Slowing Down

I have deliberately over the last few years tried to slow down a bit and be home more. Seems like there is always something to do or be involved in that takes you away from home. Does anyone else struggle with this?

Commanded to Respect?

One of the hard things about relationships is respecting one another. We know we are commanded in the Word to respect our husbands, and that is at the top of the list of what our husbands need from us. Some days I'm pretty good at respecting Kenny; other days I fail miserably. The thing I am working on presently is not to put my own agenda on him (which looks like, sounds like, and probably IS nagging). That is a particular weakness I have, and it shows a lack of respect for him. What does respecting your husband look like to you?

Family Fun

What a great time we had Sunday night at our church-wide skating party!! We had nearly 150 people attend, 92 of which were skaters. It was really fun for me to watch families interact together--of all ages. One thing I want to focus on this year is family interaction, rather than everyone going off in a different direction, which is often the case. What are some things you do as a family that are inexpensive, but enjoyable? Maybe we can share some ideas with one another. Our boys would probably say that we focused on working together...cutting wood, splitting wood, stacking wood, mowing, digging holes in the garden for tomatoes...you get the idea. (You notice cleaning the house didn't make the list.) Hey, it was family time. And I bet when they have their own families they'll want to get out that tiller and make a few trips back and forth across the yard with it themselves. Share some of your family together-time.

Tried to contact?

I have been having trouble with my email, so if you have tried to contact me to get added to the blog list so you can post, please try again, and let me know if I don't respond. I check my email daily and try to respond quickly, so if you have sent me an email and haven't heard back from me, please let me know: ginnyreding@sbcglobal.net.

Living Deliberately

I enjoy listening to Dr. Randy Carlson's radio show, "The Intentional Life" on the radio when I have the chance. He says we should evaluate 5 specific areas of our lives to determine whether we are living intentionally: our thoughtlife; our time; our finances; our relationships; what goes in and comes out of our mouths. I find myself getting bogged down sometimes by my own thoughts. I spend time moping over something that didn't go my way, worrying about what MIGHT happen, concentrating on how inadequate I am in some area, fearing for the future. What a waste of time and energy; but how to get out of that habit? Being deliberate about "retraining my brain" is one thing I have learned that helps me. If I can CHOOSE to leave those thoughts and replace them with positive, Scripture-related ideas, I can move in the right direction. I can get caught up in the "what's the world coming to mindset" if I'm not careful---I just saw recently a report of a MAN who used to be a woman now carrying a baby. It's crazy! We are losing our way, it seems. However, if I concentrate not on being controlled by how bad things seem, but rather on the seemingly little things I can do to make a positive difference and live for what is right, I am better off, and hopefully the world is better off, too.