Hearts in Service Blog

  Today is going to be one of those chatty posts with nothing too inspirational being said.  ;-) I had to clean out my items from one of the local shops because they are closing their doors and relocating to a place out of town.  That means, I have piles of clutter everywhere.  So my week has been spent trying to find homes for much of it, including these glass jars.  I washed them out and then decided they would be perfect to store my dried beans, flours and seeds.  I can see what I have at a glance and it frees up some space in my cupboards. Of course, it's a little discouraging because once I take my things out of the other two shops, I will have to start all over.  It seems as if housekeeping and getting rid of clutter never ends, does it? I'm working on my goal of being disciplined this year and so far it's been okay.  Every so often I have to remind myself, "It doesn't matter if you don't feel like doing this activity, get up ...

I Peter 1:13-16 (MSG) ~ So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” Are you ready to get to work?  Life is not easy and living as a Christian in the midst of this world is definitely not easy.  Yet, we are called to live holy lives.  To go against the grain of society.  To follow Christ and do the difficult things, even when everything pulls against that.  In fact, our very own sinful nature often calls us to go down a wrong path. But we have the Holy Spirit within us who can help us.  But it requires us to do something also.  We have to be prepared to work hard....

I mentioned last week that I have a number of projects sitting around this house that were started and never finished.  My goal is to steadily work my way through them this year. The first set of them are probably going to be the hardest because they were little Christmas projects.  Since the holiday is over, it's very difficult to want to do anything Christmas related however, I didn't want them to sit for another year. A while back someone gave me a bag of mini grapevine wreathes.  I kept them, but had no idea what I was going to do with them.  I also had a box  of Christmas buttons that my mother-in-law had given me many years ago.  Before Christmas I started turning them into ornaments.  However, I never finished and still had a few to go. I was able to sit down and finish them on Sunday afternoon while watching a movie. They are packed away with the rest of the ornaments and ready to be enjoyed next year. ...

   We had a good start to the new year yesterday.  One of my desires this year is to focus on family and friends more and the day included both, along with lots of good food.  We spent most of the day, relaxing and playing games. We ended the day over a delicious meal with friends, laughing and catching up.  Our neighbors moved to a different town two months ago and this was the first time we've been able to get together.  The snow has finally started here in Central New York and I do have to say with the late start this year, I'm enjoying it now.  I need to put away my Christmas things today so while it's a bit sad to say goodbye to them, I am looking forward to tidying up and starting fresh.  I love the new year!

As I woke up this morning on the first day of 2016 and continued to reflect on where I wanted to head this year, the Lord led me to these verses in Proverbs. Proverbs 3:5-6 (HCSB) ~   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;    think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths   I know that discipline is what is needed in my life and my goals should be centered around those areas that need it most.  However, rather than overthink it, I realized that at the center of this is keeping my focus on the Lord.   I know exactly when I am centered and when I'm wobbling down bunny trails where I have no business going.  I know when I'm walking in the path God wants me to go because it's those times that I am disciplined and focused.  Everything else falls into place when I'm truly seeking what the Lord wants for my life.  And when I'm being undisciplined in the ...

We are on vacation this week and I have to be honest and say that we've asked ourselves a couple of times, "Why did we think it was a good idea to take a vacation at this time of the year?"  We were supposed to go to my sister's at the beginning of the week but an ice storm and Nathan getting sick canceled those plans.  Nathan works from tonight onward through the weekend.  So this week has seemed like most of our weeks except we get to sleep until we want and do what we want. But it's also been a good time of really talking with my husband, staying up late to read, and reflecting on what goals I want to accomplish in the new year.  It's been a staycation with very little activity, but overall, a good week.  Tonight we ring out the old year and ring in the new one.  We say goodbye to 2015 with good memories and look forward to 2016 with hope.  I'm excited to see what the new year will bring.  Yesterday all my agonizing about whether ...

This morning I'm going to share one of the devotionals from my book, Words of Encouragement for a Discouraged World.   Isaiah 43:18-19 ~ "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." How many of us spend minutes, hours and days dwelling on the past?  How many of us wish we had never said something or some event had never happened?  I know that I tend to do this a lot.  I lie awake at night thinking that I should have done this differently or said that a different way. Yet, God doesn't stay stuck in the past.  He doesn't keep mulling over our failures.  He doesn't keep a record of our sins. He is the God of the present and the future.  He moves on.  He is the God of newness.  I love these verses in Isaiah.  God is blazing a path for us in the wild happenings of our live...