Category: Enjoy Life

jackpot of renewed passion

7/7/2014

Entering the last week of the Whole Armor 30 Day Challenge I find myself with renewed passion. I started this challenge worn out, discouraged, and overall unfocused. I have found that I AM able to invest in other people, my family and my burdens, all while keeping a level head and without burnout. It takes focus, an appreciation in everything, a desire to impact, and most importantly, each day centered on God.

This last week I spent my time in silence so I could hear a word from God and focus my mind. Specifically during this time I kept my radio off while I was driving. I have come to find that I have a lot of great brainstorming that goes on in my mind while I drive. Not sure if that’s a good thing or notJ

During these moments of silence I’ve been specific in my requests to God about what it is I’m seeking. Let’s just say I hit the jackpot. My mind is overflowing with ideas again to fuel my passions. I’ve also been taking time during my day to exercise, and this again has freed up time for me to step away from the craziness of my day, and just think and rejuvenate myself.

This last week of this challenge I plan on implementing, implementing, implementing. Part of enjoying time in your life is ensuring you don’t get bogged down. I’m going to face my renewed passions head on and get the ball rolling so I can keep things in balance in my life. I want to continue to allow time for family, for friends, for God, for my burdens, and for whatever else God sends my way. To do this, I’m going to keep order in my life and find the opportune time for everything.

I encourage you to HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE! I have an exciting THREE months ahead filled with many objectives:

Host an impactful service for the 18-35 year olds we mentor ("Rock It- July 26th 6pm True Life Church)
Go to Life Fest with a new friend
Build an outdoor classroom
Spend time with lost family
Spoil my husband for his birthday
Listen to my husband preach
Mentor new change
Create a financial wellness program at my church
Host a financial wellness seminar
Begin the outline for my next book – “Whole Armor Living – Living the dream under His protection”
Be a part of several strangers weddings and become new family
Host a Block Party Outreach event
Take our last child off to college
Enjoy a week vacation away with my husband and friends
Love others
Work out 3 times minimum each week
Spoil and pray for my True Life Church Secret Sister
Raise money for my church and our food pantry outreach “Waukesha Food Connection”

It may seem like a lot, but I’m excited to see where God intends to take me over these next THREE months. I encourage you to join me in defeating what is holding you back. Achieve what has been burning within you. Be a part of something greater than you. Live with risk knowing you are under HIS protection and love.

I would love to encourage you on your journey. Please email me at info@wholearmorministry.com.

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Destroy to construct

6/21/2014

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Getting ready to start the second week in my 30 Day Challenge to enjoy life and others. As I consider my goals for this upcoming week I can't help but feel satisfied with my progress during week one. I accomplished every one of the goals I set! I had a really wonderful week because of it. Designating time to accomplish various tasks during the week helped keep my mind focused, which after age 40, can be difficult.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (MSG) it says there's an opportune time to destroy and another to construct. This week I intend to defeat some things in my life. This part of my 30 day challenge will require me to close some doors so that new doors can open. As I was praying this morning, it hit me that my stress and craziness in my life has a lot to do with all the open "to-do's" I have in my life. I used to be the type of person that always finished tasks when I started them. Today I find it difficult to be as efficient in completing tasks. I also have so many obligations to complete that I have loose ends everywhere.

This is where the DESTRUCTION must begin. Projects and tasks must be completed, destroyed, put in the past. I need the ability to focus on new construction in my life. As I write about in "Whole Armor of Marriage," protecting the mind is critical to ensuring strong relationships and strong marriages. A lack of focus can cause mayhem on your mind.

If I were project manager this week in my life, I would ensure a number of steps are defined at the start:
-Identify open projects
-Prioritize projects by urgency
-Determine deadline date
-Inventory what is needed to complete projects
-Identify and recruit any support needed
-Schedule on calendar how each will get completed
-Find some type of motivation or goal when projects are done

Since I have so many projects going on in my life I have to focus on only a few. This week, I challenge myself to destroy the following:

1. Home Destruction: Complete kitchen tile, get rid of project materials, find fabric for chairs, bath dog, paint near stair line, college class registration and dental exams
2. Habit Destruction: Laziness in my workout routine; continue to work out over lunch and two mornings this week.
3. Work Destruction: Expansion plan and compliance paperwork
4. Spiritual Destruction: Finalize outreach block party, purchase rocks for hyphen Rock It Rally

In this destruction I will open up new opportunities to reorganize my schedule with less clutter. I will be able to start new goals without the distraction of uncompleted past goals. Worries will be destroyed and fears of the unknown will be eliminated. I'm challenging myself and YOU to seize this time to destroy things that are hindering you to move forward. Be your own project manager and commit to a deadline. Don't forget to reward yourself when you meet your deadline. My reward is going to be stress free family time over the weekend. I have family coming from out of town and I want the weekend to be carefree from the cares of pending construction in my life.

