And the Winner Is

Drum roll please..... Becky! Congratulations.  I will be in touch to get your mailing address so that Cheryl can mail your book.

If you didn't win, you can order her book through Amazon in the link from my giveaway post.

My next post I hope to talk about social media  "clutter".

Our Moving to AZ Experience and Biblical Minimalism Giveaway Date Extended

First off I will say preparing to move was on of the most stressful experiences of our lives. We sold Tim's childhood home and it held so many memories not just of his childhood but our girls grew up there too.

The process of  going through stuff and trying to decide what to keep and what to donate began. There were sixty years worth of things to go through. Things that belonged to his parents, things that belonged to him not to mention my stuff and the girls.

Can I tell you all how hard it was to give up things like my Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit book that I got as a baby shower gift when I was having my first baby( she is now 25) and so many other books from when my girls were little? There was vintage Christmas decorations that belonged to my in-laws, items Tim's maternal uncle sent his mom from when he was in World War II, old dishes and more. We even found an old rationing card that belong to his mom which is also from World War II.

  When were going through all the items in the house we were just couldn't believe we had so much (for lack of a better word) junk. We rented those U-haul pod things that you pack and U-haul comes and and takes them away and drives them to your destination. Since we didn't have a home to move to when we left California we used U-haul storage. We rented about three pods(we all couldn't fit in a moving truck) plus a large trailer. We also rented a large dumpster for things that were either too worn out or broken.

We got rid a lot of things we didn't need but it was very difficult. What's even more is we were still packing and loading pods the week we were moving. Actually the day escrow closed and we were supposed to be out of the house we were still packing and loading pods. We  were even  stuffing  things into our car which at the time was a Mountaineer.

 We had so much stuff we weren't willing to let go of  we ran out of room in the pods and trailer. Now this is the shameful confession. As a result there were many items that got left. Things like a large toaster/convection oven, my microwave oven, artwork on the walls and some furniture and who knows what else.

Now sitting in our garage in our current home there are boxes and bins in the garage that I have never unpacked that will probably never make it into the house such as my porcelain dolls I got when I used to sell Avon back in the late 1990s. As I type this I'm looking at all the stuff we brought to our new home and I ask myself "Why did we bring that?"

So now after reading Biblical Minimalism, I realize  we really need to rethink our "stuff".  I have to ask myself "Why do I need to hold on to all the Keepers at Home magazines or An Encouraging Word magazines?" "Do I really need all those teacups?" And don't get me started on the bags of yarn and fabric AND sewing patterns I will never use.

Does any of this stuff glorify God?  Can I bless someone else with some of this? Oh and did I mention  duplicate kitchen utensils? 😮

I'm learning that none of this "junk" is important when it comes to eternity. We can't take any of these things to heaven. And besides who wants to be tripping over a bunch of useless items in heaven anyway.

I think I've rambled long enough. I just want to share my story and I hope it will serve as a warning to me and anyone who may be struggling with excess.

I'm extending the giveaway to Wednesday.  There's much going on with my family and church family  so I haven't had time to collect names.  If  you'd would like to have a chance to be entered to win a signed copy of Cheryl Smith's book Biblical Minimalism enter here 

https://coveredwifeoftim.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-review-biblical-minimalism-by.html

Apologies if this post is disjointed and subjects are out of order. As a former homeschool mom, If I were turning this in for a grade I'd give myself a C or possible a D.

 

Five Minute Friday-Smile

I haven't done a Five Minute Friday linkup in quite some time. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's where you take five minutes to write on whatever the writing prompt is for the week.

Here's the link for this week if you'd like to check it out

https://fiveminutefriday.com/2020/07/16/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-smile/

My time starts now:

The funny thing about wearing a mask out in public is you just can't see anyone smile. I love to smile at people if they smile first. However, I know if someone smiles at me because their eyes are smiling.

And you know what? That  eye smile is just what many people need and that's a  a simple way of showing the love of Jesus. So many want a simple gesture to let them know things will be alright and that there are still people who care.

My time has ended. I hope you enjoyed this short little post.

Call to Prayer for Linda Stotzfoos

Hello my friends.  I'm asking you all to join in prayer for missing Amish teen Linda Stoltzfoos. She has been missing since Father's Day.  The Lancaster County community is meeting at 7:30 Eastern Time to pray for her return. Though we can't be there to pray we can gather at our time zones to pray. Some of you won't see this post in time, however please pray anyway and add her to your church's prayer chain. For some reason I'm unable to copy and paste her picture.

Reading the media reports makes think the Lord has taken her home but I'm praying for a miracle. 

Thanks prayer warriors!

Book Review-Biblical Minimalism By Cheryl E. Smith and Giveaway

 Today I'm pleased to post my review of Biblical Minimalism. I was so happy to be a part of Cheryl's review team and receive a copy of her book.

In her book Cheryl shares about testimony of how the Lord led her and her family to sell their home, letting go of unneeded physical things and move into a rental property. 

She talks about the difficulty of letting go of things and the Lord asking her " Do you love this more than Me?"

Her experience with moving and trying to hang on to not just physical items but also relationships that were damaging emotionally and spiritually. 

This book really made me think about our experience moving and trying to figure out what to keep and what to let go. That's the topic for a separate post.

There is so much meat in this book with lots of scriptures that I think would be good for memorizing and I highly recommend Biblical Minimalism. I'm planning on reading it again.

Now for the giveaway. It's simple if you would like to win a copy of this awesome book, just leave a comment below. The winner will be announced next Tuesday. Due to shipping costs giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.

"Cheryl Smith is the author of the book “Biblical Minimalism,” the story of her family’s journey from a life of abundance to a more abundant life. She is the author of the blogs Biblical Minimalism, where she writes about minimalism from a Biblical perspective, and Homespun Devotions, where she writes devotionals and conducts “Inner Views.” She loves to spend time with her husband and son in the mountains, sing and play Bluegrass music, and write."

Remember to Still Stay Safe

Some of you are in states that are coming out of lockdown but please remember to practice your state's social distancing rules and wear masks in public.   I know people are upset about having to wear a mask in stores that require it. I noticed here in Arizona that COVID-19 cases have risen since our  stay at home order was lifted and many people are not practicing social distancing. I noticed several other states have the same problem.

So as Sgt. Phil  Esterhaus on the tv show Hill Street Blues used to say "Let's be careful out there." You don't want to get this this terrible illness.

All Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter

White Lives Matter

Brown Lives Matter

Blue Lives Matter

Spider Lives Matter- Uh scratch that one!

Asian Lives Matter

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, brown, yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Everything is Beautiful by Ray Stevens

https://youtu.be/0a45z_HG3WU