Hearts in Service Blog

At the end of my street the road ends and there is a path that goes up the hill, across a ramp over a little stream and then up into the local park. I often walk this way so I can walk around the park. From my front door and once around the entire park and back is a little over a mile. If I want to walk more I can do laps around the park or walk through our neighborhood.  As I cross the ramp to get over the stream there is a patch of daisies growing on the side of the bank. They are hidden away and would probably go unnoticed by most people. But every day their happy blossoms are peeking through the grass. Rain or shine, they are blooming. Some gardeners consider them weeds and yet, the simple daisy brings joy to my heart.  I feel as if there are many people in this world who are like these daisies. They show up day in and day out, blooming and bringing happiness to those around them. But many do this regardless of if someone notices or not. There is nothing showy or spec...

Daniel 9:20-23 ~ While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God— while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding. At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. The book of Daniel is full of eschatology and weighty prophecy and yet, there are many wonderful practical nuggets in there as well. As I was reading this morning, I came across these few verses which were an encouragement to me and I hope they are to you as well.  When we pray we often feel as if our prayers are going no higher than the ceiling. We ask ourselves, "Are they really heard by God? Will He answer? Am I just uttering nonsense to myself?" We are told...

If any of you have read my blog long enough you may realize that I'm not known for my rest. In fact, the words I hear from so many in my life is, "You are so busy." And those four little words have started to bother me. They are bothering me because that is not what I want to be known for in my life. I don't want people to think that I'm too busy to have a conversation with them or that I don't have time for a connection.  But if I continually project the word, "busy," then I really can't get too upset when I feel alone. I don't have to necessarily stop all the things I'm doing though I am looking at what is necessary and what is not. God has given me a fairly high capacity to handle many things.  However, I do realize that I'm not always good at being present and focusing on the person I'm talking to at that moment. I find that I have a tendency to jump up in the middle of a conversation to go do something that needs doing. The m...

God has been steering me down the road of leadership over the past decade and as the eldest child in my family who was given much responsibility, I'm a natural born leader. But that doesn't mean I always like it. It's a heavy mantle to wear at times and not one that I wear lightly.  Here are ten things I'm learning as I lead: 1. I'm learning a lot about myself - strengths and weaknesses.  2. I'm learning that leadership doesn't come with an instruction manual. 3. I have learned that sometimes people can be disgruntled just because you are not the previous leader and that I have to be okay with that. 4. I have learned that some people are an absolute joy to work with and others will complain and find fault no matter what because that's their nature. I have to be okay with that too and not take it to heart. 5. I've learned that bearing the weight of responsibility is not possible if I don't stay connected to the vine.  6. I am learning to have sche...

This was our view as we at dinner on Friday night. It was such a beautiful evening and a perfect way to celebrate my husband's birthday. I'm thankful for the beautiful area we live in.  Mondays are the day when I look back and give thanks for the ways the Lord has blessed me. This past week was kind of a rough one with some different stressors going on. But thanksgiving is the ongoing developing ability to have an attitude of acceptance that God works in all things. It is having intentionality in finding the ways that the Lord is at work, even when times are hard. I may not see perfectly in the moment. However, when I trust that God is good and that He loves me, then I can have faith that He is using all my circumstances to develop my character and draw me closer to Him.  Today I'm thankful for the following... 💓 Beautiful blue skies and low humidity. 💓 A sweet spot to work on my back patio. 💓 The ability to wrestle through some emotions and come out the other side with ...

I came home from my weekend conference and have been struggling with not feeling well. I think it was something I ate as my stomach has been "off" which is causing me not to be able to sleep well. The past two nights I woke up at 2 a.m. and have been unable to get back to sleep. Lord, thank you for waking me up so I can hear from you. However, I find some my best times with the Lord are in the still hours of the morning. I'm able to focus and lean in to what He has to say. I gain some insight to a passage of scripture and some new lesson I need to learn. This morning I put some final touches on a message I'm giving for an online leadership summit. Lord, thank you for the encouragement found in your word. I know today is going to be a bit of a challenge as the day winds on and I feel tired. But I am thankful for those quiet times of reflection I am able to have. I'm thankful for the ability to pray for different people the Lord brings to mind. Lord, thank you for t...