It's been about 17 days since I last wrote. It's been an incredible month so far, and God has been blessing my soul so much. That may sound cheesy, but it's true! His still, small voice; His precious, sweet words whispered straight to my heart have been unlike times previous in my relationship with Him, and I'm in love all over again with my King!
This month, as I wrote in a previous post, Brent and I have been doing a spending fast, which has been awesome. We broke it during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and spent a bit on - I won't lie - eating out. The first time was fine because we had a wonderful time spent with friends celebrating a belated birthday, and it was so nice to know that after having not spent anything for almost three weeks (a BIG deal for us), we had no guilt in spending money on an occasion like that. It was a great lesson. Then we had a coupon the next night, and then I had a girl day with a friend the next day. Then we realized how lousy we felt for not only breaking our fast that many times, but also realizing that we were spending when we didn't need to. So we said, "OK, no more." It was another great lesson for us, and we've been back on track since then.
I've also been reading the Bible in 90 days, and while I admit to have spread out my daily readings a couple times to more than one day (Exodus...Leviticus...oy vey!), I've stuck to it, and I'm so pleased with myself. To be honest, it's amazing God's consistency in the Old and New Testaments, and it's amazing reading the common stories, being reminded of my heritage in God and seeing Him at work in the lives of ordinary people. The same God of the Old Testament is the same God that lives and operates in me today! How glorious!
Also, I'm two weeks into a three-week social media break, which for me has included Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. (Twitter too, but I never really use that.) The last two weeks have been so liberating! It's funny how much we can let social media subtly control us, rather than us controlling ourselves in how much we use it. For me though, it wasn't just a break from the fact that I spent way too much time using it, but it was also a refocusing time on how I have used social media, and how I want to use it from now on. I haven't entirely figured out the specifics of my future social media usage plans, but I did use this list as a template for my devotional time regarding the break I've been taking from it, and it's been very eye-opening.
I've also been brainstorming a lot of different blogging ideas and plans, and haven't come to a conclusion yet. I'm going to leave that up to the Lord, and seek Him on what He wants me to do concerning that area of my life, so we'll see. For now, this is where I'm at as a blogger, and I'm enjoying it.
Until next time, be blessed!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Bye-Bye Vacation! Hello New Year!
Tomorrow, my husband and I go to school for the first time in three weeks!
OK, really it's only two. But it feels like three because we went home to Idaho for a week, and when we got home were able to attend three days of class before the two-week Christmas break began, so...it at least feels like three weeks.
And I'll be totally honest: I feel like the last two weeks have been not very on-purpose. I still read my Bible every morning and prayed, but I didn't do anything else with any sense of "purpose" that I was aware of. It definitely was a nice, long break (I can't believe Christmas was just last week!), but it was entirely self-centered. I literally sat in my house the entire two weeks.
Literally.
And while everyone needs rest, and everyone needs some extended rest like that from time to time, I'm not so sure I did. One week? Yes please! Ten days? Absolutely! Fourteen? Maybe. Sixteen? Way too long.
I feel way out of the loop...way out of the zone...like my groove's been thrown way off.
I didn't really make any serious New Year's resolutions this year, beyond that of my spending fast (so far, so good by the way!) and endeavoring to read the entire Bible in 90 days (also so far, so good). But I figure tomorrow is a great time to hit the ground running all the same: it's the first Monday of 2014!
It's not so much a "start over" as much as it is a "start back up again" for me. I'm excited for tomorrow to get here, but it's also a bit overwhelming because I feel like the last two weeks have been so overloaded with downtime that I don't know how to get going again.
Nevertheless, I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! This is going to be an AWESOME year, filled with new adventures and new seasons and new...NEWNESS!
2014, I'm ready for you! Are you ready for me?
OK, really it's only two. But it feels like three because we went home to Idaho for a week, and when we got home were able to attend three days of class before the two-week Christmas break began, so...it at least feels like three weeks.
And I'll be totally honest: I feel like the last two weeks have been not very on-purpose. I still read my Bible every morning and prayed, but I didn't do anything else with any sense of "purpose" that I was aware of. It definitely was a nice, long break (I can't believe Christmas was just last week!), but it was entirely self-centered. I literally sat in my house the entire two weeks.
Literally.
And while everyone needs rest, and everyone needs some extended rest like that from time to time, I'm not so sure I did. One week? Yes please! Ten days? Absolutely! Fourteen? Maybe. Sixteen? Way too long.
I feel way out of the loop...way out of the zone...like my groove's been thrown way off.
I didn't really make any serious New Year's resolutions this year, beyond that of my spending fast (so far, so good by the way!) and endeavoring to read the entire Bible in 90 days (also so far, so good). But I figure tomorrow is a great time to hit the ground running all the same: it's the first Monday of 2014!
It's not so much a "start over" as much as it is a "start back up again" for me. I'm excited for tomorrow to get here, but it's also a bit overwhelming because I feel like the last two weeks have been so overloaded with downtime that I don't know how to get going again.
Nevertheless, I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! This is going to be an AWESOME year, filled with new adventures and new seasons and new...NEWNESS!
2014, I'm ready for you! Are you ready for me?
The Lord says, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NCV)
Friday, January 3, 2014
New Year, No Spending
(...well, at least for 60 days.)
It's 2014, and for Brent and I, that means we're starting the year out by doing a no-spend month (or a spending fast, as it's also called).
