Encouraging Deep Roots

This past weekend Dan and I traveled across the state to attend the Celebration of Life service for my stepfather.  Both Dan and my brother-in-law were asked to read some scripture, say a few words and pray. Then others shared their memories. My stepfather was a kind man who impacted many lives. It was a special time of remembrance and he will be missed. I was especially thankful that I got to spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law. We only see each other once a year or so and it was wonderful to catch up. While it was a wonderful weekend, it was also difficult as we all processed the hard road of having broken families. My sister and I felt like we were intruding on his children's grief  and not feeling like we really belonged there. Our stepdad came into our lives when we were older, but he treated us as if we were his own and we loved him. But I'm certain his children have also struggled through the years from having a dad who divorced their mom and married ...

We are on vacation for the next few weeks and have been trying to do a few different things than our normal hiking trips. We love to hike and will still incorporate that into the weeks, but also wanted to do a few fun things that make it actually feel like vacation. We started the week by driving 2 1/2 hours to go to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now to be honest, I actually thought I wouldn't enjoy this as much as the guys did. I was wrong. This was 6 floors of exhibits, music, and memories from my growing up years. I loved every minute of this place and it was well worth the money. Dan and Stephen loved "The Garage" which was a floor dedicated to instruments and being able to play them all. They had a studio where you could play with a live band and they jumped right in to play. Of course, they have both played for years so did great. It was so fun! On Tuesday, Dan and I went hiking on a local trail and did a 6 mile hike on a very hot and humid day. I love that there ...

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.   ~ Joel Arthur Barker Throughout the years I've had so many hopes and dreams about serving the Lord. I thought it would be in a big ways, doing big things, but that has not been the case. The majority of Dan and my ministry life has been with small organizations and churches. And that is okay, because we've served well and had some fruitful, albeit small, ministry. But in the back of my mind is always this desire to do something that has a broader reach and impact. In some ways, this blog has served that purpose. But for many years, my vision was without action because I wasn't sure how to get started. Or I was all over the place as to what it was I wanted to focus on (the problem with a creative and very active mind). At other times, I spent a lot of time doing busy work and much activity without any clear thought or direction to what I was doing. ...

  It's been so hot and humid that fungi are popping up everywhere, including my yard. I could never figure out why one day there would be nothing in the yard and the next day I'd see large toadstools. Turns out mushrooms double in size every 24 hours. Who knew? There are so many very interesting facts about mushrooms. The photos above are from a recent walk. Unless you are looking closely, it's easy to miss them. Often they blend right into the environment and are hidden on the forest floor under leaves. And yet, these often unnoticed fungi are vital to the ecosystem.  They remind me how we can often feel unnoticed and unseen and yet, each and every one is vital to the body of Christ and important in the Lord's eyes. Take away one gift in the church and it leaves a hole. We tend to focus on the gifts of speaking, leading, worship, and the more noticeable ones. Yet, if those with the gifts of administration, service, counseling or helps don't use their gifts then it ...

Today is Monday and before I plunge into a busy week, I want to sit and ruminate on the previous week and give thanks. It felt like a strange week mostly because I was away through Tuesday and then we had the holiday on Friday. We managed to pack a lot into the week. Besides catching up on some work-related items, Dan and I got in a 6 mile hike one day. Hiking is still our favorite thing to do together and there are so many beautiful places around here. I connect best to God when I'm out walking so try to do that almost every day. We did something different for the 4th of July this year. We took a road trip and went to the zoo. It ended up being a great idea and we had a wonderful time. After church I went and spent a couple of hours with my father-in-law. He's struggling and lonely and complaining has always been a part of his personality, so it's hard to get him to see the bright side of things. However, by the end of the visit he was happy and much more positive so I am ...

I'm working my way through Philippians as I lead a study at church, but also work on writing one for publication. One of the statements Paul makes throughout the letter is "Stand firm whatever happens." It's been a good study for me personally because at times I could be better at this.  There are periods of time when I sense God's leading in my life to do a particular activity or have a certain focus, but then I can so easily give way to discouragement when I don't get feedback from others. Throughout this study, the Lord has been reminding me to stay the course, stand firm, just do the thing that He has called me to do and get my eyes off people.  Yesterday, was a wonderful example of this. I was feeling a bit discouraged as I've been working to put together resources for women to use in their own personal development as well as in their ministry. I've been doing daily posts on my Encouraging Deep Roots Facebook and Instagram pages, but haven't g...