Hearts in Service

John 10:10 (HCSB) ~ A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. I love fresh flowers and one of my favorites are lilacs.  They are vibrant, colorful, fragrant, fresh, alive, sweet, uplifting, inspirational, and beautiful.  These adjectives describe most flowers and they are words that should describe believers who are rooted in Christ.  Often though, we seem to reflect a wilted bunch of flowers instead.  We have the life of Christ in us, but have forgotten that He wants us to have abundant life. We are drooping! This can happen because of various distractions in our lives.  And when that happens, our enemy the devil is thrilled.  Because that is exactly what he wants.  He wants us to live ineffectual, "going through the motions" life. As we dig into God's word and spend time in prayer, listening and then, obeying, ...

  I just returned home after a whirlwind 36 hour weekend with 170 women. So many hours went into planning the event and in a blink of an eye, it is over. And yet, it was the highlight of my year so far.  It was wonderful to see friends I only see a couple of times a year. But the highlight of the weekend was praying with some dear friends before the start of the evening service. As we prayed, I felt peace wash over me and it was probably one of the most being "in-the-moment" conferences I've been at. Normally, I have difficulty focusing during the speakers' talks and during worship because my mind is on the next thing that will be happening in the schedule. But I was able to truly spend time in worship and hear from the Lord. I stayed home from church yesterday and spent time alone on my back patio, reading and praying. The weather was beautiful and it was a much needed time of solitude. I had a good sleep last night and I'm ready to get back into my normal routin...

  Yesterday, people celebrated the resurrection all around the world. When you are celebrating it is easy to put aside your concerns. But what do you do when you wake up to a very messy Monday? What happens when you open your eyes on Monday morning and the same bills are there? Can you be joyful and thankful when the crushing weight of your concerns still face you? I believe the resurrection of Christ and the hope we have in Him does make it possible. I think if we shift our focus from the problem to Him, then our attitude will also shift. I'm not an eternal optimist just closing my eyes to the issues. But I am choosing to place my hope in the one who can give me wisdom in various situations and can also provide help as I face them. I can change my attitude from one of depression and despair to one of joy and hope.  This morning, I still face a huge amount of work before my district retreat that begins on Friday. I still have injured knees and an aching back. We still have a h...

I set up prayer stations for our congregation to go to at various times today to remember Christ's sacrifice for us. I arrived at the church this morning in time to see the sunrise. I am thankful for the opportunity to remember what Jesus did for me through prayer. Romans 8:31-39 ~ What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more th...

Last year, I brought home a jewelry box that belonged to my mother. I had always admired it and when my sister and I were cleaning out her things I asked if I could have it.  This morning as I was rummaging around in one of the little drawers, trying to pick out a pair of earrings, I caught a faint whiff of the perfume my mother wore. I immediately had tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat and felt a tightening of my stomach as grief hit me.  It's been a year and a half since cancer took my mother. The first year was tough for me as I worked through the emotions of grief. The past six months have been better and I'm not dreaming about her, nor am I walking around with tears just beneath the surface. But that perfume scent transported me right back to her final days. I loved my mom though she and I had a tumultuous relationship at times. She was my biggest supporter, but she was also my biggest critic. My mom had been physically, sexually and emotionally abused as a child and t...

Matthew 5: 13-14 ~ "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." I've always read these verses and never thought much about them, other than the fact that we are to be salt and light in the world. However, while I was reading this passage something struck me about the idea of salt losing it's saltiness so I decided to do a little research about whether salt can actually lose it's flavor. It turns out that there are very rare cases when this happens. For the most part, it is...

This life is not an easy one. Most days it's a step by step grind that is difficult. We get up each day, go about our business, go to bed and get up and do it all over again. Days stretch into weeks and then months and years. However, when we can begin to take joy in the small normally unnoticed moments in our lives, I do believe we will gain a perspective that will bring richness to our life. It's in the appreciation of the ordinary that our life begins to take on a deeper quality that it normally wouldn't do. I'm not talking about going around being awestruck by everything, but being aware of the wonder of creation means we aren't taking things for granted. The reality is all of life is truly something for which to be thankful.  God's hand is in the smallest detail and when we begin to see those minute details we will begin to have a deeper appreciation for all that is around us - from bunny whiskers which help rabbits measure the girth of passageways and open...