No, we're not trying to "stick it to the man" or anything like that. It's purely an attempt - a goal, really - to simplify and save. Last year we tried and failed. (I really wanted to buy the 4-pack of the stop-animation Christmas classics at Walmart.) But this year, it's a bit different. Last year, it was in November for one thing (appropriately deemed by us, "No-Spend November"), and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and poorly planned, as seen in its lack of execution (and, I clearly wasn't very disciplined). This year, it's obviously kicking off our new year, and we've actually (kind of) planned for it this time. Not only that, but the goal is to do not one, but TWO months of non-spending.
As I mentioned, our purpose in doing this is to save money and simplify our life. I've wanted to live more simply for quite some time now, and have gone through various phases of said endeavor. To be honest, our life is already pretty simple, but we're still a product of our time and culture and there are just a few things we'd like to cut back on or cut out entirely.
We weren't big on the making of a bunch of new year resolutions or goals though we, like most, did make some. Really, it was cutting back on spending, saving as a result and...well...that's really about it for the time being. There are other goals we have, but if there's anything we've learned since living in Oklahoma, it's to sloooooow down and not take on too much at once.
Simplifying is a process, I've learned. Since July of last year, I've tried to jump on many-a-simple-living-bandwagon too quickly, and got in over my head. Not to mention, simplified living can look different for different people, something I don't think I realized when I first began my journey towards simplicity.
For some, it's minimalism all across the board (which can creep me out a bit, not going to lie). For others, it's natural or chemical-free living. For some, it might be no or very little technology, not having a car, getting rid of social media or having a 100% DIY'd lifestyle. I tried the chemical-free lifestyle for a couple months in an attempt to live a more simplified life - I made my own cleaning products, got rid of all of my medicine, planned a patio garden and all that other natural-living Pinterest-y stuff. But it just wasn't for me, and because it wasn't for me, it honestly led to far more stress.
Simple living looks different for different people, but I think that the goal of simplicity for those who desire it is ultimately the same: freedom and contentment. Brent and I look at simplicity of lifestyle as a way to feel free to do what and go where God has called us to at His word, to be a greater blessing to others and to not get caught up in today's distorted "American Dream." And for us, the road to simplifying our lifestyle simply begins with finances.
So, here are our personal "No Spending" rules for the months of January and February 2014:
It's 2014, and for Brent and I, that means we're starting the year out by doing a no-spend month (or a spending fast, as it's also called).
No, we're not trying to "stick it to the man" or anything like that. It's purely an attempt - a goal, really - to simplify and save. Last year we tried and failed. (I really wanted to buy the 4-pack of the stop-animation Christmas classics at Walmart.) But this year, it's a bit different. Last year, it was in November for one thing (appropriately deemed by us, "No-Spend November"), and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and poorly planned, as seen in its lack of execution (and, I clearly wasn't very disciplined). This year, it's obviously kicking off our new year, and we've actually (kind of) planned for it this time. Not only that, but the goal is to do not one, but TWO months of non-spending.
As I mentioned, our purpose in doing this is to save money and simplify our life. I've wanted to live more simply for quite some time now, and have gone through various phases of said endeavor. To be honest, our life is already pretty simple, but we're still a product of our time and culture and there are just a few things we'd like to cut back on or cut out entirely.
We weren't big on the making of a bunch of new year resolutions or goals though we, like most, did make some. Really, it was cutting back on spending, saving as a result and...well...that's really about it for the time being. There are other goals we have, but if there's anything we've learned since living in Oklahoma, it's to sloooooow down and not take on too much at once.
Simplifying is a process, I've learned. Since July of last year, I've tried to jump on many-a-simple-living-bandwagon too quickly, and got in over my head. Not to mention, simplified living can look different for different people, something I don't think I realized when I first began my journey towards simplicity.
For some, it's minimalism all across the board (which can creep me out a bit, not going to lie). For others, it's natural or chemical-free living. For some, it might be no or very little technology, not having a car, getting rid of social media or having a 100% DIY'd lifestyle. I tried the chemical-free lifestyle for a couple months in an attempt to live a more simplified life - I made my own cleaning products, got rid of all of my medicine, planned a patio garden and all that other natural-living Pinterest-y stuff. But it just wasn't for me, and because it wasn't for me, it honestly led to far more stress.
Simple living looks different for different people, but I think that the goal of simplicity for those who desire it is ultimately the same: freedom and contentment. Brent and I look at simplicity of lifestyle as a way to feel free to do what and go where God has called us to at His word, to be a greater blessing to others and to not get caught up in today's distorted "American Dream." And for us, the road to simplifying our lifestyle simply begins with finances.
So, here are our personal "No Spending" rules for the months of January and February 2014:
- ALWAYS TITHE.
- (We can't afford not to!)
- ONLY spend money on NEEDS.
- (Rent, bills, school payment, necessary groceries, gas, hygiene, necessary household items, and so forth. The only things here that are technically wants, but we're listing here are Netflix and makeup. Don't judge!)
- NO spending on any WANTS.
- (Going out to eat, entertainment, Starbucks, clothes, books, decor, junk food, and so forth. No extra stuff, basically.)
That's it, really. Pretty simple. The idea is to save everything that we don't need to spend so that we can pay off debt faster, have more money to give and of course, grow in the area of contentment.
"Now godliness with contentment is great gain."
1 Timothy 6:6
Also, we have an exciting new adventure coming soon, and that will require some extra funds! But more on that later...
If this sounds like it might be up your alley, I encourage you to join us - it's not too late! (And remember: you can start a no-spending month at any time.) Have you ever completed a spending fast? What are some of your life-simplification tips or habits? How are those New Year goals coming along? (Don't give up!)
If this sounds like it might be up your alley, I encourage you to join us - it's not too late! (And remember: you can start a no-spending month at any time.) Have you ever completed a spending fast? What are some of your life-simplification tips or habits? How are those New Year goals coming along? (Don't give up!)
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