Hearts in Service

I spoke with my sister, Tracy, the other day and it was wonderful to talk to her.  It had been a few months and even though she only lives about 3 hours away, I haven't seen her in over a year and a half.  We are both in full-time ministry and it just seems like our schedules never match up.  Her husband is a pastor and the director of a Christian bible and retreat center and they are starting a little gift shop and she asked if I could send her some of my items for the shop.  They only have guests a few months out of the year so I'm not going to be doing huge sales there but I was excited about putting some of my books, soaps and craft items there.  The problem is she really wanted some for this weekend because they have a group coming in as well as two other retreats this month. So yesterday, I made the decision to leave today on an impromptu trip to visit her and bring the items myself.  This way I can bring everything since it...

I Corinthians 9:24-27 (HCSB) ~ Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.   Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.    Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air.  Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified . I had such a fitful night of sleep because my shoulder has been bothering me.  When Dan woke me at 5:45, I had to fight my natural tendency to go back to sleep.  I didn't want to get up.  I felt terrible but I had promised my neighbor that I would walk with her.  It would have been easy to send her a text and cancel, but I forced myself to get up and get moving.  And you know what?  I'm glad I...

I spent a wonderful couple of days away with 288 ladies.  We laughed.  We cried.  We talked.  We prayed together.  I love these mountain top times when I can get renewed and refocused.  It's always a little hard to come off that mountain and back to life in the valley. Down here in the valley there is a house to clean, bills to pay, business to conduct.  Down in the valley, I came home to a husband sick with the stomach virus and the fear of getting sick myself.  The valley means that life goes on as normal. And that's okay.  We can't stay up on that mountain.  God didn't intend our lives to be one high experience all the time.  We need those times of rest and refreshment to keep us going in the mundane of life.  I'm thankful for those times I can get away.  But if I spend my time wishing I was back up on the mountain, I can miss some of the blessings that I receive down here in the valley of my life.  An...

 Luke 10:38-42 (CEV) ~ The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!" The Lord answered, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her." I've been over-the-top busy the past few days.  I'm getting ready for a retreat this weekend but also leave for North Carolina for two weeks on May 4th.  So I'm trying to get orders filled, prepare a few things for the retreat, get the house in order and wrap up paper work.  To be honest, I've been s...

I need encouragement.  You need encouragement.  And while people often fail us on a daily basis, God provides the encouragement we need.  Sometimes that is through another person and either a kind word or deed.  Sometimes it is by providing an answer to our prayers.  And many times it's by blessing us in a multitude of ways each day. But we need to keep our eyes open if we are going to see those blessings.  We often walk through our day without noticing the little ways God is encouraging us.  We feel as if we are under a cloud and that everything is going wrong. Sometimes, we can feel like God doesn't care about us and our problems. Yet, if we would just be aware and alert, those little encouragements become very noticeable.  And in fact, we will begin to see more and more blessings.  We will come to understand that the Lord is very active in our lives.     Keep alert.  Open your eyes.  Look for those blessi...

Psalm 100 (HCSB) ~ Shout triumphantly to the Lord , all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.   Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His - His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.

I have been hunched over my sewing machine for the past three weeks, filling orders.  Some days it feels like I only look up to make another batch of soap or to cook a meal for my family.  My routine has been the same each day.  Get up, quiet time, shower, clean the bathrooms, throw in a load of laundry, run the vacuum or some other chore and then back to work.   I've been diligent about it because I need to focus on some last minute things for an upcoming retreat and want to devote the next week to getting ready for that.     Yesterday it hit 70 degrees here and was beautiful.  Dan suggested that I go with him early to pick up Emily from school and stop by the lake first.  I'm so glad I took his advice.  And we ended up enjoying ourselves for a much longer time because Emily called and asked if she could go to a friend's house.     We walked and we talked.  We sat and enjoyed the warm breeze a...

I've been able to get outside and start cleaning up my flower beds the past few days.  It felt so good to be in warm sunshine and smell the earth and newly growing things.  While I was there I started planning in my head what I want to do with my garden this year. If you've read this blog for any length of time you know 1. I hate weeding.  2.  I'm bad at consistent watering.  3. I'm always distracted with 1,000 other things and 4.  I LOVE the end result.  lol    This year, I'm determined to stay focused on making the garden better!  My desire is to get out there and weed a bit every day so I'm not spending hours and hours trying to play catch-up.  We shall see how it all works out. I was so pleased to see my parsley, thyme, and sage springing back this year.  Lemon balm is in abundance each year, as is the dill which reseeds and grows in the main garden.  So I just want...

