Hearts in Service

I made the change in my eating habits on July 3rd and I am amazed that I've had no sugar, no processed food nor any sort of fried foods or white flour in a month. Other than once or twice I haven't really had the desire for them either. I'm learning to cook with different ingredients. This salad had a tofu dressing on it instead of mayonnaise. It was really good the first night and reminded me a bit of ranch dressing. However, I wasn't crazy about the texture the next day. Some things are a win and others aren't. The couple of times we've gone out I have made sure that I know what's on the menu ahead of time so I have a plan going in. I know that if I wait until I get there and am not prepared then I will be more apt to make a wrong choice. It was a challenge the other night when we met another couple at a place that's geared toward college students and the main choices on the menu were pizza, burgers and deep fried everything. I ordered a salad with gri

I am a multi-tasker and pride myself in being able to do multiple things at the same time. However, there is a detriment to this. I find myself increasingly unable to sit and just focus on the task at hand because my brain is going in a thousand directions. This week has been one of slowing down and taking one thing at a time. If I'm watching a show on television instead of also checking my phone, I'm trying to learn to just focus on the show. If I'm walking in the woods, I try and focus on the moment and appreciating all of the sights and sounds. Instead of multi-tasking, I'm attempting to mono-task. It's not easy, but I think it's so important to increase my capacity to just do one thing at a time. My attention span needs to increase not just with other people, but more importantly, with the Lord.  This morning I found a place of quiet rest which was my back patio. No one is out yet because it's early. The temperatures dropped and it's actually chilly

I have a confession. There are days when I spend more time than I like to admit complaining and wondering why things are not going the way I think they should. I can look at what's going wrong and magnify it so that it seems like nothing  is going right. And I don't like that part of myself. We are on vacation this week and even though only one day has passed I have spent some time praying and asking the Lord to change that pattern of behavior in myself. Because when I look at my life through God's lens I can see so many wonderful things. I want to give thanks for those things today. 💗 Hiking with my young men. 💗 We live in a beautiful area with lots to explore. Ministry can be tiring and at times, frustrating, but I'm so thankful for the ministry the Lord has called me to do.  💗 My local church ministry. 💗 A wonderful ministry within our district of 76 churches.  💗 And now being a part of our denomination's worldwide ministry by being asked to serve on the lea

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ~  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. I'm finishing up the third week of this new way of eating and it's been going well. I got on the scale this morning and it frustratingly has not budged. But I'm not going to let that discourage me as I lost 8 lbs. the first two weeks and there is bound to be a leveling off. Ideally you should lose 1-2 lbs. per week in order to see permanent results.  I also had to navigate a few social situations which are always a trigger for eating the wrong things. We have refreshments after church each week. I'm thankful for the couple who signed up last week and brought a veggie and fruit tray.  Once a month on Wednesdays we have a cooking class at the church for those women who want to learn some life skills. This week they made pizza and that's a challen

Regret and embarrassment. These were the two emotions I felt as I woke up this morning. Last night, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me in a meeting and I feel like I was too vulnerable and shared things I shouldn't have shared.  My husband and I have been in a hard place the past few years and struggling to figure out our ministry here. And there are days when I don't like it. AT ALL! Add loss and loneliness and anxiety to the mix and I sometimes slip into the false idea that we are being punished or forgotten. But as I read Hebrews 12-13 this morning the above verse caught my attention. I often read that word, discipline, as punishment. When I'm walking down a hard road it can easily feel as if I'm somehow being punished by the Lord. But that's not the case at all. I know this cognitively, but it certainly is easy to slip into listening to my feelings. God isn't a hard taskmaster who delights in bringing difficulties. He isn't intent on causing pai

Isaiah 30:15-18 ~  This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: " In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength,  but you would have none of it.  You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'  Therefore you will flee!  You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'  Therefore your pursuers will be swift!  A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away,  till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill."  Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.  For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! I'm sure you have heard of the expression, "Good things come to those who wait." I never liked that expression because I really hate waiting. I don't like the unknown and it leaves me feeling unsettled and anxious. I want OUT of whatever is causing the stress. And yet, the place of waiti

I had a conversation with a friend recently, who shared something she had been reading about choosing to steward (be responsible for or look after) or not steward things.  So as you go through your house and look at your items, you can ask yourself, "Do I really want to steward this any more?" "Do I want to use my physical and emotional space to care for it or is it just taking up valuable space?"  It got me thinking about stewardship in general and how there are some things we are definitely supposed to steward. We are to steward the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are to steward the spiritual gifts we have been given.  Another thing we are to be stewards of and gets overlooked by so many is our physical bodies. We have one body that has been given to us and so many, including me, have let it fall into disrepair. I've struggled with this the past few years. I've been blessed with a large bone structure and am taller than some women so carry my excess weight in