Stayin' Focused- seeking the Inspired Life

My dear friends-
Is it hard sometimes to stay focused? I don't believe I have ADHD- but sometimes my brain gets so fractured - overwhelmed with the WIDE variety of things that are going on- that I get overwhelmed and just want to crawl in bed, drink lattes, surf online, or read. Not that any of that is bad :) - it just doesn't really help me to "press on and take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Phil 3:12)". I've been working with a life-coach since June (Linda Stoll @ Creekside Ministries) and have found it so challenging and so rewarding! I worked all summer and into the fall clarifying my callings and working to get my calendar and my days to reflect what I state to be "my priorities". Linda challenged me to put the two (calendar and priorities) side by side- see how they match- and then work to either be realistic about my priorities, or change my use of time and resources to reflect them. It's been quite a journey- one I encourage you to embark on! I must warn you though- it's not easy! :) In taking this journey- I've discovered SO MUCH about myself- good and ... not so good!

One of my newest challenges- is staying focused. I did all this work to clear out my calendar and make time for what truly matters to me- but left unchecked- I would easily and quickly fill it right up again! Reminds me of the Scripture-

Matthew 12:43"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.

Not wanting to end up worse than before I started clearing out the schedule- it takes real intentionality to put myself in the place of being filled up with the Spirit of the Lord in a disciplined daily quiet time- which for me- really has to come in a quiet house when all children are still sleeping! And then living out my calling as wife and mother and homeschool teacher and pastor's wife, etc. as the Lord leads me during the day. There are so many good things asking for our time and attention each day. How do we choose between them? How do we say "no" and not feel bad? How do we allow ourselves to just live OUR callings and not someone else's and do it well- really, really well? I've concluded: only with His grace- and only with His constant help.

I don't know where you're at in your journey. May I encourage you to sit down- write down your priorities- then glance over your calendar (or imagine a day's time) and see how they line up? If, like me, you found they didn't match up well- don't get overwhelmed and head to bed to sip on a latte'--- head to the Word and let the Lord lovingly remind you of His callings for you- first, to be His treasured daughter (or son!)- then- to share that love with those He's placed around you.

I love you friends!!!
~Katherine

Joshua talkin' on the phone

GO BRUCE!

Hi all!!!

Well, it's been a difficult couple of weeks around here- but we're praising the Lord we made it through- and hope that we've learned a few things in the meantime. Anya had a successful umbilical hernia repair surgery last Wed and got her stitches out this Wednesday! (She's very modest- so no before/after photos.) Ryan has been dealing with an intestinal problem- initially diagnosed as a partial bowel obstruction- which meant over 3 weeks of discomfort, concern, etc. that ended with a colonoscopy Thursday morning. He got a good bill of health and will just follow up with the dr. in a few weeks to talk about what DID happen and how to keep it from happening again. THANK YOU SO MUCH for those who stood with us in prayer these last few weeks! We know he has done miracles in his body- and unobservable/quantifiable miracles in our lives! But we know that as we put that behind us, we have been changed- and can once again testify that he truly does "work all things together for good for those who love Him..." (Rom 8:28)



Earlier this week, our good friend, Bruce Van Natta, was on "It's Supernatural!" hosted by Sid Roth. Watch it online here. We heard today that his book Saved by Angels is doing very, very well in major book distributors and will be getting a lot more publicity in the days to come. If you don't have the book- GET IT! You'll soon be sharing it with your circle!

Praying you've all had a quiet January- one less eventful than we have!
~Katherine

What's for dinner?!?! Back to the routines...

Hi there friends! I pray you are having a Happy New Year!!! I'm trying to get things "reset" and back to square one and prepare for another semester. Part of that for me means a menu- what are we going to eat?!?! In my quest for new and fresh ideas- I thought I'd share a few thing I found. First, Family Fun magazine's website has a "Month of Meals". I have added lots of them to our menu. I also found some great ideas at All Recipes.com. I went to the budget-friendly page- and found slow cooker, meals under $10, etc. and added several of those as well.

I find that if I know what I'm making for dinner and try to have it on the table at a reasonable time0 the rest of my life goes pretty well! Kids can get to bed on-time, I can get some things done in the evening, get myself to bed on-time, get up when I plan to- to have my quiet time and start the day showered and dressed as the kids get up and ready for the day. So- hence the menu- meal time is important!!!

Hope these sites are helpful to you as they have been to me!
Blessed 2009!!!
~katherine