Hearts in Service Blog

Things have started blooming and it seems as if overnight everything is coming to life. It was a tough winter for me personally and I've felt like I've been in my own hibernation. Inactivity and depression have taken a toll and it's been difficult to get out of the hole I've been in. I have never experienced depression before and it's been hard to deal with. I don't like the feelings of sadness and the lack of energy it brings.  In an effort to get out of the funk, I've been working at getting outside in the sunshine and fresh air and that definitely helps. I don't always feel like moving, but I know that when I force myself, I'll feel 100% better! I've had more energy and don't feel so down.  My tulips had been sitting tightly closed for about 2 weeks when this week they burst open. Beautiful!   Dan and I went hiking for the first time this season on Monday and it was nice to get out into the woods. We live fairly close to the Allegheny Nati...

Can you hear it? It's in the noisy chirping of birds. The winged and free, swooping and diving Speaking volumes without words. Can you hear it? It's in the movement of furry and sleek Moving and chewing, shuffling and snuffling Moving across land and creek. Can you hear it? It's in the warmth of sunshine upon my head Warming and uplifting, bringing growth and green Welcoming as I rise from my bed. Can you hear it? It's in the wind both gentle and wild Calming and refreshing, at times it is bracing Whipping and petulant as a child. Can you hear it? It's the breath in my lungs Pulling air in and out, giving life to my body Lifting chest and giving life to old and to young. Can you hear it? The voice of my God Heeding His words, spoken in all that was made Singing over all as we worship with awe. Can you hear it? Concentrate if you will Listening for it as you look all around, alert to the sound Hearing His voice requires us to be still.

I didn't sleep well last night and between nightmares and tossing and turning I feel pretty wiped out this morning. Not a great way to start Monday. I have to be honest and say that thanksgiving wasn't the first thought in my mind. But that's why the author of Hebrews says in chapter 13, verse 15, " Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." I look for the things to be thankful and to give Him praise regardless of how I feel. And the wonderful thing about giving thanks is that the feeling generally follows the giving. As I give thanks and praise His name, my attitude changes. As I look for the good things happening in my life they begin to overshadow the bad things. It doesn't change my circumstances, but it certainly changes my attitude. And that in itself is reason to give thanks. This week I'm thankful for the following: ~ Signs of spring despite the cold temperatures....

This has been such a good week and there have been so many things to be thankful about. I love Mondays when I can look back and express the gratitude I have for all the many ways I see God at work in my life. I'm going to sing His praises this morning. 🎜I started the week with a full plate and one by one managed to check the items off my list which included preparing two presentations and recording one of them. 🎜 After 7 weeks of not being able to taste or smell anything, those senses are starting to come back. I noticed it the other day when I was able to smell bars of lemongrass and sage goat's milk soap that I was making. 🎜Flowers are blooming everywhere I look, including the daffodils and tulips I planted back in the fall. 🎜I tried my hand at making my own vinegar and this batch of apple cider vinegar turned out perfectly. I'm thankful for the ability and desire to learn new things. 🎜After a long, long winter of doing not much of anything, I'm thankful that I...

Yesterday was Easter and Christians all over the world celebrated the resurrection. They had on their new clothes and shiny, smiling Easter faces. But what happens the day after Easter?  How many show up for church just for that day, thinking they have done their duty until Christmas?  How many continue to go to church, yet, the wondrous miracle of this event in history does very little to change them?   What happens the day after resurrection Sunday, when monotonous Monday hits?    Various concerns and situations still face me. I have a to-do list that is longer than my arm. I still have to deal with the same crisis that was there before Easter. I'm still the same person with the same ongoing struggles. What happens when the normality of life keeps marching on day, after humdrum, day?   Does the resurrection still hold the same meaning when facing a painful illness, a pile of dirty laundry, and a stack of bills?  Does the joy...

Luke 23:46 (HCSB) ~ And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit. ” Can you imagine living your life in such a way that at the end of it you can say, "Father, do with me what you will?" We come to the end of Jesus life. He has completed the task he willingly chose to do. He has paid the ultimate price for our sins. And now he speaks these words that show his complete and utter trust in his Heavenly Father. What a beautiful picture of his relationship with God. After he spoke these words, he died. And even in his passing, he changed lives. Verse 47 tells us that a centurion who was standing nearby, saw this and began to praise God. His sacrifice is meant to do just that. Jesus came so that I can be a changed person. I cannot see and understand what He did without realizing my desperate need to put my life into the hands of my Heavenly Father. His death and later, resurrection calls me to know that I cannot do any...

John 19:28 - 30 (HCSB) ~ After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!”   A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” These two sayings of Christ really go together because they reflect the same thing.  Previously, Jesus cut his last earthly tie by making sure his mother was cared for and now, knowing that all he came to do was completed, he did one final act that is remarkable. Earlier, he had been offered wine which he denied. It would have dulled his senses and made the crucifixion a bit more bearable. Instead, now knowing that all was completed, he expresses his thirst and was offered sour wine or vinegar which would have immediately heightened the pain and awareness of what was going on.  It was a...

Matthew 27:46 (HCSB) ~ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni? ” that is, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? ” Jesus lets out a terrible cry of despair as his flesh, raw and ripped open from his flogging, rubbed against the rough wood of the cross. He body's weight rests on hands and feet that are driven through with nails. Large thorns embedded on a crown have been shoved into his head. His body is beginning to shut down. He would have been slowly suffocating due to being unable to draw enough oxygen into his lungs. The cells unable to receive enough oxygen begin to break down and carbon dioxide makes its way into the lungs. It is a terrible way to die. The words He speaks are actually from the beginning of Psalm 22, which shows a prophetic testimony of Christ's suffering. I encourage you to read the entire Psalm for yourself.  More importantly, these words of...