Hearts in Service Blog

Dan and I are on vacation this week even though we are staying at home. We are trying to pick places to go that don't cost much or are free. It's fairly easy since most places are still closed down. The one thing we love to do that doesn't cost anything is hiking. So yesterday we tried out a new hiking trail and ended up hiking five miles. There was a beautiful place to stop and eat lunch with a scenic view of the valley. It was very humid and hot, but a breeze would blow periodically so it wasn't bad. Everyone always tells us to not think or talk about the church when we are on our day off or on vacation. It's such a part of our lives that it's hard not to make it part of the conversation. But we did our best though as we walked in the quiet woods I was able to sort out two church challenges that I have ahead of me so I consider that a good thing. :-) Church ministry is a crazy beast and it amuses me when people say that the p...

This little one caught my eye yesterday at the market. His family was directly across the street from me, selling their fruits, vegetables and other homemade goods. He played while his older brothers, sister, and father set up the booth. He was a happy little guy. He smiled and was fascinated with the market mascot, a man dressed in a dog costume. He helped his older brothers carry some things. He played, ate pizza, and dosed in a chair. He was a sweet three year old. This family is there each week, working hard, being pleasant and providing valuable goods to the community at a very reasonable price.  And then about an hour before the market closed, two men rode by on bikes and screamed obscenities about the Amish down the street. Everyone froze and it put a damper on the day.  But what broke my heart was the look on this family's faces; especially the children. These children had to hear hateful words spewed out about them by adults.  Hatred ...

      It's been one of those weeks that could be described as a trying or worrying kind of week. It's been a week that's been productive and I've gotten much accomplished even with a day off, hiking with Dan. I put together and put out a large mailing for a district retreat that will be virtual this year. I did much work for the church. I went to a board meeting last night.  I started baking for the market tomorrow, I finished 2 orders and sewed some things for my Etsy shop. I made dinner each night and even managed to do some cleaning.  These are all good things, b ut buzzing around my thoughts all day long are concerns. Worries that made me snap at my family a couple of times, and for which I apologized. Concerns that kept knots in my stomach. And a feeling of being torn. My mom's cancer is back but this time it's worse. It's in her lymph nodes. One of the tumors is in her chest and putting pressure on the main artery that g...

Psalm 63:1-8 (HCSB) ~ God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life. So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands. You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips. When I think of You as I lie on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches because You are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings. I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me. Desolate, parched and dry, stinging sand, scorching sun, hot, exhausting, and unending.  These are all words that describe the desert.  Being in a desert place in your life can feel like it will never end.  Day in and day out you face the same scenery.  Nothin...

      Dan and I went hiking yesterday back at the same spot where we had our 11.5 mile mishap last week. Only this time we got on the right trail loop and enjoyed a not so strenuous 6 mile hike through the forest. Then we stopped at the Rimrock overlook and walked down to the huge rocks overlooking the valley and had lunch. It was such a pleasurable day. I grew up in the Catskill Mountains and one of my favorite places to be is out in the woods. I can think more clearly as I walk there. Dan and I enjoy conversation but more often than not, we are silent as we walk, each lost in our own thoughts and enjoyment of the forest. Sometimes I solve a problem in my head. Other times I get writing inspiration. And still other times, I hear the Lord speaking to me about something. I often have to wipe away the spider threads that hit my face as I walk between bushes. They have spun their webs overnight. The occasiona...

Mondays tend to be a day most of us dread. It's a start to another long week and some are coming off a busy weekend of activity tired. I'm probably weird but I've always enjoyed Mondays. It's a brand new "do-over" and the anticipation of good things to come. For me it's also the day that I look back and see the many ways I've been blessed the past week. I've been doing this for 11 years though I only started numbering the ways 10 years ago. It's a great way to start the week and kind of sets the tone for the week. It also keeps me alert for those little blessings along the way all week long. This week I'm thankful for blessings #3,866 - 3,878. 3,866. Emily's study bunny - instead of study buddy. ;-) 3,867. I'm so thankful that all of the money I lost when I fell for a scam has been reimbursed through the generosity of kind people. 3,868. I chose not to go to the market this week because I really didn't want t...

Lately all I hear is bad news and conflict. When I turn on the television I see murder, crime and chaos. When I open Facebook I read post after post of negativity. It seems that even at church that's all that people can talk about. Christians who put their faith in politics will always be disappointed. If you look at the sorrow in this world, it's easy to give way to despair. If we fixate on our problems, we will struggle with depression. Psalm 46:1-3 ~  God is our refuge and strength,      an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way      and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam      and the mountains quake with their surging. Nothing can prepare us for bad news or tragedy. The questions that run through many people's mind are, "Why do these things happen?"  "What kind of person would do something like that?"  "Where is Go...

Dan and I set out on an adventure yesterday. We love to hike and the Allegheny National Forest is nearby. It was a beautiful day and a perfect day to hike.  I found a trail on my phone and so we stopped to pick up some lunch items and then headed out into the wilderness. In my mind I knew I could probably go 4 miles; maybe 5 with no problems so we were good to go. When we came to a different trail in the woods, we decided to go that way since we knew it looped around. Long story short, the loop was way further than we thought and we ended up hiking 11.5 miles and ascending 700 feet back to where our car was parked.  The longer the hike went on, it got a bit scary as we weren't sure we hadn't made a wrong turn. It was isolated. We only ran into two people the entire day. I started thinking about wildlife though we only saw some chipmunks, birds, and a fat garter snake that I almost stepped on. The thought crossed my mind that we were go...