We Measure What We Value

Think of one thing that you measure because you value it. It's true, you know, we measure that which we value. Some things are harder to measure than others. Moses asked Father God to teach the people to "number their days." That's Psalm 90:12. He asked that so that they could present a "heart of wisdom." I thought about my life and what my values were. What do I measure?

Time is measured by the clock but do I make it count? I couldn't resist that pun. Since we are on a thoughtful topic, can we just do a little elementary math? Okay, here is what we all have:

24 hrs. of which an average of 8 hrs is slept away in la-la land.

16  --four sets of four-- waking hours left to do something with?
1.5 hours average bathroom time per day (hygiene, primping, squatting,bathing)
1    hour eating (actually chewing and swallowing a plate before you)
.5 hours waking up from sleep, planning, or reading your Bible?

Twelve shows up in an awesome way and it appears that we have roughly 12 hours to govern how we spend today. Read all about how twelve is the "perfect number" here: Twelve in the Bible and Its Meaning

So HOW do we get our values into those hours? Can I first just paint a background thought?

 Jesus said to live in the Today and let tomorrow take care of itself in Matthew 6. He also said not to worry about the laundry and what you will eat and drink and gave Martha (workhorse) a loving scold that she was "worried about so many things when only a few are nescessary--really only one. This sounds like a fairytale to mothers, but if we were not so worldy, perhaps this type of freedom is possible. What do I mean? Someone told me fruit was the original fast food. See it? Okay for those of you that do not read my mind, we eat unhealthy because we do not have time to eat properly and/or we do not have the money for the snob appeal of organic sections in the store. God made ready to eat food that is actually REAL food. What a bargain for a time saver and high quality food--an apple.

First we have to find out what we value, or even better--what God values and build a day that worships Him so that we are not standing in church on Sunday only thinking that is a life of worship (because we sang to Him in church). I am of the opinion that the singing is the celebrating of all that was done for, with, and through Him all the week long.

Twelve hours can be three sets of four or four sets of three. 4X3=12  3X4=12  2X6=12 6X2=12
Two sets of six  or 6 sets of two. Your calendar could be a combination of it all--not just one form.

I see calendars with morning, afternoon, evening, and night time chunks of three highlighted in an attempt to get me to fill them out all nice and easy like measuring flour in a cup. Hmmm...
You can only get involved with an event on your calendar as long as you have the three of four hours to accomplish that. It depends on how busy you are and how your values are placed. The thing I learn from that is not to plan too much all at once in a chunk of time OR know my goals and values BEFORE I attempt to manage something as abstract and hard to handle as time.

My favorite professional organizer in this world is Julie Morgenstern and she is the one that helped me "see" time like the clutter in a closet. You only have so much available space to stick things/appts. events. Too many things in the small space does not work! She helps you to identify your values, needs, and goals so that your life isn't, well, spoiled by little foxes that ruin the vine.

Before I provide a handy link to her book, I would like to add one other thought. We are to put God first and He likes ten percent I am guessing. What is ten percent of your 12? It works out to one hour and 12 minutes! He multiplies our efforts when we glorify Him. You want your efforts multiplied--so invest in time with Him!  One of Julie's many Living Books!

P.S. I was not asked not compensated for referring you to her--it is an honor to do it.

Dad I Just Discovered

You and I
My love for you Daddy, runs deep
an eternity within my soul
where the tender thoughts of you and I
dwell to fill me whole
Everyday we spend apart
prolongs the emptiness inside
I long to know PURE MANLY LOVE
that loneliness doesn't confide
Ponder the mystery of our days entwined
searching in your songs I measure
the distance between your heart and mine
across a world of buried treasure
I looked for you in strangers
I wrote to you in art
despite the songs of bitterness
that tried to break my heart.
I found you in the Lord.
By: Melanie Sue Lynch (17 yrs. old)

Writer Beware ® Blogs!: Victoria Strauss -- Lulu Acquires Poetry.com

Writer Beware ® Blogs!: Victoria Strauss -- Lulu Acquires Poetry.com

Research on the way to respond at the end times

First Christian martyr, Stephen, suffered the same spirit of AntiChrist--look at what is recorded
and apply it to your response to persecution...

I Peter 3--submission to government...and contrast that to a time for war, to hate...
the verse also on if they sue you, let them have your coat as well--
Jesus like a lamb to slaughter even though He didn't have to--He did not rail back--
"My Kingdom is not of this World" He did not fight them for "this Kingdom"


Our lives are "hid" with Christ in Christ.  Christ hid from his captors, a resistor or was it that He had a spiritual timeline to keep, and the devil was fast after Him. It's probably why the Father sent Jesus through a virgin--to deter from the Devil trying to kill him even as an infant--but that's just a supposition. I mean, who would look for the Christ in a virgin??

In the end times, He will give us what to say--He said not to even think beforehand...?? Study to show thyself approved before God and man? Maybe it will be so crazy there is no logical preparation of the mind but just of the heart and spirit??

