Scripture Memorization:

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also.”

The scene was set:  food, live entertainment, candles, flowers, white linens, and 250 guests meandering in and around our home. In the midst of the party I fielded the question
that prompted the writing of my book, Excellence with Simple Elegance. “How do you do it?” The answer is keep life simple.

Simple and routine are the keys words to maintaining your home. A routine that is well-rehearsed is crucial to keeping the stress level low each day and maintaining a clean, tidy home. Simplicity is the key to unlocking joy into your physical living space. There is no need for extravagant living. Just keep it simply elegant.

Excellence needs to be applied to the way you keep your home and the things you own. Good stewardship is an important part of being a woman of faith. A good steward is one who deals wisely with what God has entrusted to them and takes good care to protect it. The idea of stewardship should be applied to everything we have–all of our possessions.

The Study: Keep Life Simple; grab your calendar and make a plan. Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study. Both books can be purchased easily at http://www.bonnieliabenow.com by clicking the widget Bonnie’s Books

 Simple Living Challenge – Pick 5!

Life is so busy, there are so many things to do, and so many things we want to do. Decluttering and simplifying gives us the space to do this.

When we can get rid of the extra it allows us to be more efficient, minimize the excess and maximize our time. Decluttering our life sharpens our ability to be creative and to be inspired and even find the time to do it!

Please join me in this simple living challenge that will assuredly make our life and home more efficient, more peaceful, more attractive, less stressful, saving time, saving money, saving energy and maximize our time. Please consider joining me in this challenge of clearing the clutter.  You will be amazed at the results.

Every day for one month you are challenging yourself to Pick 5 things to donate and 5 things to trash.

Grab a donation box. Daily run around your house picking 5 things up and put them in the box. Don’t even think – just do! It’s only 5 things, that’s nothing! Grab anything you haven’t used in the last 12 months and place it in the box! Old clothes, shoes, craft supplies, sheets, towels, books, dishes, cookware, nick- knacks and more! Declutter!

Next, grab your trash/recycling bin – Run around the house and pick 5 things to throw away/recycle.

Keep going each day and donate 5, toss 5. Before you know it, you’ll be 280 items lighter by the end of the month and you won’t even miss them!

Really challenge yourself this month to give away all the excess – only keep the things you love and use and get rid of the rest. Remember – we only use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time – be ruthless, get rid of that 80% to get to the 20% that really matters to you!

You might be asking – Why give it all away? I spent good money on that!

The little secret is the more I give away, the less I spend. Begin today being excellent stewards of what God has given you and start storing up treasures in heaven instead of here on earth. The blessings are huge!

Keep It Simple

There are seasons in our lives that are not easy, especially around the holidays. But if you can simplify the basic chores of the holiday, you can free up time to spend in prayer, in worship, and in praise, which in source of our strength and the routine that prepares our hearts to bless. Go into His gates giving thanks and into His holy place with praise. Give thanks to Him. Honor His name. Psalm 100

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

It was a humble, simple, first Christmas. This simple Christmas has had an incredible impact on the world. This simple Christmas brought a simple gift of faith, but provided an extravagant love. An unconditional love that only God could provide to a lost world; a Savior, the Messiah, was given to us that first Christmas.

God sent us one gift, His only Son, in a humble stable in one little town called Bethlehem, and One Star guided the shepherds and wise men to the holy presence of the Messiah, Jesus.

As you prepare for the holidays follow the theme of One.

Buy one new decorative piece for your home.

Buy one gift for each one you love.

Decorate one Christmas tree, that will be the centerpiece of your celebration.

Buy one scented candle that will usher the holiday fragrance into your home.

Light this one candle as a remembrance of the One Star shone so bright that first Christmas night.

Keep it simple remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Promise

“Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father who created all the lights in heavens.”

Blessing

“I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

Shouldn’t God’s goodness overflow and shine outwardly from us? Absolutely! God has called us to reflect His image.

It is so important that we women bring the elegance, tenderness, and simplicity of womanhood to our world. This world needs us to be a reflection of the image of God. In His strength we can radiate His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.

Scripture Memorization

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139: 14

As women we have the unique ability to possess elegance–refined grace. Elegance reflects excellence. It is simple, neat, and appealing to the eye. Elegance shows the true beauty of a woman, and celebrates the femininity of a woman. As a young girl in the 60s, there was a woman who I believed possessed ultimate elegance. She was not overdone. Her hair, her wardrobe and how she carried herself were a textbook example of simple elegance. Her name was Jacqueline Kennedy. Because of her cultivated taste and choice of classy, timeless pieces, she could rightly be called one of the most influential women in fashion.

We women need to believe that God has created beauty in us.  We need to take the steps to let our beauty shine outwardly not only physically but also in the way we conduct our self daily.

