#92 - De-Clutter

GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING!! Wow! It's quite an interesting day here in Cola. Everyone here calls "Columbia", COLA for short. Like how Atlanta is know as Hot-lanta. Anyways... just thought I'd share a little "local trivia" with you! :) I'm sure you are very happy to know that info!


Well... this morning is a blessed morning! A blessed day all together! The boy and I are going to MYGYM today! Excited about that! We are going to be ON TIME too! Another one of my STRENGTHS! (I'm speaking that into existence!) Then.... we may go to the ZOO this afternoon. Hip Hip Horray! That will be fun! I think it comes along with the whole "mom" thing to use words like "Hip Hip Horray!" Fun-ny!


Alright... enough shooting the breeze! Let me just share this one last thing with you before we start! The boy was with dad "out and about" the other night... check out the picture I got! SOOOO FUNNY!!! I LOL'd! Totally laughed out loud when I saw it! The boy LOVES people.... so he was in the cart with dad and just wanted to turn around to SEE all the people. So funny! He really his a funny kid! Makes me laugh all the time! Love it! And notice the BELT that is still around his waist! He turned himself around!!! :) LOL! 

Psalm 87:6a - The Lord shall count, when He registers the peoples

Psalm 147:4 - He determines and counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names. 

Proverbs 31:27 - She looks well to how things go in her household... 

Yet another day with some pretty straight words to ME. The verses above... to me, for some reason just show God as a God of order and organization. To some this is a strength, to others it is not. To me... well.... I would say that in the past it's been more of an area I need to work on than that of a strength. 


God of order. We are made in his image. And what doest that bring me to? Clutter. De-cluttering. Currently, if you could see my kitchen and several different areas of my downstairs... I have some projects going on. Good projects, but nonetheless, projects. Things that have been going on for awhile, started, not finished, leaving behind a pile of clutter. A pile of things that, "Oh, I'm going to finish that project, let me just leave it out." And a week, two weeks later, there it still lies. Causing clutter. Dishes in the sink. Clutter. 


As I re-read Proverbs 31:10-31, I look at this amazing woman of God. The woman who "excels them all." This woman is VERY accomplished in her life. If I, Amy Jo McCart want to accomplish a greater amount of things in my life, do more for the Lord, accomplish more for my family, help set my family up financially. Bottom line, the Proverbs 31 woman didn't just stay at home doing 'fru-fru' things as a mom & wife, she contributed using her gifts, talents & discernment. She was an asset to her family and her community. My desire to do the same. To affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and to do that, I need to de-clutter. 


Knowing that God is a God of order... and clutter causes feelings of chaos, frustration, un-productivity. In and amongst clutter, it is hard to work productively, and harder to establish an environment of peace. A working, living, thinking environment of peace. So... not only does if affect ME if I have clutter all over my house, it affects my HUSBAND! AND..... my goal is for my husband to be able to think, reflect, meditate on the Word.... my goal is to create an environment of growth & peace, an environment that can harbor ideas, concepts, thoughts that can change our family and ultimately CHANGE THE WORLD for the Kingdom of God!


And all this has to do with clutter? I think clutter is a root killer to ideas, concepts and inventions that will never be created because the environment is not one of order. God operates in order. I personally need to do a better job at keeping order. I know it won't happen over night.... and I even know already some of the things I need to apply..... one... mainly, applying GTD. The book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. Amazing book and I know it will help me. It's a matter of digging down, finding out from the Holy Spirit, what is step one. And really.... bottom line, it is establishing a working schedule that will incorporate REGULAR "order keeping." A regular, time on a consistent basis that involves de-cluttering. 


So... today.... take it for what it is. I just was convicted in looking at the Proverbs 31 woman. Seeing ALL that she is accomplishing, I KNOW she wasn't like the phrase says, "a chicken with it's head cut off." She wasn't just running around wild, stressed and not knowing what to do next. I believe if I could go to her house today, I would see her house one of order, and just being around her, I would feel the spirit of peace. I would anticipate that she had ORDER even in her spirit. That even just being around her would make me feel at peace because when she would be with me, she would fully be with me.... not thinking about the 1,001 things that she needed to do. I would anticipate when she is doing things or with people she is fully WITH them. She is 100% there. Not so divided thinking about so many things which causes the haze over her eyes. You know the haze you see when you talk to some people and you know they aren't really there... they aren't there listening to you, they are thinking on their own thoughts. That haze. I don't want to be like that. 


