About the Book
Book: Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most
Authors: Liana George and Angie Hyche
Genre: Nonfiction Devotional Book
Release date: June 11, 2024
In a world where chaos reigns and clutter overwhelms, discover the profound connection between orderliness, faith, and inner peace.
When organizing gurus like Marie Kondo and The Home Edit talk about orderly living, people listen! From Container Store junkies who love labels and color-coded files to homeowners who struggle with too much stuff, fans of these experts often consider their teaching sacred knowledge.
But is that the only help available?
Thankfully, for Christians, the Bible is a wealth of organizing principles waiting to be mined.
In Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most, professional organizers and authors Liana George and Angie Hyche delve into the timeless wisdom of God’s orderliness, revealing how it extends far beyond mere tidiness. Through poignant personal anecdotes, Scripture, and practical advice, this four-week devotional invites readers to embrace the beauty of simplicity.
From decluttering your physical space to clearing your mind, each day offers a transformative insight and actionable step towards a more serene existence. Whether you’re a seasoned organizer or a clutter connoisseur seeking solace, Uncluttered provides a roadmap to a life of harmony, purpose, and joy. And ultimately, making room for what matters most.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Authors
Liana George is a sought-after speaker, blogger, and author. Before pursuing a career in writing, she was a professional organizer and is the former owner of By George Organizing Solutions in Houston. Her debut novel, Perfectly Arranged, Book One in the Hopeful Heart Series, was released in October 2021 from Scrivenings Press. The second book in the series, Perfectly Placed was released in July 2022, and the third book in the series, Perfectly Matched, was released in April 2023. When she’s not putting things in order or scribbling away, you can find her reading, traveling, or watching tennis.
Angie Hyche is a certified professional organizer (CPO®), author, speaker, and the owner of Shipshape Solutions in Kingsport, Tennessee. She is passionate about helping her readers and listeners declutter and simplify their lives so they can focus on what’s most important and spend time doing what they love. Her first book, Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter, was published on Amazon in December of 2020.
More from Liana and Angie
If you were to do a Google search for books related to the topic of organizing, you’d see a wide range of options—from books on decluttering your home to the best way to manage your time. But nowhere on the list would you see the Bible listed as a resource.
Why? Because most people don’t consider the Bible to have much to say on the topic. But they’d be wrong. The Bible is full of organizational principles waiting to be mined!
That’s why we wrote the devotional, Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most. We wanted to show people—in a non-judgmental format—that God has a lot to say on the subject.
Here’s one example:
Day 12
A Time to Let Go
“… a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away …”
Ecclesiastes 3:5-6 (NIV)
It was time.
The soles of my favorite silver sandals were worn paper-thin. Ten years of constant use had taken its toll. Every time I slipped those shoes on for an outing, I knew I would slide them off in pain.
It was time I let go.
But I couldn’t. I was certain I would never find another pair of sandals with such unique style and flair. They were my go-to shoes, my favorites, the ones I couldn’t travel without. How could I possibly get rid of them? Yet, my season for these beautiful sandals had surpassed the time they were intended. They did the job they were supposed to do—and then some. It was only fitting that I say goodbye to them so I could make space for a new pair.
It was time I let go for good.
While you may not have trouble parting with a certain pair of shoes, you likely have other items in your home that you are endeared to—your old, comfy jeans; the worn-out stuffed animal that’s missing an eye; the trophies you won in high school that remind you of your glory days.
There was a proper season for those things, but now it may be time to let them go once and for all. It’s never easy, but it’s usually necessary. When we do, we are no longer bound by things that tie us down, bring us stress, or cause us pain. Instead, we can live with peace and freedom.
But we’ll never see those results if we continue to cling to the things that no longer serve us. It’s only when we let go that we can receive what’s waiting for us in the next season of life.
Prayer
Father, give me the strength I need to remove the unnecessary so the essential has first place in my life. Help me make room for that which serves me well and brings glory to You. Loosen my grip on what I need to let go of so my hands will be free to receive all You have for me.
Now, Unclutter It!
When is it time to let go?
How do you know when it’s time to let go of a pair of shoes, a piece of clothing, an unused kitchen appliance, or anything else in your house? Is it a feeling you get, or are there visual indications that an item you own is no longer serving you?