This morning I decorated with palm branches for our Palm Sunday service tomorrow. Normally, I make palm crosses out of the branches, but this year we purchased ready made crosses. I am planning on taking some of the branches and forming them into something for one of our prayer stations I am putting together for Good Friday. One of the reasons I love Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter is that it reminds me of why I have hope no matter what trials or difficulty I'm going through. Each morning I wake up with renewed joy in my heart because of the sacrifice made for me and the miraculous resurrection of Christ.  We sometimes take that for granted.  We pay it lip service, but often have a "meh" attitude about what was done for us. I'm thankful for these reminders each year.  It is because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross that I can have joy, peace and hope each day of my life. It doesn't matter what valley I find myself in, I know that God will see me throug...

Last Saturday I decided to do a "Sticker Shock" Food Pantry Challenge and try to forgo buying anything for my freezer and pantry for the month of April. I thought it would be a fun exercise to make due with what I had and save a bit of money. I had decided that I would allot $20 per week to purchase things like milk and fresh veggies and fruit. Another thought I had though as I have mulled over this is that if I do see something at a really good price, I will purchase it because who knows if the prices will not go even higher! I did great this week though and haven't been in the grocery store at all.  I was blessed with a gift of about 6 packages of beef and my son told me he is bringing home a large bag of potatoes from work. I'm thankful for these gifts because it helps! Here are the meals I made this week. Meals: 4/2 -  Breakfast - Granola Lunch - Lentils and brown rice with kale Dinner - Creamy tomato soup and grilled cheese with brandied apricot bacon jam and spi...

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it." Numbers 23:18-20 Balak, king of Moab, has hired Balaam, the sorcerer to put a curse on the Israelites. They built seven altars and offered up seven sacrifices and then Balaam goes to get a word of cursing from the Lord. However, God blesses the Israelites instead.  Balak is sure that Balaam heard wrong so he sends him back again.  This happens five times and each time, the Lord blesses Israel.  Balak was livid!  He wanted those Israelites cursed, not blessed. He chastises Balaam because he is annoyed that he paid him and Balaam is not delivering what he promised. The above passage is Balaam’s response to Balak after the second word from God. Isn’t this is a wonderful picture of our Lord? People can ch...

I have been doing these Multitude Monday posts for years and at times, it seems like a rote exercise. But as I pondered that, I realized that doing something repeatedly solidifies the pattern.  As I look back over the previous week and reflect on the many ways I've seen God's hand at work, it is a reminder to be thankful in all circumstances. I am practicing an attitude of gratitude for the blessings in my life. It gives me opportunity to speak (or type) the things for which I'm thankful. I'm not naturally thankful or joyful. I have a tendency, as many do, to see the glass as half empty. This weekly exercise has changed my focus and my attitude. That doesn't mean I'm always successful, nor am I always walking around with a smile, but it certainly has made me a more joyful woman than I normally would be. And that does make me thankful! This week, I'm thankful for the following: ❤ The opportunity at the beginning of the week to go to a district meeting and sta...

  Dan and I went grocery shopping this morning for the first time in about 2 weeks. Yikes! I knew that prices were going up, but I was shocked at how much things changed in just a few short weeks. Some items were basically the same, but things like butter, maple syrup and coffee have skyrocketed. I didn't even bother looking at the meat since we do have some in the freezer. The butter price has doubled and that made my decision not to bring cookies to the markets this year an easy one. I believe I'm just going to stick to the craft items this year. Anyway, this spurred me on to do a pantry challenge for the month of April. My plan is to use up what I have on hand in my freezers, fridge and cupboards. I am giving myself $20 per week to pick up things like milk, eggs or fresh vegetables, but other than that, I'm going to try to not purchase anything else at the store for one month.  And God is good. No sooner had I started typing this all out that I got a text from someone sa...

"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa.   Dan and I have been blessed throughout the years by the generosity of others. Their unselfishness has helped us through difficult times and because they were willing to bless us, we, in turn, were able to do the same. One of the lessons my mother taught me from a young age was to help others out, even if you were struggling yourself. She was a single mother, bringing up three children, and often barely had enough money to make ends meet. And yet, she would always tithe before she paid any other bill. She always the first one to volunteer to help. She always went above and beyond in her giving to others. I'm thankful I learned that lesson because the flip side of generosity is stinginess. I have known many people who were stingy with their money, their possessions and their time. In their own financial struggles, they were quick to cling tightly to what t...