Hearts in Service

This past weekend three hundred and seven ladies descended upon the Holiday Inn in Auburn, N.Y. for our annual Spring Refresh retreat.  It is always an uplifting time of getting together with friends and being encouraged. However, this year it seemed even sweeter.  I'm not sure what it was but it was definitely an enjoyable weekend.  The speaker, Lisa Meiner from Deeper Still Ministries was wonderful and I enjoyed getting to know her and her agent throughout the weekend.  There were nine of us from our church who went and even though I didn't get to spend much time with them since I am on the leadership team who planned the retreat, I did get to fellowship here or there.  I roomed with two of the ladies so we had great conversations in the room. It generally takes me a couple of days to recuperate just because I never get enough sleep but it's a good kind of tired. :-)  Our theme this year has been GPS - God's Positioning System: Placed for

This was from a few years ago, but still good encouragement for today! Psalm 27:14 ~ "Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord." I hate waiting! I remember as a little kid sneaking in my mother's closet to look at my Christmas presents because I couldn't wait until Christmas. Of course, immediately after I looked I felt bad because I ruined the surprise. Recently, I have been praying about a situation in my life and how I wanted it to change. Yet, I distinctly heard the Lord say, "Wait." It was not the answer I wanted! I certainly don't feel strong or stout or enduring when I have to wait in the midst of less than ideal circumstances. I love this verse in the Amplified version of the Bible. When we wait on the Lord we are not just hoping that He will come through but we are expecting it! That is the reason we can be strong.

I remember when my children were babies and I would nurse them and rock them to sleep.  I would breathe in that wonderful baby smell and hum as I rocked back and forth.  Those were some of the most precious moments to me.  My children were safe in my arms and all was well with the world. But babies don't stay little forever.  They grow and develop and eventually become young adults.  I no longer can keep them safe, nor protect them from a harsh world.  In fact, I have no control over anything they do.  I can only trust that I raised them right and they will make wise choices.  There are times when I feel like I'm on a long, broken road and every obstacle causes me so much anxiety.  Yet, as I look back along that broken road, I can see exactly how each obstacle was used by the Lord to make us stronger.  As we trusted God, we grew in our faith and we grew closer as a family. I believe the Lord has a purpose for each of my children.  They are unique and have uni

Hebrews 12:1-12 ~  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.   Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.   Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.   After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,  “My child, don’t make light of the Lord ’s discipline,      and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves,      and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you en

John Piper ~ "Thanksgiving with the Mouth Stirs Up Thankfulness in the Heart" As I read this quote this morning, I felt a resounding, "Ouch."  How many times do I walk around complaining and whining about my circumstances?  How often do I look at the negative, instead of the blessing?  How many times will I stomp on the gifts that God gives me because I refuse to be thankful? I want to be thankful and eventually I do get there, but I truly wish I would learn to have an overflowing heart of thankfulness right from the start.  That is only going to happen if I continue to thank God with my mouth.  If I complain; I feel discontent.  If I talk about the negative, then I feel negative.  This is probably going to be a life long lesson for me, but one I want to excel in. This week I'm thankful for blessings #2691 - 2705. 2691.  My first meeting in my role of GCW Director went well. 2692.  Emily is better after being home sick from school all week.

I have been at a loss for inspiration lately, it seems.  I get up and sit down to write my blog as usual, and it feels as if there is nothing to say.  I haven't been taking pictures which usually inspires me.  In fact, I haven't been doing much of anything in the creative realm.  And lack of creativity is not a good sign. I'm not sure why this is.  Perhaps, it's the dreary, wet weather.  Perhaps, it's the lack of fresh air.  This weekend is supposed to be beautiful so I'm thinking that I need to plan some sort of outing.  As I was tossing and turning at 3 a.m., I felt as if I'm in a creative slump I also realized that the one thing that kept me out and about in the community was my business.  It was a way to meet new people, make connections and feel energized.  So I'm going to have to find some way to keep that part of myself which is the way I am wired.  Just sitting at home is not great for my mood or energy-level.  And when I'm not out and

Did you ever hear the adage, "Don't bite off more than you can chew?"  That's kind of how I feel this week.  However, when I look at the task I have before me in my new ministry role, even though it may feel as if I bit off too much, I'm realizing that I can do this through the strength that Christ gives me. I have a mouthful and my cheeks are full, but I if I organize myself and take it one chew at a time, I can do this.  I had my first meeting the other day to plan for an upcoming leadership retreat in June.  It was such a great meeting and I'm looking forward to working with these ladies over the next few years. God has certainly put a lot on my plate, but I enjoy being active so I'm rolling up my sleeves and plunging in.  The only thing that is frustrating me is that I can only do so much physical activity for the moment because of my knee.  I'm thinking I may need to schedule my surgery earlier than July if it keeps hurting the way it has b

I spent the weekend with my daughter.  Back in December, I purchased tickets for Christmas for Emily to an upcoming musical, Phantom of the Opera, and Saturday was the day of the performance.  It's Emily's favorite musical and we both enjoyed it so much.  Afterwards, she and I headed to dinner and then to the mall to try and find a prom dress.  I mentioned before that we found a dress back in November for only $12, which was a bargain because it was marked down from $118!  However, months later, after trying it on again, we decided it didn't fit the way it had initially and just wasn't going to be suitable.  I knew that may happen which is why I didn't mind spending $12. We didn't find anything Saturday evening so after church yesterday, headed to a different mall with a friend of Emily's and at the second store, found the perfect dress.  She looks beautiful! More importantly, I spent time connecting with my child.  I'm realizing that there is n

1 Peter 5:12-14 ~ "I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet each other with Christian love. Peace be with all of you who are in Christ." In his final remarks, Peter is reminding his readers once again that God is with them in the midst of their suffering and that they need to stand firm. I'm sure they began to doubt as we all do when we go through hard times. Perhaps, they were starting to wonder if they had made the right choice in following Christ. Peter reminds them that God chose them and is with them in the midst of this suffering. We too, need to be reminded of that from time to time. We can fixate on the probl

I'm a fairly demonstrative person.  There is no guessing how I feel about someone and I've been told that I wear my emotions on my face, even when I'm trying to keep them inside! ;-)  I tell people regularly that I love them.  I hug them.  I crave relationship.  I feel hurt when I tell someone I love them, but don't get a response in return.  I long for deep relationships. I do understand that many people have a hard time expressing how they feel.  They just can't get the words out.  Obviously, not everyone is as wordy as I am!  And I try to understand that when I'm around people who don't express what they feel, that lack of saying it doesn't mean they don't feel it. My husband comes from a family who do feel things very deeply, but just don't express it.  My family does say, "I love you" regularly but we aren't always good at staying in touch with each other.  I've seen my sister, who is also in ministry, twice since we

Clara Cannucciari, Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression ~ “My stove is old. My wallpaper is old. It's the same wallpaper from when I moved here and I never changed it. Why would I change it? I just keep it clean. If you take better care of things, you can hold onto them longer. That's how I still run things. If it works, I keep it. If it doesn't, I see if I can use it for something else. If I can't, and I usually can, I toss it.”     Dan and I were blessed to be mentored for ten years by a gentleman who lived by the adage, Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.  Because of that, we've never really had an issue with having to purchase new things all of the time.  We tend to be content with what we have until it no longer works.  If it can't be repaired or used for something else only then does it get tossed. We live in a day and age when people are constantly buying new things.  We get daily emails