Well, Praise God that I'm a work in progress. I'm working TOWARDS being the best Proverbs 31 woman I can be. I'm obviously not there yet, as you can see! Wow... talk about transparency! Ya'll know a LOT of my downfalls. Hope ya love me anyways! :) 


OK.... time to go de-clutter a little before getting the boy up to head to MYGYM to be ON-TIME! 


xoxo,
Amy J

#39 - Power of Association

Good morning! As I sit here at my kitchen table...I just realized why I almost always have my quiet time outside on the screened in porch... lack of clutter! It is so nice to just have "your place" that you go to spend time with God. To spend time in the Word. Listening, reading. A place that is special. Or at least, the more time you spend there, the more special it becomes. A time that can be filled with revelations and "ah-ha" moments. This morning I stayed inside, at my kitchen table because I knew it would be a quicker morning than usual. We are going out of town this afternoon, and I have a lot to do before we leave. And... yes.... clutter of a kitchen table. I heard once this lady say how to cut down on "clutter".... she said, "When you come in to your home, don't lay something down, put it away." We are still working on that!!! I definitely don't like clutter...not to mention, clutter creates a little bit of "chaos." If not in the actual home, just in your spirit. If words could be married.... I think these words go together: clutter & chaos, organization & peace. It's like when you walk in a cluttered house, you just feel uneasy, yucky. But when you walk in and things are put away and neat, you just feel at peace. Well, I am still working on certain areas staying un-cluttered in our home, especially the kitchen table and kitchen bar.


Ok... well, let's roll....

Proverbs 23:20 - Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them nor among gluttonous eaters of meat.

Proverbs 31:18 - She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good...

This morning there were so many good directions we could go; food (v 1-3), wealth (v 4-5), thoughts (v 7), discipline (v 13-14), envy (v 17), hope & expectation (v 18), truth (v 23), wine (v 30-35). Since Proverbs 23 talked so much about gluttons, eating, drinking... it actually began the chapter with the danger of being a glutton, and ended the chapter talking about being drunk.... the verse almost in the middle talked about both. That seemed like an appropriate verse to park on for today. 


Since we don't use the word "winebibbers" on a daily basis... I thought I'd look it up and see what the meaning was in the dictionary. To my expectation, it means "drunkard" or "a person who drinks much wine." How powerful is the beginning of Proverbs 23?! Do not associate with. Wow. We have read a lot of books, listened to a lot of CD's that talk about the POWER of association. And here, in the #1 book of all times, is also directing us in who NOT to associate with. Do not associate with drunks... and do not associate with gluttonous eaters. The dictionary calls a glutton, "a person who eats and drinks excessively or voraciously." A glutton, most often are probably the people who are overweight. A glutton or winebibber, they lack discipline or restraint from drinking or eating. They overdo it. They are excessive. 


So what's the deal with the POWER OF ASSOCIATION? I have heard a very common quote many times over the last 10 years... you may have heard it as well, but it goes like this: "You can determine where you will be in 5 years by looking at the people you associate with and the books you read." Another one on association: "Your income is most likely within $5,000 from the circle of friends you hang out with." A good rule of thumb:

• If you want to be a drunk, hang out with partier's.
• If you want to be fat, hang out with people who overeat.
• If you want to be poor, hang out with broke people.
• If you want to be negative, hang out with people who always complain or have something bad to say.
• If you want to be wealthy, hang out with wealthy people.
• If you want to be fit, hang out with fit people. 
• If you want to be motivated, hang out with people who have a dream, who are going somewhere.
• If you want to have a great walk with the Lord, hang out with passionate Christians.
• If you want to quit smoking, hang out with NON-smokers. 
• If you want to have a better, more positive attitude, hang out with optimistic, positive people.

If you are always with people who drink alcohol, you will most likely mirror what they do. Looking at your association is much like looking in the mirror. You most likely will begin to mirror and look like, and do the same things that those people you hang out with do. 


Who is your DREAM YOU? Find who that person is. Go out of your way to spend time with them. Ask if you can buy them a cup of coffee. Once a week. Once a month. Just get around them. Surround yourself with people who are in life where you want to be! Ask if you can buy them lunch. Even if it was just once/month. Ask them questions. "How did you get where you are? What books did you read? How did you overcome the hurdles along the way?" Everyone has an innate desire within themselves to help someone else. ESPECIALLY if the person is asking them questions. It is an honor. People love to feel special. 


Our Proverbs 31 friend... she tastes and sees. She enjoys the fruits of her labor. If she bakes a chocolate cake, she enjoys a piece. She doesn't eat the whole thing! :), but she enjoys it. Enjoy life, but don't be excessive. 


Is overeating a problem? Begin to take small steps. Cut your food in half. Serve your plate from the stove, don't bring the whole dish to the table. Get chips or pretzels out of the bag, measure them out, then put the bag back in your pantry versus sitting on the couch with a WHOLE bag of chips! Out to eat? Cut your food in half and ask for a box before you even get your plate. Put half of it away before even starting. Or split a meal with your spouse. You will be surprised that you really are satisfied. Chips and junk-food a problem? Don't even buy them when you grocery shop then! Buy fruits, veggies, yogurt, jello, sugar-free pudding, carmel rice cakes. Set yourself up to win. 


Is drinking a problem? Change your association. If all your friends are drinkers and partier's, begin add some new association, become part of a new group, get involved with a young singles group at church, or business team, or softball team. Do something that gets you away from your "old association."


Take control of your life! If you do not do it now, 5 years from now you will be older, fatter, poorer, and not a bit happier. Choose wisely who you associate with. 


Be who you've always dreamed you could be. Be the dream YOU! Start today with your association!