Calling vs. Clutter: Part 2

I’ve written previously about Two Talent Living and how the name of this blog came to be. I also wrote about calling and clutter. I’d like to share a few stories that might help others think about these issues in their own lives.

A few years ago I attended a Christian writers’ conference and had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an editor from the Saturday Evening Post. She looked through my clippings and asked me what my plans were for my writing. I told her I didn’t know – that was partly why I was at the conference. I was doing lots of writing for a corporate client, but I was sensing that perhaps God had other things for me to do. I also explained the various responsibilities I had for my part-time employer that weren’t related to writing. The editor said to me, “Sallie, you certainly have the gift and abilities. You need to write and let other people do the other stuff.” In short, I needed to take care of the talents God had entrusted to me and let other people handle the other things.

It is easy for me to minimize the gifts I have been given. Because writing comes fairly easily to me or I enjoy teaching, I forget that this isn’t the case for everyone else! In fact, more people fear public speaking than death! That's one thing I just don't understand, but that's because God has created me to enjoy speaking and teaching. I have to pay attention to the special ways God has uniquely made me and make the most of them. I think it is easy for Christians to minimize the unique spiritual gifts that God has given to them because they often seem so natural we assume everyone can do what we do. But that isn’t the case. God puts the body of Christ together in such a way that each part is necessary and special in its own way. When one of us doesn’t do what we are created to do, the whole body misses out.

This was also clear to me one time when I went out to lunch with a missionary friend who was home from Africa. Ruth is a nurse and works in some remote areas where she must learn new languages and deal with all kinds of physical hardships. At the time, I was doing campus ministry at Michigan State University. I said to Ruth that I didn't know how she could do what she did. She looked at me and said that she couldn't imagine working with college students! To her, it was easier to go to Africa than work with American college students! I still can't completely wrap my mind around that one even all these years later. But God had a unique calling for Ruth and a calling for me. We both enjoyed using our gifts as we served the Lord in the ways He had made us.

A few weeks after I taught this concept in a class, a woman came up to me at our weekly ladies’ Bible study. She was sharing with a few of us that someone in the church had asked her to take on a certain responsibility that she did not believe she was gifted to do. She declined and said, “Sallie said I didn’t have to.” We laughed about it at the time, but I was pleased to see that this woman was thinking seriously about her unique calling and gifts and was saying no to the other things so she could freely and completely say yes to the things God had truly called her to do.

Can you imagine the impact the church could have on our culture if people stopped doing all the extra stuff and just focused on the unique things God has for them?

Never let mistakes or wrong directions, of which every man falls into many, discourage you. There is precious instruction to be got by finding where we were wrong.
Thomas Carlyle

One of My Mini-Vacation Books

I mentioned a few days ago that Country is my favorite mini-vacation magazine. Lightposts for Living: The Art of Choosing a Joyful Life by Thomas Kinkade is one of my favorite mini-vacation books.

In the flyleaf Mr. Kinkade states:

“In my paintings I try to create worlds of tranquility, joy, and beauty. My prayer is that the principles in this book will help each of us lead lives that radiate these same qualities…”

The chapters include ideas such as “Living in the Light of Simplicity”, “Living Close to the Warm Light of Home”, “Living in the Light of Creativity” and “Living in the Light of the Lovely”. Each chapter can stand alone as a refreshing break during the day.

I so appreciate the positive, encouraging stories and anecdotes that Mr. Kinkade shares throughout the book, allowing glimpses into his family life, his marriage and his artistic endeavors. Over and over again he gently reminds the reader that a joyful life is one that must be chosen and that we are blessed with practically unlimited opportunities to make that choice everyday.

Lastly, it is just a lovely book in the physical sense. While it does have samples of his artwork throughout, it is primarily a book to be read, not viewed. Even the font and layout of the book are relaxing and a joy to behold. I have given this book as a gift several times and I highly recommend it to anyone who would welcome a joyful and peaceful respite during their day.

If you were a movie...

Here's a little test I took for fun. Now I don't necessarily endorse the rest of the tests they have on their website, but when I took the "Which classic movie are you?" and my answer came up, my husband and I agreed that it was pretty accurate. I am...

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

So where have you been?

Here's a fun little bit of trivia!

I found this at Amy's Humble Musings (which by the way is a very interesting blog- Amy also has excellent taste in blog templates as you will see!).

Bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.

Books, books, books… (aka Sallie is a sheepish capitalist)

I love books. I have always been an avid reader. One of my elementary teachers wrote on my report card, “Sallie takes a lot of books out of the library, but does she read them?” I can testify that to the best of my memory I read most of them. I remember my summer vacations as a child revolving pretty much around reading (and writing to pen pals from all over the country and world). I would check out piles of books from the library, go home, and lay on the couch and read until I was literally sick to my stomach. I would get up, wander around the house for little while until the sick feeling passed, and lay back down to read. I think I really drove my parents crazy. They were always telling me to go outside and play. Play? What better play is there than reading?

Well, some things never change and I still love to devour books. I also love to recommend books. In fact, I am surprised I made it three weeks in writing this blog without recommending any books. There is just no way on earth I can write about the things that are important to me and try to encourage and challenge others and not recommend books. Whenever I speak or teach, I always have a pile of books to recommend or a handout of books relevant to the topic for people to consider reading.

