Encouraging Deep Roots

Mountain Laurel in full bloom Our walk yesterday started out beautiful. It ended like this. Our front windshield on the drive home yesterday - Yikes!   On one of my walks, a little boy who was with his mom saw my camera and said, "That's a cool camera! Can I take a picture with it?" How could I resist that adorable face! It's been a strange kind of week and one in which I mostly have spent it trying to stay hydrated. We are in the middle of a heat wave and the past couple of days the humidity has been added to the mix.  I think it's felt so strange because my normal routine has been off. I've had a couple of internal 3 a.m. wake-up calls and then struggled to get back to sleep. So I've had some days of just feeling lethargic between the lack of sleep and the heat.  I was the host for an online zoom event for women around the world and that was a little nerve-wracking as I prayed my connection would work. Later that day, I led a local Bible study as well.  ...

I spent time reading Mark 10 during my quiet time this week and I was reminded once again of the difference between pride and humility. I've never noticed how much the two are compared in this chapter before. It was also a reminder to me to check my motives and see when I've crossed the line into be prideful instead of walking in humility. We see the following two character traits represented. Pride The Pharisees were full of zealous pride in their laws and were continually attempting to trip Jesus up. In Mark 10:2-10, the Pharisees grill Jesus on the law of Moses in regard to divorce. Humility In Mark 10:13-16 people were bringing their children to Jesus and the disciples got annoyed. Jesus reminded them that unless we become approach Jesus as a child we cannot enter the Kingdom. He used them as an example of humility. Pride Mark 10:17-22, we see a rich young ruler who had pride in the fact that he was righteous and kept all the religious laws. And yet, when Jesus told him tha...

Dan and I had a very strong sense of the Lord leading us to this area and church 5 years ago. There were a number of reasons that led us to that decision and we've definitely seen the Lord's hand in all of this and know it's been the right decision.  I do have to say it's not been the easiest time and there are many days when I’m not quite sure what I should be doing and also feel a wee bit invisible. The culture here is very reserved, and we are not, so that’s a challenge.  However, the Lord is using my experiences in this place and at this time to continue to mold me into a woman that He can use. I am developing perseverance as I press on. On the days I feel out of place, I press into the truth that my worth is in Christ alone. I'm continuing to discover that I need to get my eyes off others and myself, and keep them on the Lord. I'm learning that reservedness is not a lack of passion. My experiences here have also made me more aware of making sure that I am b...

It was a busy weekend and I'm moving slowly today. In fact, I was all mixed up in my dates and until about a ten days ago kept thinking Father's Day was next weekend. The extra Sunday this month threw me off.  Because I had my dates mixed up I ended up scheduling my leadership team retreat for Friday and Saturday which meant a lot of traveling, on top of the plan to pick up my father-in-law for church yesterday. I drove the hour to where he lives, took him to his church, for a drive and then out to eat for lunch. Dan met up with us after he was done at our church.  As I'm sitting on my back patio this morning its been a bit difficult to concentrate. Every dog, bird, chipmunk and bee in the neighborhood has decided to bark, chirp, squeak and buzz around me the entire time I've been out here.  Plus, I'm having a difficult time concentrating as my mind keeps wandering. It is wandering to the wonderful retreat I had with my team, to the day we had with Dan's dad yes...

There is a study out that shows people search for one of three things in their life - significance, security or acceptance. Usually it's a result of that having been lacking in their early years or as a result of some trauma. There can be some overlap in these areas. For myself, I can very clearly see that the thing I struggle with the most is the acceptance piece of that. When I am feeling triggered and unsettled it usually has to do with not feeling accepted or like I don't belong. Usually, I'm pretty strong and confident, but when I'm feeling weak or tired, those emotions can come flooding back through the simplest thing. I can trace it back very clearly to the experiences I had in my childhood and formative years.  It frustrates me to no end when I'm having these emotional responses to things in my life because in my head I know why I'm having them, but it certainly doesn't stop the emotions from flooding every part of me. But I can also see very clearly...

There is a song we sing in church from time to time. It's called Blessed Be Your Name and talks about being able to praise God no matter what our circumstances. I remember the first day I was back in our church after my mother's death and sobbing through the whole thing. Blessed Be Your Name In the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name Blessed Be Your name When I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed Be Your name Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be Your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's 'all as it should be' Blessed be Your name Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in...

Thunderous applause, cheers and smiles. This was the sound of over 3,000 people as we stood in the convention center on Thursday night and rejoiced over the International Workers in our denomination who were walking by us. They were waving the flags of the country they serve in. They marched around the huge convention center while the music played - there were men, women and children. It was beautiful. I was chatting with friends about how wonderful it was the next day when I suddenly had a brief vision of what heaven might be like. While we toil on this earth, we can often feel defeated and discouraged. We wonder if anything we do makes a difference. We sometimes feel unnoticed, unwanted, alone and rejected. And yet, in God's kingdom everything we do for Him does make a difference. In my vision, I pictured people from every nation, language and race entering into the heavenly arena with the people who have gone before us and the angels standing around and giving a thunderous appla...