The Lord Makes It Increase
- Apr, 26 2012
- By admin
- Thoughts
- No comments
Sometimes you feel a special connection to a song each time you hear it. That’s how I feel about Erik Bledsoe’s “Unless The Lord.” I actually felt compelled to blog about it, so I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read on.
Erik and his wife are good friends of mine and Nate’s, and when we got a copy of his CD Love several months ago, our daughter fell in love with it and would calm down instantly in the car if we played it for her when she was cranky. So, we haven’t removed it since. :) Because of that, I’ve played it over and over, and I always start with Track 6.
The song is about how unless the Lord builds our house, it’s only a matter of time before it will fail. All of our efforts and striving is futile without the Lord’s hand of provision and protection over our families and activities. The bridge that truly spoke to me became special during the time between November 2011 and February 2012, while Nate and I were trying to get pregnant with a second child. These are the lyrics:
We sweat and we bleed
Time and again
To painfully care for the seed.
We do what we can
To water and plan
But it’s the Lord who makes it increase.
He can give to His beloved…. while we sleep.
Best Products for Work & Productivity from 2009
- Jan, 31 2010
- By admin
- Check this out, My Life, Home & Studio, Other
- No comments
There are a lot of inventive, genius products and services out there, and I enjoyed my fair share of them in 2009! I want to share them with you.
Mint.com – Free
I’ve always been really good at keeping up with where my money goes. It started with Excel spreadsheets and watching bank statements closely. At the end of each month, I’d meticulously categorize spending in areas like food, gas, business expenses, mortgage, etc. Mint.com has simplified this month-end process. Now? I simply log in and look at pie charts and already categorized spending and take it all in. It’s beautiful! You can create your own categories or use existing ones. Compare your spending to national averages, track bank transfers, payments, and basically stay on budget! Add all of your accounts to monitor them on one site: bank accounts, mortgage loans, car loans, mutual funds, other stocks, and credit cards if you use them. I’m still amazed that this service 100% secure and free!
Practical application: Fantastic for helping you start a realistic budget without a lot of fuss. Just track your spending for a couple of months and see the areas that could be improved.
iPhone – $99+
When these first came out, I thought, “That’s ridiculous. I’m not paying more than $400 for a phone! I was using a Blackberry and it seemed to do everything I needed. Fast forward a couple of years. iPhones are now really affordable (especially refurbished), and my monthly plan is actually less than it was on my Blackberry because GPS capabilities are built in and free. I had been paying $10/month for Blackberry’s GPS service. So, now I have access to the world at my fingertips. Not only do I get style points (which are important for an artist), but the iPhone really increases my productivity. I have apps that allow me to update my clients’ WordPress sites on the fly, check the weather, measure things, track finances, listen to my favorite music, show off my portable portfolio, read the Bible, supply white noise while on vacaction, and even help me learn chords on the piano. There’s simply no substitute (yet) 