Unplugged: 7 Days of Wearing 7 Pieces of Clothing, Day 1

My outfit for the next 7 days...

It's only day 1 on my journey to wearing 7 pieces of clothing for 7 days. Yes, the same 7 pieces. I've been teary-eyed most of the day. I got teary-eyed the first time when I realized it was either a jacket or another piece of clothing.

Why did I get so emotional over a simple jacket? Well, because some people don't have the luxury of owning a jacket and I own several. It was at that moment that I chose to go without the jacket.

Five black skirts...Really Sandra?...Excess!

Afterward, I spent most of the afternoon sorting through clothes and transitioning for the warmer months. I put clothes in piles according to colors, prints, ect. I looked over at the pile of black skirts and I cried again.

"Will I ever stop crying?" That's the question that keeps pondering in the back of my mind...

It was then that I knew God was doing something in my heart. My 101 questionnaire interview with God started. Yes, it was like I was interviewing Him for the job of being God. It was almost like I was seeing if He was fit to really do it...*big sigh* Of course He is!

Why would I want to stop crying anyway? Why would I even question what He's doing to me while on this this journey?

I'm one of those Christians who always say, "I trust you Lord!" If that's the case why all the questions. Perhaps, it's because I trust Him when I still have some control in a sense. I've decided to let God lead me on this journey. I need to let go and follow...

I'll be back next week to tell you how my journey goes this week. This is my heartsong for the week...

Unplugged: 7 Days Without Social Media

I did it! I went 7 days without any social media. I didn't even Skype with my grandbabies.

My next journey will lead me down the path of asking myself, "Do I really need all of these clothes?"

I was talking to a sister yesterday in church. We were talking about clothes. I was telling her how I need some new clothes. It was then that I realized that I didn't need new clothes, I have enough clothes. Here's what the Bible says about my "dilema" of needing new clothes:

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"
-Matthew 6:25 

*big sigh* I'm finally starting to understand it after all these years...

From March 4th - March 11th, I will wear the same 7 pieces of clothing of 7 days. That includes undergarments...Washed daily of course!

"Unplugged": My Journey on 7 Things to Simplicity

"So much to do. So little time," said the woman who didn't complete the to-do list again.

Why is it we have so much to do these days and not enough time? Our fore mothers were inundated with tasks around the home and had the same amount of time as we do today. Yet, at the end of the day, they seem to have accomplished more than I can only imagine.

What is different today than the days of old? My first guess would be technology. We are plugged in to so many sources that our eyes become crossed from reading the latest via blog, Facebook news feed, Twitter and you name it. I've lost count of how many times I have sat on Pinterest getting creative ideas to re-decorate a bedroom, but have not been able to do it because I continue to click that button at the bottom to fetch more pins...*sigh* It was then that I realized my life looked like this:

I needed to become unplugged!

I got confirmation when talking to a friend and she shared this book with me. 

Some women in our church are reading this book. The goal is to do an experiment of sorts. I've decided to do something in regards to social media first, but I feel this tug to do more than just media by the end of my experiment(s).

For those who know me IRL (in real life), know that I'm a very social person. Hey, I'm the girl that will dance with the waiters and waitress at Joe's Crab Shack. I'm the one who's so nosy that I will go up to a random person and want to know their life story. I will even go so far as to try and find out if we're cousins or not. That girl, me, is going to unplug herself.

I'm going to unplug myself. I'm going to unplug myself...*repeating it over and over until it sinks in*

I'm starting out slow. Real slow. I'm not sure what that's going to look like. All I know is that I will start on February 18th.

From February 18th-25th, I will unplug from all social media. Social Media for me includes Facebook (which I love), Twitter (my new found obsession), Pinterest (one word: addicting) and Instagram (*big sigh*). I won't even check my emails during the week. Remember, this is just the beginning. I will do other things to "unplug" myself as time goes on. First, I had to start with something I love, social media. I'll leave my greatest love for last. Chocolate! My flesh is already shaking just thinking about that one.

