The printable calendar is ready for May! The page has the month at a glance, plus the following sections to write in:
To Do's - Things you need to do today
Hope To Do's - Additional things you'd like to do if time permits
Prayer Requests
Reminders
Bible Reading - What you plan to read in the Bible or a verse that comes to mind
Groceries
Thinking Ahead - Goals or future commitments
People to Call
Each page is intended for daily use, therefore I'd recommend printing off several at a time.
And if you haven't checked it out yet, take a look at my weekly housekeeping schedule. It's a great way to get the house clean and keep it looking that way!
If you would like to view or download the printable, just click the link below the image. (Original is a full-sized page).
When he spends eight hours tearing down and building a fence, it’s like I do, too... I just love the one flesh concept! ~ Ree, aka The Pioneer Woman
In Mark 10 verse nine, Jesus says, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” The word "asunder" here means to divide or come between.
Certainly we understand that people shouldn’t come between a husband and wife, but do we stop to consider the gravity of the separations we cause? Any number of things can come between a husband and wife such as pride, selfishness, anger, lust, bitterness, deceit, and greed. When left to fester they further separate a man from the love of his wife.
God didn’t intend for married people to live as though they were still single, but rather that they would embrace the partnership of marriage which unites men and women as one.
And the two will become one flesh.
So they are no longer two, but one flesh..
~ Mark 10:8, NIV
Looking again at verse nine, we see the word “joined.” The Greek word for joined is syzeugnymi, meaning “to fasten to one yoke.”
In order to harness the power of oxen, farmers have been using wooden beams, known as yokes, to pair the oxen together. Not only does it give them twice the strength that one ox would, but it’s designed to keep the pair from going their separate ways.
How does one go about building this yoke?
“The oxen are going to be completely dependent on this piece of equipment throughout their work. If it breaks, it could endanger the people with the oxen and the oxen themselves. It will be under great stress when the oxen are full grown, weighing perhaps a ton each, and are pulling with all their strength on this yoke. So it is definitely worth the trouble to make it in the best possible way.” (International Society for Cow Protection)
In the same way the yoke that we have as a couple is an essential part of keeping our family together. That warning resonates with me, as I consider the potential pain we can cause should our yoke come apart. The minute that we let anyone or anything come between us, we are weakening that bond of unity that’s ordained by God.
So how do we avoid separation, and keep the unity in tact? We work to do this in a number of ways, all of which have to do with patience, understanding, kindness, and all things pertaining to Godly love.
Give up your pride and make the first move toward reconciliation, even if it feels like you’re always the one making peace. This doesn’t mean that you’re weak. Humility is a sign of strength.
Put away all selfishness and consider the desires of your family. Prioritize them over a desire to please yourself.
Control your anger. Every word that you say and every temper tantrum you have can be controlled. Choose your words and actions wisely.
Avoid lust at all costs. Don’t put yourself in a position where you are vulnerable to men or which you may cause them to lust.
Be willing to give up your time for family time. Of course it’s good to have both, but ensure that you keep a healthy balance, don’t let the scale tip.
Give up the desire to be lazy. If your house is messy tidy it up before sitting on the phone with a friend. If your idea of a healthy meal is a burger and fries, then take a little extra time to shop for wholesome ingredients so that you’re taking care of the physical needs of your family.
Remember, there are times when your yoke will come under great stress. So it’s definitely worth your trouble to build it in the best possible way!
Darlene
For comments or questions, contact me at: darlene[at]darleneschacht.net
The American Express Unstaged series, in partnership with Vevo and YouTube, matches a musical act with a visionary director to create a unique online experience. Previous match-ups have included Duran Duran directed by David Lynch, Arcade Fire directed by Terry Gilliam, and My Morning Jacket directed by Todd Haynes.
Tonight at 6pm PT, Gary Oldman will direct the live stream of a very special performance from Jack White. At a time when White is embarking on a brand new solo project, with his album Blunderbuss performing well both critically and commercially, we're excited to see what he brings to the stage of New York City's Webster Hall!
Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.
We saw the controversial Bahrain F1 Grand Prix proceed on Sunday, despite continuing anti-government protests.
We monitored the presidential elections in France as Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande geared up their campaign efforts ahead of the May 6 French presidential run-off ballot.
We were shocked at scenes of devastation in Pakistan after a plane crash caused the deaths of over 100 people.
We watched George Zimmerman secure bail from Seminole County jail after posting 10 percent of his $150,000 bond.
We followed the GOP candidates as the race for the Republican nomination all but concluded with Mitt Romney's latest primary victories.
We observed students clash with police in Montreal as a protest over tuition hikes turned ugly.
We were saddened at the deaths of seven as flash floods swept away a church youth group in Kenya.