Conspiracy theory (Gun Control or shall I say ammo control, Fusion Centers, HAARP and weather control, FEMA camps here in the US for YOUR family, our govt. turning on us if we were in Marshall Law and Obama pulling in all the new "Americans" in a struggling economy and giving them double portions of food stamps etc basically destroying our once struggling economy) is a huge waste of time searching info we can do nothing about Have you used that much energy to seek God and His Word? Have you used that same fervor to advance the Kingdom of God to seek His people? The trappings of this world is a great distraction from the Lord and our Walk after the Spirit...It terrorizes the soul--Stay away from the Conspriacy Stuff, addicting as it is.

Will we be victorious in Christ? Will we walk worthy of Him? "They overcome by the Word of their testimony and that they did not love their own lives to death...." Google it in Revelations...

If you cannot love someone that does not love you (Oh husband and wife but we ARE called to peace)....(then you have missed Christ's main point). Why in the world would we not die to ourselves to love the spouse (a powerful influence on our own children) that does not love us--what a mockery that we took a vow--from the seriousness in the depth of our being--and do not honor our own committment. The devil laughs.

UPDATE: It was brought to my attention that 5 in one house shall be divided against one another over the Lord ("over the Lord") is a paraphrase. I believe this is the context of the end times. I am theorizing that some will be "resistors" to the tyranny and persecution that I fear is coming into a free world we have always taken for granted. It is in the natural heart of every Christian to resist the one world beastlike government "globalization" but what does the Word say and what does Christ model in similar scenarios of threat and death against the Spirit of antiChrist that has been here from old? It is a leap from the natural to the supernatural to believe the Word of God in the Holy Bible to NOT resist...it will separate loyalty within a family. It's a theory, right now in my heart, at this time I would shoot the enemy! http://bible.cc/luke/12-52.htm

The Easter Egg Surprise

I copied this and carried it forever off of an Easter card I received

and I do not know to whom I should give credit.

   "What's the matter, Henny?" said the turkey to the hen,

    "Are you just a little lonely clucking in that pen?"

     "I'm not lonely," said Henny, "just feeling sad and blue--

 just want to lay some fancy eggs like Easter chickens do."

"When the farmer comes each day, he never looks at mine, just gathers

rainbow colored eggs from the next hen down the line. I'm tired of laying plain white eggs--I think you would be too--when other happy chickens lay eggs that are yellow, pink, and blue."

Her nest soon filled with many eggs, a dozen so or more, but none

of them were pink or blue, just white ones--what a bore!

Then on Easter morning, when the sun was shining bright; the hen

heard "peep, peep, peep, peep" from eggs that were plain white.

The children in the farm yard ran to see what made this sound.

They looked inside her cozy nest and this is what they found--

At least a dozen yellow chicks were loudly peeping, peeping.

It seemed they hatched that very night while all the world was sleeping.

The children smiled and laughed to see the little hen looking most suprised of all
of what was in her pen. Twelve little yellow peeping chicks

all huddled in the nest; of all the Easter eggs that day, hers were the VERY Best.

This poem reminds me of the joy of the Lord when the 12 tribes of Israel will be gathered under His wing. The angels will be like the children in the farmyard rejoicing. Do not grow weary in well doing for you will reap a harvest if you remain steadfast. Remember also that Jesus says the last will be first and the first shall be last. This is not my poem and not my photo(s). I just like it.

House of the Hidden Hammer

This is a story about living like a sort of animal that hoardes things
you may use or need from your children:

A hammer under my mattress just so I can find it.
So much for my Professional Organizing certification.

My children are not evil, though it crossed my mind, when they make the flow and balance of my home a mangled, miserable mess (feeling like Joan Crawford in Mommy Dearest with the wire clothes hangers here), its just that their boy world is small, without much interaction from others and their individual natures want to play and connect with the environment and the earth. Like the baby that drops their cup over and over from the highchair just to see it and hear it fall so they can learn depth perception and about gravity.

They love to manipulate the environment with their hands and that is why I can predict that when I pass a styrofoam cup from Sonic to my middle son in the back seat, that he will tear it into 4,012 pieces when he is done with it because he likes the way it feels when he tears the pieces. Each thing mother has put in a place of its own as she has builds her nest is only a potential tool in waiting to be "ab-used" (Used in a way unintended for its purpose which increases damage to it). I do not know if I am doing him a service to allow this or a disservice to set up a bad habit.

Perhaps, it is the special "blessing" of having threee boys very close together? (Grinch's slow grin)

Perhaps, the only thing really missing besides my broom, or its nomadic sidekick (the dustpan), is my undivided attention. I did notice when I went to play with them in the woods and built a fort that we were resource poor and wanted to ab-use some things myself to get the job done.

If we could have the same projects....

Unhappy Marriage

Just want you to know
I know
I'm honest to my fall
Can't stand deception
Can't stand a brawl
And you
take what I say
twist it for another day
Se no greatness in me at all
My courageous honesty you take
with a grain of salt
all of our differences
are my fault

God give me passion
God, help me see Your vision
Scatter this strife
Protect us from Division.

by Melanie Lynch-Evans