15

Not enough to be a quarter, clumsier than a dime.
It’s only half of a 30 day challenge.
Not old enough to drive.
We see John 3:16 every where, but who memorizes John 3:15?
1 Corinthinans 12, 13, and 14 have been etched in our minds, but what about chapter 15?
Wikipedia actually has an entry for 15, with the warning:”This article may contain excessive, poor or irrelevant examples.”

What good is 15?
You get 10 minute breaks, 30 minute or 60 minute lunches, but not 15.

What can you do with 15 minutes?
In the book, Side-Tracked Home Executive, there were an amazing amount of 5, 10 and 15 minute chores! It doesn’t seem to have transferred over to the internet version, The FlyLady, though.

Think about it, what can you do in 15 minutes?
My S.H.E.  Motto was Swish, Swipe and Shine. Toilet, counter top and sink.
With a little practice, I could do it in 15 minutes.
If I did it every day, I could do it in 15 minutes.
If I skip a day, that would add up to a week, and then, it would take longer than 15 minutes.
Keeping up with things means it takes less time to keep up with things!

Fly Lady goes into setting a timer for 15 minutes, and tackling hot spots…those spots that just build up. It’s amazing what you can do in 15 minutes, if you focus on the task, and stay with it.

An exercise program that I have found VERY useful is called T-Tapp. Teresa’s book is “Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes.” Almost every T-Tapp video I have is less than 15 minutes.  And the impact of 15 minutes everyday is evident in the testimonies shared.

Anything else?

Here, I’ll try some things….

1. How many ecards can I send in 15 minutes? Set the timer….Well, with my goofs, and some extra time to view things, at DaySpring, I was able to send 5.  Others may be faster(computers, programs and/or people).
2. How many FB posts can I view and like in 15 minutes? Well, since I had already commented and posted on many today, in five minutes, I found 15 to like, one to check out the photo, and another I could have commented on.
3. How many emails can I go through in 15 minutes? I had already read through emails this morning, but in 15 minutes I was able to go through 40 emails, deleted 30, actually read through 7(blogs and newsletters) and filed or archived 3.  I did reply to 3, as well.

These activities can be a real time waster…I’m sitting at my computer(because it’s easier than getting up and exercising) and I realize it’s 1:30PM, I haven’t eaten breakfast, and I haven’t gotten anything done but email, FB, chat, skype, and sometimes, my blog.

I can’t set a timer for my blog…because I want to let it flow. But I can do that for other things!

• FB – Facebook. If I set a timer for FB, I wouldn’t get lost in the variety of posts, and I would be able to purposefully focus my time.
• Email – If I would set a timer for email, I might make better choices about whether to archive, reply, forward, trash various posts. But giving myself unlimited time on either of these just keeps adding up to, well, a lot of time!
• Hot Spots – I do get caught up with organizing, or I get distracted while do so, and lose track of time.
• Chores – yes, even adults have chores(especially when the kids grow up and move out!). But, rather than putting them off, what about “I’ll work on that for 15 minutes!”

There are some things that won’t work well with this system.

• TV – it just doesn’t fit into 15 minute time slots
• Skype – I’m NOT going to put a timer on my Grandbabies!
• Jim Time – I need to give him more time
• Bible Time – while 15 minutes is a good start – sometimes a study just won’t quit in 15 minutes.
• Prayer – again, giving at least 15 minutes is a good start, but hopefully, prayer life will take over.

The last two, you may have to set a timer so that you actually can quit in time for school, work or church!

15 minutes can be very powerful.
What about 15 seconds?

Hold your breath for 15 seconds…and read this:

ONE one thousand
TWO one thousand
THREE one thousand
FOUR one thousand
FIVE one thousand
SIX one thousand
SEVEN one thousand
EIGHT one thousand
NINE one thousand
TEN one thousand
ELEVEN one thousand
TWELVE one thousand
THIRTEEN one thousand
FOURTEEN one thousand
FIFTEEN one thousand

Now, was that hard? Probably not.
But imagine that it is NOT you that isn’t breathing, but your child…and how long is 15 seconds then?

Time is a gift, given to us by God. Every second we let slip away is gone, forever. It doesn’t come back around, even though it seems like it when we wake up. It’s gone. Forever.

Time adds up.
The one month old, living day by day for 335 days, is now 1 year old. He won’t go back to being one month old again. He will always be at least 1 year old.
I am 50 years old. The amount of time that I have wasted is only calculated by the grace of God knowing my every second, and forgiving me. The totality of my years is immersed in God’s mercy, that HE chooses not to remember my past sinful seconds upon seconds, but HE looks at the cross, and then, waits for me in my future.

15
it can be as big or as small as we make it.
Most people can do just about anything for 15 minutes.
The past is gone, do not dwell in it.
The future is not here, do not stress over it.
All we have is the gift of today, that’s why it’s called
the present.

Psalm 90:12 So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

1. 100 days of moving challenge – day 76
   
2. 100 days challenge- blog – check
3. 25 verses in 52 weeks – Phil 4:8
   
4. 90 days Bible Reading – Isaiah – very behind.
   
5. 50 days T-Tapp – AL