Hearts in Service

Mark 4:36-41 (HCSB) ~ On that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?” He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” I am always amazed at how many times the disciples lacked faith. They were with Jesus on a daily basis. They experienced his miracles and teachings first hand and yet, every time some new crisis arose they...

T here are so many times when I wish my children were little again so I could protect them from the big, scary world out there.  I remember fussing about something Nathan was doing when he was around two years old and an older women in my church told me, "Honey, these are called lap problems."  "You pull them onto your lap and the problem is solved!" She was so right. Now that I have adult children it's so much harder because their problems are bigger and I can't control anything. I can't make them do what I want. I can't make them choose what I think is best for them. I can't do anything. Except pray. And ask God to speak to their hearts.   I am finding that having adult children is increasing my prayer life. I really have great kids and they generally make pretty smart choices. But I get anxious for their future. As my daughter begins to date, I want her to make the best decision of who to choose. As Stephen looks for work, I want him to...

Good Monday morning!  I have actually always loved Mondays because it's a brand new start to my work week and a new slate.  For a number of years, I've done Multitude Mondays here on the blog and it was also the time that I listed all the many blessings I had seen in my life over the previous week. Since doing the weekly goal setting post, I haven't been doing my Multitude Monday posts, but it was such a good week and today I'm going to combine them. This week I'm thankful for blessings, 3,201 - 3,210.  3201. Enjoying the final week of having all three of my children under the same roof for a while. 3202. A productive week. 3203. Dinner out with my family for my birthday. 3204. A wonderful, inspiring conference on Saturday. 3205. A gorgeous sunrise that we got to see as we drove. 3206. A very uplifting time of worship yesterday. 3207. Safety as we traveled to take Emily back to college and then home again. 3...

I haven't sewn in a  couple of months so it was nice to get back behind my sewing machine again this week. It's so weird how well my Etsy shop has done the past couple of months. I've been getting a couple of orders a week compared to a couple of orders every few months.  Woot!  Anyway, I really need to replenish the shop so I'm happy I got something done this week. I made teapot cozies. And teabag totes.  These little totes have always done well in my shop and at craft fairs. They make great hostess gifts, as well as party favors and stocking stuffers.   There is something so satisfying about finishing a sewing project and then having someone like it enough to purchase it.  It's one of the fun outlets I have in my life so I'm glad I decided to keep going with it.  I know I've been a yo-yo the past year or two with my sewing business but it does bring me joy! I haven't done a Sew Crafty Friday in such a long time....

Today is my birthday and I turn 56 years old. I thought a fun way to celebrate would be to list 56 fun facts about myself so you can get to know me a little better. Some you may already know and others may be new. 1.   I played saxophone for 8 years (alto, tenor and baritone) 2.   I played soccer, softball, and volleyball in high school and pretty much, stunk at all three. lol 3.   I was a cheerleader in high school. 4.   I was born in NJ 5.   I grew up in the Catskill Mountains in NY. 6.   I've worn glasses since I was 10 years old and my eyes are pretty bad. 7.   My favorite candy is skittles. 8.   My favorite ice cream flavor is black raspberry. 9.   I went cliff climbing in college and fell. 10. I've been to England, Spain, France, Scotland and the Bahamas. 11. I am afraid of heights. 12. I am afraid of big dogs. 13. I am afraid of spiders. 14. I love to swim. 15. I love hiking. 16. I came in third pla...

Dan and I went out to breakfast yesterday morning and stopped by the lake to see what the ice situation was.  It was nice to be outside in the fresh air and warmer temperatures. I find it funny that I think 35 degrees is warm, but after the past few weeks it felt positively balmy. The ice jams were impressive and beautiful in their own way. I love this lake and it's ever-changing look. Sometimes, it's wild and the waves look like the ocean. Other times, there are beautiful clouds over it.  Yesterday, it was flat and calm and the skies were gray.  It's kind of like my life. I'm learning as I get older to realize that there are different seasons I will go through and not to react based on the moment. The sun will come out, the skies will clear and there will be times of bright sunshine. At other times, there will be stormy skies and huge waves. Other times there will be nothing but gray and dreariness. But it will always cycle around again....

I set my sights high last week and while I accomplished quite a bit, there are still items on my list from last week. So I'm carrying it forward into this week. I also bought myself a weekly calendar and planner for the year so I can write in my appointments and things that need to get accomplished. This way I have it with me. Goals for the week of January 22-28, 2018: S piritual/Personal Development 1. Personal Bible reading and prayer at least 5 out of the 7 days. (only did 4 last week) 2. Continue to read required reading book for consecration. (This would go faster if I read some during the day instead of waiting before bedtime.  I keep falling asleep! lol Reading: All for Jesus by Robert L. Niklaus, John S. Sawin and Samuel J. Stoez Husband/Marriage 1. Go on a date with Dan (happening this morning for breakfast) 2. Find a way to bless him this week.  I think the biggest way I can do this is by speaking words of encouragement and not criti...

I haven't done a Frugal Friday post in a very long time and thought I'd talk about leftovers today. One of the best things you can do to save money in the kitchen is to make use of your leftovers. But that can be a problem because not everyone likes them.  One of the things I like to do is to turn my leftovers into a different meal in order to make them more palatable to a few of my family members who aren't a fan of them.  It doesn't always work with everything I make, but every now and then I come up with a great idea to make a new dish. I made a black bean stew the other night over rice and there was about 3 cups leftover.  I have a carnivore who tolerates my vegetarian dishes but he craves meat.  So tonight I took some ground beef and browned it in a cast iron skillet.  I added the leftover black bean mixture which already had diced onion, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro in it.  I added some more seasoning, as well as frozen corn I had in...

We went to visit an older couple in our church yesterday afternoon who live right on Lake Ontario. I was able to take some pictures of the lake and it was beautiful.  As we were visiting we heard a huge bang and they told us that was the ice chunks hitting together.  Amazing! Sometimes, I think I'm a wimp that can't handle the winter but they did tell us yesterday that this is one of the worst winters they ever remember having here so that made me feel a bit better. I've really been battling my emotions this winter. I don't let it keep me down, but I do struggle each day with vague feelings of anxiety and melancholy. Some of it I'm sure is the fact that I've entered into menopause. Some of it is all of the sudden having an adult son at home who is dealing with the uncertainty of his future. Some of it is having my youngest out of the home and becoming very independent, very quickly. And some of it is that there has been very little sunshine in ...

P salm 119:145-148~ I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord, and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. I’m easily distracted.   I will settle down to read my Bible and study or focus on something and all it takes is someone walking into the room for me to lose concentration.   Even a small noise will cause me to lose my focus.   I have often found that the best times for me to concentrate are in the early hours of the morning when everyone is asleep.   In this Psalm, David is praying before the dawn and in the watches of the night.   I'm sure he prayed many other times as well but notice that the times he mentioned are the quiet times.   These are the times without interruptions. They are the times without busyness. This Psalm places ...