I've got an idea...

It has been a long time since my last post.  A LOT has happened during that time.  I met and fell in love with a wonderful man.  We got married.  My daughter got married.  There was a death in the family and a variety of illnesses and injuries.  There was a trip to Europe.  And one to Williamsburg.  And one to Texas.  There was (and still is) the bliss of hanging out with the aforementioned wonderful man.

But now I have an idea.   I really want to make progress on the book, which I wrote about here.  So here's my plan.  I will periodically post a line or two from the book-in-progress to help keep me accountable and hopefully encourage or inspire anyone who might read this blog.  I think I'll also play with creative ideas about how to structure the book, maybe even incorporate some of my photography as I go along.  Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, thoughts and inspirations.  I like to think of us sitting around a table with a cup of tea or coffee (or a glass of wine) sharing our hearts and being encouraged by our time together. 

 What an adventure this is going to be!

Here is today's taste of How Can I Serve the Lord:

Here's me, right now, as I start the journey of writing – searching, growing, reaching deep inside to let “me” out. The real me, shaped by a creative and personal God to shine His light at this time and in this place, just as I am. No, especially as I am. Because if I can, right now, I know that so will you.

And quite possibly many others. Freedom is contagious.

So, take a deep breath, and let's explore what it means to serve the Lord.

Heart to Heart with God

I had the chance to bring the message at  my church this past Sunday.  It is a simple word about God's love.  The recording begins just after I had given a brief description of my time at seminary.

http://cornwallchurch.org/media/documents/6_23_13.mp3

The Book

Well, I started the book.  Last June I knew I had to write a book.  Rather a daunting proposition!  So I put it off, and the inspiration lost it's sparkle - but never died.  Somehow, today it fizzed up again and I actually started writing the book!  I want to use this blog as a place to try things out, so that both friends of mine and friends of Encounter can give me feedback during the process.  After all, Encounter is a big part of the story that is now becoming the book.  So here we go!

The book is called How Can I Serve the Lord?.  Here are the very first words of this adventure:

Would you be holding this book right now if you had never asked yourself that question? Maybe you never realized how much you are affected by the question until you saw this book. Maybe you picked this book up at random, but what you will find inside it is a word from God for you right now. Whatever the reason you are reading this book, I want to say welcome to a life-changing experience! I say that with boldness, only because I KNOW that the awesome God of the universe has a plan for your life and He is always in the business of changing and transforming each one of us into the person He created and knew before the foundation of the world. I want this book to be an encouragement to those who willingly seek to do the will of God and those who struggle to do the will of God. To those who happily serve and those who dutifully serve. Whatever the condition of your heart or the color of your life, I hope you find within these pages the sweet whisper of the voice of the Lord calling you to the freedom of being all that He has made you to be.

So it begins...

Are you really here?

Challenging, comforting, inspiring...

Click here: Be Here Now

A Winter's Fire and a Lesson Learned

A few years ago I rearranged two rooms in my house so that I could sit by the fire in the winter. I bought wood by the bundle from a convenience store so that I could sit by the fire. I finally broke down and ordered a half cord of wood, which was dumped in my driveway and moved and neatly stacked by two teenage boys so I could sit by the fire. There was only one problem - that wood barely burned. I couldn't just sit by the fire without hours of tending to it. It turned out that the cord of wood was red oak, excellent for generating heat, notorious for resisting ignition. And guess what? I think God showed me something in all that. Because after trying everything I could to get the fire to catch, I stuck in a log from my last bundle from the convenience store. That wood ignites easily and burns fast. The other logs were no longer burning at all, just some embers. I put the new log in and blew and blew and blew on the embers. There was some smoke and that's all. Finally the Spirit whispered to me, "Where there is smoke, there is fire" and somehow I knew I was supposed to stop all my efforts and just wait and see what would happen to the fire. So I did. Shortly after that, the new log burst into flame and the hard, red oak logs also caught on fire. And I learned a spiritual lesson. It's about how to actually accomplish what the Lord has called me to do. See, the hard logs were prepared by all that I had done to try and get the fire started, but it was the presence of the highly flammable log that actually made the fire catch. These days I want to be a highly flammable log. I want to be captured by the fire of God all the time. And let Him do the necessary preparation in the people and circumstances that come into my life. So I then I don't need to do much to get the fire started in those around me, just catch on fire myself!

Welcome to Encounter/Transform!

As part of the experience of Encounter, a unique shop/prayer room/art space in Lititz, PA, I will be sharing inspirational and encouraging thoughts here from time to time.  Be sure to "like" Encounter on Facebook for updates.  Or just "follow" Encounter/Transform!