However, I did debate about whether or not to link these recommendations to an online bookseller. I didn’t want to give the appearance that I am primarily writing this blog to make money. That is not my objective. However, after discussing it with my sweet hubby I decided that providing a link was a service to anyone who was interested. If you purchase a book (or books) linked from my blog, then I can add a few cents to our “move to the country and get out of the city" fund. And anyone who isn’t interested in buying books can just continue to enjoy the blog (which is always free of charge!).

So, happy reading!

Intellect or obedience?

The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience.
Oswald Chambers

Calling vs. Clutter

Shortly before I met my husband, the Lord impressed the following verses on me:

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)

I believe at that point God was pointing me in a new direction – “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life” – one that I would be called to continue in for an undetermined amount of time, possibly the rest of my life. It was a significant moment and began to totally reshape my thinking.

In the ensuing years God has led me through a time of studying and living out simplicity and all that is connected with it. As a result of those life experiences, I have had the opportunity to speak and counsel with others.

One of my favorite classes/seminars to teach is Calling vs. Clutter: The Joy of a Purposeful Life. Unfortunately, about the same time I started teaching this series a book about living purposefully came out. It seems to me that the whole “purpose thing” has been way overdone so I’ve been contemplating a new title for my series. I decided “deliberate” would be a better word so from now on it’s Calling vs. Clutter: The Joy of a Deliberate Life and I’m hoping that no big name folks in the publishing world decide to create a monopoly on the word deliberate!

But even if the name has changed slightly, my commitment to helping others live out their calling hasn’t. My simple definition is:

Calling: The life purposes for which God has uniquely created and gifted me.

Each of God’s covenant people has a calling. It varies from person to person, but God has created each of His children with special giftings and purposes in mind. To confidently live out that calling is truly a joy.

When most people hear the word clutter, they automatically think of boxes in the basement, knickknacks all over the living room, and the junk drawer in the kitchen. But I think clutter is actually a lot more pervasive than that. My definition is:

Clutter: Anything that keeps me from living out my calling and being effectively used by God.

Clutter can be material, financial, spiritual, emotional/mental or time/commitments. Anything – even good things – that keep us from living out our calling is clutter.

I’m constantly on the lookout for clutter creeping into my life. This month I finally took care of one item of clutter that had been on the “to do list” for several weeks – I cancelled our AOL membership.

Being a member of AOL isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. As I shared previously, I met my husband on AOL so obviously it holds some value in my life! But it became clear to me over several months that being on AOL with its multitude of tempting links to this, that and the other thing tempted me to waste a lot of time surfing online, reading stuff that wasn’t necessarily wrong or sinful, but just a general waste of time. So after finally admitting to myself it was clutter, it was time to get rid of it. I find that I do spend a lot less time online now and it does free me up to focus on other things more in keeping with my calling. In this case, I had to agree with this wise sage:

To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.
St. Augustine

My Monthly Mini-Vacation

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the month – the day my mini-vacation arrives in the mail. Yes, it was time for Country, my hands-down favorite magazine. When I read that magazine I truly feel like I have taken a short, refreshing vacation.

I love Country for several reasons.

First, they have the most gorgeous photos each and every month. There are breathtaking photos from around the U.S. (and sometimes Canada). There are also cute and funny photos of children and animals. I mean, how can you go wrong there? The photos minister to my spirit in so many ways.

Second, it has no ads. That is really an amazing feat in this day and age, but to include ads would totally ruin the magazine.

Third, they aren’t afraid to acknowledge the Creator, the blessings we receive from Him and His role in giving us such a beautiful world to live in. One of my favorite features is about a different rural church each month.

Lastly, there is rarely a story or article I don’t find interesting, encouraging or funny. It is so nice to read such a wholesome magazine.

Country is published every other month. On the opposite months they publish Country EXTRA. Country EXTRA came into being because people requested that the magazine be monthly. I’m sure it goes without saying that I subscribe to both.

The tagline for Country is “For those who live in or long for the country”. That would definitely be me. We live in the city right now, but both my husband (who grew up in the country) and I really long and hope to be moving out of the city in the not too too distant future.

So there is my plug for my favorite magazine. If you’re interested in learning more, you can go to their website. And no, I’m not affiliated with them in any way – just hoping to introduce a few new people to something that means a lot to me. I hope it can minister to you as well.

Thoughts on the Bible

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.
Theodore Roosevelt

It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me; it is the parts that I do understand.
Mark Twain

If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.
Daniel Webster

In 25 years the Bible will be a forgotten book.
Robert Ingersoll (who died in 1899)

When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the word of God, because you will have found it the key to your own heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.
Woodrow Wilson

The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts.
George Müller

Some read the Bible to learn and some read the Bible to hear from heaven.
Andrew Murray

The “Isms” of Government (for fun!)

I don't know where I found this, but I thought it explained things pretty well, in an elementary government class kind of way...

Socialism: If you have two cows, you give one to your neighbor.

Communism: If you have two cows, you give them to the government and the government then gives you some milk.

Fascism: If you have two cows, you keep the cows and give the milk to the government. The government then gives you some milk.

New Dealism: If you have two cows, you shoot one and milk the other; then you pour the milk down the drain.

Nazism: If you have two cows, the government shoots you and keeps the cows.

Capitalism: If you have two cows, you sell one and buy a bull.

