TUT! TUTT!!

TUT! Tut!!

Tidy

Up

Tuesday

Let all things be done decently and in order.! (I Corinthians 14:40)

That's what Tidy Up Tuesday is all about.

One drawer at a time. How about a pantry floor!

This helpless housekeeper can even find distractions in the clutter.

TUT! TUT!!

TWOS-DAY: WORD PLAY

I KNOW 2/2/22 was yesterday. But.... I saved the word-play for Wordsmith Wednesday because it served me well. 

Recently, started by me, at our home Tuesdays became "Tidy-Up Tuesdays"---a one woman reminder. 

2/22/22 jogged my mind that it would be a great shared adventure for a twosome!

Hubby went along to "share my joy". Double the work was accomplished! 

I loved it! 

Plus, it's biblical. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

Tidying up is a way of accomplishing order as a TWOS-DAY Twosome!

CHOOSE: promp-TEA-tude

Promptitude is truly a word. An important word!
My childhood family valued promptitude. "Promptness is just good manners!" (Mother)

Thus, promptness has been important to me all my life. I wasn't always tolerant of others' timeliness, rather their lack there of!

As a real stickler for being "on time," it has always seemed polite to honor an appointment or engagement in a timely manner---which for me was usually a little early to said destination.  Even if I did not "go in" until the appointed time, I was prompt. Maybe to a fault. I even set kitchen clocks early so we would go out the door with a little "wiggle" room as other family members did not seem to share my obsession with promptitude! (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 1Corinthians 14:40)

But God....recently had me spill my cuppa promp-TEA-tude. And....my daughter was there to point that out! I had an excuse for my 1 minute tardiness, but as in the past, I have not "allowed" for excuses, I was pretty sure I shouldn't even open my mouth to share it.

It appears I needed to add a spoonful of grace to my cuppa promp-TEA-tude,  as well as to remember to serve it to others.

rou-TEA-ine

But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40, ESV)

Routine enhances order---at least these days that is true in my life.
Is that an aging thing? A "sot in your ways," control issue. Is it hereditary?

Certainly a cuppa rou-TEA-ine is preferred by lots of my family members, especially my brothers. It was modeled by our parents, whom you could set your clock by. As Daddy aged I watched him put his day in order more than ever, as if routine helped him keep a handle on things, that were trying to slip away.

Walking with Ellen has been a part of my exercise routine for over 24+ years. It's a routine that goes beyond physical exercise because I never know what gem I will glean from her. This morning was no different as she shared a Shane Stanford "jewel" from her last night's CUMC Bible Study. A reminder that being in His presence is a "spiritual routine" one should not neglect.
"One's joy is directionally proportional to the amount of time spent practicing the Presence of God in the midst of all his /her circumstances."
That's certainly biblical---Fulness of joy comes from being in His Presence. (Psalm 16:11)

The Bible----a great threshold that leads one into God's Presence.

A 3/2/10 original “Tea with Thee” blog, described my best “routine” for  morning quiet times----"like my tea---steeped just right, not rushed. An ordinary cup of tea, my daily Jesus Calling reading, simple scripture verses at my fingertips----ordinary beginnings can make a day extraordinary."

Now,  I would add.....a cuppa "rou-TEA-ine" in His Presence over flows into joy for a truly extraordinary day, regardless of the circumstances.

Associations and Alphabetical Offerings

11/18/09 All the years that I was in the field of early childhood, I color coded everything, at work and at home----right down to laundry baskets, hangars and tooth brushes. I took some of that with me to the library and for years all receipts of book orders with barcode ranges were filed in a certain red notebook type folder. (Red = receipts w/ ranges.) When that red folder was no longer available and I had to use a green one, I still labeled the spine in bold red letters declaring it the “red folder.” I know you’re probably confused but it works for me. In a recent “Dearest Dorothy” book, her son couldn’t understand why her Christmas stuff was stored in a Del Monte cardboard box. “D” is for Del Monte and “d” is for decorations.” He groaned at her comment but it made perfect sense to me.

There’s just something about the orderliness of alphabetizing things that is intriguing. Being a librarian appeals to that part of me---it’s a semblance of control that I have in an otherwise cluttered life. Canned veggies are arranged from asparagus to zucchini on my pantry shelf. Catchall objects are stored in an old card catalog in my computer room in ABC order---even though sometimes those labeled drawers are empty, i.e. misplaced---not put back by folks who don’t know the importance of this ploy. Those 26 letters have become my association tactics. At this point in life, I need all the help I can get.

Awakening in the middle of the night, I often pray God’s attributes in alphabetical order----praising Him as Almighty, Bestower of Blessings, Creator, Defender, Eternal Elohim, Faithful Father, God of Goodness…..etc. 

All this to say, I plan to focus these next several weeks on one word for each of the 26 letters in the alphabet. Actually, the idea has been “brewing” awhile as I’ve savored my morning “cuppa.” It just seems so orderly. Of course, I could start it tomorrow and then take off on an “A” rabbit trail. Who knows? It took me months to actually write about the qualities of the “fruit of the Spirit,” and there are only 9 of those. Hm-m-m--These are my plans, we’ll see how God directs my steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

But everything should be done in a fitting (properly) and orderly way. (I Corinthians 14:40)

I definitely need to hang my hat here on this verse because this is a problem for me. Reading the preceding paragraphs might have given you a real misconception about my “decently and in order” life. It’s one of my biggest struggles---from sentimental clutter and “just in case clutter” to stacks of flagged books and pages of “blog bite” scribbles and “unanswered e-mails. Compound all of this with retrieval glitches in my MAC-muddled brain and a family and lots of deserving friends---and I’m not even back at work yet! YIKES!

I know I can't eat this “clutter elephant” in one bite but I’m going to work on it one bite at a time, starting with this blog.

A is for attributes of God ???