Encouraging Deep Roots

This blog was quiet last week as I had an inspiring week away at our denomination's National Council in Spokane, Washington. 2500 official workers from around the U.S. gathered together to worship, conduct business, and fellowship. It was wonderful, but exhausting.  I'm trying to readjust to our time zone and am moving slow today. It can be difficult after being encouraged and hearing wonderful stories from others in ministry to come back to your own reality. It's hard to come back down to the ground after feeling like you are on the clouds all week. However, I find myself re-energized to keep moving forward. Some things have changed as a result of decisions made last week. Most notably is that I am now recognized as consecrated and  ordained and am allowed to have the title, pastor.  But that decision doesn't really change too much in my reality. I still clean the church each week (someone has to scrub those toilets - lol)! I still am "Terri" and I still have...

I just spent the past 5 days at a conference in Ohio for denominational missions leaders from around the country. Some of our international workers were there too, sharing what is happening in the various countries they serve in. They were long days and I'm fairly wiped out today, but I came away from that time with a renewed vision for my ministry. I spent time in fellowship with old friends and new friends.  We spent time worshiping together. A couple of us ended the last night with a very sweet time of prayer together. I loved each moment that I was there despite my weariness. I took away valuable information in my role as district director, but also information I can use in my own church. But more importantly, I took away a renewed hunger in my heart to see spiritual renewal and growth happen in my own life and in the life of the women I serve. I came away with better ways that I can provide soul care to those I serve. I am bringing home a renewed confirmation of God's call...

Dan and I headed out the door at 9:10 this morning and made the hour drive to our district office for my oral examination for consecration. I was so nervous and the fact that I've been stressed triggered a diverticulitis flare-up the past couple of days so I've been feeling ill and was really praying that I'd make it through the morning. I'm thankful to say that after an hour and ten minute interview with our district's licensing, ordination and consecration committee I am now a Consecrated Woman in Ministry. I had to answer systematic theology questions and use scripture in my answers and it was nerve-wracking. But my studying paid off and I was able to not just squeak by, but answer with confidence. In fact, about half way through the interview I felt myself relax and actually enjoyed the interview. Woot! I was encouraged by our district superintendent that I need to be praying how I will use all of this as I have a good grasp of God's word and it is ev...

Set up for communion The teenagers had a fun time after the service. Connecting with long-time friends, Lori & Scott. I've been friends with them since college and they came to lead worship. I thought this was such a precious picture of mother and daughter praying together. Hearing from one of our workers in the Philippines Bosnian Handcrafts - Helping women in Bosnia support their families by selling their handcrafts here.   October has arrived and while it's my favorite time of the year, I don't have one decoration up. It's been a busy time for me and I managed to get the bin of decorations into the house but none have been unpacked. I've been absent here for a few days and some of that reason is that I've been away at a women's retreat which I had been organizing the past few months. When I got back on Saturday night I had to turn around and gear up for our church's missions conference which sta...

My days have been a blur lately. Get up, have my quiet time with the Lord, sip coffee, take a shower, clean up the kitchen, throw in a load of laundry. Then I come next door to the church and study for most of the morning. Go back to the house for lunch and to relax for about an hour. Then sewing, cooking, more studying, more laundry, cleaning, get started on dinner, etc.  I get back up and start all over again the next day. To be honest, there is nothing exciting happening in my life. No big ministry things. No change. Just day in and day out drudgery. Add to that concern over my young adult children who are struggling with anxiety and depression, concern over my mother, concern over our church, concern for our future and it makes for one big giant mental distraction. And one big knot in my stomach and heaviness in my heart. I find it interesting that the closer I get to my consecration exams the more a feeling of discouragement is weighing me down. The distractions keep co...

My days are so busy and full. I really do enjoy it, but in order to keep some resemblance of sanity I need to find balance. I don't want to fall into the trap which I often do of spending an entire day focusing only on one thing to the detriment of all else. I think the word that would describe my days is preparation. Preparing my Mind I'm preparing my mind as I study for my consecration exams. My 8 hour written exam is September 11. My oral exam before the Licensing, Ordination, Consecration Committee is on October 22nd. All of my requirements are done so all that remains is studying. I've been putting together PowerPoint presentations of the different question sections since it helps solidify it in my own head. The verse that comes to mind is in 2 Timothy 2:15 ~ "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth." Preparing to Can I bought some pe...

Dan and I have spent the past three days at our District Prayer Conference. Pastors, ministry leaders, and men and women from around the Northeastern District gathered together for prayer, encouragement, worship and fellowship. We went non-stop from early morning until late at night, and fell into bed exhausted each night. But it was a good exhaustion. I felt like I was saturated at the end of each day and filled to the brim after hearing from the Lord in the different workshops, messages, and conversations. I came home with a full-blown head cold, and even though I can't breathe through my nose and there is a box of tissues and cough drops by my side, my inner-person has been rejuvenated! Some things I came away with:   Be bold - Don't be afraid to share my faith, live out my faith and lead. We need to lead by example.   Be enthusiastic - I have noticed a shift in myself the past few years where I have lost some of my enthusiasm for ministry because I've absor...

Summers for me have normally been a flurry of processing food and turning summer tastes into rows of canning jars. For years I had my own garden, and then the past few summers I gave it up and just hit the farmer's market for my fruits and vegetables.  Today is July 6th and I haven't done that once. It's kind of a strange year. I'm in a countdown until my knee surgery next Thursday. But more than that, it's a summer of studying and writing papers and working my brain in ways that hasn't happened in 30 years.  As part of my consecration I have to write 6 position papers and I started the first of them yesterday. It's hard to get my brain wrapped around systematic theology when that hasn't happened since I was in my 20's. My goal is to get at least 3 papers and one of the projects done by December at the latest so I have another year to get the other 3 papers written and the other project completed. There are days when I ask myself why I ever ...