Is Your Calendar Chaos?

Yesterday, the boys and I were outside. And it was hot. Like give me 150 SPF hot.

But something ever so slight spoke of the coming of Fall. Ever. So. Slight. I can't explain it. But despite the blazing sun, the hint was there. The blue of the sky, a light breeze, a faint smell of dying leaves saying, Hello! Fall is near.

Yet, what speaks more of the coming of Fall is chaos of my planner. Oh dear. I think my August calendar could overwhelm even a non-reader. It is ornate with white out, pencil scratch, eraser marks, highlighter, sticky notes and "sharpie" appointments.

A new semester: Back to school picnics. Staff meetings. Overnight student planning. Kindergarten meet and greet. Orientations. Preschool open house. Welcome week on UT's campus. Freshman moving in. Outreaches. You name it.

Being on staff with a campus ministry, our lives are rarely 8 to 5. One day Brent may work 10 to 7. The next 6 to 4. The next 1 to 11:30. Our calendar is constantly changing. And just about the time I "get it down"... students are taking finals, Christmas break comes, and it changes again in Spring.

I have spent a lot of time glaring at my planner.

And the more I stare, the more I ask, Why can't there be two of me?

Yesterday, I was on the treadmill and the Lord spoke to my heart...

(Maybe it is the hamster wheel likeness of the treadmill that represents me so well, I'm not sure, but the Lord He speaks to me there.)

Running...running....running....

Pray more than you plan.

Running...running....running....

Pray more than you plan.

I left the gym and I heard Him all day long. Pray more than you plan. (The Type A in me wants to rebel against this.)

As coffee brews in the mornings, I open all of my quiet time stuff. First, I turn on my computer. Then I open my email. Then I look to my calendar. Then I write my to-do list. And then I pray....

I go into my time with the Lord backwards.

I plan more than I pray.

Exhibit A:


Is anybody feeling me on this?

My order of events should look more like this.

Exhibit B:


Commit you work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

Your work (ma`aseh)- deeds, a thing done, acts, labour, business, pursuits, undertakings, achievements,a thing made...

Commit my work to the Lord....commit all of my labor, my daily business, all of my pursuits and dreams. Every undertaking. All of my achievements. All that I make and all of the things I do....COMMIT THEM TO HIM.

And he will accomplish them for me.

Hallelujah.

That takes the pressure off.



Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Psalm 146:5

If the past is any indicator of the future ... the next month may be a bit crazy. But the Lord is my help. The God of Jacob is my hope.

And according to Scripture...I am blessed.

Neither chaos nor calamity nor my crazy calendar can separate me.

Pray more than you plan. Commit your ways to the Lord and your PLANNER will be established.

(Total side note: I can't help but think of school teachers this morning. I know they are writing so many plans right now. I am praying for you all today, sweet school teachers. From the bottom of my heart..."Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.")

If the Proverbs 31 Woman had a yard sale...

This is the weekend. The annual Crenshaw Yard Sale. Friday and Saturday 8-1. Come one come all!

Every November, the signs go up, in hopes to raise extra money for Christmas shopping. The Lord has been good to bless it every year.

But, preparing this week has brought the Proverbs 31 Woman to mind. Often. I think of her - bringing her food from a far, rising while it is still night, providing food for her household and her maidens, buying a field to plant a vineyard, sewing, feeding the poor, making linens and fine clothing. (v.10-24)

My goodness. This woman.

I wish King Lemuel would have given us a little more detail.

I want to ask her: Did your kids scream at each other while waiting in line to buy fabric? Did they ever complain about what you fixed them for breakfast? Were your maidens so thankful for you? Did you ever want to grumble, carrying your food from so far away? Did your kids walk all that way, too?! Did they gripe about it? Did you ever prick your finger on a needle and let a bad word slip? And what about that vineyard? When did you find time to do all that?

I am realizing that she could not have possibly done all of this in her own strength. No way.