The goal of my personal journey of unplugging is to live out this verse:

Jeremiah 6:16, "Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls."

To help me with this journey, I'm going to delete social media apps from my smart phone. *thump*
Did you hear that loud thump? My was my flesh! It's in the process of dying...

The only way He can increase in my life is if I decrease.

2013 Reading List & 2012 Short Recep

A new year is upon us. I breathe a sigh of relief and embrace this new year. Last year has earned the title "The Year of Transitions". Now that graduations are over and our children are settled at their new duty stations, things are so different here on the home front. There's just the three of us. Although things have changed dramatically around here, my duties remain the same.

My heart is still centered around my home. I spend my mornings and afternoons homeschooling a 14 year old teenager that has a great attitude about life. She's funny. She's smart. Evenings are spent together as a family. My husband is still a solid rock in my life. We laugh. We play together. We love each other.


As I was gathering my reading list for this year, I really didn't know where to start or what to read. I'm in a new season on this path we call life. It's a bitter-sweet season. I miss my young adult children, but it's beautiful watching my eagles spread their wings as they soar across the beautiful blue sky. They've transitioned from my lap only to leave their fingerprints stamped on my heart.

I'm a wife. I'm a mother. I'm a grandmother. I'm a homeschooling mom. I'm a homemaker. I'm an encourager and friend. With that being said, here's my reading list of 2013. These books reflect some aspect of whom I am, most important, I'm His daughter.

Here are the titles and authors:

"Fascinating Womanhood" by: Helen Andelin
"The Beauty of Modesty" by: David and Diane Vaughan

"Lies Women Believe" by: Nancy Leigh DeMoss

"Feminine Appeal" by: Carolyn Mahaney

"Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by: Joanna Weaver

"A Virtuous Woman" by: Ruth Mast

"Woman You're a Kingmaker" by: Dr. Wellington Boone

"Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman" by: Anne Ortlund

"Liberated Through Submission" by P.B. Wilson

"Passionate Housewives Desperate for God" by Jennie Chancey & Stacy McDonald

"The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands" by: Dr. Laura Schlessinger

"The True Woman" by: Susan Hunt

"Encouraging One Another" by: Women of Faith

"The Many Sides of a Woman's Heart" by: Brenda Hunter

"Woman to Woman: Life Principles From Titus 2" by: Barbara Henry

Magazines:

Keepers at Home

Crowned With Silver

Above Rubies

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been doing since my last blogpost:

Taken moments after I arrived.

My first time meeting this little guy.

We picked up where we left off almost a year ago.

As you can see, I got to visit my grandbabies! I love being their Mema

My youngest daughter got to travel with me. It was great spending time with both my girls.

Youngest son graduated from Army OSUT. I'm a proud Army mom. Hooah!

One of my soldiers got to come home for Christmas. I was one happy Army mom :)

Still keeping the flames alive ;)

Until next time,

Sandra

*Disclaimer: Although these books and magazines are good and have practical tools that you can apply to your life, in no means do they replace the Bible. Also, I'm not endorsing a book and/or authors(s), I'm just sharing what I'm reading this year. Please use your own discretion when reading the books listed above or any book for that matter.

"My Boaz" ~ By: Ruth

The excerpt below was written by my daughter Ruthie on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 5:41pm. I was looking through her notes on Facebook and can across this note she wrote. She titled it "My Boaz" I've been actively involved with a group on Facebook called "Daughter's of the King" and we're doing a study on the Book of Ruth . When I came across this, I found some similarities in my writings on the Book of Ruth and that of my daughters. It was so encouraging to read what Ruthie had written. Now that she's in a courtship, I'm glad I took the time to invest in her and train her to be a godly woman. I joked around a few months ago about waiting for my Boaz to come on the scene. And even in the midst of the joking, something started to really stir in my heart.

