Hearts in Service Blog

God has been steering me down the road of leadership over the past decade and as the eldest child in my family who was given much responsibility, I'm a natural born leader. But that doesn't mean I always like it. It's a heavy mantle to wear at times and not one that I wear lightly.  Here are ten things I'm learning as I lead: 1. I'm learning a lot about myself - strengths and weaknesses.  2. I'm learning that leadership doesn't come with an instruction manual. 3. I have learned that sometimes people can be disgruntled just because you are not the previous leader and that I have to be okay with that. 4. I have learned that some people are an absolute joy to work with and others will complain and find fault no matter what because that's their nature. I have to be okay with that too and not take it to heart. 5. I've learned that bearing the weight of responsibility is not possible if I don't stay connected to the vine.  6. I am learning to have sche...

This was our view as we at dinner on Friday night. It was such a beautiful evening and a perfect way to celebrate my husband's birthday. I'm thankful for the beautiful area we live in.  Mondays are the day when I look back and give thanks for the ways the Lord has blessed me. This past week was kind of a rough one with some different stressors going on. But thanksgiving is the ongoing developing ability to have an attitude of acceptance that God works in all things. It is having intentionality in finding the ways that the Lord is at work, even when times are hard. I may not see perfectly in the moment. However, when I trust that God is good and that He loves me, then I can have faith that He is using all my circumstances to develop my character and draw me closer to Him.  Today I'm thankful for the following... 💓 Beautiful blue skies and low humidity. 💓 A sweet spot to work on my back patio. 💓 The ability to wrestle through some emotions and come out the other side with ...

I came home from my weekend conference and have been struggling with not feeling well. I think it was something I ate as my stomach has been "off" which is causing me not to be able to sleep well. The past two nights I woke up at 2 a.m. and have been unable to get back to sleep. Lord, thank you for waking me up so I can hear from you. However, I find some my best times with the Lord are in the still hours of the morning. I'm able to focus and lean in to what He has to say. I gain some insight to a passage of scripture and some new lesson I need to learn. This morning I put some final touches on a message I'm giving for an online leadership summit. Lord, thank you for the encouragement found in your word. I know today is going to be a bit of a challenge as the day winds on and I feel tired. But I am thankful for those quiet times of reflection I am able to have. I'm thankful for the ability to pray for different people the Lord brings to mind. Lord, thank you for t...

  I've hit the ground running in June and have some traveling that is going to be happening over the next few months.  I started by spending the weekend (which was technically still May) with my daughter and son-in-law to celebrate her 27th birthday. It was a fun weekend which involved some hiking, some shopping, eating out and going to a graduation barbecue (my son-in-law's brother graduated from college). I was home for two days and this morning I'm headed out to Ohio for a conference. Since I'm on our national Alliance Women's team this is a working conference for me so I'll be busy the whole weekend. In two weeks I have a leadership retreat and then two weeks after that another event. Both take place in the middle of the state. This summer will be full with the farmer's market, working on a coaching certification, vacation, and other activities. Then the exciting thing is happening in September when I head to Senegal for ten days. I'm nervous, but lo...