1 Peter 3: 3-4 says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward–arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God”.

May your face and heart shine with His beauty.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for creating me. I am wonderfully made. I am the daughter of the King of kings. And I am thankful. Let it be my desire  to reflect and to mirror Your image, Lord. Give me strength and discipline to keep a healthy beautiful body so that I may reflect Your goodness. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Matthew 19:26   with God all things are possible

Philippians 4:13   I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.

The Study: Write your simple elegance action plan p 102-104  Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study. Both books can be purchased easily at http://www.bonnieliabenow.com

When we are our best physical self, we free up our minds and hearts to be more dedicated to God. We can physically do what God has called us to do when we have done our part to be physically healthy. Use the online resources given below to assist you to physical excellence.

Read Song of Solomon, chapters 4 and 5.

Create a routine of exercise.   http://www.faithfulworkouts.com

Plan menus of healthy food.   http://http://www.lettucelivewell.com

Start a skin care routine.  http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/face/get-gorgeous-skin-all-day-long

Schedule a spa day monthly.       http://www.slideshare.net/simplymedia/top-10-health-benefits-of-a-spa

Focus on acquiring a wardrobe that reflects elegance choosing timeless pieces and simple black.

Pray for the desire to possess the gentle and quiet spirit that is most precious to God. (1 Peter 3: 3-4)

Promise“A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else”

Blessing

“Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God.”

  There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and  another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain.

 A right time to embrace and another to part,  

 A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,  

 A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

  A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.”

Scripture Memorization

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37: 4

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” 1 Chronicles 4:10 

The Study

Understand the season: like the seasons of nature–winter, spring, summer, and fall–so are the seasons of life. The opportunities for personal growth are specific to the season. The opportunities of one season are not always available in another. Each season prepares you for the next.

Prepare for the season: It is our human nature to hang on to some season, even when God is ready to move us to another season. New seasons takes us to the unfamiliar and uncomfortable which create many emotions. So how do we prepare for the season that is to come?

Here are excerpts from my presentation, Prepare your heart for the season: Christmas in Excellence. I believe the principles here apply to any season or holdiay that we embrace. Women, we truly need to take time to prepare our hearts to bless.

As Galatians 5:22 says so well, we need more of His spirit that bears “… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” It is only in His strength that we are able to generously give and to bless our family this Christmas season.

There are three principles we need to remember as we prepare for this season:

Keep it simple

The first Christmas was simple. Luke 2: 4-7 (NKJV) Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

It was a humble, simple, first Christmas.

This simple Christmas has had an incredible impact on the world.

This simple Christmas brought a simple gift of faith, but provided an extravagant love. An unconditional love that only God could provide to a lost world: A Savior, the Messiah, was given to us that first Christmas.

God sent us one gift, His only Son, in a humble stable in one little town called Bethlehem, and One Star guided the shepherds and wise men to the holy presence of the Messiah, Jesus. As you prepare, let this, too, be your approach. Make a simple plan, write down and run with it EARLY. Keep in mind the first Christmas by applying a theme of simplicity and referencing the number one.

Consider this.

Buy only One new Decorative piece each year to make it easy on the budget.

Buy One gift for each one you love.

Decorate one Christmas tree that will be the centerpiece of your celebration.

Light one scented candle that brings the holiday fragrance to your home, the light that will bring remembrance of the star that shone so bright that 1^st Christmas.

Bring elegance to your home

Elegance reflects the excellence that so much enjoyed by your family. An element of elegance over the holidays is choosing decorations that are simple, neat and appealing to the eye.

Maybe it was because I had a houseful of men that I saw the importance of elegance. Because I desired to be the one to bring it into their lives. I wanted them to treasure and value this attribute in me because Elegance shows and celebrates the true beauty and femininity of a woman.

Proverbs 31:28 says “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also.”

When we present and prepare our home, our food, and our gifts elegantly, we are making our children aware that all good things come from God. They will ultimately be good stewards of what they have, because they will become increasingly aware that everything is on loan to them from God. Your children will know this season is special.

Prepare your heart

Spend time with God. Scripture tells us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

I used to think I had to be at home, at church, in a quiet place at least, to pray. But opportunities are all around us. This season while you wait in those long lines to purchase your favorite coffee drink or a loved one’s gift, pray.

Read God’s Word daily. Knowing God’s word and putting it in your heart is another way we can prepare our hearts for the Season. The Bible will allow you to know God’s character, God’s promises for you and your family, and God’s instructions on how to live and to pursue a life of excellence – one that is holy.

