Encouraging Deep Roots

  Flowers and green everywhere I look. Bees buzzing and birds chirping. Windows open and warm breeze blowing the curtains. Cups of ice cream in the sunshine. Moving Stephen out and moved in elsewhere. Working on a message, stretching my brain and lots of time in prayer. Delicious dinners made and served. Children's giggles and smiles. Putting together a children's program for Sunday. Preparing for youth group Sunday night. A surprise and opportunity to stretch for Nathan. Conversations with my daughter. It's been a full, busy week. I'm thankful for the few moments I have here and there to reflect.  My heart is full and I love the life God has given me!

  I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace lately. In the ongoing saga with my knee, it hurts 24/7 no matter what I do. I've been going to physical therapy and have made no progress. At my last visit on Friday, the therapist told me they were sending a progress report to the doctor stating that I was not progressing. But then she said, this report won't necessarily be enough to make the doctor order the MRI. When asked if I should continue to come while I wait to hear she said, "No." Ugh! In the meantime, I've researched other physical therapy exercises to do for this particular problem and have been doing those, on top of what I already was doing. On a positive note, my legs are toning up nicely! :-) I went for a walk last night which normally is impossible. The key is that I must slow way down, and then I was able to do it and my knee didn't hurt any more than it usually does. I normally walk a 15 minute mile and it took me 30 ...

Zechariah 10:1 (NIV) ~ Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;      it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people,      and plants of the field to everyone. Spring has come later this year. My daffodils are just now in full bloom and everywhere I look I see green and sprouting plants. It was a hard winter and I'm so thankful for the colors that I'm starting to see. Usually, by this time the buds are open and leaves are fully grown. However, no matter how late it is, I'm happy that spring is here.

  Dan and I have been in ministry for the past 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me how much God provides for us. We live on one income and have for most of our married life. And yet, whatever the need we have, it always seems to get met when we need it. And that has carried over for our children too.  I used to fret and worry about how we would make ends meet, but have seen God provide so often that I don't really think about it anymore. We tithe, we help out others as we can, and while I'm frugal, we also aren't pinching every penny and yet, like the story of the widow's oil in the Bible, we end up always having enough. God is good! This has carried over to my children as well.  We have seen the Lord meet Stephen's needs in a tremendous way just over the past few months. We helped him transport his things yesterday to his new church. He will be doing a 6 month internship as a youth pastor there with the possibility of it beco...

My weekend consisted of so many good things: Beautiful weather, pots of herbs gifted to me by my boys, trips by the lake to walk (if you can call it that given the tiny distance I'm able to go). It consisted of a surprise trip home by my daughter, finally figuring out how my camera works so I can take pictures again, dinner made by Emily complete with napkin roses. And flowers and gifts from my husband. It was good as a friend prayed with me before our service yesterday morning. I love my family and while there are times when we struggle with attitudes and problems and quirks, they still make me smile. My heart is full of thanksgiving on this Multitude Monday. God has blessed me in ways that are too numerous to count. Today, we are helping Stephen move his things to his new ministry position. I know he's anxious, mostly about not having anyone his own age there and being responsible for this on his own. But he will adapt and we are praying h...

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV) ~ Do you not know?      Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God,      the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,      and his understanding no one can fathom. 29  He gives strength to the weary      and increases the power of the weak. 30  Even youths grow tired and weary,      and young men stumble and fall; 31  but those who hope in the Lord      will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;      they will run and not grow weary,      they will walk and not be faint.

  I haven't posted in a week because it's been an eventful one. We traveled five hours last Friday for Stephen's baccalaureate and spent the night for his graduation which was at 2 p.m. the next day. What a wonderful event that was! We had great seats and I was able to get some really good shots of him. We got home around 11 p.m. on Saturday and then got up for church the next day and we also had youth group Sunday night.  Then on Monday morning we headed out for a three day district prayer conference and arrived home yesterday afternoon. One of the themes that seemed to run through our whole week was the idea of being released and commissioned for ministry. Both Stephen's Baccalaureate service and graduation were so meaningful, not only because he finished the hard work of earning a degree but because the students were prayed for and challenged and commissioned to now go out in the world and serve God.   Part of a written messag...