capturing ideas and jotting things in the post text box and pasting things in, save me an hour.

I like those margins!

The side benefit of capturing the idea on my dashboard is that I have fewer abandoned ideas floating around in my files. How many times have I started posts, worked on them but then when I had to restart my computer, neglected to bring them back up? Many, many times. And if they're out of sight, they're out of mind. On my dashboard, they're easy to spot and with the 'clippings' I drop in the post, as I think of them, it makes it that much easier to pick it up and finish the article so I can use it. It makes for much less wasted time and effort!

Tip: When I do this, one of the very first things I do is change the posting date! If I know when I want the article to post, I'll plug in that date, otherwise I set the date a month away or whatever the date is where I have other posts in a holding pattern.

I think of my dashboard as a staging area. It's not uncommon to have several projects in the works at any given time, and that gives me room to work on each, without crowding my desk or my brain. It frees me to forget things once they're captured.

Don't tell my friends--but some posts I'm writing directly in the post text box. Something I'm known for warning people away from because Blogger... burps ...every now and then and eats posts. But, if I "write in the box", I have a document open that I can paste my post copy into, for filing and safe keeping.

BUT, not all my post get written directly in the post text box. *shiver* The thought gives me the heebie-jeebies!! Blogger is a wonderful tool, but you need to keep your posts on file as Word documents. Too many things can go wrong online and things can be vaporized instantly. Keep your posts in your own files and keep them indexed.

So tell me, does working on a post spark ideas for other posts for you?

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Really

Before jumping to this week's edition of our a2z meme, I want to invite you over to Seekerville, my favorite writing blog, where I'm guest posting today. I sure could use your moral support. Really. The rattling you're hearing is my knees knocking together. Really.

Now, for this week's installment of our a 2 z 4 u & me meme,



the letter R.

Okay, I have another confession to make. (Why do I feel like this a2z meme wrings these confessions from me at least once a month? sigh.)

I'm envious of my animals.

Really.

I am.

Here's why...

See what Tippy's doing? Lazing on the bench on the deck.
Guess what I've not done?

And just look at FlufferNut and Gracie.
Sleeping in the sunshine.
sigh.

Gracie. Gracie. Gracie.
I may never be as...graceful as Gracie
(at least I sure hope I'm not!)
but I'm so envious.

Even Puppers takes time from her playing to roam and smell the flowers...

and my fish have it good.

You guys all know how it goes:

Run. RUn. RUN.

There's no let up from it.
There's very little rest in our lives.
But I know where to find that elusive, much sought after desire.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you REST." ~Matthew 11:28

Rest is found in Christ alone.
And He tells us how... "Come to Me"
It's that simple sometimes.
I don't know about you, but I need simple.

Really.

If you're joining us for the a 2 z 4 u & me meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter R, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.



And don't forget to come visit me at Seekerville! =)

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Kindle Afresh

One of the reasons I was so excited about Living by Grace is that we'll be posting weekly memory verses. I don't know about you, but having the group accountability will help me get back into Bible memory.

This week's verse is 2 Timothy 1:6 (NAS)
For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

I was excited when Jen told me this was our first verse because this last week I worked with this verse. Isn't that like God? (There's another verse I've run into almost every day this week and I'll tell you about that one on Tuesday.)

So tell me, what gift has God given you that needs rekindling?
Won't you join me memorizing this week?

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Blinders, Please!

I love going to the fair! It's something my mother taught me to love when I was a little girl and is still one of the highlights of my year. Unfortunately, I don't get to see one of the best parts very often. The heavy horse pull is my absolute favorite and it never ceases to amaze me. The horses are massive and beautiful and they're so well trained.

Draft horses are used for the horse pull and the winner of the competition is the team that can pull the most weight, which is often concrete weights on a sled. Horse pulling goes back to the teamster days when neighbors would challenge each other to see who had the strongest team. Even though we don't rely on draft horses to do the heavy work any more, horse pulls are still popular and still draw big crowds. As a little girl, when we went to the fair, we made sure it was a night with horse pulling. The magic is still there for me, even after all these years.

