Reducing Clutter

I am on a quest to reduce stuff. My wife would attest that one of my favorite things to do is to take a trunkload of possessions to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. There is nothing more satisfying to me than to find a different home for possessions that we do not use regularly.

This is a problem with most American families I know. We have way too much stuff. Books like Affluenza and Organizing From the Inside Out address this issue. I wrote a chapter on our need to simplify in my own book- Stewardship Mandate.

Being organized and simplifying is a battle that must be fought daily. Clutter like weeds in our yards takes on a life of its own if we are not vigilant to root it out.

I wanted to share a solution for reducing the amount of paper in your home that will take some time to implement. But in the long run, it will make your life a lot easier. And it also protects files from theft- physical and identity- and natural disasters. That solution is to use an online storage facility.

I recently evaluated a host of online storage facilities to safekeep important files and chose http://box.net. I chose them because the site is easy to use and free from advertising clutter. The great benefit of online storage is that once you upload files, pictures and scans, you can access those documents anywhere in the world that you are able to obtain internet access.

I spent thirty minutes talking with one of the technicians at box.net to alleviate any concerns that I had about how this information is safeguarded and protected. As long as you are using this information for your own private use and you protect your username and password, you should never have a problem. These websites are in great competition with each other and the security of information is priority #1.

Box.net and other online storage choices are free if you are uploading smaller documents. If you have needs for larger amounts of storage, the fees are reasonable. I pay $50/year for the amount of storage that I need.

I recommending organizing your documents, pictures and scans into three categories:

1. Essential- birth certificates, tax returns, family contact list, key pictures, passports.
2. Would like to keep- these files should be uploaded to the online storage and then deleted, shredded, thrown out to free up computer or file space.
3. Don't have a use for- throw out.

My personal goal is to spend 15 minutes a day reducing clutter. On every non-business email that I receive, every article I read, every piece of mail, I ask: what are the chances that I will ever reference this again? If it is less than 25%, I throw it away. When in doubt, throw it out.

Being organized is a huge stewardship issue. When you have less stuff, you have more time to devote to things that matter. I have read that close to 45 minutes per day are wasted searching for things that we can't find. I have no way of verifying the truth of that statement. But what if it is true? Wouldn't it be worth investing 45 minutes a day for as long as it takes you to be organized and then using that freed up 45 minutes per day doing something useful?

Ecclesiastes 7:29, "I have found this to be true. God has made men simple. But they have sought out their own complexities."

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Complaining

A good friend- Jay Hellwig- invited me to attend a devotional this morning at the Ziglar corporation. Jay and his wife- Jill- work for motivational speaker- Zig Ziglar. Ziglar has built an outstanding reputation through the years as a salesman, communicator and most importantly devout Christian.

I have read some of his books over the years and listened to a few of his tape series. Having met him today for the first time in person, I came away impressed that he's the real deal. The positive attitude is no facade. He lives a life of gratitude, joy and hope.

Jay and I spoke after the event- as we beat each other up on the basketball court during our lunch basketball game. We discussed the importance of the stewardship of our attitudes. God has entrusted to us eternal hope. Christians are called to aim at perfection- 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)- by becoming excellent stewards of money, abilities, time and health. But we are also called to be good stewards of the hope that is in us. We are to be ready to explain this hope to others- 1 Peter 3:15.

I am by nature cynical and some might say critical. I have to battle these tendencies daily. One of the easiest things in this world is to be negative and live out of fear, jealousy, bitterness and comparison. It is tough work to live by faith, love, joy and contentment. So on the theme of living as if there is a reason for hope, I concoct four arguments for the elimination of complaining:

1. We are commanded in the word of God to avoid complaining. Philippians 2:14 tells us, "Do all things without complaining or arguing (NIV). God knows our nature is to complain. Therefore, He had to command us to avoid this behavior. One of the prayers that I ask God for daily is to eliminate complaining in my vocabulary, thoughts and actions. Some days I do better than others.

