August 12, 2022 · 10:50 pm

Friday “Walks”–Bringing Order, Part II

Photo Credit: P. Booher

Several years ago I attended a local community college. One of the subjects I took was Accounting I. It was the basic bookkeeping/accounting class, and you learned about debits and credits, the accounting formula, balance sheets, income statements, etc. Because I’d taken bookkeeping in high school, I was somewhat familiar with those items. 

One thing I didn’t know continues to stick out to me today: the history of double-entry bookkeeping. Our professor explained that before double-entry bookkeeping was widely accepted, single-entry was used. It was easy to manipulate, however, and a business had a difficult time of keeping track of whether it was making money, and exactly how its money was spent.

A monk, Fra Luca Pacioli, wrote a book which popularized double-entry bookkeeping. Double-entry bookkeeping means for each accounting transaction, there are two equal and corresponding entries: the debit on one side, the credit on the other. For example, if debits total $50,000, the credits must total $50,000. The accounting entries are then “in balance”. Double-entry bookkeeping is the standard procedure, regardless of whether the bookkeeping is done manually or electronically by computer software.

Our professor said that at the top of each journal page, Fra Pacioli wrote the words, “To the Glory of God”. The monk recognized that God is the God of order, and he brought that into the accounting profession. Besides establishing order, double-entry bookkeeping makes it easier to find errors because of the requirement for balance, and a business can quickly see the details as well as the whole picture of the financial aspect.

Until that class I regarded accounting as a cold profession, untouched by the force of faith. When I saw God’s imprint on it, my opinion changed. God, working through someone by faith, can influence anything!

Some Scriptures: Genesis, chapters 1 and 2; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, 17; Colossians 2:5; Colossians 3:22,23,24

For further info., check out: trendingaccounting.com/2022/04/history-of-double-entry-accounting-html.

©P. Booher

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August 10, 2022 · 11:22 pm

What I’m Grateful For and Enjoying Now

  1. A friend from church graciously gave her time to help me find clothes suitable for office work. (Most of the clothes I had were for retail work, ie., more casual).
  2. The church I attend has a clothing ministry. With the help of my friend I found some nice clothes to wear at the ministry building. I wore one outfit to an interview, and enjoyed wearing it. The clothes were free–as in–didn’t cost me anything! God provided.
  3. Watching a wild rabbit in our front yard. This rabbit is extraordinarily brave. Most wild rabbits spook quickly. Not this one. We can sit on the front porch just a few feet away, talking quietly and watching him munch on grass and weeds. Sometimes he (or she) stops to scratch. Occasionally the bunny stretches full length on his belly on the grass, perhaps to cool off, something I didn’t know bunnies do. One reason for the bunny’s bravery may be the thick cover close by. The peony bush is there and since I haven’t trimmed the grass underneath lately, he can hide. You wouldn’t be able to spot him easily. The hosta plants are also near and are spreading out nicely and make even better protection than the peony bush. So the bunny knows there are good hiding places just a few feet away.
  4. Opportunities to gain new skills. This summer I did proofreading for Inspire Writers 2022 Anthology, and I also proofread some material for an author in the local area. I gained some more experience in using reviewing/editing software, as well as the satisfaction of helping other writers produce the best work they could.
  5. Spending time sketching, a newer hobby for me, although I’ve had the workbook, pencils, and other materials for a long time. As I wrote in “Friday “Walks”–God’s Gift of Creativity”, sketching is a wonderful stress reliever.
  6. Prayers of friends as I look for a job. As a writer and now, a job-seeker, I find similarities between the two. Both the writer seeking publication and the job hunter seeking a job need determination and resilience. Neither endeavor is as easy as it seems to those on the outside.

©P. Booher

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August 5, 2022 · 10:36 pm

Friday “Walks”–God’s Gift of Creativity

Photo Credit: P. Booher

This week I found out I didn’t get the job I really wanted. I had the type of experience required, and of all the jobs I applied for recently, that was the best fit for me. But I didn’t get it, for whatever reason. Am I disappointed? Oh, yeah.

Last evening I spent some time on my new hobby—sketching. I took a notebook and a picture of my cat Babe, sat down on the front porch, and drew to my heart’s content. I found with practice I can do a decent cat’s head. (I’m still working on the body). By “decent” I mean someone else could look at it and recognize it as the head of a cat, instead of asking, “What’s that?”

While out on the porch I sketched Babe, a tree, clouds, a rock, and chimney swifts. I discovered with patience and the boldness to shut down my perfectionism, I can produce drawings which actually look like what they’re supposed to look like.