I used to feel bad for some of the teams because they wore blinders. I thought it was mean of the pullers because I didn't understand the need for them, nor the benefits. I don't know about you, but I'm easily distracted. All it takes is something along the sidelines and my concentration is broken and my focus is shifted. Suddenly I realize that I'm moving toward something different than what I originally started for. In a horse pull, that will cause a team to lose, and it only takes one distracted horse to throw off the whole team. So what do pullers do? They put blinders on the horses, drastically reducing the possible distractions and helping them focus straight ahead, which in turns helps the horses pull straight and true. In the days when draft horses were essential to heavy work, you didn't want a team that was constantly side tracked and that veered from side-to-side as their attention wandered. If they were to do that, they would wear themselves out unnecessarily and accomplish only a fraction of what they could have. The blinders are a tool used for the team's overall good.

...let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ~Hebrews 12:1-3 NAS

Not only that, but have you ever noticed that when someone has restricted vision they are more sensitive to the sounds going on around them? I've often seen the horses' muscles quivering in readiness and their ears twitch as they listen closely for their puller's voice. They respond to his directions—both verbal and physical. When they have blinders on, they're forced to pay attention to his directions through the reins and they must listen closer to his voice.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
~John 10:27 NAS

When we wear the blinders of focusing solely on Jesus, we can hear His voice better, even if there's a crowded, noisy grandstand around us. We're more tuned in to His hands on the reins of our life when our eyes are fixed on Christ.

Blinders aren't punishment.
Blinders are beneficial for believers. It's so easy to became sidetracked by the world around us. We need to borrow blinders off a horse to help keep our eyes fixed straight in front of us, on our Lord and Savior. On what He wants us to do.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ~1 Peter 1:13 NAS

I've seen horses that end up at the fences because they are focused on the wrong things. I've also seen them weave back and forth because they lacked the focus of a defined goal. The winners are those that stay the course until the end.

So tell me, 
how can we put blinders on?
Won't you join us at Living by Grace as we chat about this throughout the day?

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How and Why to Use Google Reader

Another handy tool that Google offers is Google Reader. (Last month I posted on Google Alerts.) It simplifies keeping track of all the blogs you follow, or want to follow. Google Reader offers you a place you can go to see all your favorite blogs in one place. Kind of like a one-stop shop. No, that's not it. More like a mall. All those stores (blogs) under one roof, letting you browse from one to another. No muss, no fuss. And they keep it up to date for you! In the large picture below, find the "All items (9)" on the left side of the picture. That tells me I have 9 new, unread blog posts in my reader.

This is one of those tools that I love to use, but I don't use as much as I should. On the other hand, Joanne uses it faithfully, and if you know Joanne, you know how faithful she is when it comes to visiting blogs.

Since it's such a useful time saver, let's work through how to use it.

How to access Google Reader:

• Login to your Google account.
• On the main Google page, click the drop down arrow for more.
• From the drop down list, select Reader.

That will take you directly to your Google Reader. It's simply one of the services Google provides in the background, whether you use it or not. You'll see there are already blogs in there--Google put them there each time you clicked the Google Friend connect on a blog.

Adding blogs to your reader:
Following blogs adds them automatically to your Google Reader.

Another way to add a blog to your feed reader is to subscribe to the blog. Many people have a Subscribe option somewhere. Click that and select the "Add to Google" option.

If it makes a difference to you, this will allow you to follow a blog without joining the Friends of that site. Also, sometimes there isn't a Google friend widget, this gives you a way to add their feed to your reader, allowing you to keep up with their blog. 

Now, let's do something with your Google Reader (also known as a feed reader).

The really good news is that there's a way to organize the blogs in your reader.
Here's how to organize your Google reader:

• First, under "Subscriptions" there on the left side, click the plus or minus nubbin to the left of "Blogs I'm following". You want to see the list of blogs in your reader. 
• Once that list is showing, click the arrow to the right of one of the blog names. 
• A drop down list will appear.
• Click the "New folder" option and type in the name for a folder.
• Click Okay and that blog will be put into that new folder.
• Make as many new folders as you'd like.
• If you change your mind about which folder you'd like a blog in, click the arrow for the drop down menu and check or uncheck the folders of your choice.

And there you have it.
Google Reader can streamline your blog reading and save you time.

And because I'm celebrating, the blogging class I teach, Clearing the Blog Fog, is 25% off for October's class and there's a bonus tutorial I'm throwing in: How to Use Paint.net, which is the free photo manipulation tool I use to make headers, buttons and banners. Class is October 1 - 31 and it walks your through, step-by-step, setting up, maintaining and customizing your blog.

So tell me, is it easier for you to follow blogs on Facebook than it is off of Facebook? 

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