In praise of drugs and medical professionals

This might seem an odd title for an entry, but today I am profoundly thankful for drugs and the medical profession. Yep, even those big bad pharmaceutical companies. I went to the doctor yesterday and they believe the reason I’ve had such debilitating pain in my right leg the past three weeks is disc related. So while I’m waiting my turn for the orthopedic specialist, they gave me some muscle relaxants. Now I hate to take that kind of stuff, but I also hate being in pain all day and all night. So I am very thankful.

I truly can’t imagine what it was like to live in the previous centuries with very few medical options available to you. Women dying regularly in childbirth, children not making it to their first birthday, people dying of diseases we don’t even think about any longer, people having surgery in unsanitary locations and with minimal medication (if at all)… For all its faults, there are profound reasons to be thankful to be living in the twenty-first century.

Well, that’s about all the brain cells I have for now. I’m just way too relaxed to write much more. But I do thank God for giving man the ability to discover these things and the ways that we are able to benefit in our quality of life.

Inquiring minds want to know! (aka Sallie answers Carmon's questions)

Tell us more about how you met your husband.
Well, there is the short version and then there is the long version! Since this is a story I would eventually want to tell on my blog, I’m going to tell the long version.

I was 29 years old and teaching first grade in a Christian school. I really wanted a computer, but couldn’t afford one. My parents had set aside some money to pay for my wedding “someday”. They offered to give me that money to buy a computer with the understanding that I would have to pay for my own wedding. Since there weren’t any prospects on the horizon, I decided to take them up on the offer. So in March of 1996 I purchased a computer and signed up for AOL.

At that time, the only stories you heard about people meeting online were bad ones – people leaving their spouses for people they met online. My parents admonished me to not meet anyone online. I had no intention of doing any such thing so I figured they didn’t have anything to worry about.

One evening in May I felt compelled to visit the area that Focus on the Family had on AOL. (At that time FOTF did not have a website, but rather they were a keyword on AOL.) I remembered seeing their information somewhere, but could not remember what the address was. I looked and looked through my room trying to find that address! I now think there was an angel in that room with me, prodding me on!

I found the address and went to their site. I started poking around and found a section about single living. Being single was a big issue for me, so I looked to see what they had to read. Lo and behold, there were several folders with titles such as “Singles in Michigan”. Now for being fairly bright woman and with the gift of discernment to boot, I can be pretty clueless at times – the obvious can TOTALLY escape me. It never crossed my mind those would be “personals” but that is what they were. There was a post in there entitled “Waiting on God in West Michigan’. That intrigued me because first, waiting on God had been a huge theme in my life for several months and second, I was interviewing for a teaching job at a classical Christian school in West Michigan!

I opened the post, read it and KNEW I had found a kindred spirit. I don’t know how else to describe it. Something in my spirit was so moved at that time and I now know it was God revealing my husband to me.

I wrote a response to David, he wrote back to me and then we chatted live the next day. I asked him all kinds of hard questions to make sure he was truly a Christian and not just “Christian” for lack of a better description. We started writing long letters every day. We did not exchange pictures, but did describe to each other what we looked like. We both quickly developed strong feelings for the other, although we did not share that information with each other at that time. After writing for about a week, we decided to meet in person. I drove to Grand Rapids (from Haslett, near East Lansing) and we met at a restaurant after work.

We had a nice time, but it was awkward. David describes it as “There was email Sallie and now I had to get used to real life Sallie.” The first few times we got together it was awkward, but we continued to write daily and get together in person when we were able.

Because we were older (David was 33), we both knew what we wanted and what we didn’t want. Neither one of us was interested in “dating”. This was either heading toward marriage or we were done. By July 4 we knew we were committed to heading toward marriage. I got the job at the school in June, moved to Grand Rapids in August, we were engaged October 4 and we were married January 25.

So we had to pay for our own wedding, but since God used the computer to bring my husband to me we figure it was worth it!

How do you balance your work in your home business with your homekeeping responsibilities?
Not very well some days!

I guess the key is realizing that I cannot do everything with excellence every day. Some days I focus more on the homekeeping and other days I focus more on the work of the home business.

The biggest challenge is fighting against the last remnants of feminist thinking that working on the business (read that “working for money”) is more important than dusting and making a good meal. But I’ve come a long way. I do love being a homemaker, but it is hard to get out of the “earning money and proving your value by what you make” mentality.

Do you have any pet peeves?
Oh my yes! Because I struggle with being such a black and white, firstborn type, I could have lots of pet peeves if I let myself! But by far the biggest one would be rude people. This would especially include people using their cell phones in public places where it really isn’t necessary (such as nice restaurants) and inconsiderate drivers.

What advice do you have for single ladies, waiting to get married?
Trust and wait. Don’t settle for an Ishmael. I’ve attended weddings of friends who married to get married or married a very immature man and they were sad occasions. It is hard to be excited for a friend when you know she is making a mistake. I’ve also attended and been in weddings where the bride waited for God’s choice and there is such a remarkable difference in every way. It is such a joyous occasion to see God bring two people together in His time and His way. I never would have dreamed I would meet my husband the way I did, but it was so God! He can do the same for you and give you more than you can possibly dream!

The other advice would be to do everything you can to grow spiritually in the meantime. The more mature you are as a disciple of Christ, the easier the transition to marriage will be. I have witnessed this in my own marriage and in the marriages of others around me. Pray for your future husband that he will be growing in maturity too.

