Hearts in Service

Throughout the years I've had people tell me, "I wish I had your energy." or "How can you do so much?" And then there is the random person that always feels the need to tell me, "You are doing too much and need to slow down!" I find myself getting irritated with those comments because they don't know how God had made me. I actually find energy and joy in doing those things.  We all have different levels of energy and different life circumstances and different convictions about things. I have found that it is really pointless to keep trying to compare myself to others when I'm not walking in their shoes nor are they living my life.  And even though I write a blog, that's the problem with them. It's easy to look at what someone else accomplishes and think there must be something wrong with me because I'm not doing the same thing.  When I'm reading a blog I try to remember that. I may glean a new idea or think about a different way

Mondays are normally the day when I talk about the things for which I'm thankful. However, I'm moving it to Tuesday this week. There have been so many things lately and sometimes I feel like my blog posts are on the heavy side so this one is going to be one of pure thanksgiving. Psalm 95:1-2 ~  Come, let us sing praise to the   Lord !     Let us shout praises to the Rock who saves us. Come and worship him with songs of thanks. Let us sing happy songs of praise to him. This week I'm thankful for the following: 🎜 After years of trying and waiting, we finally signed paperwork yesterday for our son to get services through the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities. This takes effect April 1st and is a huge relief. 🎜 A flexible schedule that allows me to work and yet, still do all the things I enjoy. I've been working to build up my inventory as I'll be participating in a local farmer's market this summer.  🎜 The scent of freshly baked bread. 🎜 Longer d

It's been a long month. Snow, clouds, cold and dreariness. Yes, I know we live in the Northeast and it's only the first day of Spring, but there comes this point every year when I'm thoroughly sick of it. I long for bright sunshine, warmth and light. I long for that in my spirit as well. Dark days lead to dark thoughts and discouragement that permeates every part of my being. For me there is a balance between needing time to myself and having too much time alone. I've never really felt so isolated as I have the past few years. I know God has something for me to learn in this season, but it's a hard one. Isolation starts to feel like rejection and then I start listening to the internal lies that say I'm not wanted, I'm not good enough and I'm not worth much. All RIDICULOUS lies that I logically know are not true; but they still flit in and out of my mind in the darkness of the night and the quiet of the day.  So I am thankful that each morning I spend tim

Matthew 9:20-22 (HCSB) ~ Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe, for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!” But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment . She inched closer and closer, trying to get up the nerve to touch him.  She knew that if she could just brush the edge of his garment her suffering would end.  She had a bleeding disorder that kept her in an "unclean" status for 12 years - no human interaction, no ability to hug her husband or children, not able to go to the temple to worship, and receiving no warmth or care.  The law stated that she must be isolated during her time of bleeding. She had twelve years of physical, emotional, social and spiritual isolation. Twelve years of mental and physical anguish.  Twelve years alone with her though

March came roaring like a lion and the snow is here to stay for a while. Dan and I went to visit Emily on Monday night and the hour and a half ride home was wild. We had no idea it was supposed to snow like this and the plows had not been out yet. So we had a white-knuckled ride all the way home. It's been a good week to hunker down and get some things checked off my list. The biggest of these was gathering all our tax information and getting it off to the accountant. I don't know what possesses me to procrastinate each year with keeping track of housing expenses, etc., but I do it every time. And then I'm scrambling to catch up on a years worth of paperwork! So I had a different sort of white-knuckled experience on Wednesday doing that.  I tried my hand at homemade yogurt in my slow cooker and it turned out great! This is definitely a new staple here. When I mentioned this to someone on Sunday, she asked, "Why?" and I responded, "Because I can!" 😁  Ser

Dan and I have been in ministry together for a very long time - 34 years to be exact. During those years there have been some good times and some hard times. We've done urban ministry, rural ministry and we're now in a small city. It's been an interesting experience the past 3 years. I'd say in many ways it's been hard, but it's also been a time of growth and being stretched. I was chatting with a friend a few weeks ago and she mentioned that in the past three years I've experienced all the things that doctors say are the big stressors - a move, a new job, death in the family, and children moving out. Add in a pandemic to this mix and my stress level went over the top. This all happened in the space of one year and it's taken me awhile to adjust. But the past few months it feels like things are getting back to normal and we are settling in. Yesterday, I looked around the church and saw brand new visitors, young couples, older couples, little ones and sen

A meal, however simple, is a moment of intersection. It is at once the most basic, the most fundamental, of our life's activities, maintaining the life of our bodies; shared with others it can be an occasion of joy and communion, uniting people deeply. ~ Elise Boulding So many of my Frugal Friday posts seem to center around food and my kitchen. I love to cook and bake and I love to feed people. I do think it's one of my love languages. It's also the primary place where I have control over the budget so it makes sense that it's the place where I work hard to save some money and yet, still create delicious food. $ This week was no different. I've gotten back into making sourdough again and I'm pleased with my starter. It has really taken off over the past two days and is nice and foamy and bubbly.  $ I made some sourdough everythign bagels and this morning dough is rising for a loaf of sourdough bread.  $ Breakfast is always a challenge for me. I don't really

The weather has been strange for winter over the past month and most days have been fairly warm so I've been able to get out and walk. That has been good for my spirits as I really struggle with feeling down and depressed in the sun-depleted winter months.  As I was walking the other day, this tree caught my attention. The bark was stripping off and the underside of the trunk and branches were laid bare to the elements. It looked kind of sad and yet, it was still strong and growing.  I came home and researched this a bit because I thought it was a sign that the tree was dying. But then I discovered that birch trees can get lichen and moss growing on them which blocks the light. Sometimes, birch trees start shedding their bark to get rid of the lichen light-blocking layer to expose the healthy inner layer and take advantage of sunlight in the winter.   I kind of feel like that tree lately. God is stripping away a lot of the rotting junk and my soul is being laid bare. It's a pai