Hearts in Service

Good news Bad news Stressful news Hopeful news A turn of events this past week that have caused my emotions to take roller coaster soars and dips. A pounding headache and perpetual knot in my stomach show that I've dipped more than soared. One thing I do know is that God is in control. God has a plan for me and my family. He will work all things according to His purposes. So, I can either choose to rant and rave and wail my way through life or I can hang on tight to His promises and see where He is taking me. While I may not necessarily be ranting and raving and wailing, unfortunately I do quite a bit of whimpering and moaning! :-) However, I do trust God. I know that I will follow wherever He leads. I'm learning to follow immediately though and not meander through my own paths. We made the decision this week to move to our church's parsonage. This decision was primarily a financial one. We are struggling here. The church has only been able to pick up half of Dan...

Even though it's only in the 20s & 30s the past few days, we've been enjoying the sunshine. Looking forward to Spring!

I am beginning to look forward to this time each Monday when I can list all the many ways the Lord has blessed me during the week. It's been a great exercise looking for things to be thankful for each week, no matter if they are small or large. This week I'm thankful for Blessings #201-210 ♥ New glasses. ♥ Children leading family devotions. ♥ A beautiful moon to light up the sky. ♥ An afternoon playing soccer on the snow. ♥ Friends who helped solve a burden that has been weighing on me. ♥ Teens who love games. ♥ An athletic daughter. ♥ A decision that has brought tremendous peace to my husband. ♥ Enjoyable past-times that are free. and finally... ♥ A sign of the coming Spring.

Everywhere I've looked lately I see pink, white and red. The colors of love! Pink Valentine cards... Red & white stones make up a Valentine centerpiece... Red table settings... Red & pink sunrise... Pink & white flowers...

Community I love our church family. I've never experienced such a sense of community in all of my years of attending church. They are passionate about reaching out. They love God. They love each other. They love us. They are not perfect. They make mistakes. They are believers working their way through life and trying to live for God. They forgive each other. They don't put demands on us. They are willing to try new things. We have such an interesting mix in our church. From older... To younger... Yet there is not a lot of age segregation in our congregation. Perhaps it's because we are a smaller church and don't have a lot of resources. However, it has evolved into something that I think is much the way church should be. We have a nursery for the youngest children, but they are not required to be there. Children church is offered up to age ten for those children who desire it. Most of our children sit in the service. They listen to Dan. They usually draw...

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, but it definitely has to be the creamy, New York style cheesecake. Stephen requested this for his birthday and this recipe has worked for me every time. Graham Cracker Crust 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 3 Tbsp. sugar 3 Tbsp. butter, melted Combine crumbs, sugar and butter; press onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Cheesecake 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened (I take it out of the fridge about an hour or two before I need it) 3/4 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla; our over crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until set. Loosen cake from rim of pan after it cools completely . Waiting until it cools will prevent your cheesecake from cracking. Chill. Top w...

Eighteen years ago I looked down into the little face of my middle child and fell instantly in love. Stephen turns 18 today and has added so much joy to this family. He is smart, kind, and easy going. He has a great sense of humor and makes us laugh all the time. He is generous, sensitive, and feels things deeply. He loves the outdoors, computers, and anything to do with science. He loves to write creatively and would like to write a book someday. I love him with all my heart and his father and I are so proud of the young man he has become. Happy Birthday, Stephen!

We had another snow day on Tuesday and it seemed like a good day for beef stew and dumplings. I thought I'd share the recipe I used since it was delicious. Beef Stew Ingredients * 2 pounds stew beef * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 2 cups water * 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce * 2 cloves garlic, peeled * 1 bay leav * 1 medium onion, sliced * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 tsp. thyme * 1/2 teaspoon pepper * 1/2 teaspoon paprika * 3 large carrots, sliced * 6 medium potatoes, cubed * 3 ribs celery, chopped * 1 cup frozen peas * 2 tablespoons cornstarch Directions Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots, potatoes and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mi...

I realized this year that one of the reasons I didn't do such a great job sticking with my goals in 2010 was because I never did a monthly review. So I wanted to look back over January and see how I did so far. Spiritual Goals ♥ Have consistent quiet time with the Lord ♥ Read through the Bible ♥ Write devotionals for my family for our Advent Jesse Tree next Christmas. I want to write something for older children/teens as the one I have is for younger children. Well, after a rocky start I've been doing much better with the top one. What has helped is to keep the computer off until after I'm done. I haven't even touched the other two yet. Marriage Relationship Goals ♥ Spend one evening a week on a date with dh (right now it's been Thursday nights) ♥ Ask dh each day what I can do to help him out. ♥ Make a point of telling dh each day of something that I appreciate about him. I want to do a better job of pointing out what he does right, rather than wha...

I've been dealing with bad attitudes around here lately. Anger, frustration, raised voices, snippy responses, depression, irritation. These attitudes are coming out of me! I'd like to blame it on the long winter or pms or a host of other things. However, the reality is that we make a choice every day. We choose to either use kind or unkind words. We choose to be satisfied or dissatisfied. We choose to let our sinful natures rule or not! We know what to do, but don't always make the decision to change. I'm finding that my attitude rubs off on others. My dissatisfaction causes my husband to feel dissatisfied with circumstances in turn. My angry response elicits angry responses in my children and husband. My irritation is infectious. I hear irritation in the kid's voices as they talk to one another. As I start to get angry in response, I am reminded that they hear this in my voice almost every day. Then starts the cycle of feeling depressed and defeated. ...