What is your favorite possession (no fair going Gnostic on this one!)?
My NIV Bible that I used while I was going through a period of intense spiritual growth in my 20's. It is filled with notes regarding Scriptures God had given to me. When I look through that Bible now, I am amazed at how far God brought me during that time. It was a precious season.

Now for some of you to participate!
If you would like me to interview you, please leave a comment and indicate your interest. I will interview the first three people who respond!

1. Leave a comment saying "interview me".
2. I will respond by leaving you five questions.
3. You will update your blog/site by answering the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else.
5. When others comment, asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

P.S. I live in the eastern time zone so if you respond after I've gone to bed, I'll post your questions in the morning!

Carmon's party - I'm being interviewed!

One of the first blogs I started visiting on a regular basis is Carmon's Buried Treasure Books. She is having a party today in order to raise funds for Azanou.

Since I am new to the blogosphere and in order to meet more people, I decided to participate in an interview as a part of Carmon's party and in turn hope to interview other folks here today! Check back later this afternoon for more...

Beautiful snow crystals

While we were driving home today from church and lunch, I noticed the unusual snowflakes that were hitting the windshield. I wondered why they were so long and straight so I decided to look online and see what I could find out.

Well, I was not disappointed!

Click here for a site with some amazing photographs of God's handiwork in the form of snow crystals.

Since we are expecting up to a foot of snow by tomorrow evening, I am guessing I'll have lots of opportunities for some first-hand exploring!

Sticking to my guns

As I wrote in my post entitled Philippians 4:8ish, my goal is to make this a “wholesome, encouraging, uplifting” spot on the web. I also indicated that I had made the decision that this would not be a place of debating and responding to people who want to get a rise out of me.

Well, I’m sticking to my guns on this. As a well-known radio commentator says about his radio program, this is a benevolent dictatorship. I’m the one who comes here each day to write about the things that interest me and that I believe God is putting on my heart. I have been around long enough to know that everyone who comes here is not going to agree with everything I write. That is fine. I hope people can still come here and be encouraged in their walk with Christ even if they don’t agree with every jot and tittle that I write. On the non-essentials of the faith we can agree to disagree and still love and worship Christ together.

My goal is to make this an enjoyable, peaceful place and that is what it is going to remain. Any comments that I deem to be negative and/or contrary to these stated purposes, especially by anonymous people, will be promptly deleted. There are lots of places on the web where people can debate the finer points of the Christian life. This is not going to be one of them. My sincere hope is that when people leave comments they will add positive thoughts that expand on what I write and so add even more to the experience of those who come here. Those kinds of thoughts are always welcomed and encouraged. It is my deep desire to bless people with a peaceful respite from a challenging culture and I hope that you will find it to be so.

Small Tasks and the Sabbath

Today was a day described well by this quote:

I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
Helen Keller

My day was filled with small tasks – laundry, meals, cleaning out the refrigerator, more laundry, cleaning the bathroom, ironing the sheets (!), etc. But they are important tasks nonetheless because they allow me to demonstrate my love to my husband in giving him a clean and orderly home. They also demonstrate my commitment to be a good steward of the materials blessings that God has given to us.

Last Sunday the pastor spoke on the Sabbath rest. He talked about how God reflected on His creation work and how we too should use the Sabbath to reflect on the good work we have done during the previous week. I love to climb into bed Saturday evening and know my house is cleaned up, my laundry is caught up, our business is organized and ready for Monday, and I have made preparations for the next day. There is something about waking up on Sunday and knowing I get to REST and not feel guilty about it that is so wonderful! I am so glad God in His great wisdom and compassion gave us a day to rest and to reflect on the good works He has allowed us to accomplish.

Thank you!

Thank you to all of you who have written such sweet notes to me this week or even spoken to me in person. I am encouraged by them and feel so blessed and humbled that my thoughts have touched and ministered to people I have never had the privilege of meeting! I feel as though I have discovered some kindred spirits this week! I will do my best to reply to the emails I receive as soon as I am able. It is also such a blessing to meet friends of friends who received the forwarded link to this place. Welcome and I look forward to hopefully "meeting" you through comments in the future!

Just like riding a bike (Psalm 121)

This evening I finally got my guitar out of the basement. (I say finally because it has been on my to do list for over a week.) I have hardly played it the past couple of years. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I had it out. When I was still doing campus ministry and when we were attending a different church, I had lots of opportunities to use it. But, for a variety of reasons, those opportunities haven’t been there lately. So it has been collecting dust in the basement.

Anyway, I wasn’t sure how quickly I would remember the chords, but it is just like riding a bike. Once you hop back on, you remember. The chords came back pretty quickly (except for c#m which I had to look up). In fact, it was amazing how quickly my hand naturally went to the various chords as I started playing familiar songs. It was all there, stored away in my brain. It is amazing how God has created us.

Two things were very clear to me once I got the guitar out and started playing and singing.

First, I really love to play and sing. I have missed it and I believe that God has missed it as well since He loves our worship.

Second, you can fudge it on the piano with longer nails, but there is no fudging it on the guitar. It will be clipper city tomorrow morning.

One of my favorites to play and sing is based on Psalm 121. I thought I would share the words since they are so encouraging. It truly is a prayer every time I sing it.

I lift my eyes up
To the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You,
Maker of heaven,
Creator of the earth.

