The things we make time for are the things we become.

As we get ready to go into another year, I look back and have some regrets for some of the goals I set that I did not accomplish.  However, I also look with satisfaction not only the goals that I was able to accomplish, but the ones that I only made progress on.

I have found that if I set goals, I will usually make some progress toward those goals even if I do not fully complete them.  The tendency at the end of the year is to look at goals as either completed or not.  However, I know that if I had not set goals at all because of the excuse that I probably would not complete them, I would have done nothing toward them.  Because I set goals, though, I made some progress and some progress is better than none!

Once again, I am planning my new year and setting goals.  One key thought keeps coming back to my mind as I set goals and begin working on them.  (I usually set my goals at the end of December and begin working on them so that I have a head start on the New Year rather than starting on the 1st.)  "There is always time for the thing you do, FIRST."

I have some things that I want to accomplish in my life, and the only way that I can get them accomplished is to discipline myself to create the time to do them.  For me, this involves getting up early.  In order to not float with the "mediocre majority" and accomplish what I feel God wants me to do in life, I have to get up early and get started.  Once I get up, I have to carefully remember that I will always have time for the things that I choose to do first.  Therefore, I prioritize my day around doing those things first that I really want to get done, and leaving the other things for another time if necessary.  For example, today after my quiet time, I am spending time writing and then working out, before anything or anyone else can place demands on my day.  If the baby wakes up in an hour, that's okay, (but not preferred:) because I already have done the most important things that I need to do for the day.

Recently I read the book, "The Miracle Morning," and it gave me so much more inspiration for using this New Year wisely.  I encourage you to buy the Kindle version and read it for yourself.  It talks about how one chooses to be part of the "mediocre majority" or makes the choices that are painful but necessary to excel in life.  One quote that I already posted on my Facebook page motivates me to accomplish those things that I really want to do.  "Successful people aren't born that way.  They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do.  The successful people don't always like doing these things themselves;  they just get on and to them."  Don Marquis.

This quote really impressed me because we tend to use excuses when we see others living how we would really like to be living.  "I wish I could do that or be that."  In reality, in the majority of cases, we really could, we just don't want to badly enough.  Those who are doing the things that we would really like to be doing almost always weren't born that way.  They just simply made the hard choices to make habits that led to a lifestyle that we sit and envy and convince ourselves that we are not made to have.

This new year is an opportunity to realize the accomplishments that have only been dreams in our mind.  The only way to accomplish them, however, is to go through the pain of getting there.  I am finding out, however, that if I really want something, I can always make time to do it, especially if I do it first!

One last thought on accomplishing the things that you feel would please the Lord this year.  Find a way to motivate yourself to keep on task.  For example, I enjoy giving, but Rick normally does this for our household.  He writes the checks although we talk often together about who we want to give to, and how much.  Recently I decided that since I enjoy giving so much, I could use this as a motivation to accomplish the goals that I really want to see done this year.  Now, I have a set amount for each day that I can personally give to the cause of my choice.  If I meet my goal for the day, I get to set aside that amount, and at the end of the month, I get to write the check for the mission that I have chosen to give to that month.  This way, when I'm thinking about being lazy and choosing to do less than what I have already decided it would be best for me to do, I know that someone else is going to hurt.  They may not know it, but I will, and it motivates me to get myself in motion.

Don't be afraid to set goals!  It's better to be moving slowly on the right track than to not even be on the right track.  God can work through those who are already working!  Blessings on your new year!

God Cares About Me (And my Maple Syrup)

Sometimes God works in mysterious ways just to make us smile!  Just as we sometimes like to give gifts to our children just to see them smile, God must also enjoy arranging the details of our lives in ways to make us smile.

Recently, I was speaking at a ladies retreat near Calgary, Alberta.  After a long weekend, I really wanted to bring home a gift to my family for them having to do without me for so long!  I hadn't had time to get out and shop, and as I was in the hotel the last evening, I knew my wish to go souvenir shopping the next morning was not going to happen as I had to get to the airport early.

I decided to take an early shuttle to the airport in hopes that I could find some things to take home at the little shops in the terminal.  As I wondered around, I just prayed a simple prayer that God would help me find something meaningful to take home to the children.  Several things caught my eye for various children, but I knew I didn't have time to do individual shopping.  I needed to find a gift for the entire family.

Not long after my prayer, I spotted a large container of 100% maple syrup in a beautiful, glass

Canadian Maple leaf.  I knew then that it was the perfect gift.  We have a tradition of a large Christmas morning breakfast, and this would be the best gift I could find.