Last evening I realized something else, too: doing creative activity helped blunt my disappointment about the job. Working on creative projects is forward motion, whereas dwelling on an unwanted outcome is at best static; at worst, it’s heading downward fast.

God unleashed His creative energy at the beginning of time. Since we are made in His image, each of us has the gift of creativity inside us. I’m thankful for the way that gift helps me cope with sharp emotions which come with the bumps, bruises, and jolts of life.

If you are dealing with negative emotions, why not give yourself a break and exercise that creative spark God placed within you? Chances are, you’ll feel better for it.

Some Scriptures: Genesis chapters 1 and 2; Exodus 35:25, 26, 32-35; Exodus 36:1, 2; I Kings 7:13, 14; Psalm 104:24; I Corinthians 4:12, Colossians 1:15, 16; Revelation 4:11

©P. Booher

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August 3, 2022 · 10:52 pm

Shout-Out to Blogs

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Today I’d like to give a SHOUT-OUT to blogs which help me in various ways. I know I will miss some, but here is my list, in no particular order:

Devotional Treasure by Alan Kearns

The Journey to My Father’s Kingdom by Bethany Marinelli

Mustard Seed Living Blog by Jill Mcllreavy

Kristin Kieffer’s Well-storied Blog (www.well-storied.com)

David’s Daily Dose

Joshua J. Masters.com

Hannes van Eeden (formerly Wandering Ambivert)

Sue A. Fairchild

The Write Conversation

Gracespeak

Long-View Living in a Short-View World

Books and Such Blog

Steve Laube Blog

Lessons from a Lab

The Faithfood Blog

Christian Freelance Writers

Writing Investigations

Inspire Writers

Erin Wright Writing

JPC Allen Writes

Forever Young Aussie Mom

Don’t Lose Hope

Paulson Pulikottil

Gary Fultz

 

Over the years I’ve found help in each of these blogs. For some, it was help in dealing with anxiety, gaining encouragement, learning how to study the Bible, or simply enjoying what God is doing in others’ lives. For others, it was in showing me how to handle pesky writing problems, letting me know I am not alone in the writing life, or enjoying beautiful pictures. 

These blogs all add value to my life. If you haven’t checked them out, try them! If you have a suggestion or two, please add to my list in the Comments.

©P. Booher

 

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August 1, 2022 · 10:20 pm

Natural Remedy for a Troubled Mind

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Lately I’ve been mulling over whether or not I should continue to pursue a possible job opportunity. At first I was enthused; now I’m having second thoughts. I felt anxiety trying to push its way in.

This weekend I realized some relief from the anxiety as I worked outside. Just being outside in nature’s slower-paced rhythm helped, but the motion of walking on the ground also helped me relax as I mowed grass, raked grass clippings, and moved cement bricks. 

While thinking about how moving and doing repetitious work helps relax the mind, I remembered reading one of my favorite authors—Don Ian Smith, I believe—who wrote that when he was troubled about a situation, one of the things he fell back on for relief was physical labor. Since he owned a small ranch, physical labor meant shoveling out irrigation ditches, repairing fences, painting, etc. The physical work allowed his mind to slow down, relax, and get perspective.

Sometimes I complain about the tedious, repetitious tasks of everyday life. Yet the saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings” warns me about what can happen when I don’t do those tasks. The saying means when we are bored we can get into or cause trouble. I don’t think the “trouble” it refers to is confined to the stuff that makes the evening news; I think the trouble can be in our minds–trouble such as anxiety, depression, resentment, envy, and anger. 

The next time I’m tempted to complain when doing repetitious work, I’ll remember the value in it, and the trouble I’m “missing out” on!

©P. Booher

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July 22, 2022 · 11:53 pm

Friday “Walks”–Jesus Is Even in the Mundane, Ordinary Work

Photo Credit: P. Booher

One afternoon I was at the laundromat, putting clothes in the washer. It was an ordinary household chore–nothing glamorous–it just needed done.

Suddenly I sensed the Lord’s Presence beside me, and I felt as though I was doing the clothes for Jesus. It seemed odd, because doing the clothes is such a mundane thing, and no one would benefit except my mother and me.

The thought occurred to me that Jesus cares if people have clean clothes. That thought changed my perspective, and doing laundry was lifted from the mundane to an activity I was glad to do because I was doing it to serve Jesus.

As I reflected on this, I remembered Jesus doing a mundane, even dirty chore, normally left to slaves– washing His disciples’ feet. Jesus is no stranger to doing the ordinary things of life that must be done.
Because He knows what it’s like, I can ask Him for help with my attitude. Because of Him, I can find joy in doing the ordinary things.

