One week left during the Sixty60 Challenge!

Since we're on the final stretch, I'd love for those of you participating in the 60/60 Challenge to recap your experience - the good, the bad, the in-between.

How has this challenge changed your life?

What will you do differently because of having done this challenge?

Will you continue to have a goal of continuous connection with God after the challenge is over?

Take a few minutes over the next couple of days to reflect and put together a response. Blog your response (or leave it in the comments if you don't have a blog) and link up. I can't wait to read how God has used this challenge in your life!

Taking a LONG break...

Good Morning, Company Girls (and other readers)!!

Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook have been eating up a bunch of my time lately. And quite honestly, I don't have the extra time available to be eaten up! So, I'm taking a long break from all forms of social media - well, at least majorly cutting back.

My goal:
- allow myself one hour a day to catch up on Facebook and/or any blogs I want to read
- avoid Twitter altogether
- blog only when I have something to say, not because I'm "on a schedule"

I'll still be available via email, as I check that regularly throughout the day via my cell phone.

I'm not sure how long my break will last, but my life is about to get crazy hectic (more so than normal), so eliminating these "time eaters" from my life will help to alleviate some unnecessary stress due to poor time management.

What are you doing to "improve" your life?

If you do nothing else today...

... read this post about the jealous love of our Heavenly Father.

Sixty60 Weekly Recap

Are any of you still out there? My class that started the sixty60 challenge just ended, so keeping it up has been a bit more difficult.

This weekend, I actually found myself avoiding the beeps on my watch, as I "fought" with God about connecting hourly. 

Yet, at the same time, I found myself connecting between reminders more frequently than prior to the challenge. For example... I had to drive through blinding rains on my way to my parents house. I was definitely praying hard for help to stay on the road! I'm also quicker to acknowledge when I make mistakes with my kids and/or husband.

God's been working on my "morning routine" again... it's been a real struggle to get out of bed in the mornings.

What changes have you seen in your life from doing the sixty60 challenge? How is God challenging you?

Since nobody's been linking up the past few weeks, I won't add a link-up to this post, but you can feel free to leave your recap in the comments!

"It Had to Be You" by Janice Thompson

The third and final book in the "Weddings by Bella" series, It Had to Be You did not disappoint.  Fools Rush In and Swinging on a Star set up this final book, as Bella, the wedding planner, finally gets to experience her own wedding!

If you've read the first two books in the series, you've come to love the Rossi clan! Well, get ready to experience not one, but two Rossi weddings!  It Had to Be You is a fast-paced Tex-Italian story that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for providing a copy of this book for review.

Random Ramblings, Vol. 511, Issue 919

I'm coming off of a busy week/end, and I'm struggling to get my head screwed on straight. I need a random ramblings post to help me sort out all of the brain clutter this morning.

#1 - I had a great Mothers' Day with my mom and grandma - the kids and I headed to Michigan for the weekend.  J was kind enough to let us go without him, since somebody had to stay home to "babysit" the carpet guys on Saturday.

#2 - I really don't want to put all my stuff away! Our house is "clutter-free" right now, and we really LOVE it.  Unfortunately, we have a room FULL of "stuff" that needs to go back to its "home".  I think I'm close to being convinced of our need for another yard sale... otherwise a bunch of it is getting hauled off to Goodwill!

#3 - I was OVERJOYED last night when I was frantically trying to get my school work done to find out that I didn't have to finish the work for one of the two classes until WEDNESDAY!  What a relief, since I hadn't finished reading the professor's notes and hadn't had time to come up with my responses for the forum questions.  They really ought to give us a little bit more time between classes (one set ended Friday, and the other started yesterday) to refocus our brains and refuel our energy - I'm having a hard time switching modes.

#4 - This summer (at least from now until the middle of July) is going to be INSANELY busy! I keep adding things to my calendar, but until this weekend, I hadn't sat down to see how it all flowed.  I'm not sure when/if we'll have a free weekend until we get back from our family vacation in the middle of July! This could be quite challenging, especially since I have a challenging load for school this 'semester'.

#5 - We have new carpet! It's so nice to have CLEAN carpet (though I should probably vacuum it again, as the little fuzzies are covering my children when they play on it).  And, the color (tan) is much better than the previous colors (white in the master bd, gray in the kids' room, and blue in the main areas).

#6 - We're meeting with our decorator this week to pick out all the pieces/colors for our new house! I'm so excited to decide on everything, and to get closer to the point where we can actually break ground!  I've arranged for a babysitter for the kids, so we'll be able to go to Ft Wayne child-less, and can focus our attention on our house rather than on chasing the kids around the showroom.  It should be a nice afternoon away!

#7 - I'm really excited about some potential ideas I have for the blog and my future ministry.  Of course, I can't do anything about them right now, as my workload is a little heavy for the next few months, but I'm having fun 'dreaming' and planning.  If you saw my post yesterday, you saw that I want to start a Bible study series on here - this is just a small part of my big dream. (P.S. I'd love your input on topics to study!)