Oh, how I need You, Lord.
You are my only hope.
You’re my only prayer.
So I will wait for You
To come and rescue me.
Come and give me life.

May God bless you as you begin to prepare for worshipping our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in a few days.

(Words and music by Brian Doerksen, Copyright 1990, Mercy Publishing)

Winter Mornings

There are winter mornings when the cold without only adds to the warm within, and the more it snows and the harder it blows, brighter the fires blaze.
Emily Dickinson

We had a beautiful snowfall this morning. Large, fluffly flakes swirling and dancing to the ground. I could have stood and watched it for hours.

Winter is the cozy time of year and I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of being snug in my home. This afternoon while the snow was still falling I spent some time on the couch under a soft warm blanket, reading an old book. Can life get much better than that?

Sometimes it is indeed the simple things that are the most enjoyable.

Practicality and the Death of Beauty

We live in world driven by practicality. Everything must be efficient, easy to clean and inexpensive. People want quick meals, comfortable clothing and bargains. Sadly, one of the results of this compulsion to be practical and get to the bottom line is that beauty has been trampled to death.

The American Heritage Dictionary offers several definitions of practical including: Designed to serve a purpose without elaboration; Level-headed, efficient and unspeculative. Some synonyms for practical would be sensible, utilitarian, functional, and pragmatic.

Here are some of the definitions of beauty from the same dictionary: A pleasing quality associated with harmony of form or color, excellence or craftsmanship, truthfulness, originality, or other, often unspecified property; Appearance or sound that arouses a strong, contemplative delight; loveliness; A person or thing that arouses such delight; a specific excellence or grace. Some synonyms for beauty are artistry, grace, loveliness, fairness, style and winsomeness.

Now which one would you rather be?

Francis Schaeffer wrote a little booklet called Art and the Bible in which he discusses the idea that art matters to God and, more specifically, beauty matters to God. In the section called “The Temple”, Schaeffer outlines some of the instructions God gave for the building of the temple. There were a number of things that were not utilitarian and actually served no useful purpose other than to be beautiful! There were two large pillars topped with woven chains with a hundred pomegranates attached to the chains. The inside of the temple was overlaid with pure gold and the temple was decorated with precious stones (2 Chronicles 3:1-17). What purpose did these have? Their purpose was to be beautiful.

As a Christian woman, one of the greatest gifts I can give to my husband and others who come in our home is a beautiful, restful environment. I am always looking for small ways I can make our home more beautiful. Sometimes we do spend more than was “necessary” because we find something beautiful that ministers to our spirits in an artistic way. Other times I find beautiful things for very little money. The key is finding the balance.

There are so many ways we can make our environments beautiful and it doesn’t matter if your style is traditional, country, American primitive or hodge-podge! It doesn’t matter if your clothing style is classic, country, English or prairie. Each can have its unique charms and beauty. Here are a few things of beauty I have done around my home.

Bedroom: We have very nice high quality cotton sheets, edged with embroidery, that I always iron before putting on the bed. I would not have believed how luxurious ironed cotton sheets could feel! Ironing is one of my least favorite tasks around the house, but I wouldn’t dream of putting the sheets on the bed without ironing them. They feel too wonderful that way! We also invested in a down comforter and down pillows. We LOVE to climb in bed each night. It is better than any bed and breakfast we have ever visited.

Living Room: I try to keep a vase of fresh flowers in the living room as often as possible. Lately I have been buying a lot of tulips! They last about a week so we are able to enjoy them for a long time. Flowers, especially in the winter months, are such a thing of beauty and definitely refresh our spirits.

Dining Room: I have been making an effort to use a tablecloth and special dishes more often. I have china that we picked out when we were married and I also have my grandmother’s china. There is no point in letting them sit in the cupboard collecting dust so we use them!

Kitchen: When we were on vacation last summer I found two small glass dishes in an antique store. We thought they were lovely so I bought them. I use them several times a week to serve fruit. They aren’t practical because they don’t go in the dishwasher and I have to be careful because I don’t want to break them. But we enjoy them each time we use them.

Feeding the Birds: As I mentioned in previous entries, we do a lot of bird feeding. It is not a free hobby. But to see the beautiful birds throughout the day is worth the expense.

Clothing: One of my favorite things to wear is a high quality worsted wool long pleated skirt. I find them very comfortable and versatile, but they are not practical financially. They are much more expensive to buy and they are expensive to take to the dry cleaners, especially when I have to pay to have them pleated. But I still buy them and wear them. Why? Because I feel like such a lady in them! They flow and swirl. They are beautiful! I love them! Even if they are not practical, the joy I receive from wearing them makes up for the “cost” of owning them.

Well, those are just a few of the things I thought of off the top of my head. There are so many little things we can do to add beauty to our lives and the lives of our families.

It has been interesting to see how interest in Jane Austen and similar authors has been running very high in recent years. I think part of the interest in movies such as A&E’s Pride and Prejudice and theatrical releases such as Sense and Sensibility and Emma is because women are starved for beauty! We watch these movies and secretly wish that just a fraction of that beauty could be a part of our lives. I truly believe that as women we were created to admire and seek beauty. It is natural for women to want to surround themselves with beautiful items in their home and to enjoy dressing in beautiful clothes. Sadly, our culture slowly beats this natural inclination down in us as we buy into the practical and busy pace of life. The little girl who loved dressing up as a princess is transformed into a sloppy college student who wears jeans and oversized shirts and sweatshirts every day who becomes a harried mom in black running pants and an oversized denim shirt. Is that really how we want people to see us now and remember us when we are gone?

