Hearts in Service

Life can be very difficult at times and when we are the outside looking in at another's life it may seem as if everything is picture perfect. And yet, their reality may be very different than what it seems.  Someone commented to me recently at how blessed my life is and while there are many things that are good, there are just as many things that are not.  I have an adult child who lives with us who is on the autism spectrum. While he is very high functioning, there are challenges each day with him. He struggles which means we struggle. He is currently without a job and looking for another and I try and not get anxious about that. I am so very thankful for the team of people he has through the services he receives. That lessens some of our burden. I spent the day with my in-laws yesterday and left at 7:40 in the morning to drive over an hour to pick them up and bring them to our church. It was an exhausting day. My mother-in-law has dementia and it is sad to see the total change in

Normally I write a couple of times per week on this blog. However, I realize that it has been eleven days since I've even looked at it. That shows that it's been a busy few days.  I went to a conference in Ohio, have been preparing for upcoming speaking engagements, have had a number of meetings, church ministry and on and on.  But despite the busyness I've been at peace. And I attribute that to taking time each day to carve out space to hear from the Lord. I read and journal. I pray and listen. And I am learning to tune out the distractions that can so easily take over.  I find that the distractions aren't so much due to a busy schedule, but in my own thoughts and anxieties. I can get caught up in worry and allow my brain to carry me down the road of trying to solve problems in my own strength instead of leaving them in the Lord's capable hands. I've been working on stopping the worry and praying instead. It is so easy to allow distractions to keep us from list

I began the month of June by traveling across the state for a speaking engagement in the area where I grew up. I'm going to end the month in the same church again.  When I go on these trips I do like to find new places to explore and hike. Yesterday's adventure took me here. It was a little treasure through the woods, down a gorge and to a waterfall. After looking at the trail going down into the gorge I decided against it. After all, I'm not totally out of my head! :-) As I was looking back over my goals for the year, I realized that I hadn't done one of them which was to take a day for personal retreat, prayer, thinking and reading each month. So my very sweet husband told me to take an extra day to do that. I am so thankful for him.  I spent the afternoon walking, praying, meditating on God's word and then came back to the hotel. I'm up early this morning to do more of the same. Then I'm stopping to visit with friends before heading home. I even love my t