Give God Your First Minutes… Instead of Your Leftovers

Give God Your First Minutes… Instead of Your Leftovers. My “new normal” now consists of one day a week with my grandson, spending daily devotions morning time with God and extended time on Saturdays, and reading my Bible more often than ever. I want to read the Bible even more and I’ll continue to increase my time in the Word and in God’s presence, learning about God and getting to know Him personally. I’m also learning to experience God on a daily basis and in a more intimate way. Spending quality time with God and having the extra bonus time with my husband and grandson (21-months as of the time of this writing) is the biggest blessing that resulted from this Pandemic. I LOVE my new normal!

I typically read two books at the same time: one on leadership development and one on spiritual development. One of the books I’m currently reading, Soul Care in African American Practice, by Barbara Peacock, mentions a prayer practice called ACTS which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. You start by worshiping God, then you confess your sins and ask Him for forgiveness, you then move to thank Him for everything He’s done in your life, and you conclude with asking all your prayer requests.

I am starting to use this practice to stay focused on God and not allow my mind to wonder during my sacred time with my creator. Barbara also encourages us to “give God your attention, He will give you direction.” Right now, we need His divine direction and wisdom more than ever. In a time of such uncertainty, He knows the way. We don’t.

There are many ways to connect with God and we each need to find the best way that works for us. God will connect with us in any way we prefer because He’s adaptable and omniscient. Prayer, Scripture, Worship are all avenues to connecting with God. How do you connect with God?

Before the Pandemic started, I had decided to spend more time with God, alone. Even if I give him a few minutes—sometimes I only have ONE minute. But I always kneel before Him each morning before I start my day, consistently. Simply to love Him, worship Him, thank Him for one more day of good health, and to ask Him for my list of people who need prayer.

Every time, without exception, when I give of my time to God—even if it’s only one minute—He multiplies my time and I get everything done. You see, our number one excuse to not pray is our lack of time. But if we give God our “first minutes” of each day, He will ensure we get the rest done. Whenever I decide to “pray later” and wait until I get to bed, I’m too tired and it simply doesn’t happen. I cannot allow myself to give God my leftovers anymore…

I encourage you to give God your first minutes and not the leftovers. He will reward you beyond what you can imagine! I will leave you with these powerful Scriptures:

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Work Hard - God Will Give you Rest

Work Hard - God Will Give you Rest. This past week I was on vacation at home with no plans other than a big “to do” list that I made for myself. Instead of spending time relaxing and doing “nothing” I chose to take care of things around the house I had not had the time to do in the past three years. So I wonder, why did I choose to be busy during my week off when I could have chosen to be relaxing doing nothing? Why do I feel that if I am not being productive all day long and every day, my self-worth suffers?

While all the things I did at home were needed and enjoyable, like organizing my office and printing pictures for my photo albums, I could have just watch lots of TV, lay in the sun, go shopping, or visit with more friends. Why do I feel like I have to be producing something all the time and feel guilty if I just sit for a moment? On the other hand, I am so busy during the normal week days when I’m working that I don’t have time to do certain things I like to do at home. Therefore, I decided to take time off work so I could focus on those things and get them done…

I believe the times we’re living in encourage us to always be busy and occupied doing something. Working women face the bigger challenge to perform at work and also take care of our homes. Is our society making us this way? Or is it my personality that wants to be busy all the time? Send me your comments.

Today, I would like to share one of the devotionals from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that cautions us to not burn out and simply seek the rest we need in God. Enjoy!

Work Hard, but not to an Extreme. God Will Give You Rest.
# 15
Psalm 127:2 (NLT)
It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Many women work too hard, work long days, and end up exhausted, with nothing left to give their families, and get burned out. For some women, it has caused them their health or their marriage. They end up having a nervous breakdown, heart disease, and many other illnesses or disorders.

God wants us to have a balanced life. He is a God of order and balance. We are to be diligent and work hard, but then we need to trust God and know “He gives rest to his loved ones.” As we pray and ask the Lord on a daily basis to balance our day, we will accomplish everything He wants us to do for that day and be satisfied. We can pray David’s prayers: “Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil… Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow” (Psalm 119:133, 25:4 NLT).

God rested on the seventh day, and we should too. Don’t work so much that you miss life going by right before your eyes. Make time to be with your family and loved ones. This will actually give you renewed energy to go back and work hard again. Set a goal to work more efficiently and effectively versus working long hours.

Remember, the Bible says it is useless to work so hard unless God is in it. He will give you rest.