We viewed fading optimism that the presence of UN observers in Syria would decrease violence after 70 people were reported killed in a bomb blast in Hama.
Finally, we marked Earth Day with a selection of YouTube films uploaded to create awareness of the occasion.
Lately I am obsessed with the triangle and arrow trend out there so I decided to put my twist on it by making a easy necklace using simple materials!
1. I started with thick cardboard that I saved from a package and I cut it into an arrow shape. 2. Next I painted the surface with acrylic paint. 3. I added a shape to the middle with black paint- I was going for a southwest inspired vibe.
4. I added 2- 3 layers of Modge Podge to get nice shine and to seal everything. 5. Last I poked a hole in the top and added a jump ring and put it on a chain.
When we think of virtuous women we often picture them as being loving, generous and kind; women who reach their hand out to the poor, lead their children in faith, and provide food for their family. What I tend to overlook when examining the lives of virtuous women is that they also exhibit a high level of self-control.
Reading Proverbs 31 with that in mind, I can't help but notice that, She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household. (v. 15).
I'm not a morning person so I can't begin to tell you just how impressed I am with that! I'm sure if I was sitting down to have tea with her I'd ask, "What? You get up at what time?!"
Getting up is one thing, but what we're really talking about here is the virtue of self-control. We're all a work-in-progress as we strive to put will over want. Whether it be appetite, over-spending, laziness or losing our temper, we all benefit when we exercise the virtue of self-control.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ~ 2 Peter 1:5-7, NIV
Notice that word in the verse above? Effort. I have good intentions, in fact if good intentions were one dollar bills I'd be a bazillionaire, but I have to say that intentions haven't been enough to make a difference in my life. If we want to kick up our lives a notch, we must be willing to put in the effort to exercise self-control.
If you value a clean home, do the leg work it takes to get there. If you value your faith, then nurture that faith by opening your Bible more often and taking time out to pray. If you value your marriage, actively work on your relationship.
Whatever it is that you're struggling with, make every effort to be self-controlled. That's when you'll notice results!
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene
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Please join us in congratulating Steve Roberts from STRskillSchool! He is YouTube’s “On The Rise” spotlight partner for April and is featured today on the YouTube homepage.
Based in Suffolk, England, Steve has 14 years of coaching experience in a variety of sports, but is most passionate about soccer (football). He runs a sports coaching company along with Senior Coach Tommy Marsden, and brings coaching advice and knowledge of the sport to millions of people across the world via his YouTube channel. Regardless of your age or skill level, STRskillSchool has step-by-step tutorials for any player. Check out Steve’s instruction for the Ronaldinho/Neymar step over, knuckle balls and free kicks, how to do a hard flick over your head!
Here are a few words from the Steve:
My name is Steve Roberts and I am a UEFA qualified football coach. STRskillSchool is me and pretty much all the videos are filmed, edited and performed by myself and I am self taught in film making. I have loved football (soccer!) from a very young age. I always dreamt of being a Pro Footballer but sadly didn't make it. Two years ago I thought I would make tutorials to share with players, as the content I found was incorrect or frustrating to watch. I now have over 100 videos teaching many parts of the game, which players, coaches and parents can enjoy. I have been so overwhelmed from the worldwide support shown on my Youtube channel. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in the past and thank you those who rallied round to help with the voting. My fans are the people who keep me motivated to create new fresh content. There are lots of new videos to come from me, so please subscribe and see what the future has to offer! Thanks again!
If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!
As an artist (and a creative person in general) I feel that its really important to always push yourself to grow, develop and change things up. Its never good to get too comfortable when it comes to making art because you miss out on growth that comes with venturing outside your comfort zone- this is when really great things happen in the creative process!
The one big thing that makes me squirm is working small! Give me brush and a 6 foot surface and I'm in my comfort zone but tell me to work small and I feel like I've been confined, restricted and I suddenly lose all inspiration. So in my quest to always be growing and getting better I have been challenging myself to work small- really small!
I recently purchased a whole bunch of teeny, TINY stretched canvases and went to town painting on them. I picked a subject matter that I am familiar with but challenged myself to work within the small surface with expressive techniques. I forced myself (yes forced) to use the same techniques that I use when working big- using my fingers, lots of defined brushstrokes and messy layers.
The result, after working through numerous little "shell study" paintings was that I actually started to really enjoy myself and found that I didn't have to feel restricted by the size of the surface. Suddenly the discomfort sort of just fell away and I found myself really enjoying the process of working on a smaller scale.
I challenge you to push yourself outside of your creative comfort zone- whether its scale or subject matter, materials or techniques- try something new or even something that makes you uncomfortable- if you give it a little time I guarantee you'll grow, you may end up enjoying yourself and actually find something new to add to your creative routine!