#8 - Today looks like a great day to curl up with a book and read - gloomy outside with lots of rain.  Hopefully I'll be able to get my to-do list completed "early" in the day, and I'll be able to spend some quality time with my school books, highlighter, and pen this afternoon.

#9 - One Tree Hill seems to be coming to end - it is a Monday night staple at our house. I've heard conflicting reports of whether or not they are going to cancel the show. I don't want to see it end, but without Chad Michael Murray and Hilary Burton, it's just not the same.  CW really needs to spend the extra money to get them back on the show!

#10 - I'm appliance shopping for our new house on Craigslist. Thankfully I have lots of friends on Facebook who can guide me through this process, as I'm clueless when it comes to appliances!  I hoping for an all black kitchen (oven, fridge, dishwasher) and front loading washer and dryer.  I've got until the end of September to figure it out.

This list is a bit random, but it's just a smattering of the clutter in my brain at the moment.  Maybe I'll be able to focus a bit now and actually accomplish something today (other than getting out of bed - and that took 2.5 hours)!

What's cluttering your brain today?

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by Oh Amanda.

Starting a series...

I'm thinking about starting a weekly series here at AP Freewriting.

What would you like to see us study/learn?  It's going to be "biblical".  What topic(s)/passage(s) of Scripture would you like to dig deeper in?

I'll be welcoming suggestions all week.

"Must Read" Bloggers and Their Blogs

My reader has actually gotten cleaned out a few times this week, but somehow, I managed to forget to tag posts for my weekend wanderings post.  So, I'm just going to share a few bloggers that I LOVE, hoping that you'll love them too!

Sarah Mae at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee
Jessica at Life as Mom
Kat at Inspired to Action
Stacey at I'm a Lazy Mom
Stephanie at Keeper of the Home
Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife

Each of these blogs is a "must read" in my book - a place for encouragement, laughter, information, and community.  Be sure to check them out and let them know I sent you!

What blogs are "must reads" for you?

Company Girls Coffee, 5.7

Good Morning (just barely), Company Girls!

We just (as in I literally just got off the phone) "finalized" plans for our fifth wedding anniversary this month (the 28th).  I'm pretty excited that we were able to put something together last minute and that we are both looking forward to!  We'll be spending Memorial Day weekend golfing together!

It's another busy Friday at our house, so I'm going to have to leave you with a few links to check out, rather than a long and rambling post:

* We're getting new carpet put in our house this weekend, so we've been busy relocating furniture and odds and ends.
* I had a chance to recap the month of April in "bloggerland" this week.
* We're on the home stretch of our 60/60 Challenge.

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend! Happy Mothers' Day to all the moms!!

Sixty60 Update

Prayer is a Spiritual Discipline that I have wanted to cultivate in my life for a long time. However, it has always seemed to be ‘too difficult’ or ‘just out of reach’. I looked at the lives of ‘pray-ers’ with great respect, and I longed to have that kind of relationship with God where I could spend hours in prayer, but I didn’t see how it could ever happen in my life. Over the last five weeks, God has changed my perspective on prayer almost completely.

The 60/60 Challenge has had a major impact on my prayer life (as well as other aspects of my life). Learning to stay connected moment-by-moment to the Holy Spirit has drastically changed my experience with prayer. I’ve learned to hear/feel the promptings of the Spirit to pray for specific requests, and I’ve been able to rejoice and praise God for His answers to those prayers. 

While I know I have a long ways to go in making my communion with God a constant in my life, seeing it as central rather than at the top of a ‘to-do list’ has changed how I view prayer. As Burke stated in Soul Revolution, prayer is no more than sharing every part of my life with God – bringing Him into every conversation, decision, action – every moment of my life revolving around Him.

As I look to finish strong, I'm working on having a proper view of God by memorizing Psalm 113: 

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Don't be a slave to circumstance...

I think often we can very easily become slaves to circumstance when we don't keep our focus on Christ and His work in our lives. When we start viewing our lives in light of circumstances, rather than in light of the cross, we can quickly get caught up in the "poor me" game, rather than having a proper appreciation for the life that we've been given because of the work of Christ on the cross.

A song has been running through my head this morning, and I feel its lyrics are appropriate to share here. When we have this proper perspective of life, our focus is on Christ, and our lives are full of joy!

Jesus Lord of Heaven
I do not deserve
The grace that You have given
Or the promise of Your word
Lord I stand in wonder
At the sacrifice You made
With mercy beyond measure
My debt, You freely paid

Your love is deeper than any ocean
Higher than the heavens
Reaches beyond the stars in the sky
Jesus Your love has no bounds
Jesus Your love has no bounds

Your love is deep, Your love is wide
Your love is great, Your love is high
Your love is all we ever need
Your love is all we ever need

View the music video for free: available here.

From CHAOS to CLEAN in 30 Minutes!!

We're getting new carpet in our house this weekend.  And that means finding a place to store all our stuff while they rip out the old and put in the new.  Only one "bed"room doesn't have carpeting, and it's our "storage" room.

I've been dreading having to clean out this room to make space for all our stuff to hang out...