Because this was a duty free shop and beyond airport security, all items purchased there were allowed on the plane.  I carefully packaged it and placed it in my carry on luggage and happily went on my way.

What neither I nor the helpful cashier knew was that while it was legal to take the syrup on the plane and while the cashier had dutifully stamped my receipt to show that it was a "safe" liquid to transport, when I got to Newark, there was going to be a problem...

When I got to Newark, I knew I didn't have a lot of time to spare to get to my next flight so I quickly started heading toward my next gate, but every time I headed where the signs pointed, I saw that I was going to have to leave the secure area and I didn't want to have to go through the long lines of security again.  I finally asked and was told that, yes, I would have to leave the gate I was at, go out into the airport, and wait in line again in security and go through the whole thing again to get to my new gate.

I finally arrived and went through all the details of taking shoes off, taking the laptop out, removing my coat, etc when the TSA lady told me that she was going to have to search my briefcase more.  I nonchalantly agreed knowing that there wasn't anything in there that was going to slow me down and keep me from getting to my gate on time.

She kept looking through my bag until she finally pulled out my carefully wrapped bottle of maple syrup.  She said, "You can't take this.  This is a liquid, and we don't allow liquids on the plane."  I patiently (maybe) told her that I had bought it at a duty free store and had the appropriate documentation to show her.  She wouldn't back down.  "Oh, no,"  she said, "They had to put this in a special sealed bag in order for you to take it on the plane. "  We went back and forth a few times with me making the point that, after all, I had already traveled across most of the U.S. with my maple syrup securely wrapped in my briefcase and no one had stopped me yet.  I wasn't about to give in and leave my maple syrup to be eaten by some airport security agent!

She told me that my options were to leave the syrup or walk all the way back to United Airlines and ship it.  That was bordering on the ridiculous since not only did I not want to pay to ship my maple syrup, but I did not have time to go all the way back to ship it.  Finally, I just told her to keep it because I didn't have time to go back.  She looked at her watch and realized that I couldn't go back and get my flight, and I pictured in my mind sadly returning home with the one gift that I wanted to bring home for Christmas day to my family.

As soon as I had resigned myself to leaving it, the agent said, "If you want to go back to ship it, I'll put you at the front of the line in security again."  Well, I knew I still wouldn't have time to find my way across the big airport and make it back in time, so I told her that I didn't have time.  She paused and looked at me again and said, "If you want this maple syrup, I will go with you and help you to get this maple syrup."

Now, I don't have a very high regard for TSA agents in general as most of the time, it appears they are just out to ruin my day and make things difficult.  However, this short lady was making me a kind offer that I was finding hard to refuse.  After all, she was offering to leave her place at the scanners, take me back through the airport and help me get my maple syrup!  I said, "Ok, let's do it."

She grabbed my heavy bag and started heading through the airport.  I tried to keep up with her as she took off through the areas so familiar to her.  After all, I didn't want to lose track of her as she had my maple syrup,  my bag, my passport, my computer AND my maple syrup!

We quickly arrived at the United counter and she went right up and began talking to the agent and asked if they could help me out.  The agent wasn't in quite as generous of a mood to see me take my maple syrup and said that no, I would have to pay $25-30 to ship the syrup.  That seemed absurd to me because if it had been in a special sealed bag, they would have carried it for free for me on board the plane, but because the cashier in Canada had failed to do her job and had actually lightened their load by about 3 ounces (the weight of the bag), I would have to pay this fee to put it in the cargo area of the plane.  I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't be moved.  I would have to pay.  Finally I said one last time, "You wouldn't even let me put it in my bag if I smiled nice at you?"  She didn't see the humor in my question, but she said that she would!  I gave her a quick smile and stuffed it in my bag.  The TSA agent was telling me that we had to hurry so I left the bag with her and started quickly trying to follow her through the crowd.

After a moment, we got to a security gate and she went toward the front just as she told me she would, but the man in charge said, "We're closed for the night here."  Then my angel TSA agent turned to me and said, "We're not going to make it in time then because we have to go clear across to another gate."  We started to turn around then, and I knew I might have to resign myself to missing my flight, when it looked like she had a sudden burst of inspiration.  She suddenly headed toward one of those doors that I'm always afraid one of my kids will accidentally push on and open.  It was the entrance to the secured area of the airport where "normal" people are never allowed.  A guard was standing outside of it.  She approached the man and said, "May I go through here."  He said, "You're the TSA.  You can do whatever you want."  She didn't ask again.  She barged right through the door, and I found myself deep in the bowels of the airport where people like me are never supposed to be.  She said, "This is a short cut, and we'll come out right where we need to be."  This time I made sure I stayed close to her because I didn't want to end up in a prison cell somewhere trying to explain how I got into that part of the airport!