While there’s no definitive guide to dictate when or what to remove from your home, here are a few signs it might be time to part ways with your physical stuff:
- Dust collecting on the item
- Tears/rips, broken or missing parts, rendering it useless
- It’s been crammed in the back of your drawer or closet, and you haven’t missed it
- It no longer works properly and makes it hard to use
- You have no idea what it is or how to use it You’ve had it for a while, and it’s still in its original packaging, untouched, or has the price tag attached
- Its “best by” date has passed
As you work through different rooms or spaces in your house, keep this list handy to help you determine whether or not to hold onto an item. In most cases, you’ll find you can probably discard or donate the item without any regrets. Whatever it was had its season in your life. Now, it’s time to let it go.
Reflection: Which of these signs did you notice most often as you worked through your stuff? What does that indicate to you?
We hope you’ll find Uncluttered to be a valuable resource, not only for your heart but for your home as well.
Interview with the Authors
- Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Angie: That’s a great question! It mostly energizes me. After a good writing session, I find it difficult to relax because I’ve got so many ideas that I want to explore. I’ve often woken up in the middle of the night needing to jot something down because I’m afraid I’ll forget it if I don’t. Often I’m convinced that those middle of the night ideas are directly from God as they are often my best ideas!
Liana: It depends. If I know where I’m going with the story then I’m energized and excited to write. If I’m clueless about what is supposed to happen next, I can easily get exhausted.
- How did writing this book grow you spiritually?
Angie: Time and again, God has answered my prayers for ideas, wisdom, discernment, and support. Whenever I’ve needed something to be successful, He provided it. When I self-published my first book, Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter, the marketing piece of the equation was a huge hurdle for me. I was so insecure, doubting whether anyone would even care enough to read it and whether they would like it at all. I was in a state of paralysis and tears for days. It was a dark time for me as an author. This time around, God knew I needed Liana and Scrivenings Press to make me a better writer and to support me.
Liana: I was diagnosed with cancer in October 2023 and the manuscript for Uncluttered was due in November. I asked our publisher for an extension and she graciously gave us until Feb 1, 2024. As of Jan 1, I had only written 4 of the 14 devotionals I was responsible for (Angie was a rockstar and had hers down already). I wasn’t sure how I would get them done in time, but God provided every word and idea to write those 10 devotionals, complete the edits and turn in our manuscript 2 days early! Leaning in and trusting God to get me through that while not feeling well was a game-changer for me spiritually.
- What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Angie: I’m not just saying this because she’s the book’s co-author and my friend, but Liana George has profoundly influenced my writing. When we first started working together, although I had been writing for a while, I’d never really been critiqued at all or done any training. I’d written newspaper articles for years, and I had self-published my first book, Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter. But I had a LOT to learn about the craft of writing. Writing a good devotional is a very specific type of writing; it’s not difficult to do, but it’s a challenge to do it well. I wish I could say that I always took Liana’s criticism well, but that’s not true. It was very difficult for me as a competitive person and a perfectionist. But my writing is so much better because of Liana’s influence, and I’m so grateful for her patience and kindness.
Liana: For 6 years I worked with my writing coach Sandra Byrd. She taught me everything I needed to know about writing and without her I don’t know that I would have ever published a book.
- What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Angie: My favorite things to do when I’m not writing are organizing (anything), hiking or riding a bicycle with my husband, reading, and acting in community theatre.
Liana: Reading, traveling, spending time at the beach (& scuba diving while there), spending time with my family (husband & two adult daughters).
- Favorite quote?
Angie: I’m not sure if you mean favorite quote of our book or favorite quote in general, so I’ll answer it both ways.
- Favorite quote of the book (from the first devotional “The God of Order” by Liana: “Have you ever stopped to consider God as a God of Order? To be honest, I hadn’t. Until I reread Genesis 1:2, “Now the earth was formless and void …”. According to the original text, the terms formless and void were meant to convey the idea of confusion and disorder. God took that chaos and set the universe in order. From there, everything He did in Scripture (and still does today) is done in an organized manner. That’s His character. His nature. That’s who He is. And He wants us, His children, to be a reflection of that order too.”
- Favorite quote in general is a really difficult question! I’ve got so many, but I’ll just choose one. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Gandalf in : The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein
Liana: “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, Empire Strikes Back
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 6
Girls in White Dresses, August 7
Artistic Nobody, August 8 (Author Interviews)
Mary Hake, August 8
Dee S. White, August 9
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 10
Guild Master, August 11 (Author Interviews)
Texas Book-aholic, August 12
Life on Chickadee Lane, August 13
Cover Lover Book Review, August 14
Beauty in the Binding, August 15 (Author Interviews)
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, August 15
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 16
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 17
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 18 (Author Interviews)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys , August 19
Giveaway
To celebrate their tour, Liane and Angie are giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2d2fe/uncluttered-celebration-tour-giveaway