We Need Rest

We Need Rest. Every year during the holidays our lives get busier than they usually are and additional stress comes on. Today I want to encourage you to take time to rest. Rest does not necessarily means sleeping (although we do need to sleep more). It means to just slow down and make time to read a book or watch a movie or do an activity that refreshes you. It is different for all of us. This devotional reminds us that rest is a gift from God and that He wants to enjoy it.

Rest Is a Gift from God
#11

Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.

Exodus 23:12 (NLT)
“Work six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed.”

Did you know God commands us to rest? He created us to be able to work six days and rest the seventh. He Himself gave us the first example in the Book of Genesis when—after spending six days creating the entire universe—He rested on the seventh. If God wanted to rest, what makes us think we don’t need to?

Unfortunately, we don’t allow ourselves to rest enough. We keep going and going until there is nothing left of ourselves to give. We push until we burn out physically and spiritually. Our bodies and minds need rest. Proper rest refreshes and strengthens our body; it reenergizes our minds so we can think clearly again. Not only that, when we clear our minds from the daily pressures and stresses of life, the Lord can speak to us in order to refresh, renew, and strengthen our spirit.

We can experience a special peace and rest in God—but only when we obey and do His will. Rest is a blessing and a gift from God. Are you getting enough of it?

Balance Every Area of Your Life

Balance Every Area of Your Life. It is important for us to remind ourselves of the things we believe. Today, I would like to share with you a devotional that reminds us to be balanced in every area of our lives. In the next two weeks I will be asking God to help me balance my life on a daily basis because I have a lot of activities happening. I encourage you to do the same if you have a lot going on in your life right now. Enjoy!

Balancing Your Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Life Is Crucial
# 2
Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)
He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.

How often do you feel tired, worn out, and weak? This would be a great verse to memorize and repeat on those days. We all experience physical, emotional, and spiritual weariness in our lives. Some days we may just be physically tired, but we move on because we are not mentally or spiritually exhausted. Those times we just need to rest, go to bed earlier that night, take a break from work, or simply change activities.

Dealing with emotional weariness is more difficult because when we are emotionally exhausted, it also affects our physical well-being. In those times, we also need to rest, do some exercise to relieve the stress, and spend time with the Lord. Just being in His presence will refresh our minds.

Spiritual burnout is the most dangerous because when we stop fighting in the spirit, everything else stops and dies away. Remember, we are first of all spiritual beings that live in a human body. Just as our body needs rest and food, our spirit does too. If we are spiritually starving, we will die spiritually.

We must avoid burnout in any area, but most importantly, we must avoid it in these three areas (physical, emotional, and spiritual) at the same time. In order to avoid that situation, we must have balance in our lives. Balance starts with a daily prayer asking the Lord to help us balance that day—one day at a time.

Put God in control of your life—every area and every moment. Spend time with Him. He yearns for that time. You will then be refreshed in every area. “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (v. 31).

Keep Your Priorities

Keep Your Priorities. Whenever I have speaking engagements on the topic of life balance, I actually get out of balance because it is one more thing for me to prepare for. When I start feeling overwhelmed it is time to remind myself what I teach… that balance is a daily prayer. In addition, I remember what my priorities are in life: my faith, my family, my work, and then everything else. This helps me to refocus and only do the things I consider most important. Today I want to share with you a devotional from my book that reminds us about keeping our priorities in order. Enjoy!

Keep God at the Top of Your Priorities
# 6
1 John 5:21 (NLT)
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

The King James Version of this verse says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” With so many things this world offers us, we have to be careful and guard our hearts at all times from things that have the potential of taking God’s place in our hearts. We all have desires and dreams we want to pursue in our lives. Most of them are placed by God in us. However, even when those desires and dreams are from God, we have to be careful they don’t occupy our entire life. These dreams can become our idols if that’s what we pursue day and night and if we spend all of our resources on them. Things that can move us away from God are not only natural things such as money, success, fame, popularity, hobbies, or even our children; they can be also our desires, dreams, and our idols (including people we idolize). In other words, anything that takes priority over God in our lives can become our idol.

To refocus, always go back to the Word. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key is to put God first in your life. Everything else falls into place after Him.

Is Your Life in Balance?

Is Your Life in Balance? Today I want to wish all of you who are mothers a happy Mother’s Day. Being a mom is a big deal. The responsibility that comes with motherhood is immense yet it is all worth it because of the rewards we receive during the journey. I say the “journey” because once you are a mother you never stop loving, caring, worrying, nurturing, listening, supporting, and simply being “mom” for the rest of your life. As you celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow, take time to reflect on your life and ask yourself this question, is my life in balance? Am I physically, emotionally, and spiritually burnt out?

