What's in your head?

After 6 months of waking with an empty mind and no agenda, my head is full again. This morning, it was full with:

• The calendar is packed this week. Do I have the gifts ready for my friends, the material studied for the discussion, the appetizer ingredients ready to prep for the party? Bzzz.
• Are my workout clothes clean and laid out for the morning session? Bzzz.
• Our daughter comes home today. How will her body respond to Seattle weather? Is the bed made up? What else can we do to make the room comfy? Bzzz.
• A daughter-in-law, our daughter, and I visit the spa tomorrow. Are our Groupons in hand? Bzzz.
• Husband's work party? Do I need to do anything but show up?
• Next Monday's turkey dinner? When to set up tables? How shall I decorate them? Are the serving dishes washed? When to thaw out the 22 lb. turkey? When to make the stuffing? Bzzz.
• Are the gifts wrapped for Sunday's family Christmas? Bzzz.
• Oh yeah, I'm a writer and speaker. Are the presentations close to edited so I can send them off before conference deadlines? Bzzz.
• I babysit our 1 yr old granddaughter Fridays. We have to move the crib from Kirsten's bedroom to another room before K arrives today.
• etc.

There's a lot of buzzing in my brain.

I'm sure your head is as full as mine is, spilling ideas into the day. How can we manage the details that flood us in such seasons of celebration and change?

• Schedule quiet time - at least 15 minutes of reflection and prayer - each morning before the whirlwind begins. This settling of the heart allows us to align ourselves with God no matter what the tugging and pulling of obligations throughout the day.
• Watch and listen to how wise and godly friends and coworkers handle the pressures. Copy what is good and ask for advice if you're getting overwhelmed.
• Take time with your calendar to sort and prioritize. Write detailed agendas for items that require advance preparation. Schedule NO more than 3 evenings out per week, say the experts.
• Cut cut cut! anything and everything that doesn't serve your priorities. Some years require intense focus, while others let us drift through holidays at a measured pace. (Last year's journal, while I was in the thick of writing my dissertation, reports many more no's than yes'ses. That was the only way to stay sane and keep moving forward. Everyone survived and I got the work done.) 
• Give away stuff that doesn't serve you as you clear and declutter. Got old cameras? Clothes that don't fit? Seattlites, the www.bigbuetruck.org (or 800 - 992-2060) will come to pick it up from your porch. Maybe your kids have been eying a favorite teapot or piece of furniture. Do you really need it? Give it away with a smile. (See, you feel lighter already!)
• Enjoy the pleasures of the season. The meaning and blessings of Christmas - God with us! The visitors! The lights! The decor! The ribbons and wrappings! The clean house in which guests feel welcome! They all require effort ... but nothing is free (according to my mother). Since we work so hard, let's relish the results.
• Focus on the good things. Peace on earth, goodwill to those around you. Share God's love in every way that comes to hand. Forgive those who have hurt you as God forgave you when you hurt Him. Hug and kiss your family. 
• End each day with a prayer of gratitude. God is good. He gives us the night and rest. Let's not squander it in worry and sleeplessness. Morning is coming and your head may but full again.

Read more:

*One day Kish's donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, 'Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.

... Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, 'Let's go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!'

But the servant said, 'I've just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let's go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.' 1 Samuel 9:3, 5–6

*Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Psalm 84:3

*But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

*So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

Moravian Prayer: O God, when we are weary, you invite us to rest. In our anxiety and busyness, let us take your invitation seriously today. Make us stop. Let us rest in your embrace from our labors and be renewed. Amen.

Staying focused at Christmas

The holidays are busy times.

Think about it. More meetings. Parties. Home. Office. Starbucks. Restaurants. Food. Diet. Children. Parents. Relatives. Money. Presents. Stockings. Wrapping. Gift bags or paper. Late nights. Early mornings. Sleepovers. Travel.

How do we stay focused? I love this tip from John Carmack:  

 Focus is often a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.

1. Recognize "Yes" as an option. It's merely an alternative to your other option: "No."
2. Align all holiday possibilities with your values. If you are saving money, buying expensive (or unnecessary) presents is not an option. Staying up late at the office party may not serve your value of getting your work done that week.
3. Where will you meet people? If your house needs cleaning, invite people over and get stuff moving toward organization. (My mom's tip: no matter what the rest of the place looks like, the LR, kitchen, and bathroom have to be clean!) If you'd be stressed out by having people over, find a favorite coffee shop and restaurant for meeting friends and coworkers.
4. Be considerate of others. Don't choose a pricey place for someone barely making ends meet - unless you're willing to foot the bill. Some people would prefer visiting a home while others are too shy to show up at a house.
5. Emphasize hospitality over status. Whether or not you put on the Ritz or go all-out with glitz, don't intimidate others by pointing out your ability to host a great party. Make sure everyone feels welcome. Make everyone feel special: connect people to each other by sharing their best traits and accomplishments.
6. Choose what gives you pleasure. You might have to show up at the office party and that difficult relative's place. But you can space those "MUST"s with visits with beloved friends and calls to old acquaintances.
7. Schedule down-time and close family time. Find time to rest and relax so you are refreshed for obligations. Put those hours on your calendar and don't let anything interrupt them that you wouldn't allow to interrupt other appointments.
8. Be thankful. For what you have. For what you don't have and don't need.

In general, make the season simpler rather than more complex. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Read more:
*The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18

We are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6

Moravian Prayer: Dear Jesus, as we awaken from our sleep and the light of day streams into our window, may you be our first thought. Before we even stand, Lord, may we praise you. Amen.

Single-minded

Do you ever find yourself going in 101 directions, unable to concentrate on the person in front of you or the one thing that needs your attention?

With so many options, it can be hard to find our focus. Our minds and bodies get worn out because of over-stimulation. Often we're interrupted just as we're honing in on a task or idea. Away we go to the distraction, forgetting that we need to work deliberately and sequentially on what is important to create something of lasting value.

Sometimes we need one person who will listen and empathize because the rest of our lives are so scattered and no one will stop long enough to hear our stories. Or, we may find it hard to circulate at an event because someone is monopolizing our time with trivia, desperation for attention.

These and other symptoms of busy-ness keep us from living life to the fullest. Though we have "more," our heart feels "less." With a plethora of online "friendships" and event possibilities, we end up lonely and tired. Friendless (because friendships take face-to-face time and ongoing attention).

God's kindness allows us to reinvent ourselves every day. We are allowed to change those things that do not serve Him or us. Stepping into the light of his grace, we say no to everything that does not align with his purposes for us. We welcome those things that nourish and protect our souls, our families, friendships, and communities inside and outside the Church.

How can you live today in the single-minded newness of life Jesus promised?

Read more:
* I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. Ezekiel 11:19

*So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has be-come new! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Moravian Prayer: Creator God, give us clear vision to see that you make all things new. Give us courage to understand your new creation even when it seems so much more comfortable to keep the old. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.