Hearts in Service

I've been on a roller-coaster ride since around April and really haven't devoted much time to this blog.  There are days when I start to write something but then I look at everything I need to do and feel my writing inspiration dissipating.  Then I'm not even sure if many are reading any more so I think, "What's the point?"  But I started this blog as a sort of journal for my family so they would have something to look back on and then I realize it doesn't matter if anyone reads or not. Emily's prom was last weekend and initially, we had found a dress that was marked down from $118 to $12 which was a wonderful deal.  However, after 5 months of sitting in the closet, she tried it on again and it didn't fit properly.  She actually ended up giving it to a friend and it fit as if it were made for her.  So we had to go and purchase a new dress and of course, paid full price for it. So I wanted to try and be frugal with the rest of the p...

This beauty turns 17 years old today.  It's hard to believe that my baby is almost an adult.  She is a joy to both Dan and I.  Thoughtful, passionate, merciful, fun-loving, artistic, and compassionate are just a few words that describe her personality. I'm so thankful that God gave me a daughter!  She is exasperatingly like me at times but I understand where she is coming from. :-)  She and I are going on a missions trip together in 6 weeks and I'm looking forward to serving alongside my girl. It's a low key birthday today but we are headed to the movies soon and then back here for a barbecue.  It's a good day with our family. I love her with all my heart.  Happy Birthday, Emily!  

Psalm 19:1-4 ~ “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

I have been surrounded by beauty all week and I had to share.  It's been such an inspiring week. Beauty in gorgeous flowers. Beauty in a multitude of daily visitors.  Beauty in a young man who treats his date with respect. Beauty in a father who has taught his daughter how boys need to treat her by his own example. Beauty in gifts.  Beauty in God's magnificent creation. I'm in Colorado Springs for the week for our Great Commission Women's national leadership team meetings and I'm so enjoying the beauty outside my hotel room.  I am thankful.

A few of my favorite things on this beautiful Thursday. Flowers from my husband in my favorite color. Bowls of piping hot soup. Mornings on my deck. Fresh from the oven, baked goods. An upbeat start to my day. Have a great day! Psalm 118:24 (HCSB) ~ This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Last week I started sharing from a recent talk I gave about being in the midst of the storm.  We are looking at Psalm 27 and find that there are four things we can learn from this Psalm. 1. We are to have Courage in the storm. 2. We have a Shelter in the midst of the storm. 3. We are to Pray in the storm. 4. We are to Remind ourselves of God's goodness during the storm. Today I want to look at the second point.  We have a shelter in the midst of the storm. Psalm 27:4-6 (HCSB) ~ I have asked one thing from the Lord ; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple. For He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock. Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord . God is our s...

http://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Dads-Guide-Legacy/dp/1530470463/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463483301&sr=8-1&keywords=a+faithful+dad Dan & I met Travis Zimmerman at Teen Chill this past February.  He was the speaker for this weekend retreat for teenagers and we hit it off with him right away.  In fact, it was humorous to see how much Dan and he were alike in their views and mannerisms.  The thing that I appreciated about Travis was that he has a passion for God's word and yet presented it in a away that the teens could understand.  He didn't just speak on pop culture and fluff, but yet, captivated their attention.  He was inspiring not just to the teenagers that attended but to the adults as well. Travis is the head of A Faithful Dad (formerly Speak My Word Ministries) and has just released his first book, A Faithful Dad's Guide to Legacy.  You can find it on Amazon by clicking on the link here or on the link under the picture above....

This past week was so busy and it seemed as if I didn't even have time to catch my breath.  Appointments almost every day and out almost every night made it difficult to spend much time thinking about anything. However, as I look back over the week, I have much to be thankful about.  I get frustrated with myself at times because I feel I spend so much time focusing on the problem or a task and really don't enjoy each moment.  It's only when I sit down here and reflect back that I start to see God working.  Perhaps that is just the way life is but I don't want to get so busy that I don't take the time to acknowledge the gifts that I receive from the Lord. This week I'm thankful for blessings #2718 - 2730. 2718.  A difficult, but good heart to heart with a family member. 2719.  Discovering my birth certificate was missing my parent's names and I need it to get a passport.  But the bureaucratic wheels turned quickly and I was able to ge...

