Have you done any "Spring Cleaning" lately? The past few weeks I have been trying to do a few projects around the house to prepare for company that is coming to my house this week. I try to keep my house neat and relatively picked up most of the time. Sometimes I get busy and things don't always get put up instantly when I am finished using them, but for the most part my house is usually "company ready". But I still like to clean a little deeper if I know I lot of people are going to be in my house for some strange reason. I know call me crazy! I also know keeping a clean and tidy house will not get me to heaven any faster...and I hope that a cluttered office at work doesn't keep me from heaven! So after tonight I am ready inside and outside of my home for my company since I just finished my "Spring Cleaning" projects. Here are a few of my favorite rooms in my home.
I love my kitchen! I love cooking and baking in here, but this single girl doesn't get in here nearly enough since cooking for 1 is crazy. Yes, I eat a big majority of my meals at home but they aren't all "home-cooked".
The other 1/2 of the kitchen. No matter how much company I have over we always end up in the kitchen! I am thinking my salt and pepper collect has outgrown their shadow boxes. Don't you think?!?!
After a long day nothing is better than this bed... Can you tell it's special? I love it! (It's been in my family I'm guessing over 50 years.)
I addition to the "Spring Cleaning" at my house I have also been doing another type of "Spring Cleaning". I have been attending and participating in a ladies bible study over the course of the past several years. In the last few months we have been cleaning house together! We just completed studying the book "Spiritual Spring Cleaning" by Debbie Schmid. This book helped me realize that just like our houses need a little "Spring Cleaning" so do our lives. We must all go through a spiritual cleaning periodically in order to be truthful to ourselves and live up to our fullest potential as Christian ladies and gentlemen.God laid out a perfect cleaning manual for everyone in the Bible. We must study the scriptures in order to find His plan of salvation. This year I have been challenging myself to dig deeper into the scriptures and focus more on my spiritual life. My goal is to get to heaven one day and take others with me. I am not perfect and God knows that. That is why His forgiveness and His grace is so important. His grace saves us through faith if we have belief and obedience. If we confess our sins and repent we are forgiven, but He told us that not everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter heaven. We have an easy plan to follow...God's plan is:
You must hear the message (Romans 10:17).
You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God who was sent
to Earth to shed His blood, so our sins could be washed away (John 8:24).
You mustrepent of your sin. (Luke
13:3).
You must be willing to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Matthew 10:32-33).
You must be baptized in water for the forgiveness
of your sins (Acts 2:38)
And you must remain faithful and obedient until the end of your life (Revelation 2:10).
We all will have to give an account for our lives to God on judgement day according to Romans 14:12. If we want His love, His grace, His forgiveness, and His gift of the Holy Spirit then we all have to obey His Plan of salvation in order to have an eternal home in heaven. If you're not a Christian and have got questions let me know and maybe I can help you before it is too late. I might not know the answer instantly, but I sure know a good book we can use as a reference plus I'm sure we can always use a life line by praying to God and/or calling & seeking out the advice of another Christian!
Occasionally I like to brighten someone’s day and show a
little kindness. This morning I had the idea to bake lemon bars before church and
then take some to a Christian shut-in sister. She loves sweets and I knew this
would brighten her day, so I took a few extra minutes this morning to bake this recipe and this afternoon I made a visit. Needless to say she was surprised and
excited about what I brought her. Yes, I bake yummy things even though I am
trying to watch my figure and be healthier. The key is moderation and portion
control. I didn't want the other half of the recipe to go to waste and I knew
that if they stuck around at my house very long I would overindulge, so I took some
to my parents this afternoon and some to our ladies bible study tonight before church.
Needless to say the recipe made a bunch of lemon bars and I still had some left
after distributing them to my peeps, so I shared the wealth to other friends at
church who were not in bible class. I am happy to report that they are all gone
now and the smiles and giggles I got from the 2 year old and the 97 year old today were priceless. I call this a sweet success! I know I can
count on Samuel and Ella Mae to help me eat the sweets I crave when I get in a
baking mood again.
