ThinMint

Hat tip: BT

Some highlights: - Former FBI general counsel James Baker testifies in the Durham trial that Michael Sussmann lied - Clinton Campaign manager, Robby Mook testified in the Durham trial that HRC approved sharing the debunked Trump/Russian bank allegations to media - 120k Hunter Biden emails are made public - Elon Musk bringing attention to the fakeness of Twitter - Over 22 million Biden followers on Twitter are bots - BLM leadership's nepotism made public - George W Bush has a Freudian slip admitting his guilt in the invasion of Iraq - Russia moves to withdraw from WTO, WHO - The Montana Supreme Court has temporarily restored new state voting laws for the June primary that prevent same-day voter registration and require voters that use student IDs for identification to bring additional documents - DOJ sues Steve Wynn for failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act - Ukraine troops surrender - Ministry of Truth crumbling - AZ Senate has passed HB2453 which prohibits governmental entities from imposing mask mandates - AZ State Sen Kelly Townsend creates ‘Smart Drop Box’ pilot program to get around RINO Sen Paul Boyer’s election integrity obstruction - Georgia Judge grants David Perdue's request to preserve 2020 ballots - Walmart heirs lose $17 billion - NBC poll shows 75% of Americans say the country is going in the wrong direction as Biden’s approval rating hits new low

Though we were pulled in many directions this week, I also had a few moments that found me hanging out with family in the evenings instead of researching for the good news drop. So today I have only a few highlights to offer. A departure from the usual format, but what makes this unique is I'm not going to feel bad about it. And I know you, Dear Friends, wouldn't want me to as well. I do plan to go back collecting more for your perusal next Friday. Starting right now, let's promise one another to have a weekend that finds us moving closer to God, closer to one another, closer to living a life of Less Is More. Let's actively demonstrate to God how precious His gift of time is to us. This weekend, please do something that makes your heart smile.

Time cont’d The greatest gift God gives us is the redemptive power of Christ’s blood. I propose the second greatest gift He gives us is time. Time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Time to be with those we love. Time to relish the beauties of life. We are given time to develop our relationship with the Lord, to surrender to His will, to choose whom we will serve, to ask for forgiveness, to be forgiven. How time can stand still and move in a blink of an eye is mystery that belongs to Him Who created it all. I think we can all agree time is fleeting, its precious. It cannot be erased, recreated. But, it can be ruined, neglected. With God’s help, I am determined to implement Less Is More. I must ignore the doomsayers, the time wasters, those who don’t simply point the way to Christ. I must remove the impediments that distance me from God, that steal my joy, that exhaust me, that make me lose sight of What Really Matters. I want more time to read, to learn, to do better, to try new recipes, to be there for friends. I need more time to be with my beloved Felix, my kids, and to grow in my relationship with Lord. I can’t help but feel that Time and Less Is More are symbiotic. A gift to us, from God.

Time cont’d Yet… I’m sad. In a deeply profound way. My kids’ past, present and futures are clearly juxtaposed in this moment. As I watch the little ones frolicking in the creek, their moms seemingly unbothered by the mess, I wonder why I didn’t do this more often with mine? I feel sadder still. When did I become so… So… lazy? Uptight? A control-freak? Busy? Ugh! I cannot find the right word. Before kids I was pretty laid back. Now I struggle with some OCD tendencies. Before kids I rarely felt the need to raise my voice. Now, perhaps subconsciously, I believe that a louder voice will penetrate the most stubborn of wills. Before kids I was not as self-aware of the disarray. Now I can foresee the messes before they happen. Before kids I was spontaneous. Now I find that spontaneity has lost some of its charm. Before kids… What about After Kids? Surely there is much joy experienced that would never be known Before Kids. There is. I just don’t like being so busy, my life so full of stuff, that I don’t easily recognize the delights in these fleeting moments. I don’t like that I traded in my spontaneous, laid-back, non-yelling self for an OCD, too tired, too busy, too stressed self. I’m positive my kids don’t like it either. I’m not aggrieved, perturbed and disquieted all the time. Cookies can temporarily help with that. I do want to be more calm, relaxed and composed. God is the only One Who can help with that. I don’t want to be pulled down into the mire, the pettiness, with lists of stuff to do and stacks to get rid of toppling on top of me. I want more time to be spontaneous, to wade in the creek, to catch fireflies, to read books to the kids.

