August Fields

40 bags in 40 days 2013.

today is ash wednesday.  the beginning of lent.  what is lent?  it is a 40 day period that starts today, ash wednesday, and leads up to maundy thursday.  the next day is good friday (crucifixion of Jesus Christ). three days later is EASTER! 
are you confused?  
pastor bill crawford of waters edge church puts it this way:

Ash Wednesday is a day to stare death in the face, to acknowledge our mortality. All of us will die. Christians who observe this day get ashes “imposed” on their foreheads, while a minister says, “You have come from dust, and to dust you will return.” In other words, “You are going to die. And here are some ashes to remind you, just in case you’ve forgotten.”

Are we Christians gloomy? Do we have some peculiar fascination with dying? I don’t think so. Rather, what allows us to stare death in the face is the assurance of life, real life, eternal life. When we know our lives are safe in the hands of God, and that this physical life is just the beginning of eternity, then we’re free to be honest about what lies ahead for us. We can face death without fear or pretending, because we know the One who defeated death. 
on to lent.  its not a mandatory observance but one that prepares our hearts and minds for the days ahead. our family has been doing 40 bags in 40 days for a few years.  
here is our list for this year.  this is a very tangible way for everyone to get involved!
we also spent time in prayer this morning and came up with what each of us was going to “give up”.  again, this is a period of self-denial to commemorate the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert.  these are things that in today’s world should be SO easy to go without right?  
its just GOOD for us to (all ages) to have to FEEL the pangs of going without something, making us look UP and remember:
“I can do ALL things through HIM who gives me STRENGTH”  Phillipians 4:13.  
It’s a time of humility.  i can’t do it on my own. 
 if i tried to homeschool, be a good mom, be a good wife, be a good friend…etc.  all in my own strength i would have burned out LOOOOONG ago!

another fun thing that we pulled out was this countdown poster that we made with my friend amy and her kiddos when they still lived by us……

do you see  the little paper Jesus on the first day? we move him one spot each day.   🙂  again, just a tangible way for the kids to see what is happening.  and just throw it up with tape on your cupboard.  its all good.

here is a closer look at our 2013 list.  i mostly do this on my own during the day.  if there is an area that its more helpful for the kiddos to join me then they do.

will you make more room for Jesus this Lent?  you’ll be glad you did.

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Bible in A Year peeps…..how’s it going????  i’ve had a couple times where I fell a few days behind and had to catch up.  it’s been a HUGE blessing.  you can do it!  if you want to join here is my blog post about it and follow the hashtag #afbibleinayear over on instagram (@augustfields)
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preparing for lent…..get your garbage bags out!

its that time of year.  tomorrow is ash wednesday and the following 40 days can be used to prepare our hearts for the emotional ride of mourning the death of Jesus Christ……then the overwhelming celebration of

 HIS RESURRECTION!!

please join me again this year in participating in  40 BAGS in 40 DAYS.   
you can read all about how it works  HERE.
i have already started with a makeup drawer, my closet and my jewelry.
two books i’m currently reading 
this is a study of the heidelberg catechism in a most rewarding way.  i actually like it!  it goes beyond rote memorization (that many of us know this by) and fully explains the beauty behind the questions and answers that help unpack the layers of christianity.

the other book is ‘Now, That’s a Good Question’  by RC Sproul.

i can’t put this book away on our office shelf because i keep referring to it!  lots and lots of good insight on frequently asked questions about life and faith.

my journaling has also become a bit more consistent along with reading through the Bible.

during my quiet time i use:

a NIV study Bible and a plain lined leather bound journal.

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on a total side note…thank you for the kind emails of concern regarding my lack of posting.  i can assure all is fine on the homefront 🙂

the reasons for minimal posts are purely personal and *ahem* somewhat exciting!  i’ll fill you in soon 🙂

the pantry has been cleared.

this pantry cleanup cleared out a lot of stuff!  i found myself using the pantry as a catch-all.  in doing so, the food storage area was becoming messy and disorganized.
phone station before:
phone station after:
– threw away several outdated papers
– hid the cords to the sound system
– moved all the appliance manuals to a basket
– donated 1 vase
three drawers after:
– top drawer is aprons.  donated one.
– middle drawer is the snack basket.  emptied all the crumbs.
– bottom drawer is reusable grocery bags.  got rid of 6.  i now have 8 plus 2 thermal bags.

 pantry before:  woa nelly!

it was getting out of hand.  just setting stuff wherever when i was in a hurry.

when in doubt, shove it on the floor.

okay.  get the picture?  very ‘stackish, hodgepodge, whatever mess’.

so here is what your kitchen may look like if you too decide to clean out your pantry. notice, i cleaned mine out at night. daddy played with the children before bedtime and put them to bed so i could finish once i started without too many interupptions.  i did NOT want this mess in the morning!

oh yes.  soak it all in.

after:
– wiped down the shelves
– vacuumed the crumbs
– discarded old food.
– realized we had 3 syrups.  

as much as i would love a cutesy pantry with labeled baskets, it just isn’t practical for how often we’re in and out of here during the day.

food and dishes must be easily accessible.

i do keep popcorn supplies in a basket only because we eat microwave popcorn like twice a year 🙂

coming up for air….

i’ve been cleaning out my pantry, mudroom, cabinets and laundry room……it’s got to get messy before it gets clean people.  
i’ll be back tomorrow with some more encouraging ‘after’ pictures.  
okay….going back under.

40 bags in 40 days: in action

my friend amy came over the other day with her adorable kiddos.  we talked about lent and made these  gameboards to track the days until Easter.  i found the idea here.

we added Jesus (attached with poster putty) that will move along each day.

amy went home and started her 40 bags in 40 days journey. she blogged about it here.
go visit amy and you will see that they didn’t end up pulling their hair out….they were successful!

her pantry is simplified, clean.  i’m sure that her mind doesn’t have to think about that anymore….leaving more room for GOD!   and THAT is awesome.

are you blogging your 40 bags in 40 days project?  please let me know!