The following devotional will give you tips to help you balance your life in every aspect. Enjoy!

Balancing Your Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Life Is Crucial
# 2
Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)
He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.

How often do you feel tired, worn out, and weak? This would be a great verse to memorize and repeat on those days. We all experience physical, emotional, and spiritual weariness in our lives. Some days we may just be physically tired, but we move on because we are not mentally or spiritually exhausted. Those times we just need to rest, go to bed earlier that night, take a break from work, or simply change activities.

Dealing with emotional weariness is more difficult because when we are emotionally exhausted, it also affects our physical well-being. In those times, we also need to rest, do some exercise to relieve the stress, and spend time with the Lord. Just being in His presence will refresh our minds.

Spiritual burnout is the most dangerous because when we stop fighting in the spirit, everything else stops and dies away. Remember, we are first of all spiritual beings that live in a human body. Just as our body needs rest and food, our spirit does too. If we are spiritually starving, we will die spiritually.

We must avoid burnout in any area, but most importantly, we must avoid it in these three areas (physical, emotional, and spiritual) at the same time. In order to avoid that situation, we must have balance in our lives. Balance starts with a daily prayer asking the Lord to help us balance that day—one day at a time.

Put God in control of your life—every area and every moment. Spend time with Him. He yearns for that time. You will then be refreshed in every area. “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (v. 31).

We Need Rest

We Need Rest. We all live busy lives but when our lives get even busier and the level of stress increases yet another level, what are we to do? How are we to handle the additional load that we have to carry? Lately, I have been experiencing that feeling of being “overwhelmed” consistently with no time to rest or to get refreshed and renewed. So what do I do? I go back to the basics—if I have something new to add to my life, something else has to leave! Today, I would like to share with you the devotional that talks about rest as a gift from God. Enjoy and rest!

Rest Is a Gift from God
# 11

Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.

Exodus 23:12 (NLT)

“Work six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed.”

Did you know God commands us to rest? He created us to be able to work six days and rest the seventh. He Himself gave us the first example in the Book of Genesis when—after spending six days creating the entire universe—He rested on the seventh. If God wanted to rest, what makes us think we don’t need to?

Unfortunately, we don’t allow ourselves to rest enough. We keep going and going until there is nothing left of ourselves to give. We push until we burn out physically and spiritually. Our bodies and minds need rest. Proper rest refreshes and strengthens our body; it reenergizes our minds so we can think clearly again. Not only that, when we clear our minds from the daily pressures and stresses of life, the Lord can speak to us in order to refresh, renew, and strengthen our spirit.

We can experience a special peace and rest in God—but only when we obey and do His will. Rest is a blessing and a gift from God. Are you getting enough of it?

We Need Balance

We Need Balance. These past two weeks have been out of balance for me. The workload increased significantly and my school work was beyond what I could complete in one week’s time in between classes. Last Tuesday was going to be one of those days with back to back meetings and no time to do work. So I prayed and asked God to balance my day and cancel all my meetings… and He did! Out of five meetings I had during the work day, somehow four got cancelled. Even my prayer group got cancelled that night which gave me the opportunity to meet my daughter for dinner. My lunch appointment also got cancelled so I called my husband and asked him to take me out to lunch so I was able to spend some time with him as well. God turned what was going to be an out of control day into a blessed, relaxing day and I completed everything I needed to get done. This experience reminded me that we should ask God to help us balance our lives—on a daily basis. Today I want to share with you the first devotional I wrote for my book on the topic of balance. Enjoy!

Balance Is a Daily Prayer
# 1

Psalm 119:133 (NLT)
Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil.
Psalm 25:4 (NLT)
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.

With so many important things in our lives to manage, we long for balance. Balancing our lives is a daily prayer. With God’s guidance, our personal discipline, and careful planning we can achieve balance in our lives. In His Word we not only find the truth, but also the strength and wisdom needed to help us complete and accomplish all God has called us to do.

When we pray we have to ask for the balance we need—on a daily basis. His Word says in John 16:24 (NKJV), “Ask, and you will receive.” Just as we ask God for our health, our jobs, or for wisdom, balance is a precious gift, but we can only achieve it by working together with God.

Therefore, ask Him to help you balance your daily life, and once He shows you the path you should walk, be sure to follow His lead.

Pray for Balance Daily

Pray for Balance Daily. During these busy holiday times it seems the days get shorter and the list of things to do gets longer. It is hard to give the every day things to God and ask Him for help to get us through each day. But when we do, I believe, God stretches our time supernaturally and somehow we manage to get it all done. Today I would like to share with you one of the devotionals from my book that talks about praying for balance. Enjoy the time with family and friends during the Christmas time!

