Busy, Happy Woman LLC

We are visiting ministries here in the Roanoke Valley and today we attended a Baptist ministry in Salem. Service was excellent. The women's ensemble provided the worship songs: a very talented woman was the pianist, director, and one of the vocalist. Each selection glorified God and reminded all in attendance that faith in Jesus is the answer to every situation.  The sermon was based on Ezekiel 37:1-7...the valley of dry bones. When you carefully read the verses, you will see that there were many, many, dry and disconnected bones. God asks Ezekiel a question: "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel gave a very wise answer: "O Lord God, thou knowest." In other words, Ezekiel was saying "God, You know the answer to Your question." God responded and told Ezekiel to speak the word of the Lord to the bones. Ezekiel obeyed and the dry, disconnected bones came together; God added tendons, muscle and flesh. But there was still no life. God commanded Ezekiel to speak t...

Woohoo! I am happy to report that we are officially Virginians! This week we received the keys to our new home and registered our vehicles with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.  God is awesome! The process began at the end of December, and we have been amazed at how quickly things have progressed. From selling our home in North Carolina, moving to Virginia, starting my new job, and closing on our hew home here: the entire process  has all transpired in an eight-week timeframe . When God opens doors, He opens them for real! There is no way all of this could have transpired in this fashion without Divine Orchestration. Psalm 37:23 says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way (KJV)." In today's language, this means that when we commit to living a lifestyle that pleases God, He takes great joy in watching over us, and taking care of us. I tell you--we experiencing God's delight! Blessings and peace!

A colleague sent me today's song: "As the Deer" by Eddie James. I have heard and sung the song many times. Eddie James' rendering of the song is intimately personal, and caused me to research deer and water. Depending on the weight of the deer (or buck), approximately 2 to 3 quarts of water, per 100 pounds. is needed for survival.  What I found particularly interesting are the sources of water. Of course brooks and streams would be a source, but deer will drink from a small puddle if that is what is available. The interesting sources of water are acorns and cat briar. Cat briar is a vegetation that is similar to lettuce and are about 96% water. Amazingly, acorns are about 70% water. It would never have occurred to me that an acorn would be a source of water. What relevance is this to Believers? How does this connect to today's song?  We were created with a soul that is often thirsty, and we can attempt to satisfy that soul-thirst through  the pursuit of money, sex...

We are learning our new territory of Roanoke valley, Virginia. Nestled between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains, the views are awe-inspiring. The temperatures are moderate, as the mountains shield the valley. We have driven to several of the towns and surrounding areas and are thoroughly enjoying the sights, local restaurants, and very friendly residents.  As with every region, there are things to watch out for. One of the news stories from yesterday was titled "Be Bear Aware" (WFXR Fox News). Black bears are common in this region, and the news story explained that because of the moderate climate, bears do not hibernate. BUT a momma bear may find a comfy spot on someone's property (such as under a porch) to "nest" and have cubs. The area is a hiker's heaven, and bears are often in locations where hikers may be. I have seen a bear or two in the past while traveling, but never "up close and personal." Cautions were given in the news story so th...

We recently had breakfast with our great niece, her husband, and their six month old baby. Our niece shared with us that the baby is already pulling himself up, and standing. It appears he may "skip" crawling as some babies do. As I thought about this possibility, the foundational Scripture for a sermon came to mind. Babies desire and thrive on milk. For the first months of a baby's life, it is recommended that all the newborn receive is milk, preferably from the mother. That milk nourishes the baby, provides immunity from certain diseases, and causes the infant to grow. As the infant develops, milestones occur that signify the baby is healthy, and parents are often amazed at how quickly babies learn new things. "Newborn" Christians can follow a similar pattern. When an individual accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, a personal connection with God is established. In order for that individual to grow in the things of God, that person must desire to learn more about ...

There are a good number of books on leadership, and what makes a great leader. I am reading one of those books right now: the book was given to me by a dear friend. There are quite a few pieces of good information in the book, and I will be putting the information into practice.  God has given us the Bible and it has so many examples of good leadership behavior and not so good leadership behavior. As believers, it is important to not overlook the biblical perspective on leading; and to make certain our leadership honors God.  Here is what Jesus said about leadership: "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:...

I was packing up our office today, which entailed quite a bit of shredding of documents. As I was emptying the shredder bin for the third time, bits of documents scattered to the carpeted floor around the trash bag. I looked at the tiny white bits and decided to get the broom and dustpan. Not a good idea. A few of the bits embedded themselves into the broom at the first sweeping stroke, and others went further into the carpet. Obviously, this was a vacuum job. So, I retrieved the vacuum from the garage, and five minutes later the mess was no more. At that moment, a Bible verse popped in my head.  I had options for how to approach the clean up. I could have kept sweeping and making things worse. The vacuum was the solution, but I could have ignored the obvious.  God has given us clear direction on what is needed to clean up our lives. I don't know about you, but I spent a good number of years trying to run my life my way. And my life kept getting messier and messier. The time c...