The Jaffrey Family Simplifying and Minimizing Project: Part 1

                In my last post, I shared a little about what God is teaching us and showing us that our lives need to reflect and how we are to live. If you didn't get a chance to read it check it out here: http://faithcanmovethemountain.blogspot.com/2014/07/simplifying-when-less-is-more.html.

             In the last few weeks after much discussion, prayer and searching of the scriptures, we have officially begun 'The Jaffrey Family Simplifying and Minimizing Project'.

Our Goal: Part 1. The Vision & Goal

          Our family goal is to simplify and minimize our lives in as many areas as possible in order to bring our focus to Christ and raising our children with as few distractions as possible. This includes the things we own, what we use, how and what we eat, how and what we spend our money on and what we prioritize and value as a family.

        The idea behind simplifying is to get the distractions from everyday life out of our way. Media, the world, the idea and drive for entertainment and focus on having fun is slowly destroying our walk with Christ  individually and as a church and a body. We don’t want our hearts and eyes being drawn to or to be held captive by the things of this world anymore or in the future. So the first step in this process as a family it to start weeding out the things in our lives that take our thoughts and focus away from Christ and our family. 

         This is going to be a process and a journey: the first step is identifying the problems, the second step is to pray and ask God for a solution, and the third is to walk and live out the solution with the constant help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In all of this recognizing that He alone can help us walk this kind of lifestyle for the sake of our walk with Him. 

          As we go and discover what is pulling us away or distracting us from God we have to honestly ask ourselves if we are willing to let go and put that detraction away from us for the sake of our relationship with God and our family. If media, games, movies, TV, even some books or relationship are pulling us away by any means from the walk and relationship we could have and need to have with God, then are we willing to part with it? If we hesitate it is a pretty good sign that maybe it is a little too important to us. We need to find ways as a family to force ourselves to rise above the modern day world and to live the simplest life we can by eliminating and controlling our  distractions.

Our first step in identifying our distractions and the chaos in our lives has been to ask ourselves the following questions:

Questions to Ask Ourselves As We Go: 

1. Do I find myself thinking about this throughout the day? 
2. Does it draw my attention and thoughts towards God or my family?

3. Does this honor or bring Glory to God?

4. Is this helping my relationship with God, my family, the church, or the lost and needy?
5. Is this edifying me, my family, the body, or drawing others to Christ?
6. Does this have any value spiritually?
7. Is this a want or a true need?
8. Does this reflect the heart and attitude of Christ?

        Honestly answering these questions has really opened our eyes to how many areas in our lives have been drawing us away from our relationship with God, each other and the body of Christ. Everyday things,that have become a part of our lives have been slowly destroying our vision and passion for Jesus.  The three biggest struggles that we are up against is how and what we spend our money on (and most importantly the way we think about it),  the way we spend our time and entertainment, and how we eat and what we think about food.  While there are many more areas we will be working on but these three are the first areas we are going to start working on as a family.

          After just a few weeks, it has become painfully apparent that this is going to be a forever, ongoing lifestyle commitment that only God can work in us. We will always be learning and hopefully growing through this, and in the end we pray that our walk with the Lord will grow, deepen and continue to be a living passion in our steps. I'm just glad He is a patient God, because this is not going to be easy!


More to come on our project soon!

(Please pray for us! ;) We are going to need it!)

Love,
Leah

Simplifying-When Less is More

               It has become painfully clear to me in the last few months that life holds hands with chaos, is attached at the hip with distractions, and has become best friends with the world. Long story short: life and modern day living distract and pull our heart, thoughts, and priorities away from Christ. This is our story- the one where we are constantly struggling against modern day mindsets and influences, while striving and seeking a life of devoted discipleship to Christ. It is hard and impossible, apart from the power of God and the Holy Spirit. As Alex and I have wondered through the last few months praying for direction, one thing has become painfully clear: Life is not about having the perfect house with a white picket fence and a swimming pool, or having a stand-up successful career that makes your parents proud and your friends jealous, or knowing exactly where you are leading your family and in what ways you will achieve success. He is showing us little by little, that our one and only priority and focus should be living to serve Him and His people, loving Him and His people, and sharing the good news with the world.

              This is not new news to us. In fact this is what we've set out to do since accepting Christ as our Savior. However, actually living like this and not allowing the worldly concepts and ideals for our lives to deceive and distract us is so much harder than it seems. It is so easy to get sucked into the mindset and chaos of the world, falling into the trap of believing we need more...more everything. This is what has happened to us the last few months, maybe even years. We have lost sight of what our lives are about and how God calls us to live. This has resulted in depression, ungratefulness, desire for control, stress, and so much more. It is a poison that seeks to destroy our very souls.

