Encouraging Deep Roots

  I received a text this week from a woman from a local agency who works with those who are in need. She said they had a client who was looking for a church connection and could use some mentoring. She wanted to know if this was something I would be interested in. Of course, I said, "Yes!" and to be honest, was thinking that it was neat that she thought I would be a good mentor to this young lady. But then she said something that made me laugh out loud. She said, "She really could use a mother figure in her life." So my so-called mentoring  skills  were really more about me having a mom-vibe! 😀 I admit it. I do exude "mom" probably to all I meet. In fact, my sister-in-law said I'm like Kanga in Winnie the Pooh. I know I'm happy when I'm caring for others. In fact, I recently did a personality/work assessment that said one of my natural gifts is coming alongside others and helping them accomplish what they need to get done.  Anyway, I've de...

The older I get the more I realize how quickly life flies by. It's mid-August and the corn is getting high in the field. Because we've had so little rain this summer the leaves are starting to change color and fall off the trees already. It seems as if summer will be over in the blink of an eye.   In the spirit of my last post, I spent Saturday just puttering around my house and enjoying the small things. If I had a thought about something that needed to get done that was work-related, I wrote it down and got it out of my brain. This way I was able to stay in the moment. I made a pot roast for my family and homemade dinner rolls.  I processed the oregano from my garden that had been drying and then I went out and cut some more herbs to dry.  I read a book. I worked on a rag wreathe. I went for long walks.  I carried that "in-the-moment" spirit to church yesterday. Usually I'm barreling around the church on a Sunday morning preparing a bunch of last minute stuff....

  I was in this exact location and looking at those mountains across the valley when I heard God's calling on my life as a teenager. It is one of the very few times in my life when I clearly heard God speaking to me.  The other was in college as a group of us were traveling out of New York City. Every Friday night we would go into the city to work with a local church. On this particular night, we were driving through the city and it was quiet in the van. As I watched the lights in the apartments, I heard Him confirm again His call on my life to go and share Good News with those who didn't know Him.  And so I followed that call, feeling very inadequate and not always knowing where I was going. Dan and and I were walking yesterday and I mentioned to him that all of our experiences and the things we've learned along the way prepare us for the next place and position. I feel as if much of what I am doing now wouldn't have been possible without all those previous experiences...

I'm excited to announce that I have a new e-book available as a free download on my website. It's called, "Fostering a Positive Ministry Environment: Encouraging Deep Roots Series." A positive ministry environment doesn’t happen by chance. It is the result of intentional effort from every member. So many leaders forget the importance of creating an environment where team members feel affirmed and valued. This little book will help you begin to intentionally think about your leadership style and your team and how to foster an environment of growth where team members can thrive. At the end of each short chapter, I have added questions for reflection. Take time to prayerfully answer them and you can also use them to facilitate discussions with your team. 35 pages Downloadable e-book You can find it here: https://encouragingdeeproots.com/books-and-resources I also updated my website and added a shop so people can purchase any of my books directly from me rather than have ...

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. ...

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...

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...

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...

Each week is busy with the normal activity that needs to happen in my church ministry, district ministry and as well as my roles in our national and denomination's world fellowship position. This week however took on some added busyness with the sheer number of meetings and events I had to attend. Approximately 16 hours was spent just sitting in meetings. There was a point mid-week when I really wasn't sure if I would make it to the end of the week.  I generally always have many things I'm juggling with multiple items which must be accomplished. At the beginning of each week, I honestly am not sure I'll get them all done. And because I hold so many different roles it's always a plethora of projects. But I'm pleasantly surprised when I do manage to get it all done. Some of it is utilizing the phrase, "Just do the next thing." If I look at everything I get overwhelmed and then spin my wheels. If I just take it one thing at a time, I'm able to accompl...

Dan and I got back on Wednesday afternoon from three days away at our district prayer conference. Every other year it is a business conference and then the opposite year is a retreat. This is for pastors in our district and this was a retreat year and took place at a YMCA campground in the middle of our state. I am so thankful that we went together this year. The main theme of the weekend was long-term sustainability in our ministry and how to weave some soul-care in there. The pastorate is a strange job and without trying to be melodramatic, can wreak havoc on your life. If you don't have some level of self-awareness and have some tools to help you through, it can tear apart your life and your family's life.  There was a workshop one afternoon on how to sustain ministry for the long-haul. I had planned on going to it when the thought occurred to me that it was probably for the younger ministry couples in the room because Dan and I have been at this for 35 years! In fact, we we...

As it often seems in life, multiple things are happening all at the same time. It's going to be a very busy week, but I am looking forward to it. This morning I'm headed to the local river walk (paved walkway by a river) for the annual Turn the River Green  event for St. Patrick's Day. I signed our church up to have a tent there and offer a free craft for children. Myself and another woman from church will be there to greet the approximately 2,500 people who attend. I'm hoping that there will only be about 320 children since that's all the crafts I have! 😂 Tomorrow night is also the start of our annual missions conference and we are hosting two of our International Workers for 4 days. There are events almost every day where they have the opportunity to share their ministry overseas. As always, there are a lot of moving parts to this, including multiple dinners and activities. After this morning's event I need to swing by the church and make sure we have all the...