new wineskin - the home

Our Pastor has been teaching on new seasons and new wineskin.

Luke 5:36-38
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Our church is on the verge of some pretty amazing things, one being the purchase of "the" white mansion that sits right next to our property. We now have a contract on it, and are in the option period getting all the details worked out for inspections, etc. There has been tremendous favor on this aquisition, and it's just so exciting to see that property used for the Kingdom! For many years, as prophets and other ministers have come to our church, there have been many words spoken over that property, even some before they knew a white mansion lived next door!

In our personal lives, God has challenged Philip and I to go to a new level in many areas. For me, many principles He's given me have been for our home and to keep it a haven of peace and dignity. I have asked him for a long time to give me some guidelines to follow (because those sure make it easy!). Now, many women have got these down pat. They were taught these things, and it's second nature. I'm not that way and needed help. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated that I couldn't keep my house clean for more than a day, and I felt too tired and exhausted to put a lot of effort into it. These are so practical, but Erin wanted me to post them, so here you go, Erin!

1. Before crawling into bed, put clothes away - shoes, hang-ups, folded clothes, or in the hamper. I'm notorious for doing the laundry and not putting it where it belongs. Also, I end up with a stack of shoes on the floor right next to where they belong. If I can keep it put away, it's a much smaller job every night!

2. Do laundry on weekends and get it all put away *and IRONED* before Monday. The weekends are when I typically do laundry. Some moms like to have a perpetual laundry system going all week- this does not work for me. Giving myself the whole weekend to get it all done helps me not feel guilty or too pressured, but I know that once Monday hits, I have a much lower chance of completing this task, and then #1 hits.

3. Do the dishes that night after dinner. To me, after dinner, I want to relax. It's been a long day and I'm tired! Who wants to do the dishes? But again, I've learned that if I can just do the small amount (even washing pots and pans) every night, that sure keeps me motivated to keep the sink clean all week.

4. Put all toys away before bedtime. Deron loves his trains and train track. It's so easy to just get him bathed and in bed with all of his toys strewn about the house. When they are left out, I can not relax! We don't have a large living area, so we're constantly stepping over Stanley and the Troublesome Trucks, and legos and blocks. If we all pick up right before bedtime, he's learning a valuable principle and I can head into the last few waking hours at peace. Those hours are special!

5. Only get out one genre of toys at a time. This can be hard. It requires the cooperation and understanding of -an almost 4!- year-old. As I've implemented this though, he's really taken hold of it! When we're ready to move on from a puzzle to the trains, we put away the puzzle first. Then after the trains, we move on to something else. This sure makes pick-up easy. Duh.

So there are 5 that highly apply to me. I'm still willing to hear on cleaning issues, easy to remember principles that will help me keep the bathrooms sparkling and the kitchen floor clean. And these aren't hardened rules, just guidelines to help me be the best keeper of my house and have more quality time to spend with my family (and friends)!

This picture is proof of #1- how wonderful of a husband I have, and #2- to show how keeping a house does not have to exclude the husband! Philip is such a great husband to -without asking- wash out the nasty kitchen trashcan. He knew I hated it and it needed to be done. Thank you, honey! I love you!