Have A willing Heart to let God use you. All God asks of us is to be thankful and to be obedient to His call on our Lives. When you choose to live God’s way and walk in obedience to Him, Your life will have purpose and you will experience fulfillment. Lets look at scripture to see how Mary, the mother of Jesus, prepared for that first Christmas.

“ The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.”

  And Mary said, (Listen to this ladies) Mary says….

“ Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.”              (scripture: Luke 1)

We women need to be A willing vessel to bring about His purpose in Your world. All God asks of us is to be thankful and to be obedient to His call on our lives. When you choose to live God’s way and walk in obedience to Him, it is here that your heart will be prepared to bless your family this Christmas season.

No matter if you are preparing for a  delightful holiday season or just a random season that comes dancing into your life. You can apply these principles: keep it simple, bring elegance to your home by possessing the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4) and prepare your heart.

Purpose for the Seasons: As women, we often have an innate need to be able to do and be many things. But recognize that there is an order to maintain and a specific season in your life to do it. Each season offers great knowledge, wisdom, and opportunity for us to be educated for what lies ahead . Don’t miss any season in your life, as that will also be an opportunity missed. There will be many opportunities knocking on your life’s door. Draw from your foundation of faith, family, and community to assist you in making a decision on what opportunity to embark upon.

Complete page 95-100 Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study. Both books can be purchased easily by clicking widget Bonnie’s Books http://www.bonnieliabenow.com

Promise

“The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”

Blessing

“Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God.”

Successful Women Think Differently

“Today, scientific research is proving what ancient Scripture has known all along: Successful women think differently than the average woman. They make decisions differently, set goals differently, and bounce back from failure and adversity differently. Their thought process empowers them to produce the results they want — in their relationships, finances, work, health, and spiritual lives.” (Called Magazine)

Successful women are Resilient.

The 5 Characteristics of a Resilient Woman

  You can change your life by simply changing the way you think!

 Brave and Courageous

Resilient women are at peace with who they are.

1 Peter 3:4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 

They have been humbled and have accepted their own vulnerability in life experiences. Their imperfections don’t stop them. Resilient women possess a spirit of willingness to learn from their mistakes and make corrections that lead to excellent outcomes.

 Use Good Judgement

Resilient women notice when their thinking is negative and counterproductive.

They don’t jump to conclusions or make assumptions. They find out the facts and confront challenges head on. They focus on what’s within their control and work diligently for more than earthly gain.

Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.

Optimistic

Resilient women see the value in positive thinking.

They always see the bright side; knowing that optimism is good for their overall health. Their hopeful positive attitude is deeply rooted in their faith. Resilient women believe that something good is possible even when faced with challenges.

 Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Resourceful

Resilient women don’t go it alone.

They are not too proud to ask for help. They have been wise in developing relationships with others who are influential and productive. In the midst of crazy chaotic moments, they have also learned to draw inner strength from their Heavenly Father.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.

Aware of Their Talents

Resilient women don’t waste time worrying what they don’t have.

Instead, they have recognized their talents and passionately spend time developing them into strengths. God has given each of us natural talents, so don’t overlook or under utilize yours.

Psalm 28:8 God is all strength for His people.

Resilient women recognize that God’s presence gives confidence to handle all of life’s responsibilities.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Scripture Memorization

“God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

To achieve living at a higher level we need goals that strive for mental excellence of courage, passion and discipline  “All truth is given by revelation, either general or special, and it must be received by reason. Reason is the God-given means for discovering the truth that God discloses, whether in his world or his Word. While God wants to reach the heart with truth, he does not bypass the mind.” ― Jonathan Edwards

The basic problem is we women wear so many different hats. We are at work thinking we should be home with our family. Or we are at home thinking we should be at work.  So many of us are dashing back  and forth from one responsibility to other we are never mentally in the present. I am Guilty. Not only in daily responsibility of work and family but in a treasured spa day. I have missed the tranquility of the experience because I was not fully there. My mind was traveling aimlessly. I was definitely somewhere else. If you find that you are in this dilemma and it seems you have little time to accomplish anything, Goal setting is the answer. The basic problem isn’t lack of time but lack of direction.

“Take the Vision, Write it down, Make it plain so you can run with it” Habakkuk 2:2 Get back on track with goal setting and time management so you can be fully present and engaged. Lets get equipped with courage, passion and disciple for the work God has given us to do.

The Study: Living INTENTIONALLY.

 Reading from the book of Ruth, chapter 3, “One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, ‘My dear daughter isn’t it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life?’ Ruth said, ‘If you say so, I’ll do it, just as you’ve told me.'”

A Plan. A Jewish tradition. Ruth went down to the threshing floor. Ruth put her mother-in-law’s plan into action.