Soon we opened a door, and there we were at another security gate.  She approached the agent at the front, and he said the same thing as the last guy, "We just closed here."  She decided that she was the TSA again and could do what she wanted so she said, "Well, we're going to do one more bag..." and she plopped my bag right down in front of him.  He didn't argue so I figured that she must have had more badges on her uniform than him, so he started processing my stuff all over again.  As soon as she saw that I was going to make it through the gate, she walked off, and I never saw her again.  Quickly I gathered my things together, got to the gate and had about three minutes to spare before boarding.

As I sat down in the plane, I was smiling, and I felt that God was smiling too.  He loves to give good gifts to His children!  An added benefit was that I didn't have to worry about crashing on the last leg of that flight, as I felt pretty sure that God wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to get my maple syrup on the plane just to see it crash to the ground!

Christmas morning came and went, and as I poured that maple syrup, not only was it delicious, but it had a story to tell--a story of how God can use the most unlikely of people and circumstances to work out good in our lives.  Now, whenever I see the beautiful glass leaf, I can remember God's faithfulness and love toward me.  God truly cares for us and sometimes goes the extra mile just to let us know!

Putting God first by planning ahead

This morning as I was working, my four year old came in singing the little song, "Seek ye first."  I love to hear her sing and the words got me to thinking about how we can really make God first in our lives.  "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you..."

It's easy to say that we want to put God first, but in everyday practice, it's easier to see Him slip to second or even third place.  Putting God first requires thoughtful planning ahead.  If I want to put Him first each day, I have to start the evening before by getting to bed on time so that I can get up and spend time with Him.

Sometimes we make excuses about how we didn't have time for prayer or Bible reading in the morning, but the truth is that we always have time for the thing we do FIRST!  Of course, I know from much experience that there will always be unexpected things that come up that can legitimately distract us, but as a regular pattern, seeking God first in the morning requires that we plan for that the night before.

If I want to seek God first in any area of my life, it always requires planning ahead.  For me to put God first on Wednesday evenings when our church has Bible study,  requires my planning on Wednesday morning so that the meal will be ready on time in the evening and things run smoothly so that we get there on time (and hopefully with a smile on my face and in my heart).  If I want to honor God on Sundays, I have to plan ahead on Saturday so that clothing is ready, food is prepared and everything is set to go.

It looks a little suspicious when we can get to most events and get there on time, but when it is time to spend time with God whether it is our own personal devotions or in corporate worship, we always have excuses for why we couldn't do it or why we couldn't get there on time.  The fact of the matter is that those events we get to on time were a priority, and those that we don't get to on time or not at all were just not prioritized.  Often we salve our conscience by searching for some half -way legitimate sounding excuse, but if we were really to be honest, our hearts would tell us that we just hadn't made it a priority.  If we were even more honest, our hearts might even tell us why we didn't make it a priority!

It sounds like a lot of work at first glance, but for me it is a way of conveying my love to God.  I show God that I love Him by getting to bed on time so that we can have our visit in the morning.  It shows Him that I value what He values by arranging my schedule so that I can put His things first.  After all, when one falls in love with another, they don't mind arranging their schedule and planning their day around an appointment with the one that they love!  Why should we offer anything less to the One that we are supposed to love with all our heart?

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God" is more than just words we have grown accustomed to saying and not applying in everyday life.  It's a way of daily expressing our love to Christ by letting Him know that He is worth planning our day around.  Somehow I think it expresses our true love for Him far more than just words that don't add up to actions.  If we truly want to seek Him first, we have to let all other priorities fall in line behind the priority of actively seeking Him.

Make Ahead Egg Muffin Sandwiches

Looking for an easy way to make breakfast ahead of time?  Look no longer!  These sandwiches are easy to make and heat up.  

Ingredients:

English muffins

Eggs

Sliced Cheese

Meat if desired

Salt and Pepper

Jumbo Muffin pans--normal cupcake pans do not work as they end up too small

Procedure

Toast muffins in the broiler.

Spray jumbo muffin pans with spray oil

Place one egg in each muffin holder and gently prick with a fork to allow the yolk to spread a little.

Salt and pepper eggs

Bake at 375 until eggs are set.

Place eggs on toasted english muffins and top with a slice of cheese.

Wrap with aluminum foil if reheating in the oven. (large quantities)

Wrap with plastic wrap if reheating individually in the microwave.
Place them back in the muffin bag they came in, label, and freeze.  

