Last week, we Maxwells pitched in for a blitz-Gigi’s-yard-and-Christopher’s to put down about a hundred bags of mulch. Christopher once again coordinated the effort. Although we were almost two months later than normal, God gave us an incredible evening with cooler temps and a north wind! Many Maxwells descended upon the yard, filling it with laughter and fellowship. It was beautiful to see some of the littles work alongside the adults.

It only took about an hour to get all the mulch down, and we ended with a pizza party.

We love you , Gigi!

Love,
Sarah

“Man goeth forth unto his work
and to his labour until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
in wisdom hast thou made them all:
the earth is full of thy riches.”
Psalm 104:23-24

Families are where it all starts, and that foundation will shape a child’s future.

It’s such a delight to see my brothers embracing the vision of doing projects together with their families.

Nathan likes to tackle making homemade applesauce with his crew every autumn. As he told me, the first years, the kids were too young to help that much, but they would be around and doing what they could. Fast forward to 2019, and they are now a dynamic team. The two oldest girls are a powerhouse and were so excited to help. They even got up early on a Saturday morning anxious to start.

Nathan set up the garage to be able to process everything, and Melanie cooked the applesauce in the kitchen.

What could you do as a family that would include your kids?

Love,
Sarah

“For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands:
happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”
Psalm 128:2

GiGi’s porch has been falling apart over the past few years, and after some consideration, she decided to have it taken down.

Dad tackled the project one weekend by himself (the others were out of town). I love to watch Dad’s engineer mind work. He thinks through the ramifications and goes from there. The porch was attached to the house which made it more complicated. Everything came down safely. Joshua helped Dad a little in the beginning process. I enjoyed seeing Grandpa / Grandson working together. Sure, it would have been easier for Dad without Joshua, but Dad sees the value of working with boys and giving them purpose. My brothers are great examples of that. Dad involved in them in work projects when they were little, and now as adults, they tackle all kinds of home improvements projects. Because they know it’s possible!

It’s amazing how open GiGi’s back porch now feels. I’ll do a separate post on the dumpster process and the final “product.”

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business?
he shall stand before kings;
he shall not stand before mean men.”
Proverbs 22:29

Recently, the blog post Shared Secret, generated interest and more questions. Here’s a question we thought would make a great topic for a new post. Following it is my answer.

I concur with the idea that entertainment detracts from more useful application of one’s energy, especially since time can so easily slip away when you’re distracted. My question for you is whether there comes a point in time when one is too focused on serious pursuits, i.e. being a “work-a-holic”? How do you balance focused learning or on-task time with relaxing fellowship time? Erica

Hi Erica,

First, I’m not sure it follows that the opposite of loving entertainment is being a work-a-holic. It seems like there might be a subtle inference of that in your question. That aside, maybe there are some who become too focused on serious pursuits. However, our personal experience and observations of others is that the natural pull/tendency is toward wasting time, particularly through various forms of entertainment, versus too many serious pursuits.

For believers, Scripture sets an example of working six days and resting one. Thankfully, most don’t have to work six days to live, but Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10:23 is important: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Given available time, how can it be used to edify (build up) ourselves or others?

To spend time beneficially has become a guiding principle for our family. Serving, loving, and learning are foundational verbs in making time edifying. The following verse keeps everything in balance because it is easy for something to get out-of-balance, whether it be learning, resting, and even working. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

That verse means that our time is to be completely surrendered to our Lord Jesus. He may for a season shift time so that it is heavy in one area, maybe serving, or another time in loving someone in need. But if our time is under His direction, then we can have confidence the result will be good. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In Christ,
Steve

“Walk in wisdom toward them that are
without, redeeming the time.”
Colossians 4:5