I stress this daily with my 2-year old son and have him already reciting Philippians 2:14 to me when he whines. I say, "Hudson what does God want us to do? Do all things without complaining or ______?" He replies, "whining." If we desire to honor God, we will work hard to eliminate complaining from our daily life. Repeat with me: I will not complain because God has commanded that I avoid it.

2. We deserve nothing. The two most destructive words in the English language are "I deserve". If we want to be biblical, we quickly see what we deserve. Paul tells all who reject God's Son, "Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed."- Romans 2:5.

CS Lewis says it well, "God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies. Some talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger--according to the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way."

We deserve death and misery due to our sin. God has been patient and merciful. He has given common mercy to us all- oxygen, water, food, climate stability, etc... He has given specific mercy to all who trust fully in Christ. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."- John 3:36. Repeat with me: I will not complain because I deserve nothing good. Everything good in my life comes from a merciful God who has commanded me to avoid complaining.

3. Many who deal with far greater adversity daily than I do exude daily joy that puts me to shame. I am not belittling the trials that we face. Every one of us has a cross to bear in this life. It might be health-related. It may be a family crisis. It may be a financial problem. It may be regret over a big mistake. It may be a relationship that is hard to deal with. Job 5:7, "Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." Acts 14:22, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God."

Trials are a sign of God's love not displeasure. He has important lessons to teach us. The person who avoids trouble is likely avoiding the will of God. John Calvin calls the man/woman who runs from trouble constantly: self-centered, self-absorbed, gluttonous individuals who like pigs are unaware that they are being fattened up for the day of slaughter. Loving others involves pain.

I look at someone like Joni Eareckson Tada- a quadrapeligic- who is helping thousands upon thousands with her joyful perseverance in the midst of daily handicap and I feel like a loser for every complaint that comes out of my mouth. I think about the millions of people that would trade places with me to have the opportunity and advantages of living in America. What do I have to complain about? I met a man blind from birth today at the Ziglar corporation- Blake Lindsay- who exuded joy. God uses these "chance" encounters to remind me to be thankful. Repeat with me: I will not complain because I am blessed. If I am breathing it is because God has willed it. I am to make the most of every moment God has entrusted to me.

4. Complaining chokes out all the blessings God has in store for me. Specifically, complaining chokes out the hope of experiencing God as Father, Son and Spirit in a resurrected body and a resurrected earth- the eternal promise.

Dan Stewart is a friend, neighbor and life saver for me. Dan knows how to fix anything. He runs a handy-man business. When something breaks in my home, I call him. Dan has a relaxed way about him and is never in a hurry. He works efficiently, but you can tell there is a peace. I enjoy spending time with him because Dan loves Christ and we talk about the things of God. He has a bumper sticker on his truck that sums up his life: "I am too blessed to be stressed."

Jesus warns us that thorns will attempt to choke out the truth of God- Matthew 13:22. We need to daily fixate our hearts on every reason that we have to be thankful. There are millions. To be more thankful, we need to be more thinkful. Think about everything we take for granted. As Zig Ziglar would say, "We need a check-up from the neck up." Repeat after me: I will not complain because I have been lavished by the grace of God. He has entrusted blessings to me so that I might bless others and glorify the name of Christ in the process.

The self pep-talk is finished. Thanks for bearing with me. Complaining is a cancer. It destroys life. Thankfulness is the cure. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Stewardship Plan- Abilities

God has entrusted specific abilities to each of us. For those who have been chosen to receive the gift of faith, God has prepared specific good works for us to perform- Ephesians 2:10.

God's command to us is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself- Mark 12:30-31.

In other words, we should strive to do the maximum amount of good to the maximum amount of people as our worship and obedience to Christ.

Why should we continually examine our lives in relation to our God-given abilities? Because God has called us to excellence. He has called us to be ministers of His grace and truth. He has called us to give the world a glimpse of heaven where we will learn, grow and realize our potential as perfected stewards of our unique design, talents and abilities.

