Busy, Happy Woman LLC

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...

Today, my husband was the invited speaker for a congregation here in Virginia, that has been without a pastor for about five years. We found out at the beginning of the service that a brief celebration was planned to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the founding of the ministry. One hundred and forty years! What a humbling and inspiring experience. Humbling in that my husband was chosen to speak today; and inspiring because in spite of not having a pastor, the congregation continues to gather to worship.  A history of the ministry was read, and a few stories were shared. The initial half-acre parcel of land for the building was purchased for $50. A few years later, another acre was added at the cost of $30. That was big money for the group of African American believers who sacrificed to purchase the land in 1883. The first building was comprised of logs, each log donated by the various families. Two wood-burning stoves provided the heating in the winter. A good number of the me...

It never ceases to amaze me how much God accomplishes through me. It is not because I am so great, it is because God is great, and I lean and depend on Him. The Bible gives us many examples of what is possible when we commit to living a God-focused life. David is one such example. He was the youngest son of Jesse, and, as such, was given a lowly position: watching over the sheep. In that culture, shepherds literally slept with the flocks to watch over them. Because David spent so much time in the fresh air, his complexion was described as "ruddy," which is translated as a "healthy, reddish glow" (online dictionary). David also most likely carried a scent of the outdoors and the sheep that he watched over. 1 Samuel 16 tells the events that God put in motion to move David from shepherd, to ruling over Judah and ultimately all of the 12 tribes of Israel. Why is this significant? It goes back to my opening sentences. I was raised on a farm and know what it means to ...

 Last evening, my husband and I watched a remake of one of the "Left Behind" movies; the one where the "Rapture of the Church" takes place. The Bible does not call the event described in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 the "rapture;" the name of the event comes from a Greek word that translates to "caught up" or "carried away" in body or spirit. So, the "Rapture" is the term used to describe the first return of Jesus to carry away all those, living and deceased, who have accepted Him as Savior and Lord.  In the movie, a young woman, who was left behind after the Rapture occurred, wanted proof about what the Bible says about the Rapture. To gain that proof, the granddaughter took a drastic approach: she dug up the casket of her grandmother, to see if the grandmother's body was still in it. Her grandmother had confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord, and shared her faith with others. When the young woman lifted th...

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...