People discover amazing talent on YouTube every day, and our friends at NBC’s America’s Got Talent are back for a third year to celebrate that. Starting today if you’re in the US, you’re invited to submit an audition video for a spot on America’s Got Talent to compete for the million dollar grand prize.
You have until June 1 at 11:59pm ET to show what you can do, and the folks from NBC will post the top 20 finalists to America’s Got Talent’s YouTube Channel. Like before, everyone around the world can then vote from June 25 to July 7 to select The YouTube People’s Choice Winner—earning a guaranteed spot on the show that's sponsored by Snapple. Maybe you’ll be the one to go a step further than opera singer Jackie Evancho, who went from YouTube contestant to second-place in 2010.
Whether you’re the best of the best or can do something the world needs to see, share your video on youtube.com/agt. You can also submit and vote for your favorite videos on your Android devices and iPhone.
Contest Info NBC representatives will review the submissions and select the top 20 entrants. Those 20 videos will be posted to the AGT YouTube channel, where you can vote for your favorite to become The YouTube People’s Choice Winner, earning a guaranteed spot on the AGT YouTube Special episodes taping August 14 and 15. The grand finale will air on September 11 & 12. More info is available on the channel’s rules.
If you’re looking for inspiration, visit the America’s Got Talent Channel at youtube.com/agt to get an idea of the kind of creativity and talent that makes it to the show.
"Shouldn't the word be help mate?" They ask. And as much as I like the word "mate," the answer is "no." It's actually not a typo it's a biblical term found in Genesis chapter two:
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." ~ Genesis 2:18, KJV
So what exactly is a help meet? She is his "ezer kenegdo."
Looking to the Hebrew text we see the word `ezer (Strong's H5828) which means, a helper or an aid and the second part of the word "meet" is 'kenegdo,' meaning suitable.
What's interesting to note is that the same word is found several times throughout the Old Testament when describing God as our helper.
Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he [is] their help and their shield. ~ Psalm 115:11
But the incredibly interesting part about this is that in nearly every reference where this term is used, God is coming to the rescue where He protects His people and defeats the enemy.
Reading these passages I couldn't help but wonder if my purpose in being a help meet ran deeper than merely doing the dishes and folding his socks. Could it be that my purpose is to fight alongside my husband in battle? To pray for him, to encourage him in his walk of faith and to exemplify a strong faith of my own?
Don't get me wrong, Titus 2 calls me to encourage you to be a good keeper of your home, so don't put down the Swiffer Duster just yet! But being a good keeper of the home includes watching over the affairs of your family--in other words "guarding the castle from attack."
What I'm suggesting here is that we make a conscious effort to nurture our husbands spiritually through prayer and edification.
Suit up for battle by putting on the armor of God, so that you will be equipped to not only help him, but to help your children in their time of need.
The complete armor of God is found in Ephesians chapter six (and I hope you take time to read it) but here are two of the verses that particularly stand out to me as I consider the ways in which our families come under attack.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (v.16)
Our husbands, our children, and we ourselves are constantly faced with negative messages. When we are standing strong in faith, we are prepared to quench each and every one with wisdom and strength from the Lord. This is why it's so important that we stand guard over our heart and those that we love.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (v.18)
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene
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In my Art of Abstraction class I've been demonstrating how to use your fingers and hands (instead of tools) to create paintings full of energy and expression. Using finger painting is a great way to really channel your creative energy and get immersed in color. I've been having so much fun teaching this technique that I have been using it in my own work and my recent trip to the flower fields was the perfect subject matter for finger painting.
When Paul Eichen of Rokenbok Toy Company noticed that specialty toy shops were shuttering their doors, he started looking for a new way to introduce customers to his construction toy sets. Paul filmed and uploaded his first video to YouTube, and now it’s become his most effective form of advertising with 50 percent of all customers introduced to his products through YouTube.
With a global audience of 800 million monthly visitors to YouTube, every day can feel like you’re advertising in the Super Bowl, and one video can launch a business. To help even more businesses play big with video, today we’re introducing a number of new products, resources, and tools:
Google AdWords for video is now available to all. Similar to search advertising—where you pay for clicks and set budgets with bids—we created a new model for video advertising. With Google AdWords for video, you only pay when someone chooses to watch your ad, and you can create and manage video campaigns from the same platform as your search and display ads. You can create an account and start promoting your first video in less than 5 minutes. With AdWords for video you can:
Find the right audience: AdWords for video provides a range of options to reach the right audience. For example, you can promote your video by keyword to appear in YouTube search results, or you can choose to show your ad against content your customers are most interested in - such as sports or music. Connect with your audience on YouTube and the Google Display Network, which includes millions of websites. AdWords for video links to your YouTube account so you can easily start a video campaign with your existing videos.
