"If It's Free, it's for Me"

Today I went to pick up a package in the mail from my childhood bestfriend and although I knew the contents of said package it was still exciting to open the box and see what was actually inside.

With that said, it's time for another give-away.

Recently, I wrote about "busyness" and made reference to a great read, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. That's the book I'd like to give away.

Here's your chance to win. All YOU gotta do is leave a comment on my blog (Come on Facebookers make your way over to the original post here) with your name, email and one sentence or less telling us why you should have this book.

I'm going to have another random drawing but I'd like to know that this book is not going to sit on someone's bookshelf and collect dust but that it is being read and that the applications inside are being put to good use.

The winner will be announced on Friday, January 22nd. Have fun ladies!

Busyness

Do you know how sometimes when you open the word of God there is that one verse that seems to jump out at you? Last week as I shared with Lucas something that I was struggling with. Immediately after telling him I opened up my bible and there it was in James 5:16, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

You see, I lead a very busy lifestyle. Working a full-time job, attending graduate school and serving in my church's youth group are only a few of my responsibilities. As if that weren't enough many times I take on more than I can handle. Scheduling coffee dates with friends, booking back-to-back appointments that leave little room for reflection.

These things which I do in and of them self are not necessarily bad things however they can become a trap, taking precedence over my time spent with the Lord. I feel that if I am reaching out, ministering and helping to meet the needs of others then surely I am doing something for Christ. However, all of these things demand that I myself spend more time with the Lord. From the overflow of my time spent with him is where I will be able to give to my friends, family and co-workers. Otherwise, I am simply starving myself to feed them.

In a society that is constantly telling us to maximize our time, the only way I see fit of accomplishing this is by choosing what is better. Today I choose Jesus.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
-Luke 10: 38-42

If you are struggling with this, may I recommend this excellent book.