Some Scriptures: John 13: 1-15, Colossians 3:17, 22, 23

©P. Booher

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July 12, 2022 · 5:27 pm

Re-Blogging: Renovation

I enjoyed reading this post by Gracespeak. It’s well worth sharing.

GraceSpeak

Turn on your television, and you will find a home improvement or makeover show. Renovation is the going thing. People are updating, creating, repairing, and they are telling everyone else about it.

Even our bluebirds got into the action this year. Our family put up a beautiful new birdhouse, but it evidently did not quite meet Mrs. Bluebird’s ideal. When we went out to look, we found that on the sections where they nested the entry holes had been painstakingly enlarged. They renovated!

One of the residents

I confess, however, that the renovation shows frustrate me. They spend way too much time on the details of demolition, foundation repair, and other behind the scenes work. I just want to see the before, the plan, and the finished product, with lots of attention to the finished project. When I stream a show, I often fast forward to the last few minutes…

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July 4, 2022 · 11:25 pm

This Is Important to Me

For most of my life I’ve listened to voices in my head. The voices belong to authoritative people from my past. They say things like, “Why do you want to do that?” “Why bother with that?”

It’s likely the questions were designed to help me see I needed to put some more thought into what I was proposing. But the tone in the questions led me to believe the speaker didn’t take me seriously or worse, considered me stupid. I lacked the inner resolve to take the matter any further and didn’t know how to figure out solutions for the problems. I dropped the matter, even though I considered it important.

At this late stage I’m finally learning I have to take the position of: “This (whatever it is) is important to me. It is what I’m going to pay attention to, no matter what you say.” I’m learning no one gives that right to me; I have to take it, and be prepared to stick to it.

Writing is the activity which allowed me to realize this. I believe my desire to write is something God gave me. To other people He gave an enthusiasm for sculpting, or working on cars, or decorating, or any number of endeavors. To me He gave an enthusiasm for writing. It is that thing which makes me say, “This is important to me”.

I decided I can take that example of inner resolve and extend it to other areas. There are places where I need to speak up.

©P. Booher

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July 1, 2022 · 2:24 pm

Friday “Walks”–Bringing Order

Photo Credit: P. Booher

I had looked at the unkempt grass under the peony bush and around the flower beds long enough, so I grabbed a pair of grass shears, brought the garden cart, rake, and pitchfork out to the yard, and went to work.

As I trimmed the grass and weeds, the thought occurred to me that I was bringing order back to those spaces. On a much, much smaller scale I was reflecting what God did when He created the world and set it in order. 

When I pray for people, organizations, countries, or whatever the situation, in a sense I am asking God to bring order to those situations. His order may involve providing needs, resolving problems, bringing healing to fractured relationships, or peace to upheaval. Jesus brought order as He calmed storms, healed people, and illustrated God’s Kingdom in these and many other ways.

I am thankful God still works today to bring order, and I can participate in His work, albeit in a small way!

Some Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-31, Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 15:29-31, Matthew 15:32-38, Luke 8:26-39

©P. Booher

 

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June 27, 2022 · 11:15 pm

Handling Creepy Summer Visitors

Several years ago, as I sat on the couch in the living room I happened to look into the laundry room. I saw a shadow slide on the floor between the dryer and the washer. With a sense of dread I went into the laundry room and looked behind the appliances. Sure enough, a three-or-four-foot snake looked up and hissed at me. Remembering that snakes don’t like light and they don’t like noise, I turned on the light and banged on the dryer. The snake quickly found a hole and disappeared. I called my cousin, and he and his friend came out, went outside and killed a snake in the weeds. When my nerves calmed down, I plugged the hole the snake had disappeared into.

Because we live near the woods and there are lots of rocks around, snakes are always a possibility. Keeping in mind the following ideas helps me feel a bit more prepared, especially in the summer.

  1. Snakes don’t like light. Put on all the lights you can. Make the area as bright as you can.
  2. They don’t like noise. Stomp your feet, put on a radio and turn it way up–whatever you can do to make noise, do so.
  3. Snakes do not like the feel of kitty litter, so spread that around, if it’s an unoccupied area.
  4. Fill any size hole. A snake can go in even small holes.
  5. Get any clutter cleaned up. Snakes do not like open areas. They want places they can hide in.
  6. Practice rodent control.
  7. Keep grass and weeds cut short.
  8. Wear long boots and blue jeans when outside. Tuck blue jeans inside the boots.
  9. Carry a shovel.

Some people may object to the idea of carrying a shovel to kill a snake, because snakes have their place in the environment. They do kill mice and rats. For me, I just feel better knowing I have a weapon to use if one is too close for comfort.

©P. Booher

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