A Love Letter

-

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 ~

But you are our letter, and you are in our hearts for everyone to read and understand. You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God.

Dan preached on this passage yesterday and it describes our ten and a half years of ministry here.  Our people are written on our hearts.  Christ wrote the letter in each person in our congregation, but we carry that letter inside of us no matter where we go.


We will always look back with love on this group of people.  It hasn't always been easy.  There have been times of heartbreak and tears.  But much of our time here has been a time of sweetness and laughter and joy!



Today, I want to share a few photos of our 10 years.

 







 


Today, I'm thankful for blessings #1807- 1820

♫ Beautiful guitar playing.

♫ The gift of time with my grandmother.

♫ The generosity of others to bless us.

♫ A son who poured his heart out to us.

♫ A wonderful day of sales.

♫ Warm sweaters.

♫ Bright sunshine peeking through on a cloudy day

♫ Brilliant sunsets.

♫ Answered prayer.


♫ Good friends.

♫ A sewing machine that helps me make money.

♫ Chocolate chip and pumpkin muffins, warm from the oven.

♫ Big bear hugs.

and finally...

♫ A love letter, written on our hearts forever.

Comments

  1. Shelly MillerNovember 11, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    I'm also a pastor's wife, yes it is bittersweet leaving a flock you've poured into. May God bless the work of your hands as he charts a new course. Nice visiting through Ann's link up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriNovember 11, 2013 at 10:48 AM

      Thank you, Shelly! I'm glad you stopped by today. :-)

      Delete
  2. JodyNovember 11, 2013 at 9:25 AM

    Love this letter Terri. There is no other way to minister and love as Christ loves..no holding back but loving no matter what. But then when God moves us on it like trying to remove a tatoo. The people God gives us the privilege to love are tatooed on our hearts, a love that is beyond description. Continued prayers for you and your family as you ride the rollercoaster of love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriNovember 11, 2013 at 10:49 AM

      I love the image of a tatoo, Jody! Thank you for your prayers.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 11, 2013 at 10:03 AM

    Oh my gosh, Like I told you before I am glad that I am not one of those people in your congregation that has to say good-bye. I can tell by the pictures that they are a "family" who love each other very much. I personally think you and Dan are going to be hard to replace. (I bet I didn't make you feel any better, did I? Sorry).

    Love you,
    Debbi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriNovember 11, 2013 at 10:49 AM

      They do love each other, Debbi, even through the rocky times. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! :-)

      Delete
  4. Lisa M BuskeNovember 11, 2013 at 10:35 AM

    Terri,

    This is a beautiful love letter to your congregation. Both yours and Dan's heart to serve and the love you have for your church shines in this blog. Praying for your transition -

    I'm thankful to have met some of the very same people we are praying for. Happy packing - one box out of 6,000 complete.

    Lisa M Buske
    http://LisaMBuske.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriNovember 11, 2013 at 10:50 AM

      Thank you, Lisa! I'm so thankful too that we are going to a church that already has that "family" feel to it! Love you, friend!

      Delete
  5. UnknownNovember 11, 2013 at 12:24 PM

    Such a lovely list and beautiful pictures! I'm visiting from Ann's link-up. Blessings to you and yours today!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jennifer DouganNovember 11, 2013 at 9:58 PM

    Terri,

    Nice meeting you. I'm hopping over from Ann's link up and counting gifts with you. I smiled at the gift of your son opening up to you -- isn't that a treasure?! I read here too of changes in your ministry and of thanking God for those ten years in ministry there. May this transition go smoothly for you and for that church.

    A sister in ministry too,
    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriNovember 12, 2013 at 6:32 AM

      Hi Jennifer! It doesn't happen very often so yes, definitely a treasure! :-) Have a blessed day.

      Delete
  7. TerriNovember 12, 2013 at 6:31 AM

    Thank you for visiting, Meghan. I hope you have a blessed day!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments and encouragement! I can't always respond back but do read each comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Oh What to Do; I'm Sixty-Two!

-
Image
Today is my sixty-second birthday and it's hard to believe I've achieved that....um....seasoned age! My first thought this morning was one of not being sure that I like it. However,  as I thought I about it, I decided to take joy in the fact that I've reached an older age. Because age comes with benefits. Benefit #1 - I'm a bit wiser.   When I look back at some of the decisions I made when I was younger, I cringe. With age has come the ability to slow down and think things through before I make major upheavals in my life. I've also discovered that getting worked up about certain things is just an absolute waste of emotional energy. Benefit #2 - I'm enjoying my life.   As I've aged I've learned all kinds of skills and hobbies and can honestly say that I'm never, ever bored. I love all the different things I'm able to do and it's fun! Benefit #3 - I've learned to appreciate my relationships. With age I've learned to work on developing a...
Read more

Eating to Live

-
Image
  Despite the unexpected busyness and interruptions, I have been plugging away at my weight loss as well as writing the plant-based, whole food cookbook. Recipe testing fell by the wayside the past two weeks, but I've still gotten a good chunk of the book done. I also got on the scale this morning for another one pound loss which makes a total of 61 lbs. since I started this journey back in July. It's second nature at this point and I have so much more energy and feel healthy. The only negative is that because I've lost so much weight I'm seeing some sagging, crepe-papery skin happening. Yuck. Some of that is age and I need to figure out some toning exercises. It's definitely a life-style change, but a positive one which I'm so thankful I started on. The pictures above are a small selection of meals I've eaten the past two months and many of those will be included in the book.  This will be a printable e-book as I find that will be the easiest and most cost ...
Read more

When the Unexpected Pops Up

-
Image
On Thursday afternoon, just as Dan and I were getting ready to leave for a meeting, we received a phone call from our son. He was sitting on the side of the road with a blown engine in his car. The problem is he lives 3 1/2 hours away. After back and forth phone calls he called a tow truck and got it towed to a garage. He ended up renting a car and headed here for the holiday. We've been working with him to figure out his next steps because he still owes thousands of dollars on the car which will also take a significant amount to replace the engine. His rent is going up in the new year. His seasonal job ended and he is trying to find something else, but needs a car for that to happen. His car still has not been looked at by the mechanic. It is all more than a little overwhelming. Long story short, we extended an invitation for him to live here temporarily so he can get out from under all of this. It would save him money on expensive rent and utilities.  The timing was right since h...
Read more