In Bible times, when parents named their children, those names had very prophetic meaning. They'd be named, and somewhere in the span of their lifetime, a situation (or string of situations) would occur that fell in line with that name. I have always found that completely amazing! How did the parents know? Did the person give meaning to the name or did the name give meaning to the person or is it both? (Things that make you go hmmmmm =) )

But looking over the book of Ruth, I see alot of connections between this Biblical character and myself. In the Hebrew, Ruth means "Beautiful friend" or "Friend of Beauty". I like the explanation given to the name Ruth here:
"She is strong, dedicated, well respected, and hard working; she will fight for those she loves; a born leader"

What a great name I have! I love it! (Thank you Mom!)

I share basically all of these characteristics with Ruth. Not only that, but Ruth also had her share of hardships. She ended up a widow after her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law all died. She had left the land which she came from in order to stick by her mother-in-law who was really going through it. She was a stranger in a foreign land. She was just doing the best she could to honor Naomi and God.

And man, in so many ways, that has been my story. Things in my life have died in the past. There have been moments of feeling like I don't belong. Moments when all I had to hold onto were the promises God had made me.

But none-the-less, Ruth positioned herself in the best place to find the awesome man of God she deserved more than anyone else--Boaz. Boaz was wealthy and prosperous, but caring and compassionate to those under him. He was just minding his own business when he saw Ruth for the first time. He inquired of her. And all Ruth was doing was being faithful to what Naomi had said. She was just going about her business, not trying to seek the attention of anyone, not wanting to be put first, but rather, humbly stepped back and was last. And THAT is what drew Boaz to her.

How many times do we young women feel like we need to strive in order to have the man God created for us to be with to see us? We've got it wrong, girls. You need to do only one thing: just be you. Don't work to get attention. If you have to work to get it, then maybe he's just not Boaz. Don't try to get the spotlight. Ruth placed herself last, and as a reward, she became the great grandmother of King David, and she is found in the blood line of Jesus! And just be patient. Go about your business. Serve the Lord. Serve the Church. Keep your eyes focused on harvesting for the Kingdom as Ruth was harvesting for Naomi, and one day when you aren't expecting it, you'll look up and see your Boaz =)

That's really all I wanted to say. That's something I've been letting marinate in my heart for months now, but couldn't quite find the words to explain it all. But I have now =)

Commitment

New Year's Day has come and gone. People are talking about their resolutions: go on a diet, walk two miles a day, get organized, clean out the hall closet, spend more time with the family, give more attention to devotions and prayer.

Promises, promises.

Talk, as the old adage says, is cheap. It's now two weeks into the new year, and most of those resolutions have already gone into the recycling bin. The spirit may be willing, but the flesh just can't seem to keep up. We mean well, we really do. We fully intend to keep those promises, this time. But before long "this time" becomes like all the other times. We slip back into our old comfortable patterns.

Why is it so difficult for us to keep the commitments we make? Perhaps because the changes we seek are external rather than internal. We can make vows to God and to others until Jesus comes, but unless true commitment is rooted deep in our hearts, we are bound to fail, to disappoint our loved ones and ourselves.

We live in a society where lack of commitment is the norm. If the road to marital bliss gets a little rocky, bail out and start over with someone new. If a job's tougher than you planned, turn it over to someone else-or just abdicate it altogether. If you're always late for appointments-hey, no big deal. They'll wait.

No wonder we have trouble keeping our word. No wonder our zeal flags and our determination fades. Commitment, in the modern world, simply isn't a very high priority.

To God, however, commitment is the very bedrock of faith. And it begins, not with our external efforts to change our outward patterns, but with a profound inward conviction that draws us into a commitment to Someone greater than ourselves.

"How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?" the Psalmist ask. "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people." (Ps. 116:12-14)

When we commit our lives to God, something happens deep within us. Our priorities begin to changes. We begin to see the spiritual truth keeping our word is not just a matter of making a good impression, but a matter of being true to the One who created us and redeemed us, the One in whose image we have been reborn.

Commitment is not an outward effect, but an inner transformation.

It's not a New Year's resolution; it's the gift of grace.

*Taken from the book "Simple Words of Wisdom 52 Virtues For Every Woman" by: Penelope J. Stokes