Cares of the World

Matthew 13: 22 "As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing."

Lately, the cares of the world have demanded a great deal of attention making life very complicated. Not only that, they literally are thorns in my side that cause pain and distract me from my prayer life of peace and assurance. Without a doubt, the world is a demanding, self important place. As a matter of fact, it is like a disobedient two-year old having a temper tantrum screaming, "Mine. Mine. No. No. Now. Now."

Shush little world. It's time to go for a walk and talk with God for a bit. Now that will be fruitful! The bills will wait. This beautiful day that the Lord has made will not wait.

Helping Hurting People

Simple Presence: With so much pain in the world one might feel helpless in trying to relieve the suffering. It's true that there is only so much one person can do, but I am one person and my simple presence does make a difference.

Last week, while walking to a Fargo Starbucks, I prayed that God use me for whatever came up there. Since I was serious in this request and God was serious in hearing me, I was prepared for a worst case scenario such as a robbery or a lunatic gunman. But, all was quiet at the coffee shop while I prayed and read the Bible.

After getting my second cup of coffee, a gentleman made eye contact and said, "Hello." That was all it took to begin a serious discussion about faith. This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

In summary, we are able to help others by simply talking with God, saying that we are ready for direction and know that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. After that, it becomes God's doing.

Company's Coming

Being a summer that kept us running from work to home, from home to Fargo, and home to WI, MN and MT there just wasn't much time left over for summer projects or entertaining. But, don't let me fool you. The main reason we didn't have time for company is because we didn't have sufficient time to plan and prepare an excellent dinner or a shiny clean home.

Today we had 2 good friends over, Stacy and her daughter, Darian. The house was not shiny clean, so what, Alan prepared excellent foil dinners. It was good enough for us to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather and walk to the lake. I hope that they come more often.

Buy One, Toss One

Tip #27: Before Bringing One New Thing into the House, Toss Out at Least One Thing You Already Have.

Take books for an example. Can a person really have too many books? Perhaps not, but I am running out of storage room for them. The solution is to make room on the shelf before buying a new book. Better yet, don't buy books, borrow them.

Clothes are another example. How many old shirts does a person really need? Will I ever truthfully fit into a size 3 again? Turn the old shirts into rags and give the nice, but, too small clothes away.

It may be hard to part with an old cherished tee shirt, but, it is just stuff that is cluttering your life.

Do It in Threes

Tip #26: Three at a Time

As I lamented the accumulation of many detailed tasks, my sister, Sandy, gave me a tip that she uses, do it in threes. So, if there is a pile of mail to go through, pick up three letters and deal with those. If there is clutter to deal with, pick up three items and put them away.

Why three? Do it in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, Amen. In a prayer-filled life, even the most mundane tasks can take on an aspect of prayer. The best part is that it works.

Things are Not Memories

Tip #25: Memories are Memories, Not Things.

As the process of decluttering continues, I find myself saying such things as, "We got this on our trip to Hawaii." Or, "We've had this since we were married." The implication is that the object produces a memory of the event or time of life that it represents. Actually, that is not the case, or the object is a poor representation of the memory. Sometimes, I cannot even remember where something came from, such as, the candle holder on my dresser.

Recently I parted with a poster from my first year in college. I liked the poster very much, but it was faded, bent and lost most of its original beauty. What I discovered though was that it was the memory I wanted, not the poster. Actually, the poster in my memory was better than the original thing. Memories are memories, not the things connected to them.

Thrive on Neglect Flowering Plants

Tip 24: Plant a "Thrive on Neglect Flower Garden"

Do you love flowers but dislike fussing over them? These are my recommendations.

Sedum: Sedum are succulent type plants that come in all types of interesting shapes, sizes, colors and flower varieties. They thrive on little to no care, spread without becoming invasive and can be propagated easily. Some are great for ground covers while others make beautiful specimen plants. Share them with friends to expand your collection. I like to get a couple of new varieties every year. I live in North Dakota and they even survive our winters.

Lamium: This is a ground cover that spreads easily, comes in a variety of interesting leaf varieties and flower colors. Some varieties may become invasive to take care with the type you grow. Tolerates shade.

Rudbeckia: This sun-loving plant can really take the heat, but tolerates frigid winters. Most are yellow and orange in color although new colors are coming out every year. They reseed on their own but do not become invasive.

Heliopsis: This tall plant puts out yellow flowers all summer and into the fall. It reseeds on its own. Other than occasional dead heading, it needs nothing.

Reblooming Day Lilies: This is another hardy, plant and forget flower. Plant a few bulbs in the spring or fall and just watch them grow, never needing another thing.

Song of Songs 2.12:

The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtle-dove
is heard in our land