Is there a place for practicality? Of course there is! It is practical to make dinner in the crockpot on a busy day. It is practical to put a mat down on the floor if a messy baby is getting ready to eat. It is practical to put old clothes on when you are painting. But our life should be governed by more than just practicality. We should try each day, in some small ways, to reflect the beauty of God and the beauty of the world that He has given to us, written on our hearts.

The Enchanted Cottage

Yesterday I shared a quote about love from one of my very favorite movies, The Enchanted Cottage. Released in 1945, it stars Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire. My favorite quote from the movie is:

A man and woman in love have a gift of sight not granted to other people.

Here are a few tidbits about the movie from the Turner Classic Movie website:

Robert Young told Leonard Maltin…that he considered The Enchanted Cottage to be "the best love story that's ever been written. [It] was one of those films I hated to see end. I wanted it to go on and on and on. It was such a joy to do."

Anyone who has ever been in love can relate to the sensation that one's partner becomes more beautiful as one's love deepens. The Enchanted Cottage illustrates this phenomenon to full and lovely effect.

Young loved this picture so much that…later he named the home he built in California "The Enchanted Cottage."

This is a hard movie to find! It is out of print and none of our local rental places carry it. Every time I want to see it I have to do an interlibrary request from a library over an hour away! One of these days I will buy one on eBay or Amazon, but they usually are very pricey since it is rare. I keep hoping it will come out in DVD, but it hasn't yet.

That’s all I want to tell you about the movie, because to share any of the plot would really ruin the movie for you. But if you can find it, rent it! It is well worth a watch! Keep the hankies handy and be prepared to be blessed with an encouraging message!

Philippians 4:8ish

I received a nice note from a friend today after he visited here for the first time. Brian said, “What a great… wholesome, blog! I’m reminded of ‘Whatever is good, lovely, excellent…’”

Well, that was a great encouragement to me and an indication I am on the right track. I thought long and hard about the content of this blog before I got started. David and I had actually been working on a website for me for the past couple of years. We would do a lot of work on it, and then put it aside. I was never happy with the direction it was heading, but couldn’t put my finger on why. I felt that God was definitely restraining me from going live with it, but again I wasn’t sure why. Today it all came together for me.

I enjoy surfing and there is a lot of interesting and helpful information on the web. I am thankful for the folks who put out good stuff. But it seems like so many of the Christian sites and blogs are places where people have an ax to grind and want to go over every doctrine and trend with a fine toothed comb. Now they grind it in varying degrees, but as The Preacher said, “much study wearies the body” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). I would guess that a lot of these folks probably have the spiritual gifts of discernment, exhortation, prophecy (depending on how you define that gift), etc. So it is their natural bent to point out everything that is wrong with the church, everything that is wrong with the culture, etc. And I guess there is a need for that. Well, no guessing about it – there IS a need for that!

Even though I have some of those same gifts, I didn’t want this blog to be like that. I’m not interested in debating and arguing with whoever comes to my blog and wants to get a rise out of me. I truly feel that there are enough of those kinds of blogs and websites out there already. I’m sure from time to time I will reference them and give a link to topics that I find particularly interesting. I will probably also write about “hot” topics that are of interest to me and maybe hope to offer some perspective. But that will not be the focus of this blog.

So if you are looking for something wholesome, encouraging, uplifting and Philippians 4:8ish, please make a bookmark and come back often. I’ll do my best to bring a little light and joy into all our worlds each day.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

You become what you gaze on.
Erwin Lutzer

Thoughts on Love

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
Victor Hugo

We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.
Brother Lawrence

A man and woman in love have a gift of sight not granted to other people.
"The Enchanted Cottage"

It is not that we keep His commandments first, and that then He loves; but that He loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace, which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud.
St. Augustine

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get – only with what you are expecting to give – which is everything.
Katherine Hepburn

The secret of Christian quietness is not indifference, but the knowledge that God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, and worry becomes an impossibility.
Oswald Chambers

It is not after we were reconciled by the blood of his Son that God began to love us, but before the foundation of the world.
John Calvin

Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back.
John Ruskin

When I stand before the throne
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know
Not till then, how much I owe.
R. M. McCheyne

My Husband is a Gift

On this Valentine's Day, I wish to honor my Valentine, David.

My David is a sacred gift
Bound to me by covenant and ring
Half of my whole
Fulfilling the role
Of lover, provider, and friend

My David is a joyous gift
Moving my spirit when he sings
Sharing his heart
Praising my part
Of this partnership ordained by God

My David is a marvelous gift
Enriching my life with his ways
Gentle and kind
But he keeps me in line!
Making me more than I could be alone

My David is a tangible gift
An example of God’s care for me
Sent from above
To show me God’s love
And walk with me on my journey

Chasing a butterfly

While landscaping our backyard last year, we put in three butterfly bushes in hopes of attracting lots of butterflies. We didn’t get as many as we had hoped for, but I did spend about thirty minutes one afternoon following this butterfly around the yard with the digital camera as he went from bush to bush. He didn’t seem to mind me at all and allowed me to get quite close at times. This is one of my favorite photos from that afternoon.