Why not JOIN ME! I challenge you to create some DESTRUCTION in your life. If you haven't committed to the 30 Day Challenge, start today! If you want me to help keep you accountable please email me at info@wholearmorministry.com. I'd love to be there for you!

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30 Day Challenge accepted!

6/16/2014

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On my last blog, “Poof! Up-Up-Away,” I posed a challenge to couples to take more time to appreciate each other and to lessen the load on your schedule. If you accepted the challenge, how are you doing?

I’m off to a good start….This weekend my family was able to spend some much needed time with our grandson, Gabriel. Though we could have done a million other things, we put Gabriel as a priority. That was definitely time well spent But that was just the start: I was also able to have coffee with a friend, watch a baseball game with a bunch of friends, eat some ice cream with great people, listen to the Word of God, take a long Sunday nap, and rescue my child from a broken down car. We finished the weekend watching the Honors Flight DVD, appreciating our veterans and remembering the sacrifices of great men along with the great sacrifices of my own family (my husbands an Army veteran). Overall I think it was a very successful weekend!

This week I’m committed to:

ME TIME: Working out two days this week over my lunch period and two days this week in the morning/night so I can lose 1 ½ pounds this week.
GIVING TIME: Doing something special for a very special woman who helped me
FEEDING TIME: Church Wednesday night with my fabulous bro and sis in Christ
FAMILY TIME: Getting my toes done with my sister and my mom
LAUGHING TIME: Spending time with the women of my church Thursday night
ROMANCE TIME: Date night with my husband Friday night

I’m asking everyone to keep me accountable to this challenge. I’d love to keep you accountable too! Send me specifics at info@wholearmorministry.com and we can challenge each other.

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POOF! Up, UP & AWAY

6/12/2014

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Every year I tell my husband that we need to slow down in our lives. Yet, year after year it seems as if our schedules become even more cluttered and more overscheduled. How can we have “normal” lives if we are working all day, checking our emails all night, working on projects until midnight, and not taking breaks on weekends or even during vacations? Last night I posed the question of possibly committing to NO technology over our vacation. My husband immediately turned white with fear and didn't even reply to my request. Why can’t we unplug? If I can find any comfort in the answer, at least I know we aren’t the only couple that struggles with constantly being plugged into everything. That still doesn’t make it alright though!

We set aside time for God, but it’s never enough. We set aside time for each other, but it’s never enough. We rarely set aside time for our entire family, and with two young college-bound men for sons, we may be missing our last opportunities with them. We have goals, ambitions, work demands, church demands and physical demands. Honestly, most nights I want to break down and cry because of the overwhelming number of tasks and deadlines we need to complete.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (MSG), the word says, “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth. A time to (for):

Birth and another for death,
Plant and another to reap,
Kill and another to heal,
Destroy and another to construct,
Dry and another to laugh,
Lament and another to cheer,
Make love and another to abstain,
Embrace and another to part,
Search and another to count your losses,
Hold on and another to let go,
Rip out and another to mend,
Shut up and another to speak up,
Love and another to hate,
Wage war and another to make peace.”

God’s word is great at providing clear direction as to how we are supposed to keep order in our lives. He gives us these guidelines to show not only the limitations we need to set on ourselves mentally and physically but also so we can give time for the spiritual. How is it that God gives such easy direction on how to live a stress free life yet we won’t listen? He’s even given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us and we still find ways to take control back over.

I would like to challenge you to join my family over the next 30 days. Commit to making some changes in how you schedule your life. Don’t find yourself regretting the years that mysteriously passed by. Even if you have to schedule specific time in your calendar so you set the time aside…DO IT! Over the next month, think about the opportune time to do things such as time for:

Family outings
Grandparents/grandchildren
Alone with a spouse
Game night with the kids
Walk in the park
Time away from technology
Night camping in the yard
Visiting with a neighbor
Volunteering
Surprising a friend
Saying sorry to a long time enemy

If we try to work these things in for just one month I believe it will become contagious! What a great time to start too during the summer months! Don’t take time for granted. Enjoy life and love others! The dirt and clutter will always be there for you to clean. The laundry will continue to build up. The grass will always need mowing. Relationships are priceless however and you don’t always have tomorrow.

If you accept this 30 day challenge, email us at info@wholearmorministry.com or tell us on Facebook. You can always find out more information about us at www.wholearmorministry.com.

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jackpot of renewed passion

Destroy to construct

30 Day Challenge accepted!

POOF! Up, UP & AWAY

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