Being nice and showing kindness is when we are good to
others, display a pleasant happy disposition, show concern and compassion, and
are considerate to others besides ourselves. The Bible teaches us as Christians
that we must be kind. Ephesians 4:32 says “Be kind and compassionate to one
another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” According
to Proverbs 11:17 if we are kind we will reap the benefits personally, but if
we are cruel then we only bring on ruin to ourselves. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselveswith
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” Colossians 3:12.
I challenge you this month (or every month) to make a point
to show kindness and be nice to someone “just because”. Let someone know you
appreciate them and care about them. You could also encourage someone or thank
them. Send them a card, bake something like I did, or take them something “just
because” to let them know you think they are special. Get creative and involve
others around you. It took me 10 minutes to prepare the recipe, it baked for 40
minutes while I got ready for church, and I spent 30 minutes delivering it. This
was time well spent in my opinion because I got to brighten someone’s day. What
are you going to do to show kindness this month?
What is the deal with people who are stuck in a rut and do
not know how to get out of it? Just because it has been done a certain way in the past does not mean that is the correct way that it should be done now. I am tired of people saying "that's the way we've always done it". Things change and people change. We need to keep moving
forward instead of moving forward then taking two steps backward. Sometimes
things are better if they are changed and adapted. I understand this cannot
happen overnight, but we need to be open, honest, and stop having back door
meetings that are closed just to keep the status quo because that is how it
always has been before. I know I am young and sometimes can be naïve. I know I have
much to learn. But sometimes not knowing the whole history and background behind something is a good thing!
A wise mentor gave me the button that is pictured here when I got my job in Kentucky. She told me that I would come upon some challenges in my new job, but that I needed to tell people not to expect what has always been done before. Change is good and is inevitable sometimes, so you best make the changes and decisions yourself based on what you want or think is best for the situation. If you do what has always been done in the past and continue the cycle then you will have a huge mess evidentially to cleanup if the cycle is ever broken. The repair mess will be harder to cleanup than the actual planning and development of the initial change itself. This summer I have been given the opportunity to learn more
about leadership through an organization I am a part of called AAFCS. I have
been selected for a "Leadership Academy" to help mold and train me on “leading
yourself and leading others” into the future. This is an elite group of professionals like me and someone saw potential in all of us, so they selected us to be on the team. I took several leadership courses
when I got my master’s degree and I have attended numerous in-services on the
topic, but I am no expert and never desire to be one on the subject. I am a lifelong learner who loves continuing my education. I am
excited about this opportunity and I am sure you will hear me blog more about this
after I get to experience the academy first hand. I am hoping that I will have
a new wealth of knowledge to bring back to my community and the groups I work
with.
However, until then here on my thoughts and reflections on
teams and leadership.
Teams work together based on coordination, collaboration,
and cooperation under a leader with a little help of delegation.
I believe that communication is the key to making things
happen when you work with teams.
A good basic definition of leadership is to influence others
toward a shared goal.
Good leaders delegate and trust in the work of their
teammates.
To delegate means to entrust to another.
We must have trust, which is basically faith, reliance and
confidence in others instead of thinking the worst possible scenario. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is having the confidence in
what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
As individuals, we cannot do it all and that is the beauty
of teamwork and why it was created in the first place!
Keep in mind that there is no “I” in team.
We are all to have trust in the Lord and do good (Psalm
37:3). So, if we put our sight on the Lord, turn things over to
him, and do good through our works then I am pretty sure that he will help fill
in the gaps where there are deficiencies…but we need to have faith.
In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus teaches us to watch out for false
prophets though.“Every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them.” As leaders we need to see the good in people and have faith
they will help bear the good fruit to help the team reach the common goal. If as leaders we only think our team
will bring in bad fruit, then they will bring in bad fruit because we never
gave them a chance to reap a good harvest.
Rome was not built in a day!
Whenever our leadership roles and teamwork become overwhelming we need to tell ourselves "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13.
In the end we all need to live by this rule of thumb, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize" Philippians 4:13 because ultimately we should be seeking to be heaven bound.
