Hearts in Service

I have so many unfinished projects around my house.  A blanket I started crocheting and never finished.  A quilt I was sewing and is now lying in a pile.  Things that need repair and other projects started, and not finished.  I am the Queen of Good Intentions.  I want to do so many things, but they often fall by the wayside in my quest to do something else. It seems to be part of being human.  We get easily sidetracked.  We often start a new project or activity and fizzle out.  We have great intentions, but little capability to see something to completion. The wonderful thing is that God is not like us.  He finishes what He starts.  He doesn't leave us hanging. Philippians 1:6 (HCSB) ~ "I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." The work that God is doing in your life will not go unfinished.  He will continue to work in you, stretch...

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 ~ And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.  Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. Mondays have typically been the day when I do my reflection back over the previous week and find things to be thankful about in my life. This morning I was reflecting on the verses above and discovered a little nugget in this passage.  Paul is giving a rapid fire checklist of instructions to the Thessalonians and it's easy to miss as you read this. After telling them to give thanks in everything because that is God's will for us, Paul says, "Don't stifle the Spirit...

The corn is high in the fields, there is a golden tinge to the meadow and the sun is setting a bit earlier. All signs that summer is coming to an end and autumn is around the corner. It was a strange sort of summer here. I didn't sew for most of it, I didn't participate in the markets and there wasn't a lot of formal ministry happening. It was a summer of fellowship with different people and a summer of reflection.  Our schedule has been turned topsy-turvy with our son's new job. Because he's working nights, we have changed our dinner time to mid-day and he packs a lunch for work. This week I've finally settled into some sort of rhythm with this. Work at the church in the morning, come home and make dinner, cleanup, then spend the afternoon doing some sewing and housework. Then Dan and I have our late afternoon and evenings together. It's actually not been a bad routine. We've been trying to go for a long walk each evening and because we have some time a...

Thank you for your encouragement on reopening my sewing business. I've been enjoying getting back to that and have been sewing for my Etsy shop and friend's shop, filling orders, as well as making some gifts. The older I get the more I can see that I'm wired for creativity.  I've been getting creative in the kitchen and other areas of my home. Because I have eczema on my hands certain cleaners aggravate it even when I wear gloves. So I've been getting back to basics and making some homemade cleaners.  This one smelled amazing. I steeped some lemons, limes and orange peels and peppermint from my garden in some vinegar. I let it set for a day or two and then strained out the fruit and peppermint. I added 1/2 of the vinegar mixture, 1/2 water, about 10 drops each of orange, lime and lemon essential oil and about 8 drops of peppermint essential oil. I also added about a tsp. of antibacterial dish soap. I poured it into a glass spray bottle and this is the cleaner I use ...

  Isaiah 40:11 ~   “He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; he gently leads those that have young." Over the past month my heart has ached for my children in different ways. The pain I feel seems to get worse as they get older because as they get older the problems they face are bigger and there is nothing I can do to fix their pain. I have no control over what they are going through.  As they struggle with job situations, relationship issues, the unfairness of life, I cannot intervene like I did when they were little. The only recourse I have is to offer them counsel when asked and go to my knees in prayer.  I can bring it before the One who can fix their hurts and meet them where they are and answer the questions they have.   I love this verse in Isaiah because it speaks to my anxiety over my children.  The Lord gathers up our children in His arms. I picture Him holding them ...

Ever since I was in college I've felt the call into full-time ministry. I went to a Christian liberal arts college and majored in psychology. Then I went on to seminary where I met my husband, Dan. We have ministered together in a variety of setting and circumstances for the past 34 years of our marriage. A few years ago I went through the rigorous task of  consecration in our denomination. It required reading, writing position papers on different doctrines, an 8-hour written test as well as going before a licensing committee of about 8 pastors in our district to answer doctrinal questions. I passed with flying colors. However, there has been a period of feeling deflated from all that work. And that is mostly because nothing has changed in my professional life. I am still the same woman, married to the same man, in the same type of ministry. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for that process I went through and I used what I learned all of the time. It has helped me in my wri...

  Nothing I have planned for this second week of vacation has gone according to plan.  Saturday and Sunday I had planned on participating in a craft fair. That had to be canceled as we were dealing with a crisis. Wednesday and Thursday I had planned on making a trip to visit my stepfather in the nursing home he is in. That had to be pushed back as I was not feeling well much of the day on Tuesday with some sort of stomach issue. We rescheduled the visit to today and tomorrow only to find out that a few people we know came down with Covid and we were around two of them. I was very disappointed, but was not going to take the chance of sharing that with my 90 year old stepdad.  So much in life seems as if it's a constant readjusting of our plans. It can be frustrating and disappointing. But I'm trying to learn to be flexible and hold loosely to my agenda. And I'm reminded that God's plans are so much better than mine. So instead of what I orginally planned, we did the foll...

I opened the envelope from the doctor and as I read the report felt the knot in the pit of my stomach once again. I had requested my son's medical records from the neurologist who diagnosed him with Tourette's Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder so that we can complete paperwork to help him get services he needs. As I read the report and the circumstances that had led us to this particular doctor, the realization of our daily reality settled in once again.  For some people everything seems to be golden. They excel at all they do and things seem to fall into place. For others, life is a daily struggle and not much in their circumstances will change. And when that realization hits, it seems unfair.  In the trenches of daily life it can seem as if I must have done something terrible to deserve this. Each day is a constant battle to not allow discouragement to set in or to feel totally helpless or at times, even resentful that my son's life is so difficult. When he is struggl...

We've had an enjoyable week so far. I will forever be a country girl at heart who loves wide open spaces, wild flowers and green meadows. The sight of silos in the distance makes tears well up in my eyes because of fond memories of playing in hay mows and climbing trees as a child. I know, it's sappy, but that's me! :-) Dan and I watched the sunset the other night over the lake and it was wonderful to feel the warm breeze on our faces and hear the waves hitting the beach. It was definitely relaxing! So far on this vacation we've spent about $100 for the week which included 2 nights of ordering in because it was just too hot to cook. I'm thankful for a gift we received which is allowing some of that. In between our hikes and daily jaunts, I've been doing some canning, sewing and crafting. I'm participating in a craft fair this weekend which is benefiting a local library. I've been shopping at a few of our local farm markets to save a bit of money. I'm...