She had to rely heavily on the Lord. Dying to herself, her frustrations and her unmet expectations. Dying to feelings of entitlement or the need for extra sleep. Did she ever just want a big 'ol pat on the back?

Preparing for the sale, as silly as this sounds, really makes me appreciate this woman.

A yard sale is a lot of labor. Frustrating labor. And my flesh has rebelled often. You can imagine - the boys coming behind me, putting things back in their room (Mom! Don't sell this!), my signs have broken, Brent has had to work alot this week and the kids want to "help" me tag (No, that old VHS is not worth $5).

But this woman inspires me to work with willing hands (v.13). To be diligent, strong and joyful.

To serve well, to labor long and to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Working a yard sale or working a vineyard - we are ultimately working for the Lord.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for God and not for men. Colossians 3:23

May He be glorified today. Even in my silly yard sale.

Love you all.

Soul Sorting

If you want to know what my heart looks like today, you should just look at my house.

I am serious. I should go get my camera. Let me paint.

Nothing is over-the-top messy. But, oh the clutter. There are a couple of piles on the counter top - mail to go through. Little piles on the steps - clothes and shoes to be taken up to the boys room. A basket of laundry in my bedroom floor, folded, just not put away. Dirty laundry to be washed. Floors that need to be swept and mopped. All of my houseplants are sad and thirsty. Heaven forbid you open my kitchen junk drawer. If you walked in, you wouldn't be disgusted, but if you stayed long enough, you'd see that work needs to be done. The busyness of the past couple of days has not allowed for me to give my piles attention.

So is the case with my heart. Not a complete mess, just in need of attention.

I have heart piles. Piles that I need to address with the Lord. Parenting piles. Financial piles. Marriage piles. Friendship piles. Ministry piles. I think there is a Becky pile laying around here somewhere, too. So today will be brief, because I have some soul laundry to sort, but this verse struck me and I thought I'd share.

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverb 3:3

If I could crack my heart and look inside, what would my tablet read? The Word says to write Kindness (some versions say mercy) and Truth on my heart. What does that really mean , God? Let's investigate.

Mercy means - kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them, to show one's self merciful.

Can I just confess that mercy has not been my strongest suit this past weekend? Luke has a double ear infection. I have been so frustrated by his inconsolabilty and lack of sleep that I have practically lost my mind at times. It has to be a work of the Holy Spirit in me to show mercy from 2:30 - 5:30am while we're up watching God Made Babies. Not my definition of a good time. Once again, the Lord gives me an opportunity to die to self and show good will toward my miserable and afflicted little man. To show myself merciful. Oh , forgive me Lord. I can be so self consumed.

Truth means simply divine instruction. God wants us to write His divine instruction on our hearts. Isn't that beautiful? Once again, I come back to my cyclical problem of busyness - neglect - empty - needy - Jesus - busyness - neglect - empty - needy - Jesus. And around and around we go. I don't just want His divine instruction written on my heart, I need it tattooed.

Heart. A word we use often - both literally and figuratively. In this passage it is used figuratively and this is the part that knocked my wind out. Stay with me. Heart is our inner man. Heart is made up of our - soul, mind, knowledge, thinking, reflecting, memory, inclination, resolution, determination, conscience, moral character. It is the seat of our appetites. The seat of our emotions and passions. The seat of our courage.

Proverbs 3:3 is telling us to write mercy, goodness, and God's divine instruction on our inner man. Write it on our soul and our minds. Reflect on God. Think on Him. Our resolutions, determinations, appetites, emotions and passions are to ALL point towards him.

So this morning, I am opening up and sorting through my junk drawer. I am in need of a declutter. I need to read through what I have been scribbling on the tablets of my soul, mind, thought life and reflections. My appetite is hungry for some divine instruction. The soil of my emotions need some Living Water. I resolve to sort through the clutter of my soul and resolve to not let kindness and truth leave me today.

Be blessed.