Mid-Week Motivational Menu

Welcome to the first mid-week motivational menu. There should be a little something for everyone, so dig in.

Starting Your Day Out Right!

Devotional Thought

I don't usually like the whole, "God is a God of order" rhetoric. I am not a person of order, in general, so this is disconcerting to me--a little easier to incorporate than the "cleanliness is next to Godliness" adage, but still somewhat objectionable to my laid-back sensibilities. However, I have to admit it's true. Who can study the creation story without seeing the perfect order to the events as they unfold? Read Genesis 1. God started "in the beginning," from scratch, a formless empty earth. He added light, sky, land and sea, plants, sun and stars, animals and man, giving instructions as necessary, and proclaiming it "good."

What do your next seven days look like? Is there an inherent order to them? If not, can you take a moment to plan them so that you are following the model of our Creator? How can you spend your time today so that at the end, you can call it "good?"

Is Your House in Order?

Cleaning, parenting, marriage tips, etc.

I am a reluctant housekeeper. However, I find that if my house becomes too cluttered by projects stopped midstream, piles of stuff, papers, or just good old fashioned dirt, it really gives me that unsettled (or cluttered) feeling in my spirit as well, impeding my ability to get anything done. However, it often seems overwhelming and as if a messy room or area can't be fixed in the amount of time I think I have to give the task.

So today, set your timer for twenty minutes and work on the area that is troubling you the most. After twenty minutes, if you are still feeling motivated, work for another twenty minutes. After that, take a break to check email or blogs (but be sure to set your timer for this, as well, for ten minutes perhaps), and then tackle the task again. I amaze myself at what I can accomplish in an hour this way.

Afternoon Pick Me Up
Writing Inspiration

Since we already have our timers handy, set your timer for thirty minutes and deal with some "project clutter." This may have to do with writing some blog posts that have been floating around in your head, but haven't been committed to paper. It may involve brainstorming a list of possible new article projects or story ideas. It could be a research call that you keep neglecting to make. Set your timer and just do it. You'll feel better when the clutter is removed from your pile of work in progress. Feel free to work longer if you'd like.

What's For Dinner?
Quick Dinners

Beef Burgandy
--as much stew beef as can fit in your crockpot (at least 1.5 lbs) because this is great leftover. Just freeze and eat again next week.
--1 can of cream of mushroom soup
--1 cup of red wine (I use cooking wine and it's fine)
--1 pkg of Lipton soup mix, either onion or beefy mushroom

Put stew meat in the crock pot. Mix other ingredients together and pour over meat. Some crock pot dishes can overcook if left all day while you are away from the house, but this one can cook all day on low with no adverse affects. It would probably be done in 3 hours cooked on high. Serve over egg noodles (my favorite), rice, or mashed potatoes.

A Restful Night's Sleep

Scripture for a good night

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3

Reflect on what you've done today. Have you worked in an orderly manner, regarding your calling at home with your family, or your writing ministry, as unto the Lord? If so, enjoy your evening of rest. If not, confess your shortcomings to the Lord and begin tomorrow refreshed and ready to begin again.

Jennifer, at Snapshot, is our first contributor to this new feature. Jennifer lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children. She has gotten her feet wet with concentrated blogging over these last six months and now has her sights set on publication.