Needless to say sometimes I get discouraged when I hear things like "That's the way we've always done it", "That's just how it is here and you'll just have to excuse us" or "I know you don't understand all the ins and outs here, but...". To me these all just sound like excuses for why people do not want to make simple changes that might start to change lives and help improve the quality of lives of people. Yes, I know I've used those lines before and I will be the first to admit it that I am as guilty as anyone else. I am trying too hold to those above thoughts that I have learned from bible studies, college classes, in-services and trainings. I am trying to put those thoughts into practice in my life with the groups and teams I work with. There comes a time when we all need to say enough is enough. When enough people band together and say enough is enough and become one then maybe others will take notice and join the team. Life is not always rosy, happy, and sweet like everyone wants you to believe it is. Have you ever noticed on Facebook that people usually only report the happy smiling memories? Sometimes life is real. Sometimes it involves change and making the first move. Other times it involves setting back and doing your own thing while allowing others to do their own thing and hope they realize something needs to be done. We need to have faith that those individuals will see there needs to be change and they need to initiate it. But we need to be the example and maybe one day they will want assistance when they realize they need help. You cannot make people change, they have to want it for themselves. You can lead by your example, encourage, and join a team of like minded people. But the most important thing to do is keep the faith and maybe one day true leadership and teamwork might be in the vocabulary of those around you.
The past few days have been pretty eventful for the Savage
Girl. Now, my idea of eventful and yours might totally be different, but I love
my life and that is all that matters! Sometimes I wish I could push “pause” and
be able to soak it in more, but I know things must continue forward. Pressing
rewind sometimes can cause emotions to rise so I believe we need to keep moving
forward down the road of life because something better might be waiting around
the corner and you will not know about it unless you seek to discover it. If
you are in a constant rewind reliving the past how can you ever move forward?
Tonight after thinking, reflecting, and “rewinding” a little
about everything that has occurred over the course of the last week I can truly
say that I’m blessed and thankful. Keep in mind I am not dwelling on these
things…I am just expressing the reasons why I have blessings and thanksgiving this week!
Family. This past
weekend I got to spend Easter weekend with my parents. We traveled to
Gainesboro, TN and enjoyed dinner at The Bull and Thistle. Then on Sunday we
enjoyed Easter lunch and a little quality time together. Mama and I took a walk
on Sunday despite the weather. We were a sight to see with our jackets and umbrellas
walking in the rain on the back roads around the Boles community and the family
farm, but I would not have traded my day for anything!
Friends. You do
not have to see good friends and be 100% in contact with them on a daily basis for them to be called "good friends".
It is nice to get random phone calls just because they were thinking of you for
whatever reason. With good friends you can pick up exactly where you left off
and it is as if you never were out of the picture. Good friends can feed and clothe
you. Literally they can do this by providing you with a place to stay, food to
eat, and clothes to wear. Then sometimes good friends feed and clothe you figuratively
by their actions, strength, and courage. It might be a smile, an encouraging
word, a gift, or a reaffirming word saying that you matter. A fellow Christian sister
recently shared with me that sometimes you just have to put on your “heavenly
attitude”. We do not need to be the “mean girl”…we need to be the person God
wants us to be despite the past and if a good friend is really a “good friend”
then they should want both parties to be practicing forgiveness, godliness, and
contentment. I am also thankful for new friends that have been brought into my life this week. I love building friendships and strong relationships both personally and professionally.
Work vs. Career.
I have a job that I love. Sometimes it is “work” because it is either physically
or mentally tiring. This week I have been working on our budget at work, so
needless to say I have been crunching a few numbers and this has been “work”
for me, but I am thankful for having I job I love! Other times my job is my “career”
like in the past few days. This week I got glimpse of the future for our
community and I was reminded of the reason I love giving back and serving in my
community. We can change the world. It doesn't matter if we are “kids” or “grownups”.
What matters is that we all work together and it will go faster…look at the Kid
President!
My goal for my career is to improve the quality of lives of
local citizens. I am usually reminded of
my “career” in fun moments...like learning to weave the bottom of a stool with
fellow workshop participants, reaching over 200 “likes” on The Heart of Tompkinsville Foundation Facebook page, and helping to decorate our downtown. Weird
you might say…I’m sure you are asking why did you think of your career in these
moments? Well, these things were fun and I have happy memories that take me back
to previous months in my career when the planning and development stages were
occurring. I was reminded by the people I am serving in the community that learning
is lifelong & can occur at any age if you want to learn. Learning can come
in many forms! Learning inspires people to constantly be thinking about
improving themselves and the others around them through citizenship and personal
development.