If reheating in the oven, I like to turn the oven on the lowest setting of about 170 degrees a while before I'm ready to serve.  Then, whenever I get around to it, they are ready.  If I get distracted, they just keep warm rather than burning:)

Tips for making large batches.

Start with toasting all the muffins and set aside in proper pairs.

Start your first batch of eggs baking.

While eggs are baking, tear off appropriate-sized aluminum foil sheets and place in a line on counter.

Go ahead and place english muffins in the center of each aluminum foil sheet.

Place cheese slices on muffins.

When eggs are finished, place on muffins and start the next batch.  If you have a couple of pans, you can easily make a large batch of these.  Wrap them in the foil, place them back in the muffin bag they came in, label them and relax for breakfast!

Living a Significant Life

I've been to a several funerals in the last few years, but one funeral gave me a lot to think about.  Generally, when I go to a funeral, grief is evident everywhere while treasured memories of the deceased are shared among family and friends.

At this funeral, however, the one feeling that I carried with me as I left the church was that it appeared that

almost no one was sorry or sad.  I saw very few tears and really, the whole occasion just seemed to be an effort at how quickly everyone could get done with the event and go home.

I knew the deceased, and I knew that he was not "bad" in the sense that everyone was left with bad or abusive memories.  Rather, although he was quite successful in many business areas of life, he had apparently not been a significant person in the lives of those around him.  While he had left an inheritance of money and possessions, he had apparently not left a lifetime of relationship memories.  Somehow he had failed to be significant in the lives of those around him while still being successful in the business world.

He had long since retired so very few if any of his business associates attended his funeral.  Rather, it was his close family and friends, and of those who attended, it seemed to be apparent that his life had not centered around them.

I don't like to cause people grief, but I do want people to be sad at my funeral.  I want them to feel they have suffered a great loss.  I want them to be joyful because I have gone to heaven, but I want to be such a significant person in many people's lives that there is great sorrow when I'm gone.  I want to be a friend and a mother or a daughter or sister that is missed, because it is a tragedy--even a wasted life--if at the end of life, no one is sorry or there is no loss felt.   What is a life for if when it is done, no one cares if you are gone?

Being significant comes from everyday choices--choices to be involved in the lives of others rather than spend time on myself.  It comes from giving up what I want to do to be with others and do what they want to do.  It comes from spending less time, energy and money on things, and more on people.  It comes from the example of Jesus who gave up his whole life to invest in the lives of others and brought significance to the world through his life.  I pray that God will help me live my life so that many will feel they have lost someone very significant when I'm gone!

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

If you are looking for a fun recipe for a picnic or camp out or even a church event, try this homemade ice cream in a bag. 

Place ice cream mix in a sandwich sized ziploc bag.  Then place filled bag into a larger quart sized bag and surround with ice and3/4 Cup salt. Seal both bags securely and shake for about 5 minutes.  Your ice cream will solidify as you shake it.  Enjoy!

Ice Cream Mix

Combine and mix well

1 Cup Whole Milk

2-3 Tbls Evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 Cup sugar

Strawberries or other fruit

Serves one

For making large quantities, use this recipe.  Serves 80

4 Gallon Whole Milk

4 cans evaporated milk

1 1/4 Cup vanilla

16 Cups sugar

Fruit of your choice

Plenty of salt for the ice

Remember the Bad Days--they won't last forever

This past week, I was visited by a stomach virus, and as I lay in bed, I had a few thoughts that I decided  I would share especially with young mothers.  Now considering that these thoughts came to me during my fight with a stomach bug, one might think that they wouldn't be unusually profound, but hopefully they will bring

some encouragement to someone today.

Recently, I read Deuteronomy chapter 8 in my devotions, and a particular truth stood out to me.  Moses is giving advice and warnings to the people of Israel in chapters 6 through 8.  He is also reminding them of their great journey through the wilderness and all the great things that God did for them as well as all the difficult things that He brought them through.  He reminded them of the miracles that God performed for them in providing food and water and protection for them.  He also reminded them of the dangers they faced as well as the difficulties they encountered.  Then he encouraged them to never forget God as they continue their lives.  One might even say it was family story night as they recalled their lives together.

As I lay in bed in bed trying to sleep away the sickness, my husband came in and took the baby monitor so I couldn't hear the baby when she woke up, and my older children got the younger ones dressed and took them to the park.  I was able to recover fairly quickly as I had uninterrupted recovery time in my quiet room. As I lay there, I remembered that it wasn't always this way.