Balance Is a Daily Prayer
# 1

Psalm 119:133 (NLT)
Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil.
Psalm 25:4 (NLT)
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.

With so many important things in our lives to manage, we long for balance. Balancing our lives is a daily prayer. With God’s guidance, our personal discipline, and careful planning we can achieve balance in our lives. In His Word we not only find the truth, but also the strength and wisdom needed to help us complete and accomplish all God has called us to do.

When we pray we have to ask for the balance we need—on a daily basis. His Word says in John 16:24 (NKJV), “Ask, and you will receive.” Just as we ask God for our health, our jobs, or for wisdom, balance is a precious gift, but we can only achieve it by working together with God.

Therefore, ask Him to help you balance your daily life, and once He shows you the path you should walk, be sure to follow His lead.

How to Keep Our Priorities Straight

How to Keep Our Priorities Straight. With all the things we have going on in our lives it is sometimes difficult to choose our priorities. I often find myself prioritizing my priorities! In those times, I have to slow down and go back to the basics by asking myself a simple question: What does God want me to do now? Today, I would like to share with you one of the devotionals from my book that talks about our priorities in life. Enjoy!

Keep God at the Top of Your Priorities
# 6
1 John 5:21 (NLT)
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

The King James Version of this verse says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” With so many things this world offers us, we have to be careful and guard our hearts at all times from things that have the potential of taking God’s place in our hearts. We all have desires and dreams we want to pursue in our lives. Most of them are placed by God in us. However, even when those desires and dreams are from God, we have to be careful they don’t occupy our entire life. These dreams can become our idols if that’s what we pursue day and night and if we spend all of our resources on them. Things that can move us away from God are not only natural things such as money, success, fame, popularity, hobbies, or even our children; they can be also our desires, dreams, and our idols (including people we idolize). In other words, anything that takes priority over God in our lives can become our idol.

To refocus, always go back to the Word. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key is to put God first in your life. Everything else falls into place after Him.

Managing Our Time During the Holidays

Managing Our Time During the Holidays. With the holidays coming up, we find ourselves lacking time to get everything done. There are so many expectations of our families during Thanksgiving and then the shopping, the family gatherings, tired children, and of course, in the end… exhausted parents! As we approach these wonderful holidays, let’s not forget the real purpose behind them. First, let’s celebrate Thanksgiving to thank God for everything He has done for us and for everything we have. Then when Christmas comes, let’s thank God again for sending His Son Jesus to save us… Wow! What a gift God gave us!

Today, I want to share with you one of the Devotionals that talks about asking God to teach us to manage our time. He knows what’s best for us and what things can go undone. He helps us prioritize our days if we let Him. Enjoy!

Lord, Teach Us to Manage Our Time
7
Psalm 90:12 (NLT)
Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.

Time is a valuable resource. No matter who we are, we are all given the same amount of time every day, and it is up to us to use it and manage it wisely.

We often get frustrated when we waste our time because we like to be in control of our lives and that includes our calendar. Therefore, part of our daily prayer needs to include asking God to help us manage our time wisely.

Ask God to help you balance your life one day at a time. You are then allowing Him to take control of your busy schedule, cancel appointments, and rearrange things throughout your day as He wills. When you give up that control to the Lord, He will make sure your life is balanced. Just remember to give Him priority in your schedule.

You also need to be flexible. Sometimes the Lord will ask you to stop doing an activity and pray for somebody or for a particular situation. The best example is when God reminds you of someone you haven’t seen in a while. It may be the Holy Spirit nudging you to pray for that person. You need to quickly obey Him and do what He’s asking you to do. If you are to be used of Him, you have to be willing to be flexible and obey His leading. This is how you make the most of your time on a daily basis.

2009 - The Year to Help Each Other

2009 - The Year to Help Each Other. 2009 is well under way now. The cold January in Minnesota is over and we are now looking forward to spring. This year will be a challenging year for all of us as the layoffs and the fragile economy hits close to home. These are unique times we have not lived through before but we, Americans, always pull together and push through. That's the one piece of history we can be sure of and count on.

As we strive to achieve balance in our lives, we must remember to also balance the fear we may be feeling these days. There is so much information thrown at us, there is the reality of our own lives, and there is the uncertainty of the future. So, how much do we worry? How much do we not worry about? We can't just sit back and relax while our friends and relatives (or even ourselves) are getting laid off and losing their jobs. At the same time, we can't worry so much that it affects our health.