There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.
John Calvin

2005: The Year of Finishing Projects So I Don’t Have to Look at Them in Their Unfinished State Anymore

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, 2005 is The Year of Finishing Projects So I Don’t Have to Look at Them in Their Unfinished State Anymore. Now I have to believe that I am not the only one who has this problem. Anyone else want to ‘fess up and share their already-started-projects they hope to finish?

Among the things I hope to finish this year are:

A scrapbook about my teaching experiences. The layout is done; I just need to do all the journaling and I have to be in the “right” mood to do that.

A scrapbook of our “daily living”. I am probably only a couple of years behind which is actually not too bad considering most of our photos have gone into other books about vacations or renovating our home.

A scrapbook about buying and renovating our first home. I only have about six or seven pages to get this one caught up.

Two Bible studies that are approximately one third and half finished.

Approximately 40-50 books that I would TRULY like to read sometime soon. (This does not include all the other ones that aren’t on my “high interest” list.)

About 20 CDs from various places such as Vision Forum, Draught Horse Press, etc. that I am working through slowly.

Well, that is a good start. We’ll see how much I can accomplish over the next ten months!

It only took me thirteen years!

I recently finished a large cross stitch project and took it to Michael’s to be framed. While that may not be anything amazing in and of itself, it IS amazing in that it took me thirteen years to finish it! It is a beautiful wedding sampler with our names, date, church name, etc. on it. It is composed of primarily rich roses, pinks and greens. It will be a beautiful testimony of our marriage covenant and love as it hangs in our living room.

I can imagine at this point that some careful blog reader is saying to himself or herself – but wait! Your blog says you’ve been married for eight years. How could it have taken you thirteen years to finish the sampler?

Back in my semi-foolish days, when I still believed dating was a good thing, I was seeing someone who summarily dumped me. Being the kind of woman who could hear her biological clock ticking at age 24, I was naturally very disappointed. But one day shortly after the dumping, I was in a local cross stitching store and saw this sampler hanging on the wall. I thought it was so beautiful I had to make it. Of course, I had no boyfriend, let alone a groom! But I decided I would start on it in faith and trust that someday, by God’s grace, I WOULD have a name to put on there with mine. (And I comforted myself with the thought if no groom ever appeared, it would make a really nice gift for a friend.)

So I worked on it fairly steadily for a while until life got in the way and it got set aside, only partially begun. A few years later, David came into my life and I did have a groom’s name to put on it! I wish I could say I whipped it out and finished it right away, but I didn’t. I worked on it from time to time, but could never really get moving on it again. Finally, I decided that 2005 was The Year of Finishing Projects So I Don’t Have to Look at Them in Their Unfinished State Anymore. The sampler is my first major accomplishment in this area and it feels SO GOOD to have it done!

How much is that birdie in the window?

My husband and I love to watch birds. For being city dwellers, we actually get a great assortment of birds at our backyard feeders – cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, white-breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, blue jays… And then there are the sparrows and house finches, but we won’t go there right now…

I have a peanut feeder handing outside my second floor home office window. I watch the birds come and go all day. There is a definite pecking order. Low man on the totem pole is the cute little red-breasted nuthatch. (He is currently my favorite bird.) Next up is the white-breasted nuthatch. Then the downy woodpeckers who basically rule the roost – or at least the peanuts. I’ve learned a lot about the personality of each type of bird over the past several months since David installed the feeder. They constantly amuse me and offer me a diversion from whatever I am (supposed to be) working on at my desk.

We recently had to purchase more birdseed. We keep three goldfinch feeders and five other feeders so we go through a fair amount of seed every couple of months. As we were lugging (ok, as David was lugging) the huge bags and I was writing the huge check, I had this fleeting thought of “Is this worth it? How much is that birdie in the window costing us each day?”

But as soon as the thought came, it disappeared. The birdies in the window cost me very little compared to the joy they bring. The cost of the seed is nothing compared to the riches of being reminded moment by moment of the great Creator who designed these little charmers right down to their unique little cheeps and feather patterns. It is a great blessing to live in a culture where we can afford to not only feed ourselves, but bribe some of God’s creatures to hang out with us each day.

Are you brave?

The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.
Robert Anthony

Beyond anything we've ever seen...

“Sometimes I am completely perplexed by God’s willingness to humor man…When He wanted to lead the Magi to the Christ Child, He did not lead them by a mark in the sand. He led them through a star because they were star-gazers – then He went beyond anything they had ever seen… (W)hen God wanted to lead the Ephesians to the Savior, He did not lead them through a cloudy pillar. He got their attention through supernatural phenomena, because that’s where they were looking. God wants to be found…He is so gracious to show up right where we are looking – so He can take us beyond anything we’ve ever seen.” Beth Moore, To Live is Christ

After you’ve walked with God for a while, you start to notice that God has unique ways of “speaking” to you as an individual. Obviously God speaks through His Word and no other way of “speaking” will contradict what is written there. But God makes each of us with unique personalities, interests, etc. and I do believe God works through those.

One of the ways that God consistently speaks to me is through creation. Now you have to realize I am not a nature person in the sense of hiking, camping, etc. Just ask my husband who is usually quickly dispatched to take care of the occasional icky bug that invades our home! But I do take a lot of time each day to notice things like the birds, the sky, the stars, the trees, flowers, clouds, etc. Sometimes the beauty of creation is like a gentle reminder that God is there. Other times it seems like God is shouting at me!

