Mid-Week Motivation

Starting Your Day Out Right!
Scripture, Short Devotion

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” ~ Colossians 1:9

Part of growing in our relationship with Christ is all about other believers. Here we find one believer praying for a group of other believers. What was he asking God for? He was asking God to help them get to know HIM. Those of us who are veteran believers should have at least one person on our list that we pray for in this manner. New believers need to know that their fellow brothers and sisters are there to uplift them in prayer. At the same time, if you are brand new in the family of God, you really need to let some people know so they may surround you with their prayers.

I believe we should be looking for ways to uplift, support, encourage and appreciate one another. Instead we tend to do a lot of backbiting and bickering over petty differences of opinion. What if, this week, we took some time to pray specifically for some of our brothers and sisters to be drawn closer to the Lord? Maybe, just maybe, by spending more time asking God to work something big in their lives…according to His will, we might find that we aren’t all that different at all. Every one of us needs direction in God’s specific purpose for our lives. My direction may not be remotely the same as the direction He sends you in…but that’s alright, He sees the big picture, we're just instructed to follow Him.

Is Your House in Order?
Cleaning, parenting, marriage, organization tips, etc.

Ok, we’ve shined our sink and we’ve worked our morning routines. And yes, we are going a bit slower than even the FlyLady. So, this week, another simple task is to develop an “evening” or “before bed” routine. This is something that you will accomplish most evenings. Try not to make it too complicated…remember this is supposed to simplify your life, not take years from it. Here’s an example of an evening routine:

Evening
Shine Sink
Write Tomorrow’s To Do List
Prepare Lunches
Personal Hygiene (teeth, face, hair)
Journal

That’s not so bad is it? I typically do my Bible study in the evenings. Feel free to add yours to whichever routine works best for you.

So, this week we are going to add our evening routines. Put these two lists on a piece of paper and stick them somewhere you will see them several times a day. They may seem like insignificant exercises but by taking care of these basic tasks, you are centering your world and preparing yourself to totally reorganize your home.

Afternoon Pick Me Up
Writing inspiration

If you’ve checked out the Snowflake link included in the last two weeks, you know what’s coming…Character building! I think this is probably my favorite part of this process so far. The task is simple in form, but could be a bit time consuming. Here is what Ingermanson suggests as our third layer of the snowflake:

For each of your major characters, take an hour and write a one-page summary sheet that tells:

• The character's name
• A one-sentence summary of the character's storyline
• The character's motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
• The character's goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
• The character's conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
• The character's epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?)
• A one-paragraph summary of the character's storyline

You can see how this could take up a chunk of time. I assure you it is fun though. I did this for every major character in a recent project and it changed my overall plot multiple times. They were good changes, necessary changes, but changes nonetheless. I also enjoyed “getting to know” my characters better. If you’re thinking, “hello crazy lady, I’m not writing fiction here”, I assure you that you can most definitely apply this to whatever project you’re working on. Even a poem about a tree has a “character”…it might be an “hundred year old, silver-leafed maple”, but it still works. You may have to think outside the box a bit in some cases but figure out who your “characters” are and get to know them this week.

Source: The Snowflake Method

What's For Dinner?
Quick dinners, crock pots, etc.

We’re still “baby-stepping” through the process of freezer cooking so let’s take a look at the third step this week:

Step Three: We Prep!
Preparing for assembly day is a huge step. When you get to this point, you are half-way through the entire process. When you finish this step, you have made a giant leap toward the finish line. So, put on your apron and let’s get to choppin’!

Prep Day is just like what it sounds. On this day you will want to do all of the tasks that can be done in advance. Per 30 Day Gourmet, some of those might include:

• skin chicken parts • cook and drain pasta • make coatings for chicken parts • start slow cooker meal • brown ground meats • dice or grind ham • make sauces • cook and dice poultry •

I would like to add chopping, peeling, dicing and slicing vegetables. That alone is a huge time saver on assembly day. Do you see why fridge space is a premium?

Source: 30DayGourmet

A Restful Night's Sleep
Scripture for a restful sleep

"When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly."
~ Acts 21:17

This morning we talked about supporting other believers. I wonder now, as we close our eyes in sleep, if we might consider those wonderful believers who have “received us warmly” into the family of God. Who encouraged you in your faith? Who prayed for you? Who challenged you to grow and learn? Take a moment and give thanks to God for placing these people in your life.

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J. Blair Lane, founder of the child-loss support site, A Treasure In Heaven, is passionate about faith, family and writing. A resident of Texas, she travels with her husband of eleven years, Erik and homeschools their four living children. You can visit her blog at Scribblings by Blair.