Hearts in Service

  Good morning, my blogging friends! We had a wonderful Christmas even though it was a bit on the crazy side with Christmas falling on the weekend. When you are in ministry it's not just a family day, but also a work day. But it really was a good Christmas weekend.  It is so hard to believe that Sunday is January 1st. This year flew by! I still need to figure out what some of my goals are for the new year. I am pleased to say that many of the ones I set for this past year have been accomplished. Dan and I headed out on Tuesday afternoon to go help my son move out of his apartment into a new one. He is a much better situation as he is now living by himself. We could noticeably see the difference in his countenance and mood. He has struggled for the past three years and I'm thankful that he is in his own place. However, Dan and I were wiped out by the time we made the 4 hour trip back home late Wednesday afternoon. We were so thankful for the beautiful sunset that we drove into f

Yesterday was a long one as I started out grocery shopping at 8:30 in the morning, worked 8 1/2 hours, and then finished up our Christmas shopping and went out to dinner at 7:30 p.m. I fell asleep in the first part of Midsomer Murder so have no idea who done it! lol Because I zonked out in a recliner at 9 p.m., I was up at 4 a.m. and have another busy morning. Breakfast with friends, working at a friend's shop until 1 and then I finally can stay home to get my house clean. This was a week of preparation. Preparing loaves of banana chocolate chip bread for gifts. I did find time to do a couple of garlands just for the fun of it.  I bought some really cute boxes and packaged and got our Christmas gifts in the mail for extended family. My sister called yesterday to tell my that the only complaint my brother-in-law had was that the box of cookies was not big enough. 😀 I finished up the Christmas cards. I fizzled at the end and didn't get one in the mail for all I planned on, but d

Dan and I have been in full-time ministry for 31 years and have served in a variety of settings. We have been in inner city ministry, rural ministry and now in a small city setting. We have served in parachurch ministry, church planting and now in an established church. Each ministry brings it's own set of challenges. Each ministry setting has brought us joy and at times, sorrow. I think some of the reason I've struggled with depression this year is that I've started to believe the lie that we aren't making a difference. As we've gotten older, it's easy to start feeling like we are becoming obsolete, and that it's almost time to be put out to pasture. Logically I know that is not accurate, but there are days when I feel useless. However, God in His goodness has sent me little reminders over the past couple of weeks that we have made a difference in many lives. And we still have work to do. We still have people to minister to and care for. No matter how old w

Ever since I was a child I had high expectations of myself and often, other people as well. I wanted to do well in school, relationships and life in general. But I often fell far short of the imaginary mark in my head and that left me full of disappointment. That high bar has only been raised to an impossible level as an adult and quite often I'm left feeling discouraged and defeated.  Here are some examples. Expectation: On a daily basis I expect that I will be able to tackle a huge to-do list and get it completely finished. Reality: I get about 1/4 of it done. Expectation: My family will have the perfect close-knit Hallmark-ish relationships. Reality: Let's just say, this is not even close to reality. ;-) Expectation: I will have a group of people around me who are passionate about growing in the Lord and desiring to interact with His word. Reality: I feel very alone in this. Expectation: I would have a vibrant and growing ministry. Reality: Most days are a struggle t

I love Christmas and everything about the holidays. I've been busy making cookies for gifts for our neighbors and others. The biggest problem is the constant sampling of the cookies so I'll be happy when they are out of the house! I love the lights which make everything feel festive. I've made some family favorites as well to have for our own celebration.  But it hasn't all been good. Nathan got sick last week and after a home Covid test was positive he went to the doctor which confirmed it. Dan tested positive on Saturday morning and so far I'm negative and hoping it stays that way.  That put a damper on our weekend and we missed our church's Christmas banquet yesterday. I'm thankful for the gentleman who delivered three meals to us. That was wonderful as it meant I didn't have to cook yesterday! It's hard not to feel down when things don't go according to plan. However, yesterday when I was starting to have a pity-party I was reminded that all

'Tis the season for cookies... Remembering... Decorating... Shenanigans...  Ornaments... Reflecting... 'Tis the season for all the things I love about the holidays. But also thrown in the mix is adjusting to a new schedule with work, helping my family walk through different stressful situations, juggling multiple schedules and a myriad of other things that added to the activity of this time of the year can make life overwhelming. But I'm doing first things first and this is how I'm dealing with the holiday stress:  💓 Time in God's word and prayer each morning which starts my day out on the right foot. 💓 Not allowing my to-do list to overwhelm me so that I shut down and don't do anything. I make myself keep working at it. 💓 As I'm plugging away at my list, I remember the saying, "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time." 💓 Taking time to get some exercise. The weather hasn't been the greatest and I'm not a fan of walki

  When we are going through difficult times it's easy to begin to feel depressed, alone, anxious and as if know one understands what we are going through. We forget that sometimes those dark times are actually God planting us so that we can grow and stretch and draw closer to Him. Isaiah 61:3b says, "And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him." That has been the desire in my life. I want my life to bring God glory. I don't always do that so successfully. There are days when I am selfish and self-centered and try and bring myself the glory. Some days it seems as if all I can do is focus on what's not going right. However, those times when I stumble and I fail in that goal, I ask for forgiveness, get up and keep moving forward. I want each trial I go through, each opportunity I receive, and every joy I have to be used to show others how good our Lord is, and how much He loves each person. I try to view my life as a planting of the Lo

This year the holidays are different and it's a bit of an adjustment time for me. We spent Thanksgiving over the course of two days - the day before with just the boys and Dan's parents and then traveled on Thanksgiving Day to spend it with Emily, her boyfriend and his parents.  Today my daughter let me know that she wouldn't be coming here for Christmas Day. I honestly knew it was coming and handled it well. But this afternoon I have felt a bit out of sorts and I'm thankful that I'm in tune with my emotions enough to know why. It's inevitable. Children grow up, get jobs, develop their own traditions and as they move into relationships have to make room for another family. But there is part of me that wants everything to stay the same.  But I've learned some things through the years and that is mostly because of mistakes. 1. Don't make them feel guilty. Growing up and moving on is natural. If you use guilt to try and manipulate them all that's going