Measure the effectiveness of your spend: On average, we’ve found that YouTube video ads drive a 20 percent increase in traffic to your website and a 5 percent increase in searches for your business (Google Campaign Insights, 2011). With AdWords for video you can find out how viewers are engaging with your brand during and after they watch your ad. You can see how many viewers watched your entire video, visited your website, stayed on your channel to watch another video, or subscribed to your channel, after viewing your ad.
Only pay for engaged views: With TrueView video ads you only pay when viewers choose to watch your ad so you aren’t charged when viewers skip your ad if they aren’t interested or have already seen your video. This means your ad budget is focused on viewers interested in your video. By displaying a call-to-action overlay on your video you can talk about a sale or specific offer to your viewers, share more information about your business, or drive traffic to your website.
$50 million in free advertising. We’re giving away $50 million in free Google AdWords advertising to help 500,000 businesses get into video. If you are new to AdWords, you can receive a $75 credit when you sign up. To put that into context, with $75 your video campaign can reach more than 1,500 of your most valuable customers on YouTube for one month. Request your free credit here.
Advertiser Playbook and support. To share best practices and tips on how video can be a core part of your business toolkit, we created a YouTube Advertiser Playbook. The Playbook covers everything from creating interesting content to promoting your video with ads. If you need help making a video, our My Business Story is a free tool you can use to create your first video. AdWords advertisers can also call our free phone support line, 866-2-GOOGLE, to get started with AdWords for video.
YouTube Ambassador program. To recognize business owners that are already using YouTube to grow their business, we’re naming 9 businesses from across the country to our first ever YouTube Ambassador program. These businesses have seen outstanding success in reaching new customers, building a brand, and engaging their fans with video. Hear their stories and learn more about the YouTube Ambassador program.
If you have a video you want to promote, get started with AdWords for video. And, join our YouTube for Marketers page on Google+ to stay up-to-date on our latest video marketing innovations.
Drawn from my archives Like most other women I recognize love when my husbands pays attention to me. I love it when Michael walks through the door and straight into my arms. He does that every single day of the week. I also like it when he kisses me on the cheek and tucks me in before heading off to work in the wee hours of the morning. It’s his way of expressing his love.
If you’re not getting the desired attention you need from your husband, it’s likely that you’ll search out other ways to fill that space. Some women take to shopping thinking that more “things” will bring them peace. Others spend countless hours socializing on the net, or filling their face with food, and for some the unfortunate alternative is finding another man.
Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. ~ James 1:14-15, (NIV)
That is a strong verse, but when we consider that only 63% of American children grow up with both biological parents1, it’s time to seek out a cure for this epidemic.
Remember the story of the Samaritan woman who came to draw water? It’s found in John chapter 4. While the disciples were out grocery shopping (yeah, they were grocery shopping—check it out), Jesus met a woman at the well, and asked her for a drink. He knew that this particular woman had a void inside her that led her to thirst for something more in her life. It moved her to return to the same proverbial well time and again hoping to fill her pain with something that would last—something that would quench her thirst, until finally He came offering an everlasting well of hope.
It’s possible that this void resulted in failed marriages time and again, since we know she had five. One can only guess, but we do know that the same Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is there for us too.
Earthly things can fill the void for a moment, maybe even a few years, but when we are quenched by the Spirit of comfort we’re satisfied from within. When one experiences a spiritual satisfaction there’s no longer a need return to the well time and again.
A bad marriage can feel like a spiritual vacuum at times, since weak relationships create that constant need to be filled. That’s a great thing when you enter into a deeper relationship with Christ. Not such a good thing when we run into the arms of another man.
We’re complicated beings, aren’t we? The simple solution is to replace our wants with His (more of you, Lord—less of me), and in doing so we enrich our marriage. Because God has ordained wives to be ministers in our home, the love of God becomes a strong foundation on which to rebuild.
It’s one thing to stick to a marriage because you feel that it’s your duty as a wife and mother, but it’s an entirely better thing when we purpose to add virtue to our lives.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ~ 2 Timothy 2:22, (NIV)
A noble woman is an attractive force, ladies. I know it, you know it, and so do our husbands. Put God first in your life, seek righteousness in all that you do, and let He who offers an everlasting well of hope become your all-in all!
1National Marriage Project at Rutgers University.
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene
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Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.
We monitored the worsening situation in Bahrain, as protests of increasing intensity were held in Manama and protesters were hit by tear gas.
We saw French presidential candidate François Hollande receive a boost in popularity as Nicolas Sarkozy was caught on camera slipping off his watch while shaking hands with supporters.
We bade a sad farewell to Levon Helm, acclaimed drummer and singer with The Band who died this week aged 71, by remembering some of his classic performances.
