Hearts in Service

I overslept this morning and am moving slowly, but am allowing myself the space to do that. It was such a busy weekend and I kind of feel like I was run over by a truck. I hosted Emily's bridal shower and it turned out lovely. I certainly underestimated how much work goes into planning and implementing it and in just six short weeks we will be doing the same level of activity for her wedding. Here are just a few pictures of the day. The only negative was the lighting in the room was terrible so they all came out on the darker side. We had a fun activity where everyone had to paint a picture of Ryan from memory. It produced some hilarious results. On Mondays I generally look back over the previous week and reflect on the many blessings. 💓I'm thankful we got to shower Emily with love this weekend.  💓 I'm thankful for the beautiful weather we had this weekend. 💓 Nathan and Dan helped tremendously by lugging things back and forth from the house to the church. I am thankful f

It's been a busy couple of months and I'm trying to make sure I stay present so I can enjoy each moment. It's easy to race through my days with the sole goal of checking things off my to-do list, but I want to actually enjoy the process as well. My daughter's bridal shower is next Saturday and there has been lots to do to get ready for that. I'm getting very excited! I've also been practicing my cupcake decorating so friends and family have been my taste testers since I don't want to eat sweets. I've been busy crafting. Then there has been the normal every day things happening. Zoom meetings. Love these ladies from countries around the world as we serve the women in our denomination. Working on speaking engagements, church ministry and district ministry. Making meals. Cleaning the house and prepping herbs from my garden. Sitting through meetings with my son's care team that provide him with services that he needs. Getting out to exercise and enjoy na

I found myself reacting badly to a conversation this week and I thought, "What in the world is wrong with you, Terri?" I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so sensitive and prickly. I could feel the dysregulation in my spirit and I knew these conversations were triggering some deep-seated, multi-layered emotions that had nothing to do with what was actually being said.  But as I did some self-reflection and tried to figure out what was causing the internal turmoil, I realized what it was. It had nothing to do with the comments themselves which really weren't given in a mean-spirited way. The comments were creating a knee-jerk response within me based on my past experiences.  I was emotionally transported back to my growing up years where I never fit in, didn't feel like I belonged, was the last picked for every single sporting event and felt rejected by many of the adults in my life. As these conversations triggered some buried memories and emotions I found mys

I arrived home yesterday afternoon after being away all weekend. I had  a speaking engagement as well as hosting a district event for women and speaking there. Between all the driving, speaking, visiting and organizing, it caught up with me last night and I fell fast asleep at 7 p.m. and woke up at 5:15 this morning. I was tired! It was such a wonderful weekend and my heart was full as I saw His word encourage others. I'm thankful for the ministry opportunities that the Lord gives me. We are in a new month and the push is beginning for wedding preparations. I am hosting Emily's bridal shower, along with her maid-of-honor, on July 20th and then her wedding is August 31st.  While there are a lot of moving pieces, it's fun to prepare. I love event-planning and a wedding is event-planning on steroids!  Of course, I still have district and church things to focus on as well so I'm making a plan and working it. I'm also working ahead on many things as much as possible. One

Isaiah 43:19 ~  “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Chapters 38-55 of Isaiah record how King Hezekiah turned disastrously from the way of faith to the way of works. He has a personal health crisis and he receives a double promise from the Lord – a promise of healing and a promise of deliverance for his city. But having been healed and given a huge sign in confirmation, he turned from trusting the Lord’s promises to seeking deliverance from Assyria by making an alliance with Babylon. So Isaiah pronounces God’s judgment on Hezekiah and basically tells him that since he chose Babylon that is where he will go.  But was that the end? Were all the promises of a great coming David (the Messiah) to be forfeited by one wrong choice? No. There is an immediate message of comfort and the Lord’s answer to sin is the revelation of the coming “Servant of the Lord” which we know to be the M

Ephesians 1:1-11 (NLT) ~ This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God h