Philippians 3:14 Friday (er, Saturday) 5/2

• She looketh well to the ways of her household

This week marks the end of one month and the beginning of another, not just on the calendar, but for Philippians 3:14 Fridays, as well.

Several of my weekly goals were met along the way, but I don't think I did so well on the monthly goals. In one sense, while it seems like a failed experiment, it really hasn't been on several levels.

"How can that be?" You may ask. Well, I'll tell you!

Long ago (in a galaxy far, far away!) I used to be a fairly organized person. In recent years...well, who's kidding who, for the last 20 years or so, I find myself on a downward spiral of being less and less organized, of fighting a constant, losing battle to keep up with work, home, church activities, even personal things I used to do for fun--crafts and reading for pleasure, just to name two.

It got even worse instead of better when I started staying home last year--instead of filling my days with the activities I loved and always said I would do "if I had time" I slipped into even worse habits of ennui and drifting through days and weeks without accomplishing much except the most humdrum of necessary activities. Every so often I would surface for air, with all kinds of intentions of starting anew and "this time I'm gonna____________"(fill in the blank--get organized, keep the house cleaner, take a class, you name it).

One of the things that I like about Philippians 3:14 Fridays, is that it helps me to at least put it "out there". Write down all of those little things that I always intend to do but never seem to get around to completing. Set some goals. Realize that the way to achieve those goals is to break them down into manageable pieces. (Joke break--How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time)

If you don't have a particular destination, how will you know if you get there?

So, on to Philippians 3:14 Friday Saturday.

For my weekly goals from last week:

1. I did trim my hair and give myself a manicure of sorts--no polish, but I clipped and filed and buffed and used cuticle oil;
2. I cleaned out 85% of the old craft materials--giving some away and throwing some away--I have a few more things to sort and make decisions over;
3. I did some shredding and trashing of paper items, but not nearly enough;
4. I accomplished two speaking engagements in one week when one was unexpected rescheduled;
5. I did my morning routine about half the time.
6. I didn't get my bedroom finished, but I cleaned out a cabinet and two drawers in my kitchen, plus bathroom vanity underneath the sink.
7. I found our old Atari and games to donate to the youth center. Goodbye, Space Invaders and Pacman. And yes, there are kids in this era of Xbox and Playstation Whatever that find it fascinating and even fun to play these "old" games!

Monthly goals were not so well done:

Blog goals: I've had internet problems a lot, even the poky old dial-up was pokier than usual, and when I went to town to find Wi-Fi, one of my spots only worked about half the time. In another 10 days or so, I'll be back to high-speed internet and hope to accomplish my blog goals at that time.

Physical: Monitored my blood pressure and sugar fairly regularly; did not lose weight. Better luck next month.

Spiritual: I did not get to the Hallel, but did prepare and give two messages; started my prayer journal; fasted two days

Household: EEK--morning routine, so-so; lets just skip the rest!

Mental: I "read at" a couple of books, but did not read one front to back to completion

New Goals

I'm home in small town rural Louisiana for about 8 more days, so my goals are going to be for now until I leave for the big city.

1. Feed my family regular, healthful meals
2. Do my morning routine
3. Spend 5 hours this week working in the front bedroom/junkroom (broken into multiple days) Finish sorting craft materials, clean desk area and replace printer, get rid of at least 25 books, work on filing system, repack holiday items and put in the shed
4. Clean out my chest of drawers
5. Sort books to take back with me
6. Take donation items to youth center/library/Goodwill
7. Read one book this week--just for fun
8. Eat my fruit and yogurt daily
9. Read my Bible daily
10. Continue my prayer journal

Need some accountability to help you as you work toward your goals? See Philippians 3:14 Friday at Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?

Until next time....