The Downtown Decoration Committee that I am chairing had to think
“outside of the box” to actually create a vision for our Spring decorations.
With a little of this “outside of the box” thinking the idea of maypole
inspired decorations was discussed, planned out, and put into action. I believe
these simple decorations downtown can help get others in the community get
excited and fired up about our future locally that local leadership is
currently trying to create and discover within our local community which in
turn would benefit all citizens.Have you got any
ideas Summer decorations?
Movement. I have
a couple of different ways that I relieve stress and both of them use movement.
First, I enjoy working out at the pool at our local Family Wellness Center
doing water aerobics. This week I have been able to get some “movement” action
6 times within the past week. YAY! It’s all about priorities and goals. Have
you set any lately? Second, I enjoy expressing my words on this blog. Somehow typing
moves the thoughts out of my brain so that I can make room for more important
things…like the things I have been trying to focus more on lately. I want to
thank those of you who read my blog and have expressed to me such kind words of
encouragement! Thank you.
Fellowship. I few
months ago I was asked to join a book club. I am not an avid reader like my sister
Anna who is a librarian, but I knew that this group of ladies would help and
challenge me in multiple ways and be a source of encouragement & Christian
fellowship. So far they have yet to let me down! This month we read Killing
Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly. Everyone stepped outside of their comfort zones when
our April hostess suggested the book, but after our book club discussion this
week we were all pleasantly surprised of the knowledge that was gained and found
when reading someone’s opinion and recount on a moment in American history. We
all concluded that history read today as an adult is so much more entertaining
than when you got grades for it in school!
Family. Friends. Work vs. Career. Movement. Fellowship. For all these things I am thankful and blessed. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.
In closing, I was reminded of what my name meant this week, so I thought I would share it with you. I know this Savage Girl needs reminded of this from time to time so here you go...lucky for me I have a constant reminder of it since it is my name! :)
Today I came
across the “Apple Tree Theory” and I thought it was very fitting for the Savage
Girl and her life philosophy. I do not know where the poem originated but
I love it so I thought I would share it with you today.
Girls are like
apples on trees. The best
ones are at the top of the tree.
The boys don't want to reach for
the good ones because they are afraid
of falling and getting hurt. Instead,
they
just get the rotten apples from the
ground
that aren't as good, but easy. So the
apples
at the top think something is wrong
with
them, when in reality, they're amazing.
They just have to wait for the right
boy to come along, the one
who's brave enough
to climb
all the way
to the top
of the tree.
Just a few
thoughts on this “Apple Tree Theory”…
Girls—we’re
the apples.
Boys—you’re
the pickers.
I can only
speak for the “girl” perspective, so here it goes. Girls we should practice
contentment while waiting at the top of that tree. There is nothing wrong with
us! There is someone out there for us we just need to rely on God and have patience
and confidence in His wisdom and timing with when the “plan” will be revealed
to us.
Girls, we are
amazingly awesome and we each are different and uniquely made in the image of
God. Good things should not be rushed and pushed because that is when mistakes
happen and things get bruised. I know sometimes it sucks, but in the end, it
should all be worth it and we should not have to settle for anything less than
we deserve. Sometimes
good apples fall from the top of the tree when the right boy is there ready to
catch them at the right place and the right time. (But be careful!) Then there
are sometimes when life happens and circumstances cause either the apple or the
boy to get scared, but if the love is mutual and true then nothing can separate
the apple and the boy. The brave boy will make the climb back up the tree despite
the possibility of getting hurt again if the love is mutual and true. So girls if you are scared and do not want to "fall", then wait until the right boy climbs the tree. Patience and contentment are virtues we should be practicing since everything happens in God's timing and within His plan for us.
Maybe I am a
hopeless romantic and think too much about fairytales and happy ever after endings! Anyways also thought I would share another cool thing I also saw today about healthy relationships.
