Monday Meditations: Close the Batch

For a stretch of about three years, I found myself in banking. Strange because I’m horrible at math. I did, however, love people, which made me good at costumer service. I like my job but more than that, it taught me an important lesson.

Close the batch.

Because of the way banking is structured, a day’s work included two dates: the current date and the next day’s date after 3pm. It was, therefore, very important to make sure that all the work from one day was done before the work for the next day could begin. It was called “closing the batch”. Closing the batch meant finalizing all the transitions in that batch.

There were times, on occasion, that a teller didn’t finalize all their transitions. Talk about disastrous results, especially after the 3pm deadline. It took a good bit of time to got back, reopen the batch, finish the uncompleted transitions, and then open the new batch. And all this had to be done under manager supervision. Closing the batch became symbolic of moving forward. It also highlighted the danger of carrying unfinished or unresolved things into a new day.

This is a good lesson that is particularly relevant for this time of year when most people are making resolutions of what they are going to do different. Many of them fail because they haven’t done one important thing: closed the batch from last year.

Past issues cannot be carried into the New Year. Neither can sins and unhealthy habits.  These things need to be resolved before one can have any hope in moving forward in the new things God wants to reveal for 2013. We must make sure we close the batch, because if not, these old issues will poison the freshness of a new year.

So how do you close a batch of a year and start a new one? Philippians 3:13-14. “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

We must forget old mindsets, failures, setbacks and repent of our sins and press forward. That forgetting may include forgiving those who hurt us, renewing our mind against negative self-talk or being reconciled to our brothers and sisters in Christ. For some, we simplify need to live in God’s exchange rate and receive beauty for ashes and joy for pain.  Whatever it is, we must be diligent in closing the batch.

This whole process begins with prayer. Ask God what areas have left things undone. He is faithful to show you exactly which “transitions” you have to complete. Don’t let the problems of your past impact your new year. Close the batch.

Doing Something New

I love my pastor. I love him because he's caring, dedicated and passionate about building God's kingdom.  He is also a Holy Spirit inspired preacher...but he has this little habit of preaching and teaching very challenging sermons and Bible studies. Challenging in that they bring conviction and motivation to do better. I can't number the sermons and Bible studies he's preached that has sent me to prayer and repentance. That's a great thing because it causes me to mature. His teachings, however, has me squirming in my seat because God often speaks through them to issues that I have, shall I say, slow to acknowledge. And when I do acknowledge them, they often push me to an uncomfortable place of faith.

Perfect example: My pastor has been teaching a Bible study series on the Holy Spirit. Last Wednesday, the night before NaNoWriMo began, my pastor stated that if we have not done anything new, we are probably not letting the Holy Spirit work through us. He said that the Holy Spirit gives us power to go beyond our abilities. He also said if we are still relying on our own abilities, we are not relying on the Holy Spirit.

Ouch.

Right then and there I prayed and asked God if I had been relying on my own abilities and not the Holy Spirit and my writing popped into my mind. The writing that I hadn't been doing. The writing that I had been telling God I couldn't do. The writing that I wasn't relying on the help of the Holy Spirit to accomplish.

Double ouch.

So I asked the Holy Spirit to help me go beyond my abilities. His response? Write three books at one time. Talk about squirming. My first thought was, "I can't do that." And He replied, "No, you can't own your own." Now I was really in a tight spot. Was I going to write three books in one month with the help of the Holy Spirit, or keep relying on my own abilities.

So I would like to direct your attention to the word counters in the sidebar of this blog. They are for the THREE novels that I'm writing this month. My main focus is my NaNoWriMo manuscript, but I'm also actively writing the other two.

And guess what? The Holy Spirit is helping me. It's like a cash of words and plot lines got released from heaven into my brain and I'm loving it. It is uncomfortable, yes, but it's definitely something new.

My Life in Stitches: When Crafts Collide

I have never met a craft I didn’t like.

That’s one of my favorite sayings and it’s true. Cross-stitch didn’t agree with my eyesight, but I still loved it. In addition to knitting, I crochet and bead. I’ve done rubber-stamped greeting cards and cross-stitch.  I’ve tried my hand at sewing, but lost my sewing machine when my basement flooded. I’ve done latch hook rugs and bow making (sucked at that).

My bracelet.

I enjoy knitting the most and with beading coming in second. I started making jewelry a few years ago and last year started making stitch markers. I enjoy the many colors and shapes of the beads. Since I enjoy these two crafts so much, it stands to reason that I would love it even better if they collided. And Tuesday night they did.

I was following a thread on Ravelry about beaded row counter bracelets. I was totally fascinated because they were so beautiful but so functional. They work like an abacus and keep track of your rows even when you take it off. Smart and pretty.

See my tiny wrists!

I think it turned out very well for a first attempt. One of my problems is my wrists and hands are so small, so I had to keep adjusting the length so it didn’t slide off. Also, I had to change the beads I used because the ones I picked were too small for my cord. All and all, I can say I pleased with it. I used it during Bible study and it’s a great deal quieter than my clicker counter. My pastor probably thought I had a nervous problem fumbling with my bracelet every couple of minutes.

One of the green row beads broke.

What I’m not pleased about is that one of my beads split in two. So now I only have eight beads on the bottom row (I’m supposed to have nine). I guess this is a good reason to go and buy some more beads and make another. I think I want to add a third row.

Funny thing is as soon as I finished making my bracelet, my husband promptly announced that he was taking my clicker counter. Oh, well.

PS. I started my Color Affection. It's a good mindless Bible study project for now. I may have to leave it home when it gets too big.

PSS. My writer friend, Connie Almony interviewed on her blog today. Hop over to Infinite Characters and get to know me a little better. Also enter to win an ebook of Love Simplified. 

My Life in Stitches: Bible Study Knitting

I knit in church but only in Bible study. I know that may seem disrespectful, but it actually helps me to keep my mind from wandering (although I suspect it’s a little distracting to the people sitting around me).

When I first started knitting in Bible study, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. But now, I’m not so sure. Not that the knitting is bad. That’s fine. It’s picking projects that is stressing me out. I have a rule (one among many) about my Bible study projects. They have to be:

• Chartless unless I can memorize the chart
• Small. I won’t work on a sweater in Bible study
• Mindless

Not bad rules, except I’m having a hard time finding projects that fit my criteria. I know hats and fingerless gloves are perfect for Bible study knitting, but there are only so many of them I can make. I working on a felted bag right now, but I have no idea what my next project is going to be.

So knitting friends, help me out. Got any pattern suggestions for me?

A few projects I've worked on in Bible study:

Pagona

Easy Fingerless Mitts

Spectra

A Gray Loop

Wingspan

Monkey Socks