Hearts in Service Blog

I went to bed feeling very down and anxious and I couldn't figure out why until about 2:30 a.m. when I woke and heard the nudging of the Holy Spirit.  It's been such a busy week that I found that time spent in prayer and reading God's word was pushed to the side.  So after tossing and turning for a while, I finally got up and spent some solid time with the Lord. I went back to bed around 5 a.m. peaceful and centered.   I tend to be an all or nothing type person.  As I've aged, I've gotten better, but I still seem to struggle with this in all areas of my life.  I'm working hard at being consistent and balanced, but every so often I catch myself in this same quandary.  You'd think that at the age of 53 I still wouldn't struggle with these basic things in life but I do.  I've done various psychological profiles throughout the years for different organizations and they all come out the same - spontaneous risk-takers, on-the-go...

Play with life, laugh with life, dance lightly with life, and smile at the riddles of life, knowing that life's only true lessons are writ small in the margin. ~  Jonathan Lockwood Huie     It was such a busy week and this really is the first day that I've had time to sit down and even think of a blog post.  It's been a busy, but good week.    A week of meetings and special services.     A week of making new friends.   A week of sewing some new things.   A week of rearranging my booth at the local coffee shop.     A week of setting up a new spot at a new shop.  (The antique store where I used to be offered me a tremendous deal to have my things there and since I have inventory and Christmas is coming, it made sense).   A week of fun and laughter.   A week of baking for church events.     A week of worship.    It's been a busy, bu...

As I looked around our little church yesterday, we were stuffed to the gills.  We had 55 people and my husband counted and there were still 20 seats left, but it was definitely tight.  Of course, many of those were in the front row so they may never fill up. ;-)  I loved seeing the herd of children head off to children's church before the sermon.  When we arrived two years ago there were no young ones so this is another good sign of growth.  We are letting our teens know about winter camp at our denomination's local campground and so far have about six teenagers interested.  Our church service is over around 11:00 and yet, people stay and fellowship until about noon.  There is lots of laughter.  There is an energy and excitement that is so wonderful to see.  And yet, there was a time, when I wondered if we made a huge mistake coming here.  I felt out of place and lost.  I was like a fish out of water.  I'm not sure how...

God is good all the time.  Do you believe that?  I do!  I know I've seen His kindness to me many ways in the past week. Isaiah 63:7 (NIV) ~ I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— ... yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. This week I'm thankful for blessings #2571 - 2584. 2571.  In the midst of a crazy week, I felt relaxed and rested. 2572.  All the last minute details of our church's fall festival came together. 2573.  Nathan met with his job coach and will have weekly meetings to help him find a new job, as well as get the assistance he needs. 2574.  I had a large number of volunteers show up on Saturday to help. 2575.  Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day with no rain, many visitors and lots of fun. 2576.  I prayed all week that it woul...

I'm feeling chatty today and so this blog post is going to be a hodgepodge of things.  It's been a rainy, dreary week but the sun did come out for a bit yesterday so I went out to get pictures of the beautiful fall foliage.  It's not going to last much longer and is just gorgeous right now. It was choppy at the lake yesterday but not too cold so it was enjoyable. Tomorrow is our fall festival at church and I've had so much fun planning it.  It feels like forever since I've done anything like this and I've missed it.  The first year we were here, I was so hesitant to do much though I'm not sure why.  I think some of it was just needing time to get to know our congregation and their needs.  Some of it was my own feeling of being a fish out of water in this new area and getting used to a new church, new home, new climate, and my son leaving home for the first time. It was lot of "new"!  However, over the past six months or so, I'm ...

I'm sharing this picture as a reminder to myself that there is a reason I should keep my computer off until after I have my quiet time with the Lord!  As I look at it, I feel peaceful.  I feel calm.  I feel centered. And that is how I feel after I spend time in God's word and prayer.  When I commune with the Lord, I come away feeling that same peace and calm that I do when I spend time outdoors in a peaceful setting.  However, this morning, I turned on my phone FIRST.  The first thing that popped up was a text from my son, Nathan, from last night.  Apparently, he had texted me from work and was extremely frustrated and upset that they still have not done anything about his situation there.  Of course, my stomach knotted up. The second thing was an email with a request for a bunch of jams.  That in itself is not stressful, but I immediately felt pressure that I needed to add that to my to-do list.  The third was an email that som...

(Picture by Lisa M. Buske.  She took it at our study last night) I had an epiphany last night as I sat in our monthly women's group.  This year, because I want others in our church to use their gifts and be involved, I asked a friend to lead the Bible study portion of the group and I would handle the missions part of it, as well as set up the room for the meeting.  As I listened to her and saw the absolutely wonderful way she had organized the study, a light bulb went off in my head. I don't have to be in charge and do everything myself.  I know for most of you that would be a no-brainer.  But I find myself feeling like I need to do it all because of my role as pastor's wife.  And yet, if I had done it myself again this year, my friend wouldn't have been able to use her gifting.  Instead of feeling insecure, I realized that God designed us all differently for a purpose and my job in the church is to help equip others to use their gifts. We eac...