Colossians 4:12-14 ~ "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." A number of years ago a friend of mine lost her husband, son and father-in-law in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.  This young man had been drinking and was speeding when he hit her husband's car head on.  This man survived.  Her family did not.  I was amazed at her ability to work through her emotions and forgive this young man.  She wrote to him in prison.  Visited him and eventually led him to the Lord.  She was an amazing woman with a huge desire to forgive others. These verses in Colossians reinforce the fact that we are to bear with each other and forgive each other. Th...

"Thank you, Lord, for waking me up this morning and allowing me to have breath."   This was often the beginning of the prayers of the people of the little African-American church we attended for years when we ministered in the inner city.  It was a concept I had never thought of before.  My very breath is a gift from God. The fact that I can draw oxygen into my lungs is something I take for granted every day.  Each day of my life there are a multitude of little blessings that happen.  Most pass by without a thought or any acknowledgement from me at all.  My very life is a gift. No matter how much I give thanks here each week or publically acknowledge my "list" of blessings, there are so many things I'm ungrateful for.  I still find myself grumbling and complaining.  I still see the glass half empty more often than not.  I still get absolutely overwhelmed, stressed and sad about the struggles I face.  I've been going...

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) ~ Trust in the Lord with all your heart      and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,      and he will make your paths straight. Creaking and groaning sounds were what I heard most of the night.  The wind gusts were strong here last night, and our little modular home's roof sounded like it might lift off at any moment.  It is not a comforting sound.  Creaking and groaning is what my spirit does many nights as well.  I toss and turn, wrestling with my thoughts.  Praying and asking the Lord to help me trust Him.  It often feels as if I will crumble and blow away just like a roof in strong winds. I try to move forward each day, trusting Him with each step.  It's not always easy.  I wish everything in my life would just move along at an easy pace.  I hate the strong winds of anxieties and worries.  I really dislike those gusts ...

I've realized lately that this blog has changed some since I first started it in 2007.  Back then it was a journal of homeschooling, family life, church events, and basically, my life in general.  When I started blogging here my children were 8, 14 and 15.  But things change.  Children grow up and develop their own lives.  Circumstances change.  I change. Now, it seems to have settled into more of a place to share Biblical encouragement with other woman, as well as still being a chronicle of my days.  And that's okay because that's the way life is, isn't it?  Change happens.  And it's not necessarily bad.  Just different.   Instead of homeschooling or going on family outings or coming up with wonderful new celebrations and dishes for my family, my days are different.  I am no longer responsible for every single event in the life of the church either.  So while at times, I think, "Wow! My life and this...

Sometimes God's word is enough so I'll let His words and my pictures speak for themselves today. Psalm 19:1-6 (HCSB) ~ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.     In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a groom coming from the bridal chamber; it rejoices like an athlete running a course.   It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.     The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

Proverbs 21:23 (HCSB) ~   The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.   I don't know about you, but I regularly find myself in trouble with this one.  Usually, it's in the heat of the moment and I let the words fly without stopping to think what I'm saying.  I'm not talking about anger, but general carelessness in my speech.   I'm fairly transparent and trusting and it's easy for me to think everyone is my best friend.  So I have to work hard at realizing that not everyone has my best interest at heart nor should everyone be so easily trusted with my innermost thoughts.  I'm genuinely shocked and hurt when people take what I've shared and turn it around on me.  It's hard for me to imagine that another believer could be so unkind.  And I also have to constantly check my own motives in sharing something.  What is the purpose?  To be beneficial or to just say my piece?   So this mornin...

I have so much to be thankful for this morning.  It was a wonderful Easter weekend and despite the fact that two of my children were missing yesterday, I still enjoyed the day. We had a friend and her daughter over since they were going to be alone too and had a delicious meal and good conversation. My heart is full of praise when I reflect on what Jesus did for me.  My response should always be thankfulness as I remember this.  I realize though that many times I live my life and I'm grumpy, callous, indifferent and depressed.  And that's a shame.  Because that means I'm taking this wonderful gift for granted. Lord, help me to be overflowing with thankfulness!   This week I'm thankful for  these few, simple blessings - #2386-2390. 2386.  Blooming crocuses. 2387.  A meaningful Good Friday Service.   2388. Signs of spring. 2389.  Muffins, hot from the oven. And finally... 2390. These beautiful fac...