Encouraging Deep Roots

Proverbs 31:13 ~ She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands . As many of you know, I've gone back and forth with my sewing business for the past few years, especially as I've struggled to figure out how it fits in with my ministry. I've decided at times that I'm going to stop doing it altogether, but then feel the desire to get back to it again and have picked it back up.  Lately, I've landed on the knowledge that there may be times during the year when I have to put it on hold a bit while I'm focusing on ministry-related activities. But rather than close it down altogether, I know that there will be some months when I just won't be sewing as much. As Dan and I have talked, we know that something needs to change in our financial situation. Things are always tight, but this has been one of the worst years we have had and we do need to think about our future, as well as Nathan's. So the idea has been thrown out there about me going...

I was sitting and sewing the other day when I had a bit of an epiphany.  Since moving here 4 years ago, I really feel as if I've been all over the map with what I should do or shouldn't do with my life.  What is the path that God wants me to walk down?  What direction should I go with my ministry?  I've been floundering big time and it's depressing.  Some of that floundering has happened because I am entering a brand new stage in my life. For years my activities were centered around my children and now that they are out of the house I'm not sure what to do.  Our last community was so very different than this one and it's been difficult to try and figure out what works here and what doesn't. I do know that God has wired me to be around people and sitting alone by myself in the house for days on end is NOT good for me or my spirits.  I start to feel as if I'm going to dry up and blow away. I'm alone with my thoughts all day long and I get ...

It's been quiet in my shop the past two weeks as I knew it would be.  Christmas is over and January is a dead month in most businesses of my kind.  People have spent their money, there are no major holidays and so no need to shop.  I've had a few customers but it is fairly quiet.  However, I'm so thankful that I have other things to occupy me while I'm waiting for customers.  I spent most of the afternoon yesterday working on correspondence, newsletters and other items that need to go out this month for our Great Commission Women's organization.  As I sat typing, I realized once again how blessed I am to be able to combine all the things I love!  I have a heart for missions and our international workers and am able to help support them through encouragement and prayer.  I also love being able to encourage the women in our district churches to also support missions in my role as director.  I love staying in touch through email and ...

My new shop has been open for three weeks now and I wake up excited and ready to face the day each morning.  Why?  Is it because I am looking forward to making money?  No, that's not it.  That has not been the driving force behind this, though of course, I want it to do well and be profitable.  We need to be able to pay our bills! Some of reason in starting this business was for it to be an extension of my ministry here.  We live in one of the poorest counties in New York State.  Many people here are struggling to make ends meet.  Some have very little means to do that because of disabilities or other circumstances.  The poverty that is here is unlike that of the inner cities in that it is hidden.  A very large percentage of children in our public schools are on the free and reduced lunch program.  So my heart strings have been tugged by this and for many years now I have felt the burden of helping others.  But I do...

Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows that I am busy, but thrive on activity.  As I reflect back to when I was a teenager and college student, I was often depressed.  And that is because I remember stretches of being bored.  The moment I stepped into the world of full-time ministry, I realized how much that changed because I was no longer feeling bored.  I'm 54 years old and am still learning what makes me tick at times. Emily is in her senior year of high school and Stephen is in his senior year of college.  Nathan is settled into his new job and came home from work yesterday and said, "I really like it there!"  These are all things that make me feel happy, but my role here at home has changed tremendously. I've been struggling, because a lot of the time even though I'm busy I feel isolated.  A lot of my ministry work is on the computer and while I get to chat with people every day online, it's not...

It seems that my home has turned into a science laboratory.  I have soap curing above my kitchen cupboards, herbs being infused into oils, different herbs drying on screens, and many variations of oils and butters in my cupboards.   And it's fun.    Yesterday, I was so happy to find plantain throughout my yard and who knew that silly weed actually has medicinal uses and you can also eat it!  I remember playing with plantain leaves as a child, trying to pull the leaf off the little veins that run through it. This morning my neighbor cut a bag full of comfrey for me and that joined the other herbs drying in my sunroom.  I'm starting to think I need a room just to myself because my experiments and projects are taking over every area of the house.  Or maybe Dan and the kids would be willing to live in one room? ;-)

  We had our ladies "Let's Have Coffee" Bible study the other night and this year we are looking at the different names of Jesus.  We meet once a month and this month we looked at Jesus as bread.  I loved setting the table with fall decorations and having a display of homemade challah, grapes and cheese.  We partook of communion together at the end of the study, remembering that the bread of life, both invites us to fill up on Him but also gave up His life for us.   I do have to say that one of things I'm looking forward to with the shop closing is being able to focus on doing more of this type of thing.  I've missed it and do feel like I've gotten distracted a bit.   Many of the ways I want to minister to others just haven't happened because I've been busy.  When I opened the shop, I had the desire to reach out to our community but that hasn't happened either, mostly because people coming in are there to shop - period.   ...