HEART'S CRY

In our community we have a diversion program where young men and women who made some dumb choices can learn lessons without destroying their reputation. These young people usually are assigned community service and struggle at times to find it.  To me, it is a grand opportunity to impact a life as well as a learning opportunity that impacts mine.   I have found these kids to be respectful and willing to listen to my preaching, answer my incessant questions and put up with my white board lectures.  They have pulled weeds, vacuumed, helped, served and hopefully find themselves in the middle of something bigger than themselves. Recently, a young man called to ask to work.  I have to admit that I drug my feet at first because of my jam packed schedule.  However, after I met him and found out about his life and his goals and his love of the outdoors and family...I was glad he was there.  He tore down the Christmas decorations, made my husband...

January, 2013 is closing its final pages.  Soon it will be a brief snapshot in my life's album. Except for what I have learned and the relationships I have built and the eternal investments I have made. While I have loved the learning I've done, the classes I've taken and met a few of my goals; what has excited me the most is being part of a group of women who desire to know God more and want to move forward in every aspect of their lives.  January's focus has been on developing  my mission, goals, strategies and timelines.  I have to finish the work that I have started and finish the goals for January!  It is "go" time! February's focus is all about my relationships.   My relationship with my husband and my boys, my family, friends, church, colleagues and neighbors.  My relationship with myself and with God! I will be praying more intentionally and deliberately for each of these areas.   As we all know relation...

HEART'S CRY: Hope Deferred- Heart's Flu : Have you ever wondered if we can catch a spiritual "bug" or flu?  Has it crossed your mind as it has mine if my spiritual heart is sick?  So...

A friend on facebook shared a cute picture with me.  The picture instantly took me back to an old homestead house turned tack shed. With six girls, some ranchers might have mistakenly suspected that our Dad saddled our horses and coddled us but you would be wrong.  His seeming goal for all of us...was to be independent and able to take care of ourselves.  So at a certain point in our lives, he would tell us that if we wanted to go we had to  saddle our own horse.   He checked our cinches and off we would go.  The process was ugly but we were very proud. We learned these things: Tie the horse so he is still. Have everything ready before (cinches over the saddle etc.) The blankets went first up the horse. (might need a five gallon bucket to stand on) Finally with the styrup over the saddle, we would slide the saddle up on the horse's back using our individual strengths. Usually pushing the blanket off to the other side.   Try to adj...

This is the second year of being interviewed for the 9th grade English class in our community.   An amazing English teacher started this project last year and then passed it on to the new teacher when she moved.  Wondering if she, Mrs. Helzer, knows the fruit growing from the seedling she left behind?! This year three young people have interviewed me.  What I find absolutely fascinating are what they have noticed me for.   What these three students noticed in me...are little things that I would never have claimed as "doing anything" important.  Trust me I'm not in any way, shape or form an extraordinary anything.   I really think that is the point of the class.   Giving the students an opportunity to find out for themselves that being a "Local Anonymous Extraordinary" is all about the little things.   Something that we can all do. This is why they picked me: "She helps the wrestling team and make...

Tonight I had the privilege of holding a little two week old baby for quite some time while his parents were helping out with their son's activity.  As I held him against my shoulder with one hand on the back of his little head and the other patting his back, I breathed again the smell of baby.  How perfectly a baby fits against the shoulder! He was chewing on his hand ferociously and making all of the those wonderful baby sounds. As I held him, I reveled in the miracle that a baby is.  I told him how cute and perfect he was. I had just spoke to this amazing group of parents on building relationships and developing the social emotional skills of our children.   As I was preparing, I thought of the million directions I could go.  Should I speak on acknowledging versus praise or the patterns of attachment or move into teaching specific skills.  My friend reminded me to keep it simple.  So my title was, "All they need is you."  ...

Embracing the season I'm in?  This could involve waiting I'm afraid. The bulbs under the frozen ground in my beds are waiting.   My trees are dormant and mostly still until they begin their stirring. The grass and even the "weeds" all waiting for spring.  They are not at all pushing at the restraints of the season-wishing they could hurry up. They know that the waiting is part of the growing, and blooming and producing and harvesting. This is my season of waiting, planning and preparing. Waiting intentionally and with deliberation. Resting in the now. Surrendering to the work God is doing within me through the wait. Hope and love has conceived and cannot wait to give birth to joy and vision!

For a six year stretch , we hit a very t ough patch in every area of our lives.  The stress was literally killing us.  I'm going to apologize now for a long post that I hope will let some one in our blogging community "off the hook" so to speak. Spiritually we had become numb.  Believing for others was much easier then believing for ourselves.  We had been deeply wounded by people that we loved the mos t...family and church family.   Instinctively we began to draw a ca coon around our hearts which led to an unravel ing of so many other relationships.  We know that i f people could have seen how broken we were they would either reject us or reach out to us.  We wanted nei ther. Emotionally, we ha d succumb ed to trying to please and make things happen.  We were completely worn out which led to fraying of our minds.  Depressed and anxious and exhausted within our very being. Mentally, we were still trying to move forward and ...

Barb Knaub just passed away and while you might not know this amazing lady, she has been storing up treasure in heaven for over fifty years. Some words that I think of when I think of Barb: Dedicated Faithful Determined Obedient Great Memory Pray'er Giver  Childlike Faith Barb had a form of muscular dystrophy that took and debilitated many of her family members over the years.    Her family had been told that she would not make it through the elementary school.  She did.    They were told she would not make it through middle school.  And she did.   High school graduation found her with head held high!  Did she give up then?  Nope.   She went and graduated and paid for her college degree at Trinity Bible College.   Barb lived on her own until just the last few years.  If truth be known, she enjoyed her time at Indian Hills Nursing Home.  She loved the church a...

In the heart of every child In the soul of every youth In the back of every adult mind Is a cry... Please believe in me. Believe that I can That I will That I am And always will be Believe that I will succeed Am capable And competent Am able Adequate and up to speed Within every heart Is a cry to be heard Validated Justified Affirmed and set apart If we simply open our eyes To grasp the unending opportunities   To believe And promote Each individual to apprise  What a s eed we poss ess To implant to another With nurture  And time Belief will take root and all will be blessed