Mental Post-Its

Thoughts, Notes, and General Mental Mayhem

Tag Archives: Kristi Porter


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My Theme for 2013

2013It’s interesting. I’ve been mulling over my 2013 theme for over a month now, but from the moment I started thinking about it, one word instantly came to mind. I wanted to continue thinking about it more to make sure I was certain I wanted to use it, but still, the same word came to mind. It’s kind of been stuck there. So, I guess maybe my word found me and I just had to settle into it.

SIMPLIFY.

That’s what I’ll be working on and toward for 2013. I like using verbs because I feel the implied action gives me momentum. It keeps me moving forward.

Last year, it was PRIORITIZE. This year, I wanted to continue the same thread while also getting a bit of a fresh start. I definitely needed a break from the craziness that was 2012. I feel SIMPLIFY does that. It just so happens that it also goes nicely with our 2013 theme for The Orange Conference, Focus. 😉

This tradition of a theme/word for the year is loosely based on the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. My friend, Daron, came up with the idea, and he as well as several of our friends have continued it. The basic idea is that instead of merely looking back at the year to see what happened at the end, you start the year by looking ahead to see what you think the year might be about. Then you use the theme as a lens in which to view things throughout the year. At it’s basis, it’s a way to be proactive/responsive to the year, and not let the year just happen to you. It’s an intentional way to live rather than reactive—which is how I prefer to live.

I’ve decided I that I also want to live more simply, which was an underlying inspiration for my theme. Some days, this seems incredible difficult. “Stuff” just seems to find it’s way home with me. A new kitchen appliance. A piece of furniture. Picture frames. Gadgets. Books. Clothes. The list goes on and on. I somehow keep adding to my Amazon Wish List. But in the end, I usually end up with some form of buyer’s remorse. Not only are 99% of these things not needed, but many days I just get sick of having too much. I hate looking around at all my junk. I realize more and more the excess and accumulation of the society to which I belong. Realistically, if you came by, you probably wouldn’t say that if you saw my apartment. I don’t have piles of things around. I don’t like clutter. I periodically give items to Goodwill and clean out my closet. But much of what I have, I just don’t need. And as my heart becomes more attuned to global issues, I think I begin to understand that I can do so much more if I have less. Those are things would never cause me remorse.

I feel like SIMPLIFY will be a sort of cleansing for me—on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. I’ve already started incorporating it into many areas of my life, down to small things like unsubscribing from some email lists. There are numerous ways to SIMPLIFY and I hope to tackle many of them over the next 12 months.

Here are just a few of the ones that have already crossed my mind, with more to come, I’m sure:

  • Getting rid of more stuff. A couple of items include my coffee table and dining room table, because really, I don’t use either for anything other than setting decorations on.
  • As noted, unsubscribing from email lists.
  • Paying down more debt. I started off pretty good last year, but medical expenses and a couple other extraneous items did more damage.
  • Going through my budget, yet again, to see what I can cut back on.

I’ve even done a couple of things that may seem counter-intuitive to SIMPLIFY. I printed a reading list to read through the Bible chronologically, since I’ve never read it that way, and started using the service eMeals.com. These two things were done more as a way to automate habits that I was already in or wanted to be better at, without really taxing me mentally. I’m not one that loves and craves routines, but I think incorporating these two processes into my life will be really good. They will allow me to refine past routines, which I think fits nicely with SIMPLIFY.

My song and verse for 2013 came to me during the church service last week. I love it when that happens because it feels natural and promised. The song I’m using is “Be My Everything” because of it’s repetitive nature and message. It is what SIMPLIFY sounds like to me based on those two words. My verse, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily go with the theme. Frankly, I just really liked it and kept repeating it in my mind:

Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” ESV

Quite honestly, I think I just sat at home sick so much in 2012 that the action in this verse makes me want to get up and get out there. I’m ready for a little hell-gate prevailing.

So, that’s it. There you have it. That’s what I’m looking forward to in 2013. Realistically, I know curve balls will come and life will happen, and I’ll just be along for the ride most of the time.

But I’m hoping I can keep SIMPLIFY in mind along the way.

I’m hoping this theme will give me the ability to channel my thoughts and actions.

And I’m hoping I can come to you in 11 months or so saying that I have have less, and have lived and given more.

 

Okay, and if I get to do a little hell-gate prevailing in the meantime, so be it. 😉

 


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Be The Blueprint

As expected, Sunday was a really good church service at Blueprint. I knew I would go in and get pumped up by the New Year energy of the crowd, and be encouraged to start January off right. I needed the fuel to get a jump start on my theme for 2013, be renewed after the weird year that was 2012, and grab an early anchor point to dig in and move forward in new possibilities. I was not disappointed with the new “Be The Blueprint” series.

In fact, I decided to outline some of my notes from Sunday here in case you could use a good dose of perspective and inspiration as well.

