Hearts in Service

It's been a long, long month. A month of mask making and wearing. A month of livestream services, recordings, Zoom meetings, online Bible studies and all things technology. A month of cooking even when there were days when I really didn't want to do anything! A month of sewing projects. A month of snowy days, rainy days, and sunny days. A month of holding it together and a month of days of falling apart. A month of joy and a month of sadness. And at times some days of anger mixed in there. Some days of extreme loneliness and other days of too many people in my space. But through each day of this past month, God has been with me. He has not failed me. He has seen me through and He has been teaching me. So all in all, I'd say it was a good month. Lamentations 3:22-24 ~ Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord i...

Going through the motions.  We all do it.  We get up, read a few choice words in our Bibles and make sure it's nothing too convicting.  We pray for our needs.  We might even pray for the needs of our friends. We go to work, smile and nod, and try to have a good attitude while ugly thoughts pass through our heads and sometimes out of our mouths. We get up on Sunday morning and head off to church.  We strike just the right pose while worshiping and listening to the preacher.  We nod at the right parts and might get a useful word or two out of the message but more often than not, think critical thoughts about how he worded something or about Mary across the aisle.  Then we go home and what we heard passes right out of our heads as we go through the motions all over again. We wonder why God doesn't seem to answer our prayers or why He seems absent.  We forget the fundamental truth that He doesn't want us to simply go through the motions....

I haven't done a Multitude Monday post in a while and thought it was a good time to do so. It's been a long month and here in NY the shut-down has been extended another 30 days through May 15th. For this extrovert it's rough not being around people and it's very easy to start spiraling downward. But there are so many things I can be thankful for and in the grand scheme of life this really is personally a small bump in the road. This week I'm thankful for the blessings #3,761 - 3,773 3761. Sunshine and pleasant weather. Other than a brief three day period of snow, the weather has been really nice. Spring is in the air! 3762. The ability to get out and walk. For the first time in 20+ years we live in a neighborhood where we can just walk right out our front door and exercise without worrying about cars. It's been wonderful to get some exercise and see the neighbors from a safe distance. 3763. This little guy was in my office at the ...

"What's this one?" I asked, as I stooped to pluck a small white flower.   We had moved into a new home and a lady from our church was pointing out different flowers to me.  I'm terrible at gardening and trying to remember all the names is always difficult.  As I pulled on the stem and root, a reddish substance came off on my hand. "That's bloodroot,” my friend explained.   “It always blooms in the spring around Easter and has reddish orange roots that twist and wind their way underground.  The flower opens with the light of day and closes as night falls.   If you break open the stem, a bloodlike fluid oozes out... hence the name bloodroot." Bloodroot.  I thought it appropriate that it blooms during the Easter season.  It is a reminder of the sacrifice made for us. Healing Blood.   Bloodroot has multiple healing powers and has been used for bronchitis, extreme sore throats, and skin disorders.  Christ's dea...

This Easter things were different in many ways. This was the first holiday my daughter has never been home and that left an empty spot in our hearts. There was no physical gathering with our church family. In fact, the entire week was strange. There were online services, children's online lessons, and zoom meetings. Those were different. But the cookies, breads, flowers, family meals, and the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ were the same.  However, the meaning of Easter Sunday can get lost as stumble into the messiness of a Monday morning.  And yet, the fact remains that our Lord is still risen and what are we going to do with that fact? As believers we often get caught up in the hype of the holidays. We've created these high and holy days and over the top celebrations when every day of our lives should be a quiet celebration of what Christ has done for us.  If I don't allow Him to work in the messiness of my Monday then why ...

Luke 24:1-6 (CEV) ~ Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices that they had prepared.  When they found the stone rolled away from the entrance,  they went in. But they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus,  and they did not know what to think. Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them.  The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, “Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive?  Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death. Happy Resurrection Day!

Luke 23:50-57 (NIV) ~ Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,    who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.   Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.   Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which n o one had yet been laid.   It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.   Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. Jesus called out, "Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit." and then breathed his last.  It was over, and I'm sure for his family, friends and disciples the grief overwhelmed them.  They knelt, lay on the ground, tore t...

Mark 15:27-47 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.  The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews . They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.   Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,   come down from the cross and save yourself!”   In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!   Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.   And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ). ...

I angrily filled the sink with soap and warm water and started banging dishes into the water. As I scrubbed and replayed the conversation over in my head, I could feel myself getting madder. "Why do they think they can talk to me like that?" "I don't have to put up with this!"  "I deserve better!" This was my self-talk after an argument with a family member. And the more I muttered to myself, the more self-righteous I became. However, the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit began to whisper in my ear. I began to hear hard words of truth about my own sin. As I stopped the complaining and listened, I began to repent of my pride. I open my Bible to the passage in the Gospel of John when Jesus is getting ready to eat the Passover meal with His disciples.  John 13:2-5 ~  Now when it was time for supper, the devil  had already put it into the heart of Judas,  Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray  him.  Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into ...