I've come to some realizations about my life lately and even though I know these things, they just struck home once again.  I thought I'd share them with you today. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to recreate a moment with you children.  So enjoy it as it happens.  Be present and live in the moment. It's so easy to start taking your spouse for granted and slip into bad patterns of communication and responding.  Stay intentional in your relationships. One bad choice can quickly turn into two, then five and then a lifestyle.  Be wise in choosing. Learn to laugh at yourself.  It helps to not take yourself too seriously. Be thankful for everything in your life.  A thankful life makes for a joyful spirit. Forgive much.  We have been forgiven so much so how can we not forgive others? Joy is a choice.  I can choose to be grouchy or I can choose to be joyful, no matter what the...

I spoke at a church in Keeseville, NY this past weekend at a ladies luncheon and it was such a wonderful time.  I thought over the next few Wednesdays I would share parts of the different points that I shared with the ladies. I walked them through Psalm 27 and being in the midst of a storm.  From this Psalm we learn that we are to have courage in life's storms, God provides shelter in life's storms, that we are to pray in life's storms and remind ourselves of God's goodness during life's storms. Today we will look at having courage in life's storms. Psalm 27:1-3 (HCSB) ~ The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom should I be afraid?   When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.   Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid; though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident. It so difficult to be courageous ...

One year a mother phoebe bird came along, painstakingly built a nest on our porch and then laid four eggs in it.  She would go back and forth each day and was constantly fussing about her nest and would spend a good portion of the day sitting on the eggs.  Then one morning, I looked under the nest and found a broken egg.  Yet, when I took this picture there were still four eggs on the nest, but one was speckled.  What in the world was going on? As it turns out, a cowbird came along and knocked one of her eggs out of the nest and laid its own.  Cowbirds are notorious for this.  They will find a nest of eggs, knock one out and after laying an egg will abandon its egg for another bird to hatch.  Not the best example of motherhood, is it? So many times in life, parents do the same thing.  They look to the church or school to do the job that they should be doing themselves.  If a child misbehaves or gets in trouble in school, t...

My heart is overflowing with thankfulness to the Lord this morning.  I often feel like this. There is no way to repay the Lord for all the many things He has done for me except to keep doing the work He has given me to do. I'm so grateful to Him! Psalm 116:12-14 (HCSB) ~ How can I repay the Lord ... for all the good He has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. As I barreled down highways through the Adirondack Mountains this weekend on my way to two different speaking engagements, I was able to spend concentrated time in prayer and praise.  I was reminded once again of how blessed I am.  As I listened to women share their hurts with me, I realized the wonderful privilege I have of being in ministry.  I don't have it altogether.  I mess up and make mistakes.  But I also have a heart to serve the Lord and I'm willing to be v...

As a child I loved to spin around in circles as fast as I could.  I remember giggling with delight as I got dizzier and dizzier and would fall to the ground.  As a 54-year-old woman if I try to turn around in a circle I end up with vertigo that lasts for a quite a while! I have neglected this blog for over a week and that is mostly because I feel like a spinning top.  But as I told my husband this morning, I feel exhilarated with the activity because much of it is ministry and I'm doing what I was called to do. We visited one of the colleges Emily wants to go to at the beginning of the week with an end of the week visit to my in-laws.  We were going to celebrate Nathan's 25th birthday (a quarter of a century - wow!) but he ended up with what we thought was just a 24 hour stomach bug.  However a few days later we ended up in the emergency room with him and it turns out it's gastroenteritis.  He's on the mend but still not able to eat much witho...