Hearts in Service

Always with my mouth hanging open - BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'm finally sitting down to write out my list of things I need to get done this week. It was a whirlwind weekend and the next few months will be more of the same. I love these retreats I plan, along with a team of wonderful women who work with me. We had 232 people this weekend and it was so much fun and I'm always challenged by our speakers. It's a time to visit friends from around our district and see old and new friends. But these weekends always wipe me out for a day or two following! I opted to stay home from church yesterday since my knee was really bothering me from being on it for three days straight. And I'm glad I did. I spent time praying and in God's word. I worked on a message I'm giving to a group of ladies on May 19th. I took a nap while watching basketball with my husband yesterday afternoon. It was truly a Sabbath day. I always find it interesting that after a spiritual high, I s

I woke up this morning to bright sunshine, blue skies and the anticipation of temperatures in the 60s.  That almost seems like a miracle after the cold, snowy, dreary spring we have had!  For someone who is really affected by cloudy, dark days I certainly picked the worst part of the country to live in. So I'll take the sunshine when I can get it and soak it in. My heart is full with so many blessings today. Today I am thankful for blessings #3,246 - 3,256 3246. A productive week last week. This coming weekend is the conference/retreat I've been working on. I had a very long list, but I'm thankful to say that I was able to get so much done that I don't have an overwhelmed, "how will it come together" feeling.  3247. Physical therapy. While I can't say that my knee is better, I certainly notice a bit of a difference in it from the pt appointments. 3248. Stephen's cap and gown arrived 2 weeks earlier than they said and in time for his

I've mentioned here before that I've been working at cutting out things so I can stay focused on what I believe God has called me to do.  I have felt this nudge many times in my life, and follow it for a time, but slip back into picking up things I shouldn't be doing. Once a month I meet with my assigned mentor to study for my consecration exams which will happen about a year and a half from now. The positive side of this is that she is also a friend. Yesterday afternoon was our meeting, and I so appreciate her input into my life because she will ask me every time, "How are you doing at letting things go?" As I was chatting with her about once again feeling the need to let go of one more thing, and my struggle with it, she said, "What is your mission?" "What is the purpose that God has called you to do?" If I can learn to get that clear in my head, then no matter what comes my way, if it doesn't fit into that purpose, then I don'

I can choose to complain about the weather, or choose to thank God for watering the ground. Some people don't have enough water to drink. I can choose to feel frustrated with the fact that my son may not get his cap and gown on time, or choose to trust God for the outcome. Some people will never be able to get to college. I can choose to feel overwhelmed at all I have to do, or choose to take each item at a time and be thankful that I have activities to keep my mind and hands busy. Some people spend their lives feeling bored and aimless. I can choose to complain about a small house, or choose to be thankful for the roof over my head. Some people will sleep on the street tonight. I can choose to worry about my children, or I can choose to remember that their times are in God's hands. Some people have buried children . I can choose to whine and complain about my sore knee, or I can choose to faithfully do the exercises and be thankful I can at least do them.  Some p

Dan and I sleep with white noise and have done that ever since we were first married. At night, we have a fan running so that we can sleep peacefully.  I awoke Sunday night around 11:30 with the strange sensation that something was missing and realized that the power was out. The rest of the night was one of fitful sleep as we didn't have the normal noise and bit of light glowing from our alarm clock. The wind was howling and our house and roof were full of creaks and groans that were quite scary at times. The wind took down quite a few trees in our areas and along with them, the power lines.  We ended up not getting power back until around 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, my Monday goal setting post is a day late and my entire day yesterday was fairly unproductive without electricity.  So today I'm hitting the ground running because I have so much work to do on my retreat which happens next weekend. Yikes! We have 231 women registered and I'm looking forwa

I Peter 3:8-15 (CEV) ~ Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble.  Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you. The Scriptures say, “Do you really love life?      Do you want to be happy? Then stop saying cruel things      and quit telling lies. Give up your evil ways      and do right, as you find and follow the road that leads      to peace. The Lord watches over      everyone who obeys him, and he listens      to their prayers. But he opposes everyone      who does evil.” Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds?  Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do.    Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Let the message about Christ completely fill your liv

My day yesterday had a sweet and sour side. Sweet ~ The sweet part of my day yesterday was that I got outside in the fresh air and went for a walk for the first time in months. In fact, as Dan and I were talking last night, I think the last time I walked was last year before I tore my medial collateral ligament in my right knee. It was beautiful and it felt good to be outside in fresh air, the woods and silence. Sour ~ The sour part of my day yesterday was that I got outside in the fresh air and went for a walk. I've been doing the recumbent bike at the gym since January and it's really helped my knee to start to feel better.  The past few weeks though I've noticed that it's bothering me again and stiffens up very quickly.  We walked two miles yesterday and by the end of the walk my knee was really hurting. As the night progressed it got worse and worse and it hurts to put any weight on it and I feel things clicking around in there. It fee

God's voice seems elusive to me at times, but I think that's because I get so consumed with activity that I don't take the time to listen. Over the past few weeks I've felt this heaviness and nudging in my spirit that I couldn't ignore. I knew without a doubt that God was pressing in on me the need to drop some things so that I would be free to do those activities He was calling me to do.  So I've been trying to be obedient to that voice, even though it's been difficult. I've wrestled with myself. I've let go, picked it back up and then had to let go again. It has been an internal struggle that has been difficult.  But this morning, I smiled as I opened up the chapter for our monthly Bible study tonight. Usually I try to go through it ahead of time but I wasn't able to this month. I opened it up to the title, "Overwhelmed" and as I read it, it matched exactly what I had been struggling with over the past few weeks. I'm s

I wish my pantry was this big, instead of just a couple of cupboards! My refrigerator is bare, and I've needed to go grocery shopping since the beginning of the week, but have managed to come up with some tasty meals each night just by using what I have in my pantry and freezer. We have done a milk run and I picked up an 8 oz. package of cheese and a bag of corn for last night's meal, but other than that I've used what I have on hand. Last year as I was purchasing bulk fruits and veggies from the farmer's market and then did the work of processing, canning or freezing them, I wondered if it was really worth all the effort. However, as I've been able to go long stretches at a time without shopping, I think that yes! It is worth the work. It is much cheaper to buy things in season and then preserve them rather than buy out of season fruits and vegetables and pay double the price.  Plus the taste is just better.  I did a garden for many years but th

Psalm 96:1-2 (NIV) ~ Sing to the Lord a new song;      sing to the Lord , all the earth. Sing to the Lord , praise his name;      proclaim his salvation day after day Every day I get up and go through my routine, and each day it seems if I slip up and stumble and struggle. In my heart I long to be like Christ. Yet, every day I fail in a multitude of ways. I wake up and my goal is to be thankful and joyful and full of Christ's love, but there are days when I am a miserable failure. I'm supposed to sing a new song as a follower of Christ, and yet, I keep singing the old one. It can be difficult to speak words of love when you want to lash out when others hurt you.  It is not easy to be thankful when there is grumbling going on all around you. It's hard to be kind when others are unkind. It is difficult to stay quiet when you want to defend yourself. It takes effort not to be critical when others are pouring out judgment all around. Singing a new son