Time I sit by myself at the park, the group of other moms busy chasing their kids, busy gathering their kids’ lunches, busy chatting, busy kissing boo-boos, busy intervening when kids bicker, busy watching, talking, moving, feeding, caring –and I sit alone quietly taking it all in. I watch my two oldest strolling with their friends. I smile and wonder what has them so engaged in conversation. I’m happy for them. They’ve reached a milestone where their mom doesn’t need to hover, at the ready to kiss, intervene, feed, chastise. The moms’ voices don’t even reach me now. I’m too lost in my own thoughts. The trees make me feel like I’m in a miniaturized setting of the Redwood Forest. How many storms did they bear? How many birds, squirrels, ants, moths and beetles have used these trees for shelter, for food, for a safe landing spot? How many families have settled beneath the leafed roofs for a day of playing and picnicking? The nearby creek has dried up on one end, the water pooled on the other end. Tiny hands and feet splash and search through inches of muddied water. Tiny voices squeal, giggle, yell –guided by the whims of tiny bodies yearning to be big like their siblings but not yet ready to move on from the amusements that come with being young. They have no idea how wonderful their simplistic lives really are. It’s peaceful here. This setting. This moment in time. An oasis in the middle of a neighborhood, in the middle of the day. It’s as if we crossed an invisible line when we entered. This is a place where despondency and worries cannot blossom, where the long, tyrannical arms of a malevolent government cannot reach you, where the grinding daily responsibilities cannot wear you down.

There are really, really good reasons why we want to embrace Less Is More. If you could simplify things for your life, what would you want to do? What would it look like? There are really, really good reasons why we need to eliminate the clutter in order to achieve this way of life. Make a list of all the things you want to de-clutter, simplify. Jot down any and everything, even the small stuff. Dream big, too! As you look over the list is God on there, too? Is He a priority? The busyness, the noise, the clutter are all stumbling blocks to us deepening our relationship with the Lord. Reconciling with Him, reaching out to Him, receiving Him has to be our precedence. What is the clutter impeding that for you? We’re keeping it simple with challenge #4: Make Your Lists. Please feel free to share what you’d like to de-clutter. Reading your ideas may inspire someone else!

Years ago, way before Eastern organizational and decorating philosophies became trendy, my mom shared a sage nugget with me: when you allow the clutter to build up inside your home, it also clutters your mind. In other words, the stress that comes with a cabinet, closet, shelf, junk drawer –any space that has accumulated too much stuff, it begins to amass inside of you, too. You can close the door or drawer, but deep down inside, you know it’s still there, waiting for you to address the stuff; and until you do, it’s occupying your mental space, stealing your peace. This also applies to the stuff hiding in our media apps, the stuff we grudgingly agree to do, the stuff that makes us feel guilty, angry or isolated, the emotional stuff we shoulder, and the stuff that physically exhausts us for no good reason. Our lives can become emotionally, mentally and spiritually cluttered. Sometimes the task before us seems too daunting, and we don’t even know how or where to begin. So we close the door. Or drawer. Or we avoid thinking about it or talking about it –even with God. So why hold onto the useless clutter? Those half-eaten bags of food in the pantry grow stale. The receipt you’re holding onto most likely the window for return has expired. The gift you meant to give that’s still sitting on a shelf is probably filling you with sadness every time you pass by it.

As a reminder, Challenge #1 – A Distinct Prayer (pray for wisdom, His truth, and His protection) Challenge #2 – Re-evaluate Social Media Challenge #3 – Do the Due Diligence Before we can be successful in implementing the Less Is More ideal, we absolutely must get rid of the clutter. While it seems like I’m stating the obvious, let’s dip below the superficial surface for a moment. Take a closer look at the below definitions for clutter. Is there one that applies to your current situation? What jumps out to you?

Y’all ever read something in the Bible years and years ago but it kinda went in one ear and out the other but then you read it again only this time you’re all like, uh-oh, how did I miss that one ‘cause that’s really good. Like Holy-Spirit-convicting kinda good. Like wow-I-cannot-believe-how-relevant-to-today’s-events-this-is- kinda good. Like I-need-to-change-my-perspective kind of good. 2 Timothy 2:23-26: Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.