Hearts in Service

  It's been two months since I made the change to eat plant based and whole foods and I'm loving the results I'm seeing with very minimal effort.  Because I've always made everything from scratch this hasn't been a challenge that way at all. I've continued to cook the way I always have only without all the fat and sugar. I've cut way back on my salt intake as well. I still do use it because I think it does enhance the flavor, but I'm not using anywhere near the amount I used to do. It's been really helpful to listen to some podcasts from different doctors and nutritionists and learn how to make better choices even within a plant-based diet.  Because my family eats whatever I make for them, they have been eating healthier as well.  I've had to navigate a couple of tricky situations and as long as I have a plan going in then I find it's not that difficult. Being away from home for extended periods of time is a little difficult, but planning ahe

James 1:17 ~  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.   So much in my life has changed over the past 4 years and while I'm not always happy about it, I am thankful that the Lord never changes. He still remains faithful. He still gives good gifts. He still bestows blessing upon me in different ways.  Sometimes I forget to thank Him for the many ways I see Him at work each day. I'm thankful for a weekly exercise of looking back over the previous week and giving thanks. It's an important exercise because when I don't do it I find I start to get disgruntled and ungrateful. I start viewing everything in a negative light and feeling dissatisfied with my life. So today I want to give thanks for the following things. 💓 Changing seasons and signs of the coming autumn. 💓 Chats with our children.  💓 My husband who loves being involved in the community. 💓 A productive week of canni

The older I get the more I realize how quickly time slips by. And at times, I regret how much of my life seems to have been wasted on different things. Too much time wasted on social media,  watching someone else's life instead of living my own.  Wasted staring at a television screen and watching images flit by and being sold lies by advertising companies. At times, I've wasted it in worry and being anxious over things that I cannot control no matter how much time I invest in the worry. I've wasted a lot of it in trying to be all things to all people all of the time and then wasting time feeling resentful about that. And yet, I remind myself that nothing is wasted when you make changes. All that wastefulness of time has led me to the realization that nothing in my life will change if nothing I do changes. So I'm learning to enjoy each moment of each day. I'm learning to love myself and the life and circumstances I've been given. I'm learning to turn those wo

While it's technically not the end of summer, it certainly feels that way. Our vacation times are over, my husband starts teaching a class at the local community college on Monday and I'm gearing up for fall programs and events at church and in our district. The nature of ministry is that by August you are already thinking about autumn. The weather yesterday was actually chilly and dreary which also had a fall feel. I'm not complaining because autumn is my favorite season and I still have a few weeks left to enjoy summer activities. This summer was full of hiking, adventures, changes and learning to relax a bit. It has been a time of creating new habits and new ways of doing things.  It certainly has NOT been a time of my flower and herb garden growing. The deer came through and mowed down my hostas and my petunias. My flowers are looking pitiful as well and my herbs look mostly like weeds.  So while my garden didn't grow, the summer has been a time of personal growth.

  I wrote this for our National Alliance Women's blog and thought I'd go ahead and share it here today.  In April 2016, I stepped into the role of Northeastern District Alliance Women director. At the time, I felt like I was in over my head and often wondered, “What did I get myself into?” But I had a desire to serve the Lord, and I did have administrative and leadership skills. I had a heart for missions and a heart for women. I knew the Lord had called me to this ministry, and I could see the many ways He had prepared me, so I trusted that He would fill in the gaps. Over the course of the past several years, I have sensed God coming alongside me and giving me an ability beyond my natural ones to lead in this district. There have been times when I’m at a loss of how to proceed in something, but as I pray and depend on the Lord, He gives me a new idea and a fresh way to approach a situation. In Exodus 36:1–2 we read that Moses called all the skilled workers to put their talent

I love when God's blessings come in ways you just don't expect. A few months ago my daughter's boyfriend had invited us to come on vacation with his family. Each year they rent a house on a beach and the entire extended family goes. Apparently, one set of grandparents wouldn't be able to be there so they had an extra room. I have to be honest and say relaxation is very difficult for me. I always have a hundred things that I can be doing and even when I do get a few days away, part of each day is spent in doing some sort of work. So having an entire 5 days away was going to seem a bit lazy to me. Also, I truly was feeling a bit overwhelmed and awkward crashing another family's vacation. I'm fairly outgoing but when I'm in social situations where I'm the only outsider I feel extremely uncomfortable. But I also knew they were graciously accepting us and my daughter really wanted us to come.  So we went ahead with the plans to go and I am so thankful I did.

Jeremiah 33:1-3 ~ While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord gave him this second message: “This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. The city of Jerusalem was under siege from the Babylonians and the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned in the guard's courtyard when a word comes to Him from the Lord to give to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The Lord tells them that they are about to be handed over to the Babylonians, but He also assures them that they will see peace in the land in the future. Though it seems bleak and ask if they have been abandoned, the Lord reminds them that they cannot see the whole picture. They cannot perceive what is coming down the road. We often give in to depression and despair when faced with difficult times. We feel abandoned by God and the way out seems very unclear. And yet, G