If you recently received the news that your job will be eliminated, don’t panic. There are things you can do to get back on track. I know in this economy it will be harder but for God nothing is impossible and He can connect you and give you new opportunities in the midst of economic chaos. Today, I would like to share with you some ideas on how you can have some balance during these times and how you can help your friends who may have lost their jobs.

First, you need to pray and ask God for direction. Don’t go at this alone. He will give you the wisdom, grace, hope, and strength to go through this experience.

If you don’t always have your resume ready and up to date, you need to do that immediately. Ask a few of your friends who do hiring as part of their jobs to review your resume and give you feedback. It is important to provide a professional resume that is to the point and provides pertinent information. Include an objective, a summary of your skills, and then list each job with dates and the tasks you performed along with your accomplishments. Resumes should be in chronological order from most recent to oldest and should be easy to read and have absolutely no typos in them.

Start setting up meetings (coffee is the least expensive) with people you know that can connect you to companies within the industry you’re interested in working at. Bring your resume to every meeting.

Print business cards with your personal information such as name, address, email address and phone number where people can reach you. This is a good idea to have even when you’re not looking for a job.

Post your resume in the Internet in web sites such as www.monster.com. Many companies sign up with these types of services to recruit candidates.

Look in associations’ web sites for job opportunities. For example, in banking we use the Minnesota Bankers Association to post positions available. You, as a candidate, can look in their web site for an opportunity that you may be interested in.

If you are employed, then make an effort to help your friends who may be looking. Below are some ideas of what you can do to help them:

Encourage them to continue the search and to not give up.
Connect them with people you think may be able to help them.
Follow up with them to ensure they are still looking or simply to encourage them again.
Pray for them daily and ask God to help them find a job.
If you can help them with their resumes then take the time to do it. You can do this easily through emails.

As you can see, there are things we can do to help ourselves and help each other. The most important thing though is to not lose hope and to encourage one another as we go through these tough times knowing that God does care for us.

Have Balance During the Holidays

Have Balance During the Holidays. Having a balanced life is one of my priorities in my life and I am on a quest to find it on a daily basis. As we prepare for the Holiday season, keep in mind that you need to have balance in all you do so you can enjoy the most beautiful season of the year. Here are some tips to remind you to stay in balance:
1) Start shopping a little at a time within the next few weeks so you don't have to shop for everything on the last weekend right before Christmas.
2) If you have little kids to shop for (nieces and nephews), ask the parents what the kids would like (i.e. ask for specific sizes for clothes and what brands or names of toys). This will help you save time when you go shopping.
3) If you are planning to have family over for Christmas, start preparing your home in advance. You can start cleaning different sections of your home a few days prior to the gathering. This will help you not be overwhelmed the day you are having people over.
4) Remember to also have balance in how much you spend. Don't feel guilty if you cannot buy a lot of presents or spend a lot of money this year. Everybody has been affected by the slower economy and people are not expecting others to spend a lot of money.
5) Most of all, don't forget the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. It is to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ who came into the world to save us and to give us life. He cares about everything we do and wants us to live a successful and balanced life too.

Welcome to Marcia's Blog

Dear Friends,

I decided to start a blog to connect with other working women who are in search of work and life balance. I will be posting interesting topics that will help you achieve the life balance you desire. These are tips I have used in my journey of life as a full-time working mother, author, and executive to help me balance my daily life. Below is the first one of many to come. I hope it will help you in some way.

Balance Your Life One Season at a Time

Fall is usually a very busy season as we wind down from summer and start our next set of activities. In the midst of it all, we tend to forget to take care of ourselves and we get out of balance. Below are some tips to help you stay in balance:

• Establish your priorities: This way, as you have the opportunity to get involved in new things, and before you say yes to new commitments, you can ask yourself the question: Does this new activity/task/commitment fall under my priorities in life? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself another question:

• What can I take out of my life in order to add one more thing? If the answer is nothing, don’t commit as this new activity may through you out of balance.

• It’s okay to say no: Learn to say “no” and be okay with that. You have the right to decline and not feel guilty about it.

• Make time to exercise: Walking is one of the best exercises there is and it doesn’t cost any money — only time. I love to jog but right now I’m choosing to walk with my husband instead. This way, I’m spending time with him and I’m getting my exercise done at the same time. Make a goal to exercise at least three times per week doing something you like. If you don’t make the time and schedule it, it won’t happen. We have to take care of our bodies so they last and we can accomplish all we need to get done.

• Don’t forget your friendships: Make time to call or go to lunch with a friend at least once a week. It is refreshing to go out with a friend and just talk and catch up with each other’s lives. If you don’t nurture your relationships, they will eventually go away.