Managing with the Minimum
Greetings sisters in Christ!
We were looking at a big pond in town (there are tons of them on the east coast) and talking about how peaceful it makes you feel when you can step away from the business of life and take some time to refresh in nature. It's calm and peaceful, refreshment to the soul. I mentioned how awesome it must be in heaven to not have to worry about all the earthly, fleshly battles and to have that peace and brother Jim added that it will be a hundred fold. I can't fathom an environment like that.
In the meantime, until we get there, we must strive on, amen!
Today I want to talk about managing with the minimum. I've shared many areas that we have minimized our life in order to do what we do (travel and preach the gospel) and encouraged you in your own life to minimize in the areas of spending money, running the home, activities etc. In this post I want to share about how we do the maximum on our website, various blogs, videos, audios etc and how we do it using the minimum.
As a keeper at home and helper to brother Jim in our ministry, I have the responsibility of choosing and learning how to operate the devices we use and he trusts me to make sound decisions. When it came to downsizing from our big, battery draining, long boot up lap tops, he said to get what we need. I'll admit, I looked at the fancy touch screen chromebooks, some with pencils, some do amazing things (and I really thought about getting them) but their cost was astronomical (in the $600-$800 and higher range) but we didn't NEED those attributes nor could I justify that excess cost of them.
I settled for $150 chromebooks.
When we had to replace an expensive smartphone, we found a decent quality one for half the price that works just fine for what we need to do.
We (ran our business) can run our website, several blogs, make audios, videos, phone calls, video calls, you name it, on just these devices for minimal cost. When something breaks or they slow down the updates (like they do to minimize the life of the device) it won't be much cost to replace the item. If I had to, I could buy 1 every 2 years and be set for the next 8 years instead of 1 expensive one that might last the same lifespan.
There are many areas in our lives, as keepers at home where we have either the authority or a great influence over such large purchases and I encourage you to think long and hard before upgrading to such things that are not necessary. Running a kitchen can offer the opportunity to have a lot of gadgets that may be time and money savers yet some are extra costly and don't do much more than their lower cost counterparts. One example that comes to mind for me, when we were on a homestead, was an electric pressure cooker. At one point we were super busy getting our business going, traveling for deliveries, tending a large garden and many other homestead activities so I decided to get an electric pressure cooker so that we could have quick (healthy) meals that I didn't have to keep an eye on while it cooked. I researched and found that I could buy a fancy name brand for about $100 or more. I kept looking and read reviews then settled for one that was $45. It worked for years (was still working when I gave it away) and it cost half the price.
That's just one example and I'm not saying that you always opt for the lower cost item because 'sometimes' you get what you pay for. What I'm trying to encourage you to do (and many of you probably already know this) is to take time to thoroughly evaluate the entire situation and decide from there.
What's the big deal? It's not necessarily the purchase itself, it's the matter of a right mindset. We always want to keep a mindset of simplicity and frugality, #1 to be good stewards of our resources, #2 as a good witness to others and #3 to keep our flesh in line.
God has entrusted us with the resources we have and we are to be diligently frugal with what we have so that we might be able to help someone else in need or we might have a need ourselves and by saving that money, it will be available at that time. Also, the world is watching us and if we buy the best of the best, spending money frivolously, what witness is that? Lastly, we need to keep our flesh in line by getting by with what we need, not what we want.
This mindset also crosses over into smaller purchases that add up. I used to know people who would never consider buying 'generic' or discount / dented foods and would only buy name brands. They were the same for clothing, household items etc and they could never get ahead and were always in debt. If we have the mindset that we don't 'deserve it' but instead are 'thankful for it', we will be more likely to keep our life and our expenses simple and frugal. (Thinking that we 'deserve' something is pride.)
We all have to follow our convictions and not everyone will be the same as the next person. We are not to compare ourselves nor judge another in areas of liberty (what to eat, what to buy etc) BUT we are all to have a standard of using wisdom through the Word of God and being a good, godly example to other brothers and sisters as well as a witness for the world who is watching everything we do, say, buy, eat etc...
Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
Proverbs 13:16
Let's all strive to be more refined each year, than we were the year before.
Have a joyous day in the Lord, sisters.
Love in Christ,
Sister Deb
We were looking at a big pond in town (there are tons of them on the east coast) and talking about how peaceful it makes you feel when you can step away from the business of life and take some time to refresh in nature. It's calm and peaceful, refreshment to the soul. I mentioned how awesome it must be in heaven to not have to worry about all the earthly, fleshly battles and to have that peace and brother Jim added that it will be a hundred fold. I can't fathom an environment like that.
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Mark 10:29-30In the meantime, until we get there, we must strive on, amen!
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Titus 2:12-14Today I want to talk about managing with the minimum. I've shared many areas that we have minimized our life in order to do what we do (travel and preach the gospel) and encouraged you in your own life to minimize in the areas of spending money, running the home, activities etc. In this post I want to share about how we do the maximum on our website, various blogs, videos, audios etc and how we do it using the minimum.
As a keeper at home and helper to brother Jim in our ministry, I have the responsibility of choosing and learning how to operate the devices we use and he trusts me to make sound decisions. When it came to downsizing from our big, battery draining, long boot up lap tops, he said to get what we need. I'll admit, I looked at the fancy touch screen chromebooks, some with pencils, some do amazing things (and I really thought about getting them) but their cost was astronomical (in the $600-$800 and higher range) but we didn't NEED those attributes nor could I justify that excess cost of them.
I settled for $150 chromebooks.
When we had to replace an expensive smartphone, we found a decent quality one for half the price that works just fine for what we need to do.
We (ran our business) can run our website, several blogs, make audios, videos, phone calls, video calls, you name it, on just these devices for minimal cost. When something breaks or they slow down the updates (like they do to minimize the life of the device) it won't be much cost to replace the item. If I had to, I could buy 1 every 2 years and be set for the next 8 years instead of 1 expensive one that might last the same lifespan.
There are many areas in our lives, as keepers at home where we have either the authority or a great influence over such large purchases and I encourage you to think long and hard before upgrading to such things that are not necessary. Running a kitchen can offer the opportunity to have a lot of gadgets that may be time and money savers yet some are extra costly and don't do much more than their lower cost counterparts. One example that comes to mind for me, when we were on a homestead, was an electric pressure cooker. At one point we were super busy getting our business going, traveling for deliveries, tending a large garden and many other homestead activities so I decided to get an electric pressure cooker so that we could have quick (healthy) meals that I didn't have to keep an eye on while it cooked. I researched and found that I could buy a fancy name brand for about $100 or more. I kept looking and read reviews then settled for one that was $45. It worked for years (was still working when I gave it away) and it cost half the price.
That's just one example and I'm not saying that you always opt for the lower cost item because 'sometimes' you get what you pay for. What I'm trying to encourage you to do (and many of you probably already know this) is to take time to thoroughly evaluate the entire situation and decide from there.
What's the big deal? It's not necessarily the purchase itself, it's the matter of a right mindset. We always want to keep a mindset of simplicity and frugality, #1 to be good stewards of our resources, #2 as a good witness to others and #3 to keep our flesh in line.
God has entrusted us with the resources we have and we are to be diligently frugal with what we have so that we might be able to help someone else in need or we might have a need ourselves and by saving that money, it will be available at that time. Also, the world is watching us and if we buy the best of the best, spending money frivolously, what witness is that? Lastly, we need to keep our flesh in line by getting by with what we need, not what we want.
This mindset also crosses over into smaller purchases that add up. I used to know people who would never consider buying 'generic' or discount / dented foods and would only buy name brands. They were the same for clothing, household items etc and they could never get ahead and were always in debt. If we have the mindset that we don't 'deserve it' but instead are 'thankful for it', we will be more likely to keep our life and our expenses simple and frugal. (Thinking that we 'deserve' something is pride.)
Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
Proverbs 13:16
Let's all strive to be more refined each year, than we were the year before.
Have a joyous day in the Lord, sisters.
Love in Christ,
Sister Deb
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