Consider: “Crazy Busy”

Published on by Kim1 Comment

Kevin DeYoung has written a “(mercifully) short” book on busyness and its effect on our hearts. It is full of questions to consider about our theology of time and self and how that theology shows up in our schedules. Here are two excerpts for you to enjoy, which will perhaps whet your appetite:

“As Christians, especially, we ought to know better because we understand deep down that the problem is not just with our schedules or with the world’s complexity—something is not right with us. The chaos is at least partly self-created. The disorder of daily life is a product of disorder in the innermost places of the heart. Things are not the way they ought to be because we are not the way we are supposed to be.”

“Busyness, as I’ve been diagnosing it, is as much a mind-set and a heart sickness as it is a failure in time management. It’s possible to live your days in a flurry of hard work, serving, and bearing burdens, and to do so with the right character and a right dependence on God so that it doesn’t feel crazy busy. By the same token, it’s possible to feel amazingly stressed and frenzied while actually accomplishing very little. The antidote to busyness of soul is not sloth and indifference. The antidote is rest, rhythm, death to pride, acceptance of our own finitude, and trust in the providence of God.”

These books are set here as possibilities for you to explore. Posts and links are not blanket endorsements or paid publicity.

Gift Guide: New Home Owner

Published on by Kim

If you are looking for gift ideas for someone who just moved into a new place, here’s a few thoughts. They have plenty going on right now, but you may be able to ease the transition with a few handy items we love and use in our home.

  • Cabinet slide-outs. These are installed in the lower cabinets in my home immediately — before unpacking the kitchen. They are a back-saver and keep stuff accessible so you actually use it!
  • Electronic door locks. I despise keeping up with paper and keys, so these are also top of the list when setting up house. Easy to install and easy to use. There is a key for back-up, although the batteries will last a long time, and you can set different codes for each family member or outside contractor, if you wish.
  • Laundry sorter. If you have the space, sorting dirty laundry as you go makes for a much smoother laundry cycle. It is easy to see when one load is ready to be washed. You don’t have to sort piles, and then put the too small loads back in the hamper. While cold water does cover a multitude of mixed laundry, it still helps to keep heavy-duty jeans and fuzzy towels out of the loads with your silk blouse or white t-shirt.
  • Tool kit. Especially if the recipient is moving from an apartment or family home into a new house, a tool kit can be a lifesaver. Even if the new place is an apartment, though, there will be plenty of assembly and fixes coming up.

*None of these links are affiliates or revenue-generating in any way. These items are simply tools that have benefited us greatly.