See all those boxes - most of them are empty... we just never took the time to clear out the packing materials and break them down. And then there are a few boxes/toys that we've designated to go to Goodwill, but haven't ever gotten around to taking them. (It's LITERALLY just around the corner.)

So, my project for the morning was to clean this room up enough to be able to move at least one other room's belongings in it for the weekend.

Thirty minutes later, I was done.

I was pretty much in shock at how quickly I was able to get it cleaned up and how much space I cleared.

After a quick shower (I was pretty gross from moving so fast!), the kids and I headed around the corner to drop off the boxes for Goodwill and grab a few groceries at Aldi and the bread outlet before lunch.

I hope all the rest of my "big projects" for the week (including my kids' closet) are this easy!

What "big projects" are you dreading?

What is JOY?

Joy supersedes circumstance.

Joy is a state of being – not a temporary reaction to ones circumstances.

{photo source: DaySpring}

Joy is found through obedience to Christ – in living a transformed life in radical connection and obedience to God. Richard Foster suggests that the source of joy is found in obedience to Christ, and obedience results in greater joy. According to Katie Brazelton, "One of the biggest discoveries of a [person's] life is learning to differentiate between the concepts of happiness and joy. Happiness is... temporal. Joy is different. It comes from having Jesus in your heart… The secret to everlasting joy (instead of temporary happiness) is choosing to be content in Christ whatever his wishes, whatever the circumstances."

{photo source: DaySpring}

Foster also states: “Scripture commands us to live in a spirit of thanksgiving in the midst of all situations; it does not command us to celebrate the presence of evil." Sorrow is a response to circumstances. Joy is a decision to set ones mind on “the higher things of life.” Sorrow is momentary (in light of all of life and eternity to come), but joy is eternal.

Philippians is the book of the Bible where I immediately turn when talking about joy. Paul is in prison, on death row, and yet he is full of joy – to the point that it spills onto the page. This is the kind of joy I want to have – the joy that can only come from knowing Jesus and finding complete fulfillment in Him:

• 1.4 “always offering prayer with joy”
• 1.18 “in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.”
• 1.25 “joy in the faith”
• 2.2 “make my joy complete”
• 2.18 “rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me”
• 2.29 “receive him… with all joy”
• 3.1 “rejoice in the Lord”
• 4.4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
• 4.10 “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly”

Where do you find YOUR joy?

Recapping April in BloggerLand

Another month has bit the dust!  Can you believe we're already in May?!? It feels like March just got here...

Anyways, it's time to do a monthly recap of what's been happening on AP Freewriting!  Be sure to stop by the top referrer's sites and let them know you appreciate their support of this blog, and be sure to check out any of the top posts you missed!

Top Ten Referrers for April
10. Chaos Appreciation
9. Oh Amanda
8. The Youngman Family
7. Word Vessel
6. Org Junkie
5. 5 Minutes for Mom
4. Home Sanctuary
3. Money Saving Mom
2. Beamissionary
1. We are THAT Family

Top Ten Posts for April
10. "Busyness" vs "Solitude & Silence"
9. Is it Friday Already?!?
8. Confirmed by God
7. Weighing My Options
6. Week One Check In: 60/60 Challenge
5. Company Girls Coffee, 4.16
4. Keeping Clean Clothes CLEAN
3. Lists keep me focused...
2. Ultimate Blog Party 2010
1. Finding Home - Guest Post and Giveaway

Thanks for making it a GREAT month at AP Freewriting!  What was YOUR favorite part of April?

Hang in there #sixty60 Gals!!

We're on the home stretch! We're 41 days into our 60 day challenge to stay radically connected with God, but I feel like I've lost my co-"runners"... are you still there?!?

If you've gotten off track, jump back in.  Let's run the last 19 days stronger than ever! 

Each time you hear your watch/timer beep or see those sticky-note reminders, take a minute to touch base with God.  See if there is anything from the last 60 minutes that needs to be confessed, thank God for the little things in your life, and seek His will for the next 60 minutes.

Be sure to take a few minutes to reflect on the challenge over the last couple of weeks.  Put together a post (it doesn't have to be long) and link up or leave a comment below... I'd love to know how I can better encourage you as we start to pick up our speed to the finish line!

Weekend Wanderings

It's been another crazy busy week.

I'm not sure why, but I seem to have a lack of interest in reading all the blog posts that come into my reader, and I managed to hit the "Mark All as Read" button yesterday.  Maybe if I take the time read them every day, I wouldn't get so overwhelmed!

But, I managed to find a few good posts for you to check out this week.  And since I didn't make it through a TON of posts in my reader this week, I'm sure I missed a number of posts as well.

Be sure to leave me links to posts I should definitely read in the comments below!

• This post talks about finding ways to accomplish cleaning while your kids are still at home.  As the saying goes: "Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like trying to shovel while it's still snowing."  Maybe Simple Homeschool can help!
  
• Giving your spouse value starts with valuing yourself.  Taking care of yourself is step number one to showing him you care!
  
• Having grace conversations with your kids is a great way to establish your unconditional love for them in their minds.  At our house, we like to read I'll Always Love You!
  
• If you're a blogger, this post about using blogging as a platform is for you!