Hearts in Service

I first felt God's call upon my life as a young teenager. I remember sitting in rapt attention as my mother would read us stories of missionaries. Something began to stir in my soul way back then, a calling to a particular purpose.  That calling was solidified when I went off to college and there were a few times when I clearly sensed God speaking to me. And so off into full-time ministry I went. I met my husband at seminary and we ended up doing ten years of inner city ministry together and then went on into church planting and now church ministry. But at times, I've veered off course. I've gotten distracted by the cares and burdens I bear. I've fixated on the wrong thing. I've allowed people to derail me. At times, my anxiety has caused me to stop running this race that I'm in. I'm so thankful for some very clear ways God has allowed me to rest when I need it, but then has nudged me to get back up and run that race. This week was one of those ways. I met w...

I love the lyrics of an old hymn by Cecil F. Alexander called All Things Bright & Beautiful. The lines of the refrain are also the titles of books by James Herriot who is one of my favorite authors. This morning I looked up the lyrics of the hymn and the last few lines caught my attention. All things bright and beautiful All creatures great and small All things wise and wonderful The Lord God made them all He gave us eyes to see them And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty Who has made all things well What a fitting hymn for my Multitude Monday post! I love starting off the week being thankful for all my blessings and these posts are a way of letting my "lips" tell how great God is! He has made everything well and I'm amazed at the intricacy of His creation. I lay in bed for a moment or two this morning, trying to get fully awake, when the trill of a songbird outside my open window caught my attention. It actually brought a smile to my face. That is a wo...

The sun was shining through my front windows this morning and lit up my kitchen with this patch of light. I was reminded of the song called, Give Me Jesus. One of the verses says, In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. That's how I feel each day. He is the daily sustenance that I need. He is the light that sees me through each day. The past few months have been rough for me, but this past week has been one in which I felt the veil lifting. As I prepared for our missions conference, interacted with our missionaries and our congregation each day, I felt like my old self. I felt energetic and I felt joyful. I caught myself singing to myself. I smiled more. I slept better. And it was wonderful! This week is a slower one and I'm looking forward to seeing what each new day will bring. I'm anticipating a multitude of blessings. This week I'm thankful for the following: ~ A wonderful missions conference. ~ Perseverance in trying new things. My first pan of Bosnian baklava b...

“Frugality without creativity is deprivation.” – Amy Dacyczyn. I haven't done a Frugal Friday post in a long time so I thought the time has come to refocus on spending less. It's so easy to see expenses start to creep back up and these posts help me to keep an eye on that. I'm a creative person and this carries over into my desire to be frugal. I love a good challenge so it's fun to see how I can save money, and yet, allow my creativity to flourish. This week has been a great week for me because I got to do all the things I love - decorate, host, cook and bake, and plan events. And I was able to do most of those at a fairly low cost. Here are some ways I've done that this week: $ We are having our church missions conference this week and I did some decorating in our fellowship hall for it. The greatest cost was the plastic tablecloths, but the decorations were cheap. I took an old atlas and cut out flags and hearts. I had map fabric that someone gave me and I cut ou...

  Sometimes this road we are traveling along can just seem unending.  You get up each morning and place your two feet on the floor and have a moment when all you want to do is put them back in bed, pull the covers up over your head and never get up.  Life is hard, struggles are real and you want to give in to the emotions and run away.  You say, "I never asked for this situation."  "I don't want these circumstances."  "God, what are you thinking?"  "Don't you care about me?"  It's all too easy to become like a toddler and throw a first-class temper tantrum. Yet, we can either take the things that come our way and make the decision to keep trudging forward, even though the road may be long or full of puddles and mud or we can choose to give up.  We either decide to keep trusting God and follow Him even when we can't see what's around the bend, or we turn around and say, "This is too hard and I didn't ask for this....

  Mother's Day To those who had mother’s who were full of love and comfort, Praise God for a mom who helped to heal every hurt.   To those who had mothers who were broken and flawed, God can mend and repair and help you move forward.   To those who have lost their mom’s and you need a healing balm, God sees those tears and brings peace and calm.   To those without children and this day pricks the hole that you feel. Remember God is sufficient and will meet every need.   To those who are single or choose to remain childless, Ask God to help you shine His light to the motherless.   No matter the circumstance, Whether one of joy or of pain. God is with you, and His love will always sustain.   Happy Mother’s Day to All!

I find inspiration in many things and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do things I love which scratch that creative itch I have. Some days are spent doing tedious work, but yesterday was one of those days in which I felt the cloud that's been hanging over my head lift and I was able to enjoy every moment of the day. The first way I find inspiration and strength to face the day is to spend time in God's Word and prayer. It is always the first thing I do each day. I keep my phone across the room so I can't see notifications popping up. My laptop is off. It's just me, a good cup of coffee and God's word. Oh.....and Emily's bunny, Molly, hopping around me though sometimes, she is a distraction! The second thing I did yesterday was get outside and exercise. I went to one of my favorite places nearby - The Audubon Center. I walked about 2 miles and took some photos along the way. Photography is another way that I capture some of the beauty around me. The t...

I planted tulip bulbs back in the fall and they make me happy every time I see them! Saturday was my oldest son, Nathan's birthday. He turned 30 years old which is almost impossible for me to believe! Ever since he was born, he has been my special one. He struggles with multiple disabilities and yet, he is quite articulate, given the time to get his thoughts in order. I always give my kids the opportunity to choose their birthday meal no matter how complicated. And Nathan always takes up the challenge! :-) This year, he decided he wanted Chinese food which is his favorite. He was quite specific in his requests - egg rolls, dumplings and stir fry. He nonchalantly said, "Eggrolls and dumplings are easy!" Oh, my son, how little did he know.   Hours and multiple loads of dishes later, he had the dinner of his wishes. Homemade eggrolls which I thought turned out quite nicely and to be honest, really weren't that difficult. And really, the cooking of Chinese food isn't ...