Busy, Happy Woman LLC

Before I get into today's post, I want to say "Thank you!" When I started this blog I had no idea there would be so many people who would take the time to read what I write. I want you to know I greatly appreciate each of you and your readership is very encouraging to me.  Unwanted Gift Have you ever received a gift and thought "What were they thinking?" or "What am I going to do with this?" I confess that I have. However, once I got past my initial reaction and opened my mind to the possibilities, some of those unwanted gifts have proven to be a blessing and have become part of my daily lifestyle.  Every believer is a gift that God has given to the world. Each of us has unique talents, abilities, and skills that bring great benefit when we are received and allowed to perform the function that God had in mind. Believers make things better!  However, there are times when what we have to offer will not be wanted, received, or appreciated. Jesus warned hi...

We have been very, very busy getting settled in Virginia. God has favored us tremendously. We have met so many nice and helpful people, and this has allowed us to feel at home here. One thing that was at the top of our list was to connect with a ministry, so that we could continue to walk in our pastoral calling. God orchestrated what I call a "divine appointment." A local pastor, who befriended us early on, invited us to a pastors' prayer breakfast. He introduced us to the attendees while the breakfast was in progress. Immediately after the breakfast, a gentleman approached my husband, introduced himself as a deacon from Green Spring Baptist Church, and asked my husband to come and speak at the ministry. He shared they had been without a pastor for several years and they were hoping to find the right person to fill that role. Dates were arranged. Fast forward to today. My husband is now the interim pastor, and I have been welcomed as a minister. The members are hungry fo...

We are having some outside work done on our home, and the contractor knocked on the back door. I went to see what was needed. He was holding the plug to a heavy duty electrical cord and his words were "I need power." I showed him where the outdoor socket was, and asked if he needed water or anything else. He assured me he was fine and I went back to what I was doing. A few minutes later, my sense of humor kicked in. "I need power" popped in my head, and I pictured myself extending my hand toward the contractor, and saying with solemn authority "I grant thee POWER!" I laughed to myself at the thought...and was very grateful I did NOT do that to the contractor.  But as I kept on thinking, a parable came forward. I must always stay "plugged into" God. Just like the contractor, the "tools" that I have cannot function as well, or may not function at all, if I don't stay connected to God through prayer, reading His word, and allowing the ...

I have been on blood pressure medication since around 2005. I was at work when suddenly my visual field began to go black and my hearing left me. Thankfully, I was surrounded by other health professionals who realized something was wrong. Quick action got me to the emergency department where it was discovered my blood pressure was in stroke range. That began my daily ritual of taking blood pressure medication. In January, my husband and I moved to Virginia. I had accepted a new role with a new company. My daily prayers included asking God for new health, new strength, new courage, etc. I did not want to carry anything into my new position that would impair my ability to be my best. Others were praying the same things for me.   In March I experienced a near-fainting episode in the middle of the night. I had gotten up to let our dog out. The episode came without warning, and I had to hold onto the door frame to steady myself. All I could think of was what my husband's reaction w...

We have a miniature poodle named Ezekiel ("Zeke" is what we call him most times). Zeke weighs a whopping 11 pounds but he thinks he's a big dog...until a couple of weeks ago. I had let him out in the yard at dusk. He loves to sniff around, bark at any birds who might be trespassing on his territory, or share nudges through the fence with the dog next door. This time he started barking immediately and it was the bark he uses when something is amiss. I looked in the direction he was barking and saw why he was "going wild." Two white-tail deer were poised on the hill that is immediately beyond our fence. Zeke was mesmerized by the size of the animals, and kept running back and forth along the fence. Once the deer determined that Zeke was not a threat (he was "contained"), they continued their way down the side of the hill.  Ever since that encounter, every time we let Zeke out, he surveys the hill, and looks up the mountain, obviously looking for the crea...

God's amazing love is transforming my life. Each day is an opportunity to get closer to God, through studying His Word, sending up heart-prayers, and allowing God's love to permeate and radiate in me.  I have been "in church" ever since I can remember. Attendance at Sunday School and morning worship was an absolute when I was growing up. However, allowing the Word of God to penetrate my heart to make me a "new creature" in Christ Jesus did not happen until well into my adult life. I knew the Bible was God's standard for living, but I chose the parts that resonated with me and that allowed me to think I was "all right."  It took some very painful events to bring me to the realization that I needed to trade in my religion and begin to build a true relationship with God. Those events caused me to cry out to God in a way I had never done before. I was forced to "look in the mirror" and see who I really was. The tears were bitter, the pain...