Hearts in Service

Matthew 21:18-22 ~ Early in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” The week before my daughter's wedding I was really struggling with anxiousness about the weather. Her wedding venue was at a place with a renovated old stone barn that was beautiful. That's where the reception was to take place, but the ceremony was outdoors. The backup plan was to move into the reception hall, but it really wouldn

My baby girl is all grown up and looked stunning for her wedding day! It was a beautiful day, full of love, family and friends. I enjoyed every second of the weekend and it was perfect.  I've spent the past couple of days trying to recuperate while doing some computer work. This mama's heart is full.

Back in July, my daughter's maid-of-honor and I hosted the bridal shower for her. We had a toast for her and different people offered words of advice for her marriage. I shared the following and thought I'd share it here today. We are down to 5 days before the wedding - yikes! Skating Through Life Together Some say marriage is a 50/50 arrangement where both parties give 50% to the marriage. Then I’ve heard others say it’s a 100% arrangement, where you both bring 100% to the marriage. However, I think marriage is more like figure-skating. It has always been one of my favorite sports at the Olympics. I love the gracefulness and beauty of the skaters and could watch it for hours. When a marriage is good, it is like those skaters gliding over the ice. I came up with 5 reasons that marriage is like figure-skating. 1. The couples who skate at this level have chosen their partners wisely. They didn’t just pick the first person that came along. Figure skaters often take the advice of t

  There are exactly 11 days left until my daughter's wedding and while my to-do list has dwindled, there are still plenty of items that I still need to accomplish. We are on vacation for the next two weeks and while we want to do some fun things, we also know that the main focus is wedding tasks. I made over 600 cookies in the space of a week which includes lavender shortbreads (pictured above) and lemon tea tots. I truly could have made many more as I love to bake, but I made myself stop. Ryan's mom is making about 12 dozen as well so we will have plenty for the wedding. Neither the bride nor groom are a fan of cake so they opted for cookies. I think that's the neat thing about weddings nowadays. The bride and groom can incorporate what they want and don't necessarily have to do something just because it's "traditional". The point of the wedding is to celebrate the love between two people and not what is and isn't being served! I also put together 125

Dan and I have lived a faith-based model of ministry for most of our married life. What I mean by that is we have trusted God to provide what we need so that we can do the ministry He has given to us. For much of our lives that model has also meant that we live a fairly simple life. No fancy vacations, no newest gadget, no extravagant expenditures.  It has worked for us. We tithe, we pay our bills, we have food to eat, and we are able to bless others from time to time.  Then the wedding came along, and all the expenses that come with that. We were in a grocery store yesterday so I could price things out in order to make the appetizers and I felt that little knot start in the middle of my stomach again. As we were driving home I said to Dan that our expenses feel so out of control at the moment.  When I feel that panicky out-of-control feeling, I often start looking for ways to solve it in my own strength. I start thinking I need to fix this and begin to hastily think, "Should I re

Joshua 1:6-11 Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.  This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.” I've been awake since 3 a.m. and am struggling a bit this morning. I woke up with what fe