Hearts in Service

Zechariah 4:6-10 ~  Then he responded to me by saying, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit!” says the Lord. “What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. He will bring out the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace” to it.’” Again the word of the Lord came to me saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this House. His hands will also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord has sent me to you. For who despises the day of small things? These seven—which are the eyes of Adonai that run back and forth throughout the whole earth—will rejoice when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand .” As believers, we are a culture obsessed with programs and big, seemingly successful ministries. When you are in a small church it's easy to start to feel as if your work is meaningless and invisible. What's the point of this if it doesn't turn into a big and booming ministry? As...

I had spent the entire day in meetings yesterday so I made a point of making sure I got outside and out in the fresh air. As  I was walking and reflecting yesterday, I realize that I am beginning to develop an awareness of how the Lord has used this season of feeling alone to stretch me and draw me into closer fellowship with Him. I have taken on more of a leadership and mentoring role in almost every ministry area in my life and I know that I would not be able to do that if I was where I had been 5 years ago. As I thought back over the past few years I can see how the Lord has pulled me into a space of being isolated in order to hear more clearly the direction He wants me to go.  I've been focusing on the word, Connection, this year and I've learned a few lessons about staying connected or abiding in the vine. 1. To abide you need to allow God to create spaciousness in your life.  What do I mean by this? We have a tendency to crowd so much into our schedule and want to a...

It's been a busy, "feeling out of control of anything" type of week and it's only Wednesday! So I'm processing my current life situation with dealing with aging parents while I process the vegetables sitting in my kitchen. It seemed like a good day to do both as I need to stay home for my son's life plan meeting with his support team which is happening this morning. Turning pumpkins into puree. Cabbage into sauerkraut. Corn into niblets to be canned. And problems into prayers.  It's a processing kind of day.  

I've been thinking about age a lot lately and the whole idea of aging with grace and beauty. I was out walking the other day and was admiring all the beautiful colors on the leaves. They are gradually turning color this year, but are just gorgeous in their brilliant red, gold, orange and shades of brown. As they turn color they are starting to fall and they line the path where I walk with a blanket of colors. And it's a spectacular sight.  But as the season goes on and more leaves let go of the branch and drop to the ground, there are always a stubborn few who refuse to let go. They stick tightly to the branch and wither and die and some actually remain there all winter long, only to drop in the spring. This reminds me of aging and raises the question of how do we age with grace and beauty and know when to let go of activities, ministries, and things we've always done? How do we know when the time has come to set aside from what we've always loved doing on order to allo...

I went into the weekend feeling very weary and left with a full heart. As I headed to the mountains early Friday morning I was really not sure how I was going to manage speaking four times and leading a retreat, but God was faithful and it was a great weekend.  On Mondays, I try and look back and see where I saw God at work in my life and to give Him thanks for that. 💓I'm thankful for safety while I drove the 12 hour round trip alone. I don't mind driving and generally, I listen to music, podcasts, pray or just think in the silence while I drive. 💓 I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my sister. 💓 God used the messages in a wonderful way to minister to the women there. He also used the worship time, the breakout sessions and the discussion time to bring encouragement and healing to some. 💓 I'm thankful that I was able to get out and hike for a little bit on both Friday after I arrived and Saturday afternoon. 💓 I was very thankful for good sleep both nights...

I haven't had much to write lately. That is mostly because the past two weeks have felt as though I have been through a multitude of Herculean tasks. As I look back I can't believe at how much I was able to get done. But then again, I did a lot of praying and asking the Lord to give me the strength to do it. So I really shouldn't be surprised. I prepared and led two retreats this past weekend - one for women in our district and one for my district leadership team. They both went so well. I got home Sunday night and then hit the ground running on Monday. I went to a doctor's appointment with Nathan, made dinner for my in-laws, returned the rental car and spent the afternoon with my mother-in-law and father-in-law. What was gnawing at me was the fact that I'm speaking at an event this weekend and speaking four times. However, life kept getting in the way. I cannot believe I did it, but I managed to get all four completed and even found time at my retreats last weekend...