  • Too many times we reflect not on our blessings, but what we feel God is withholding from us. We take a victim or woe is me attitude.
  • We aren’t here to simply exist. There is a reason you and I exist. What do you exist for? (Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” KJV)
  • Too often we don’t spend our time living, but trying not to make God mad.
  • Blueprint’s DNA: The gospel changes people, and people change the world.
  • Blueprint’s mission: To unleash healthy people to do ministry where life exists.
  • Blueprint’s strategy: Growing in the gospel in the context of family while living on mission.
  • We are less proactive in church, but usually more reactive and defensive. We need to be on the attack. (Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” ESV)

5 Reasons We Need to be Burdened By Mission

  1. Mission grows our affections for Christ, taking us from conceptual to effectual.
  2. Mission aligns our hearts with His, causing us to move from passive to compassionate.
  3. Mission reestablishes our identity, remind us we are God’s chosen vessel.
  4. Mission reminds us of our deficiencies, driving us to pray.
  5. Mission reminds us of His sufficiency, strengthening our faith. (Did you ever think that maybe the feeding of the 5,000 and 4,000 weren’t for those fed, but for the disciples?)

I’m praying you find your mission, or continue it, in 2013. It’s not easy, but totally worth it. Living differently is definitely living better. I think I’ve had a few different missions during my life, depending on my life stage and circumstance. The one I’m currently on has been building over the past few years, and it’s still really exciting to me. I’m excited and curious to see where it leads me this year.

It was a breezy 50 degrees when I walked out of the church service on Sunday, but I didn’t care. I was on fire.

 

If you want a little more, here’s a great blog post on the Blueprint site from Pastor John on the New Year.


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A Look Back at 2012

Now that I have put up my Christmas decorations, I feel I can adequately reflect on 2012.

My word for 2012 was PRIORITIZE. I posted it prominently on my bathroom mirror so that I saw it a couple of times each day. I think I got off to a fairly good start, too. I thought about it frequently, and tried to live by it.

And then, mono happened.

And it kept happening. In fact, it happened for six months. During that time, I definitely fell way behind on my prioritizing. A couple of things I managed to pull along with me slowly, but overall, I just couldn’t keep up. Existing was all I could do on some days—my biggest accomplishment was getting out of bed and moving to the couch. Other days were better. Slowly but surely I was able to put more time in at work and have dinner with people again and generally leave the house for a few hours at time. Then, about five months into the mono, I had to go to the ER with what I thought was just a really bad kidney infection. Yes, it was, but it was also an inflamed gall bladder full of gallstones. What followed were three days of hospital stay and the removal of this funny little organ I knew almost nothing about. Then it was more days of rest and recovery. I feel like I lived mostly on my couch this year. I joked that I should’ve designed my own line of lounge wear because that’s about all I wore in 2012.

But prioritizing never left my thoughts. I tried to catch back up on it in pieces, but mostly 2012 was about prioritizing my health. I was sick and/or recovering for about eight months during 2012. I’m not fully over everything yet. Didn’t see that one coming, as I’ve typically been someone without a lot of health issues. Maybe it was a curse to open that FSA account last January? My lasik surgery went out the window—fingers crossed for this year, though.

Fortunately, I was also able to prioritize working with the local chapter of Not For Sale. That was about the only other thing I was able to squeeze in, but it was a great experience and I’m so thankful to have done some real work as an abolitionist. I look forward to seeing where that takes me in the future. It’s a wonderful organization that’s done amazing things, and it’s nice to be a part of it.

While the health issues were definitely the focal point for this year, I continue to wonder if perhaps that was God’s way of slowing me down. I’ve never been great at that. I’m usually go, go, go. And I’m sure I’ll continue to learn lessons from that experience as I reflect more and begin to enjoy my health again. (I hope, for both aspects.)

Luckily, I was still able to fit in trips to NYC, North Georgia and California while having mono and the latter two post surgery. I would’ve been really sad if I didn’t travel, so those were definite highlights. The relapses afterward were well worth it!

I continue to discover that life is a little like a game of Mexican Train, one of my family’s favorites. You can plan and strategize and get all your ducks in a row, but things will always go awry. Life happens. People around you make unpredictable moves. You have a bad draw. Realistically, I have no control. I just have to do my best with what I have. Did I do that in 2012? I think I did ok, given the circumstances. I can always do better. Unfortunately, most everything was ruled and determined by how tired I was or how I felt. I hated that, especially when I was full conscious of it, but I couldn’t do much else. I just couldn’t think outside of it. As I’m getting more healthy and turning my immune system around, though, I am slowly making changes.

I began preparing for 2013 probably about a month ago, maybe more. I am really trying to look at what I can do with what I have. Right now, what I have is someone who is still on the road to recovery—but that’s something I can work with. There are definitely things I can do now to be better in numerous ways, and I will. I am making flexible plans. Toward the end of 2012, I started prioritizing 2013. It’s here, and I feel I am ready. After all, it begins mostly in the mind. I haven’t lost that yet. 😉

So what will my word for 2013 be? Stay tuned!


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Happy Holidays!

Here’s just a simple little holiday greeting from me to you. It recaps some of my year’s highlights. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Enjoy!

And here’s to hoping 2013 is even better!

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2012 Reading List

booksI’m sure I’ve mentioned more than once that I do not enjoy to read. However, I feel like it’s important and I do like to keep learning, so here we are. If only they’d make more movies about books! 😉

Here are the books I read and listened to over this past year. I mostly listen now since I have a long commute, and can get through books easier (faster) that way. It’s hard for me to sit and read at home; there are just too many good movies and TV shows, which I’d always prefer. But here you have it—my list for 2012. I was hoping it’d be a little longer, but I was home sick a lot this year and therefore didn’t listen to all the books I wanted to. So I’ll have some catching up to do next year.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these books! I’m happy to tell you more about them.

And what should I put on my list for 2013?

 

(Note: Amazon links are affiliate links.)