One morning I opened the mini-blinds in my husband’s office and found one of the most amazing displays of God's artistry that I have ever had the personal joy of discovering. The photos below show the frost patterns that were on the window. To give some perspective, the top half of the double-hung window was approximately 18” x 24”. The photos show the display as you zoom in for a better look.

Whenever my husband and I see something incredible like this in God’s creation, we say to each other, our voices dripping with sarcasm, “Yep, this just happened to evolve out of the ooze.” Then we praise God for speaking to us in such a personal way.

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalm 14:1

If I don't write it, it won't get said

“No one else could have written exactly what I wrote, and if I didn’t write it, it would never get said.”

I can’t remember where I found this quote. I think it was in a children’s book. I jotted it down and put it in my “To Write About Someday” file folder on my desk. Now you have to realize that writers have LOTS of these little slips of paper in LOTS of different file folders. A writer’s mind is always noticing things that could be written about and if you don’t jot it down immediately the idea is usually gone forever.

This whole idea of blogging is rather mind-boggling, especially for someone who has experienced the laborious and very long-term process of submitting queries and articles to magazines. If you send out an article idea today, you MIGHT hear back in 8-10 weeks. More often than not, your article is not getting published and you start the process all over again. Blogging changes that completely. If you have something to say, you can write it up and “publish” it instantly. Now of course there is the question of whether or not anyone is reading anything you’ve written on your blog. (Hint, hint: Feel free to leave comments!)

But back to the quote… It is truly amazing to consider the unique perspective each blogger brings to the cyberworld. God allows the twists and turns of our lives to be such that we can minister to others, encourage others, challenge others and cry with others. Nothing is wasted if we surrender to God. Our pains, our triumphs, our defeats, and even the little daily living things are all important and can all be used.

Perhaps because the written word has been so important to me my entire life, I am confident of God’s ability to use this little blog to bless others. There are books that have changed my life, but there have also been articles, greeting cards and websites that have had a tremendous impact on me. As my husband so often says, “Don’t despise the little things.”

So I am setting about the purpose of writing the things that no one else can write because if I don’t, they will never get said.

Is it spring yet?

I absolutely love fall and winter, but I have to admit that I’m starting to long for some warmer weather. Considering the fact that I live in Michigan, I need to refocus my thinking. It won’t be warm here for weeks and we are still three (!) months away from the trees being fully leafed out. Usually the first week of April it gets warm enough to start working in the yard and we eagerly take advantage of the “balmy” 50 degree weather.

But the snow has started melting and it won’t be long before the crocus (crocuses? croci?) will start to appear in our front yard. The birds have already started their little mating songs and dances so we know that spring will be coming…

Two Talent Living

Two Talent Living is the result of personal experience. God has taken me on a life-changing journey over the past nine years. More times than I can count people have encouraged me to share what I have learned. Out of this encouragement came speaking, teaching and writing opportunities. And now this blog.

Why the name Two Talent Living?

One day my husband and I were pondering our callings as individuals and a couple. David had been meditating for several weeks on the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). We were frustrated with how our lives felt out of sync. David said, “Maybe the problem is that we’re two talent people and we’re trying to live five talent lives.” I immediately responded, “And we’re trying to do it in a ten talent culture.”

It was a significant light bulb moment. We realized that God was calling us to be faithful stewards with what HE had called us to do – and ONLY what He had called us to do. He has given us certain giftings and responsibilities. We need to be faithful with those in such a way that we receive a good return. It is interesting to note that both the servant who received five talents and the servant who received two talents had 100% returns on their investments. Both received the same praise from the master. The servant who had two was not seen as less valuable than the one with five. His faithfulness was recognized and rewarded.

Sadly, there are a lot of people running around trying to be faithful with five talents when God is really only interested in them being faithful with two. So rather than giving 100% to the two talents God has entrusted to them, they are giving far less than 100% (as well as the other three things God really doesn’t want them to be doing in the first place).

We live in a culture that doesn’t think five talents are nearly enough and two are a laughable joke. We are pressured to maximize everything. Stretch ourselves to the limit. Give 150%. Well, no one can give 150% and I don’t believe this is a biblical attitude. A lot of the troubles in our churches and families can be directly attributed to allowing our culture to shape our priorities rather than God’s Word and His purposes. How many people (Christians included) are driven by self-imposed false guilt brought on by listening to the people around us who constantly tell us that we aren’t doing enough? The TTL life is not about being a mediocre person, but the complete person God created you to be. Two Talent Living is about encouraging people to live out their God-given calling, not the unrealistic and often ridiculous expectations of those around us.

So what is your blog going to be about?

In our fast-paced society it is easy to live in reaction mode and never really ponder why we do what we do. It takes a lot of effort and strength of character to go against the flow. It takes courage and perseverance to make choices that are not the prevailing view. People need encouragement to live confidently in the calling God has on their life. Our culture (and even the church) promotes busyness, drivenness, and trying to do things that God has not specifically called us as individuals to do. My hope is to be a supportive friend to others on the journey. Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost for His Highest,

“The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance.”

As I have spoken to groups and taught classes on these ideas, I have had numerous people tell me how encouraging it was to have someone tell them these things – ideas they had been thinking about but didn’t know how to fully express or explain to other people. I hope this blog will do the same for you.