Encouraging Deep Roots

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.   ~ Joel Arthur Barker Throughout the years I've had so many hopes and dreams about serving the Lord. I thought it would be in a big ways, doing big things, but that has not been the case. The majority of Dan and my ministry life has been with small organizations and churches. And that is okay, because we've served well and had some fruitful, albeit small, ministry. But in the back of my mind is always this desire to do something that has a broader reach and impact. In some ways, this blog has served that purpose. But for many years, my vision was without action because I wasn't sure how to get started. Or I was all over the place as to what it was I wanted to focus on (the problem with a creative and very active mind). At other times, I spent a lot of time doing busy work and much activity without any clear thought or direction to what I was doing. ...

  It's been so hot and humid that fungi are popping up everywhere, including my yard. I could never figure out why one day there would be nothing in the yard and the next day I'd see large toadstools. Turns out mushrooms double in size every 24 hours. Who knew? There are so many very interesting facts about mushrooms. The photos above are from a recent walk. Unless you are looking closely, it's easy to miss them. Often they blend right into the environment and are hidden on the forest floor under leaves. And yet, these often unnoticed fungi are vital to the ecosystem.  They remind me how we can often feel unnoticed and unseen and yet, each and every one is vital to the body of Christ and important in the Lord's eyes. Take away one gift in the church and it leaves a hole. We tend to focus on the gifts of speaking, leading, worship, and the more noticeable ones. Yet, if those with the gifts of administration, service, counseling or helps don't use their gifts then it ...

Today is Monday and before I plunge into a busy week, I want to sit and ruminate on the previous week and give thanks. It felt like a strange week mostly because I was away through Tuesday and then we had the holiday on Friday. We managed to pack a lot into the week. Besides catching up on some work-related items, Dan and I got in a 6 mile hike one day. Hiking is still our favorite thing to do together and there are so many beautiful places around here. I connect best to God when I'm out walking so try to do that almost every day. We did something different for the 4th of July this year. We took a road trip and went to the zoo. It ended up being a great idea and we had a wonderful time. After church I went and spent a couple of hours with my father-in-law. He's struggling and lonely and complaining has always been a part of his personality, so it's hard to get him to see the bright side of things. However, by the end of the visit he was happy and much more positive so I am ...

I'm working my way through Philippians as I lead a study at church, but also work on writing one for publication. One of the statements Paul makes throughout the letter is "Stand firm whatever happens." It's been a good study for me personally because at times I could be better at this.  There are periods of time when I sense God's leading in my life to do a particular activity or have a certain focus, but then I can so easily give way to discouragement when I don't get feedback from others. Throughout this study, the Lord has been reminding me to stay the course, stand firm, just do the thing that He has called me to do and get my eyes off people.  Yesterday, was a wonderful example of this. I was feeling a bit discouraged as I've been working to put together resources for women to use in their own personal development as well as in their ministry. I've been doing daily posts on my Encouraging Deep Roots Facebook and Instagram pages, but haven't g...

Mountain Laurel in full bloom Our walk yesterday started out beautiful. It ended like this. Our front windshield on the drive home yesterday - Yikes!   On one of my walks, a little boy who was with his mom saw my camera and said, "That's a cool camera! Can I take a picture with it?" How could I resist that adorable face! It's been a strange kind of week and one in which I mostly have spent it trying to stay hydrated. We are in the middle of a heat wave and the past couple of days the humidity has been added to the mix.  I think it's felt so strange because my normal routine has been off. I've had a couple of internal 3 a.m. wake-up calls and then struggled to get back to sleep. So I've had some days of just feeling lethargic between the lack of sleep and the heat.  I was the host for an online zoom event for women around the world and that was a little nerve-wracking as I prayed my connection would work. Later that day, I led a local Bible study as well.  ...

I spent time reading Mark 10 during my quiet time this week and I was reminded once again of the difference between pride and humility. I've never noticed how much the two are compared in this chapter before. It was also a reminder to me to check my motives and see when I've crossed the line into be prideful instead of walking in humility. We see the following two character traits represented. Pride The Pharisees were full of zealous pride in their laws and were continually attempting to trip Jesus up. In Mark 10:2-10, the Pharisees grill Jesus on the law of Moses in regard to divorce. Humility In Mark 10:13-16 people were bringing their children to Jesus and the disciples got annoyed. Jesus reminded them that unless we become approach Jesus as a child we cannot enter the Kingdom. He used them as an example of humility. Pride Mark 10:17-22, we see a rich young ruler who had pride in the fact that he was righteous and kept all the religious laws. And yet, when Jesus told him tha...