My mind went back to the long, often discouraging days of young motherhood.  If I were to look back and find my darkest days in life, many of them would be found in those early days of motherhood.   Although I have many wonderful and cherished memories of when my first children were young, I also remember the difficult days.  I remember days when I struggled for weeks and months on end with an condition that took years to get properly diagnosed.  During those days, I had little help.  I lived far from my mother.  Rick had a job that kept him away from home.  On those days when I really struggled with my health, the baby still needed cared for and naps were often just not a possibility.  I know from experience that little, energetic children don't slow down just because mom needs to!  They don't make their own meals when mom's having a rough day, and they still need drinks every three and a half minutes it seems...

Yes, I remember those days when I enjoyed that season of life and the little ones that God graciously gave me, but the actual working out of those days in my life were often difficult and dark days because I often was weary and not feeling well.

God encourages us to remember those days as well as the good times.  Why?  I think He wants us to thank Him for the grace and strength that He gave during those times, but He also wants us to remember those around us who are currently going through the same challenges.

This morning, I want to encourage those of my friends who struggle--perhaps with very little help or encouragement.  Things will get better.  Those little ones who needed a drink every three and a half minutes will lightly tap on your door with a cold drink.  The ones who couldn't fathom why you didn't want to go to the park will bless you with extra care as you recover.

This past Mother's Day, my children bought me a garden fountain which I thoroughly enjoy.  It is situated outside our bedroom door where I can hear its noise as I go to sleep at night.  It more than makes up for all the sleepless nights I endured, and all the naps I missed during those darker days.  It's not worth it because of the beauty of the fountain, but because of their love that it reminds me of every time I see it.

If you are having a rough day, be encouraged that dark days don't last forever.  In order to appreciate the light at the end of the dark tunnel, one has to be in the dark for a while.  If you can always see a little ray of light while you are going through a dark tunnel, you can't appreciate  the light.  But if you walk in the dark for days and days trusting that someday the light will reappear, you know the joy of seeing just that one tiny spot of light.  Hopefully this little post today will be a tiny ray of light for your day!

Start Your Day the Evening Before

Spring is finally coming to North Carolina, and one of the highlights of spring for me is being able to get up early, start the day, and enjoy some time working

outside in my yard and garden. Many times, I have not been able to enjoy the early mornings during the spring of the year because early morning rising has been interrupted by a difficult pregnancy or a newborn. This year, however, I am enjoying the smells and sounds of spring as well as uninterrupted devotion and worship with the Lord, early in the morning.

This morning when I got to my chair, I saw a chapter of my husband's new book, "Morning Momentum--How to Wake Up, Get Up, and Start your Day Right!" He had placed it there for editing, but instead it became a part of my devotional time with the Lord. I think you would enjoy a small paragraph that I found especially challenging as a busy mother. 

"Giving God the 'first fruits' is the starting place for Biblical money management. But I believe it also applies to time management. As we discovered in the last chapter, seeking God is a 'big rock' that has to come first, or it never seems to fit in. As a rule, getting it in the soonest possible slot after you are dressed and alert is the best strategy.

Not giving Him the first fruits means we are leaving God our leftovers. Maybe you've had the experience of opening the refrigerator and seeing something green. The problem is it wasn't green when you put it in there. It is a leftover, and leftovers are never as good as first servings. Sometimes we even feed them to the dog. 

Rising early to meet God may require sacrifice on your part. If it does, you will be in good company. King David, who wrote, "O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee" also said he would not make an offering to the Lord "of that which cost me nothing." II Samuel 24:24 Surely God is pleased when we love Him enough to 'sacrifice' an extra hour of sleep to spend time with Him!"

You can also enjoy those early minutes with the Lord before so many other things begin clamoring for your time. The only way that I am able to get up early in the morning is to begin the evening before. After our evening meal, I begin planning for bedtime. What time do I need to get the children in bed so that I can get to bed on time? When do I need to start bedtime routines in order for this goal to be accomplished?

By purposely avoiding beginning late night projects or last minute shopping trips, I convey to the Lord that He is more important to me than anything else as I plan for my most important appointment of the day by beginning the evening before. Going to bed early does cost me something. It costs planning and arranging my day to fit in the most important events and leaving off everything else. It means choosing to not do some things in order to do the most important thing. It means that my whole day revolves around getting ready for that early time with God the next day and guarding it carefully so that it can happen. "Morning by morning new mercies I see--Great is thy Faithfulness!"

If you want to get more ideas on managing your time, like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LifeChangingSeminars