The result of the action plan–the end of Ruth’s story—she marries Boaz and gives birth to a son. Obed

 Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.  King David.  It was from his family line that our Savior, the Messiah was born.  Ruth’s purpose revealed!

Reading from the book of Esther 4: 13-16 “ Mordecai answered, ‘Do not think that you in the king’s special house will live any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep quiet at this time, help will come to the Jews from another place. But you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows if you have not become queen for such a time as this?’ Then Esther told them to say to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and have them all go without food so they can pray better for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my women servants will go without food in the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law. And if I die, I die.'”

God loves when we live boldly, courageously and confidently. I am not speaking of an attitude of arrogance but of an attitude” I can do all things through Christ who is my strength”.

Esther’s plan of action was bathed in wise counsel, prayer and fasting.

The result of the action plan–The Jewish nation saved and protected and Esther’s life purpose revealed and fulfilled.

What can we learn from Ruth and Esther’s story:

1. Willing hearts do what is right.

2. Having a humble spirit lends to wise counsel.

3. That faith and blessing is seldom familiar or comfortable, but God’s presence is its worthy reward.

To Live Intentionally—you must have Goals!

“Goals are good.

They create activity.

The activity creates excitement!

And goals chase the blues away.

I don’t anyone who has a specific quantifiable goal in place who is discouraged or depressed.” Zig Ziglar

Pursuing a life of excellence requires that we do our part. We need to be actively setting goals to obtain the ingredients of excellence and to live with a healthy mind.

Lets revisit the value of personal assessment. The purpose of a personal self-assessment is to get to know who you are better. Understanding where you are helps to give you a clearer picture of where you want to be.  Personal self-assessment assists in identifying your likes, dislikes, personal characteristics, values, wants, needs, strengths and weaknesses.  First knowing who you are is a significant step that must be taken before you can begin writing goals for yourself . If you have not done a thorough personal assessment Go to http://www.16personalities.com and complete the assessment.

Then complete page 92 Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study. Both books can be purchased easily at http://www.bonnieliabenow.com    Click on Bonnie’s Books

Women, we need to live intentionally. We need to deliberately live God’s way.

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life and serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.” Galatians 5:22, The Message

Promise

“The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”

Blessing

“I pray that God will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!”

The path to Excellence is a long, rough, rocky sloping road with no shortcut. To live at a higher level, we realize very quickly that the mental ingredient of discipline is the tool that manuevers us through the toughest curves and provides the stability to climb every slope. A disciplined life launches us to the experiences of God’s abundance and the joy of living in His presence.

It was here on our Christmas Tree Farm where God showed and taught me the true meaning of discipline.

Scripture Memorization

“And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Life provides hundreds of opportunities. We are given the challenge of realistically looking at the decisions we have made and evaluate whether our decisions measure to the standard of excellence. If we fall short of excellence according to biblical standard; we adjust our pursuit. If our goal really is excellence, we need to be prepared to stay the course with persistence and disciple.

The Study

What is self-discipline?

Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of your emotional state. Without self-discipline our intentions will not be accomplished. But with sufficient self-discipline, it’s a done deal. You will know when  you have arrived at the pinnacle of self-discipline when you make a conscious decision and its virtually guaranteed you will follow through on it.

How do you acquire self-discipline?

Self-discipline is a life skill that requires practice. You have to decide to live intentionally.  Set goals and work hard to accomplish whatever aspiration or task you have decided to tackle and don’t stop until it is finished. The environment that presented the opportunity to develop the skills of discipline and hard work for me was in the Christmas tree field. Yes, I am a Christmas tree farmer. The fields and the business of growing and retailing Christmas trees  taught me this:

You must produce a quality product.

Good practices must be a routine to produce a quality product.

Time limits are automatically in place dictated by the season to perform the good practices that produce a quality product.

Accountability appears at harvest time revealing whether we have done every thing required to produce a premium Christmas tree. It is shown in the number of harvestable trees and in the products final grade.

In life the same is true. You must plan for excellence by virtue of planning to finish well what you have started. Set the goal, make a plan and see it through to excellence.

Complete pages 87-89 in Excellence with Simple Elegance: The Study. 

Decisions we make for ourselves will affect us throughout our entire lives. We must choose to be  hard workers and disciplined to experience God’s best for our lives. See choosing to sidestep boundaries and taking shortcuts because it appears easy and gratifying will be short-lived and painful. If our goal is to live God’s way–one of excellence, we need to be prepared to stay the course. Being patient and diligent with what God has entrusted to us, nurturing it the best we know how, we will then grow into women of excellence.

Promise

“Come to me and I will give you rest–all of you who work so hard. ” 

Blessing

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling…be glory and majesty…both now and forever.”

Both Excellence with Simple and The Study can be purchased at Amazon.com

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