I have read that only 10% of workers feel that they are performing work that is a good match with their abilities. Considering that we spend over 100,000 hours working in our lives, this is a tragedy. We are not meant to waste our life in this way. One of the most important priorities is to hunt for what we are best at and to find purposeful work that is a match for these strengths. I am not referring to working only for income. Managing a household is work in my book.

Here are some questions to ask ourselves as we are setting goals for the use of our God-given abilities to perform good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

1. What am I most passionate about?
2. What have others said that I excel at?
3. What are the things that I do that feed my energy rather than drain it?
4. How can I sharpen my skills to maximize the natural abilities I have been given?
5. What areas do I need to commit to prayer so that God can fully use me?
6. If I could design my ideal job, what would it look like?

We should set goals for the stewardship of abilities. Create a mission statement. Think about how to execute that mission. Eliminate distractions. Avoid or delegate work that you do not do well. Play to your strengths. Manage around your weaknesses. Focus, focus, focus. We have one life to make a difference on the destiny of souls.

Read books about how to find your calling if you don't feel that you have a grasp on what it is. I have listed some resources that have helped me under the Abilities section of my website: http://stewardshipmandate.com.

Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Against the Wind of Prevailing Thought

Ecclesiastes 7:13, "Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future."

I have been reading and thinking about three areas where the consensus may be wrong. Conventional wisdom tells us that global warming is a huge problem leading our planet on a path of disaster. Conventional wisdom persuades us that medical and college costs are going to spiral out of control for the foreseeable future.

I have no idea if any of this is true. Experience and observation have taught me that the gloomy scenarios often don't materialize. God is firmly in control of every detail in this world. As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:19-20, "For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"

We can look at history and see examples of consensus fears never realized. Nuclear war with the Soviet Union; food and gas shortages due to overpopulation; Y2K; Germany attacking the United States in World War II; diseases that were going to kill half the world's population. The list could go on forever.

This brings me to three fears that are prevalent today that are likely to be irrational. First global warming. I am a terrible scientist. My dad earned a PHD in nuclear physics. But I did not inherit his love for science. I do follow stories on global warming with a passing interest- mostly because I live in Dallas, Texas and hope that all the projections of global warming are terribly wrong. Dallas summers are plenty hot already.

Al Gore and Tom Brokaw tell us that the evidence for global warming is overwhelming. Are they right? There are some other voices.

There were articles in 2003 scientific journals saying that the ozone layer was starting to repair itself. Khabibullo Abdusamatov and his colleagues at the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that global temperatures have reached peaks and that the earth will begin cooling over the next 50 years with or without the Kyoto protocol.

Why do most scientists disagree with this theory? The answer might be found in a comment by climate expert Richard Lindzen of M.I.T. who says that the vast amount of government research money available for studies on "global warming" discourages skeptics from being vocal about their skepticism.

Something I am more familiar with are the financial implications of rising college and medical costs. These two areas are spiraling out of control and are putting major financial pressure on American families. College and health care costs are going to continue to go up, up, up. Right?

What if that is wrong? I have thought that two areas that can benefit most from technological innovation are education and health care. Technology has the ability to drive down costs dramatically in those two areas if it is used efficiently.

I recently read a book called The End of Medicine where the author Andy Kessler discusses the coming technological advances in the field of medicine. Most of Kessler's speculation is centered on the idea that diagnostic testing can become advanced and affordable for every American. These tests can be hooked up to computers, toilets or swallowed as pills with probes inside. If cancer and heart disease are diagnosed early enough, they can be treated and billions of dollars in chronic care costs are saved. Of course it is never that simple. But there are some compelling reasons to believe that technology will drive health care costs down and not up over time.

The same is true with college costs. There is a terrific website: http://collegecosts.info. This website has articles of research showing how using technology can make the learning experience more effective and drive down the cost of education by more than 35%.

I don't know if any of these changes will be implemented. But I suspect market forces will work on health care and education to force them to offer better value for money. The point of all of this is beware of the consensus. It is often wrong. Harry Truman once said- inspired by Ecclesiastes 1:9, "The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know."

Believing that problems are never as bad as they seem,

Ashley Hodge