Hearts in Service

"An abundant life does not create a thankful heart. It's the spirit of gratitude that creates an abundant life."  ~ Ruth Zimmerman "If I only had a nicer home." "If I get a better job." "If all my bills are paid off." "If I only had different circumstances." "If only....." There are so many "if onlys" that flit through our heads at times that it causes us to be dissatisfied with the life we have. We fall into the trap of believing that if only things would change for the better in our life and all of our needs were met, then we would have plenty to be thankful about. What we are missing is that the only true abundance stems from having a heart of gratitude even in scarcity and even in trouble. If we never learn to look at our lives and find the blessing right in front of us, then even if we had everything we could ever want, we wouldn't see them.  And that's because discontent just breeds more discontent....

Each morning I wake up, stumble my way into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and then make my way downstairs to my recliner where I spend time with the Lord through reading His word and prayer. Many mornings, I wake up and immediately feel the crushing weight of cares and concerns, anxiety and worry over different situations, or feeling burdened by an overwhelming list of items that need to be accomplished. As I settle in my chair and begin to read, I find it difficult to concentrate at first. My mind keeps flickering to all the different thoughts, ideas and worries buzzing around. But then I begin to zero in on what I'm reading. I have to will my eyes and mind to focus. And I have to do this refocusing multiple times before I really begin to concentrate.  And as I read, there is a shift. There is a shift in my mind and attitude from feeling discouraged, discontented and depressed to a sense of hopefulness, encouragement, praise and thanksgiving.  This daily re-shifting in ...

Sometimes it's the little things that bring me joy. I'm not difficult to please and enjoy so many daily blessings. Sitting on my back patio in the early morning, listening to the birds sing.  A handful of wild flowers plucked on a walk. They are brightening up my kitchen windowsil. A gift of dishes from a friend who was getting rid of her stash. She noticed she had the same pattern I did and asked if I would like these. Teaching my son how to make a simple meal. Nathan relies heavily on me to cook because he gets overwhelmed with having to come up with a plan, buy ingredients and then cook. His go to meal is chicken nuggets and French fries. So his Care Coordinator came up with a life plan and part of it is learning to cook in order to live independently. And yes, I did teach him as he was growing up, but he just won't do it because of feeling overwhelmed.  I told him I'd come up with a few very simple meals that are nutritious and yet, easy to make. This was his first ...

I've realized lately that I've dug myself a trench over the past few years. It's a trench of negative thoughts and fixating on what's going wrong in my life. The more I dwell on those things, the deeper that trench grows. Over time, it's become so deep that it's difficult to lift myself up out of it.   There are days when I'm able to climb out and things seem pretty good, but notice that I keep walking right along the edge, so one bad bit of news and I lose my footing and slide right back down. This morning during my time with the Lord I was reminded once again of the need to change my thought patterns.  Psalm 104:33-34 ~ I will sing to the Lord all my life;     I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him,     as I rejoice in the Lord. I've gotten away from my consistently dwelling on the good things in my life. I have allowed discontent to creep in and my meditation (thoughts) have not been very pleasing to the...

This man whom I chose to do life with turns 60 years old today. He is funny, quirky, intelligent, merciful and kind. He loves people no matter their walk of life and God has given him an incredible ability to connect with all people. He got to play in a golf tournament on Saturday and we celebrated at church yesterday with cake and today we are headed to his parents to have lunch with them. His birthday meal request was stuffed shells with sausage and spinach, salad and focaccia bread. He is easy to please. I'm so thankful for him! Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, Dan!

I got home last night around 8 p.m. from a program that we are doing at our church. It's a cooking class for women who are struggling financially and trying to make ends meet on very little money. So we are teaching them how to make a meal with few ingredients that will perhaps stretch into another meal. My primary job there is the childcare portion. As I was reflecting on the day, I realized how much energy I get from being around others. When I'm isolated I tend to feel down and depressed. I actually gain energy and joy when I'm with others.  It's been a surreal kind of week with the air quality from the wildfires in Canada. There is a smoky haze over everything and I've been wheezing all week. We've been indoors with the windows shut and I am thankful it's been cooler temperatures or it would have been unbearable. It's been so cool that I actually made a pot of chicken soup and a loaf of whole wheat bread for lunch yesterday. It seems weird to want to...

This blog was quiet last week as I had an inspiring week away at our denomination's National Council in Spokane, Washington. 2500 official workers from around the U.S. gathered together to worship, conduct business, and fellowship. It was wonderful, but exhausting.  I'm trying to readjust to our time zone and am moving slow today. It can be difficult after being encouraged and hearing wonderful stories from others in ministry to come back to your own reality. It's hard to come back down to the ground after feeling like you are on the clouds all week. However, I find myself re-energized to keep moving forward. Some things have changed as a result of decisions made last week. Most notably is that I am now recognized as consecrated and  ordained and am allowed to have the title, pastor.  But that decision doesn't really change too much in my reality. I still clean the church each week (someone has to scrub those toilets - lol)! I still am "Terri" and I still have...