A Day Planned Just for You

     What tasks are you assigning to your maids? Many of you will say, I don't even have a maid but I wish I did. If you don't have a maid, you still have tasks to assign, however, you may have to assign them to yourself. Instead of running around all day with an ill-conceived plan and at the end of the day not accomplishing anything productive, consider your tasks and their assignments carefully. Whether you have a maid, are assigning tasks to family, contracting jobs out, or doing it all yourself you'll want to ensure what gets done are the tasks that make the biggest impact for your time, energy, and money.

    How do you ensure that what you set  your mind to accomplish each day is going to produce the most fruit or any fruit at all? Before our Proverbs 31 woman sets out to consider a field or spend her savings on  new fruit-producing vines, "she rises while it is still yet night and gets food for her household and (then) she assigns her maids their tasks [Proverbs 31:15]." The amplified version expands the more literal translation of food as Spiritual nutrition. She rises while it is still yet night and gets Spiritual nutrition for her household. I see a woman who gets up and before she wakes up the kids or begins her day's tasks, she spends time in quiet meditation with the Lord. Before her day begins, she consults the one who has determined our path [Proverbs 20:24], whose thoughts and plans are for our welfare and peace and not for evil, to give us hope and a future [Jeremiah 19:11].

   She rises early and the first thing she does is gather spiritual nutrition. God makes the morning give birth to songs of joy [Psalms 65:8]. This place where morning dawns is a great place to gather spiritual joy and let God speak into your heart the plans he has for you. The first time I read, "Where morning dawns and evening fades, you call forth songs of Joy." I knew I never wanted to miss a sunrise or a sunset if I could help it. I love getting up before dark and watching the sunrise and listening to God's songs of Joy. Listening. Soaking. Being in God's presence. 

    This simple act of letting your Spirit connect with the Holy Spirit each morning is like a spiritual download. The gathering of spiritual nutrition that feeds your heart, and soul, and mind will amaze you as you begin to draw on God's wisdom absorbed in his presence. Your task assignments will flow naturally, your decisions will be clearer, and God's plans will unfold before you producing a day designed for your welfare, full of hope and peace.  

January's To Do List

    How are those New Year's resolutions coming? I have heard from some of you. Although it has only been 9 days in and as a whole, we have already fell off the wagon a few times. Most of you have just climbed right back on. It is encouraging and motivating to hear the goals and specific things you are doing to achieve them. Here are a few ideas to help keep you on track:

• Write down your 2013 goals, if you haven't already.
• Now make a January To Do list of the one thing (per goal) you can do this month that will take you one step closer to achieving that goal.
• Next schedule your January To Do list items in your day planner and treat them like you would any other appointment. If your list includes items like drink less pop-- then schedule a time 2 or 3 times weekly to review your progress and make a specific plan such as: cut intake in half every two weeks. Be specific: current intake is 32 ounces per day; cutting in half to 16 ounces per day on 1/10/13 and will cut to 8 ounces per day on 1/24/13.
• Write your top Six goals on the back of a business card and

Slow Feed

    "The Lord is my chosen and assigned portion, my cup, You hold and maintain my lot." Psalm 16:5

     Babies are unable to eat more than we give them. We measure their ideal portion and put it in a bottle and try to get them to finish it all. If they cry out in hunger, we increase the measure so they consume exactly what it takes to fill them up at each feeding. As they grow, they need more. Eventually, they grow into pureed food, then finger foods, then grown-up food. It becomes increasingly more difficult to control their intake. By the time they are teenagers we usually lose control over their portions and what they are eating. They now have the choice to eat healthy the way they were taught or to exercise their new freedom to splurge on the fast food and the junk foods that tempt them at every turn.
    Every day we are tempted by things that are not good for us. Even though we are given every thing we need, we exercise our freedom to overindulge or make unwise choices. When we stray from the Lord's portion for us