           Living for Christ is simple (not easy, just simple). Therefore should not our lives be simple? We have started asking ourselves, 'what things like our mindsets and ideals distract us from our objective of giving all we have for Christ?' One thing we have had to realize, is that just because something may not be evil in and of itself, that does not mean that it is bringing us closer to Christ, it may be what is drawing us away from Him. We don't want Life to be pulling us away from God. We want our lives to be simple and our out-look and goals to be simple. Serving God will all our hearts in everything we do, investing in our children, church and the people God puts in our paths, doing what we can to provide without being obsessed with having the 'perfect' and successful career, rather putting our heart and soul and as much time as we can into serving God in whatever ways He makes available to us.

         We are responsible to teach our children what it means to be disciples and to show that what that looks like. We are their examples. This is a perfect time in our lives to start weeding out things that don't draw us to Christ- putting away the thoughts, and things that distracts us from Him. This means reevaluating our goals, how we spend our money, where we invest our time, and the things we allow to entertain and influence our lives. It is time to start cutting down, cutting out, and taking a step out in faith-allowing God to lead our lives and take first place in our hearts.

  So here we are, back tracking and taking a step back. I wonder where God will lead us from here.

Love,
Leah

             

Learning to be a Wife- My poor Husband

           

While We Wait

        Yes, we are still living with my parents, and it is true that we still aren't sure what we are going to do. For the first time in a long time we are being given the opportunity to take a breath and truly seek out where God wants to lead our family, how we can best pursue the passions and dreams He has given us, while still being able to provide the needs for our family. Alex primarily, is getting a chance to do things over again in many ways. He has been able to take a step back, reevaluate, pray and let God speak into his heart and to trust that God can give us the answers and direction we need. I think we needed this time, as a couple, a family and individually to ask ourselves what we really want for our lives and our family, and not necessarily what may make the most sense to others. We want to be disciples who are willing to sacrifice and lead simple, even inconvenient lives, in order to live out the words of God as closely as we can. That being said-we don't want to rush or feel backed into making a decision biased on convenience and desperation. So we are waiting and praying.

        While we wait, though it is needed, there is also truth to the fact that we have both had to work through (and continue to struggle with) feeling like we are in limbo. As much as we appreciate my parents opening their home to us, it is simply not my home anymore. Alex and I are married with a baby of our own, it is hard not to feel like we are intruding, or that we need our own space and kitchen again. It is hard not having my own home to set up and run the way I like. It is hard not having our books and our own couch and bed. It is hard living in a little clutter and cramped quarters. Even more so, it's hard not having a definitive plan-still not knowing exactly what the next few month will hold for my family (not that anyone ever really knows what is going to happen at any time), or where God will lead us.  But even though it is hard and uncomfortable at times, God is also showing us many wonderful things while we wait.

      One of the biggest things that have changed in our lives in our hunger and relationship with the body of Christ, particularly in our church. I think for one of the first times in my life, I am literally counting down the days until Sunday and Wednesday every week. I am starving for fellowship, to be challenged, tested, encouraged, and enlightened. When Charlotte prevents us from being able to go (which happens often-I sincerely hope this teething stage passes soon) I am heartbroken and disappointed. When we leave church every week, we leave reluctantly, but also having come closer to Christ through the fellowship and edification of the body and through worshiping God with others equally passionately seeking and discovering Him. I said to Alex last week on our way home. "This church... it feels like home. It feels like family." Home. It felt like honey warmly covering my soul; a sweet, cozy, safe place. Even though our lives are in limbo, and we don't know where we will go or what we will do, for now spiritually and emotionally home. We can rest and we can know we are where we need to be right now.
 
     Wherever God leads our family, if we can focus in all things on Him and be actively involved in His body, the church, and in all things seeking His word, we will always have a home. Of this, I am certain... Sometimes I just need a reminder when I want to complain about not having a place to hang my babies bibs, or wanting to do laundry in my time, or to have the luxury to leave things around the house without complaint. (Love you mom! ;)) The reality is that it will always comes down to whether God is enough for me; if I have nothing and if things never go my way, will God still be enough. Long answer short, He continues to show me day after day that He can be if I let Him rule my heart.

           On another note Charlotte is seven months old today! My goodness she grows too fast! Here are some picture just for fun. I mean come on who could get enough of this face?

Love,
Leah

More to come on other things we are learning! Next post about our adventure on minimizing and simplifying!



      ***I just want to say, I've been part of many wonderful churches with incredible leaders and members of the body of Christ-I say this to make the point that what God is doing in our hearts and lives right now is not indicating in anyway that the churches I've been a part of in the past haven't been special or important to me. God is simply moving in our lives right now through this church and body and we are so blessed and inspired by it.