Finding Grace #410

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Storm Winter photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a busy but solid week. It felt a little long at times, probably because it was a five-day work and school week! 😉 It was good overall. 

At work, I enjoyed visiting three Veterans at their homes. One person didn’t have an extra chair but offered me her wheelchair. I stumbled a little over the footrest, and we joked that if I fell, I might have to move into the nursing home for rehab and be her roommate. We laughed, though she didn’t want to talk over thirty minutes because she was headed downstairs to lunch. 🙂 It was a fun experience!

The weather finally reached negative temperatures this week! We got a tiny bit of snow and have had blizzard conditions (due to snow in the air). But it’s all been manageable, and we are safe!

Lydia’s school entered a new quarter, so that means she is starting a foreign language sampler. She will be trying out Spanish, French, German, and Latin. It will be fun to see which she likes best!

This afternoon, I made a beef and vegetable stew, made some calls, and did some paperwork. Lydia went to the Fargodome with a friend’s family to assemble meals for Feed My Starving Children. We did that a few years ago, and Lydia had fun again today!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #368

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Winter Road photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fairly calm week! My gut was a little upset this week, so I tried to take it easy. This usually includes eating a little lighter, resting, and stress management. I am feeling mostly better now – still trying to figure out what the issue was!

Work was pretty normal – busy but good. Any downtime was spent catching up or getting ahead. Next week looks like a busy week with patients!

In other news, I unclogged my garbage disposal. It didn’t need reset, but I couldn’t recall how to fix it. So, I looked online for help and tried a few things. Finally, I used an old piece of wood to spin the disc and help it turn again. No issues since Tuesday!

Then, on Friday, I had an older patient with chronic pain following two conflicting diet plans based on nutrition misinformation he found online. He also is food insecure and spends the remainder of his money on solutions that are not helpful for him. He had grown malnourished as a result of eating one meal every other day thinking that was what he needed to do! It was very interesting helping him learn the truth about food and nutrition. I was able to give him a simple, cohesive plan that should meet his goals, save him money, and help his health. I’m grateful he came to see me!!

Last night ended up being solo for me. Lydia went to a friend’s house for a sleepover (different than last week). It was nice to have some alone time. I scouted out some new stores and then went home. I watched some movies while chopping up some veggies and roasting them. I also made a crockpot stew which turned out so well!

I had a relaxing time at home, waiting for Lydia to return. I had a good workout, cleaned, listened to a podcast, read a little, and made some calls. It was great talking with my mom and dad! When Lydia came home, I had fun hearing all about her adventures with the other family!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #344

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free photos of Harvest

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a busy but relatively calm week!

Work was fairly quiet. I had plenty of patients and tasks to do, but I had a little more time in between each thing. I don’t know if I was more productive or not, but I certainly felt more productive because I actually got things done! It felt good to finish most of my work, as I was a bit behind the last few weeks!

On Tuesday night, my friend brought her month-old baby over! We were able to chat and give them a change of scenery. The baby had been crying all day and not sleeping well. Then, Lydia and I both enjoyed holding her, while my friend ran a quick errand. She’s still adjusting to taking the baby around town… there is so much to prepare for! Of course, the baby slept the entire time for us! 🙂

Speaking of babies, on Wednesday night, we volunteered at church. I have helped many times over the years, but Lydia is just easing into it. As a parent, I see that she’s at the point of needing to serve or risk being bored with church. We signed up to help in the 3 to 5-year-old room but ended up filling in for the 4 to 23-month-old room. It was not quite what Lydia expected, but she adjusted. One little girl attached herself to Lydia, who was the only one who could calm her down! In addition to playing with the toddlers, I changed three dirty diapers and wiped several snotty noses. It’s been a while since I did that!

Today, we did our normal Saturday chores, but mostly we just relaxed. I made some delicious vegetable beef soup. I used low-sodium V8, ground beef, frozen mixed veggies, and a few seasonings. I’m looking forward to having leftovers for a few days!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #332

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a really fun week!! You can read some of what happened in Wednesday’s blog post, but the rest of the week was great, too!

On Sunday, we went to a dear friend’s baby shower. This is her first baby, and it is a cool miracle story. It’s not really my place to tell it, but it is wonderful to see God’s faithfulness in giving her what she has desired for so long. We had a lot of fun celebrating her and can’t wait to meet her little baby girl.

On Wednesday evening, we took care of our neighbors’ cats while they were out of town. We fed them and played with them. One is a Maine Coon, and the other is a Persian. They are as gorgeous as they are sweet! I sent a couple pictures to family, and my two-year-old nephew was so excited that he video called me! That was a first, and I was honored (even though it was a mistake). 🙂

We had beautiful weather this week, warm and sunny but not humid. On Thursday, we had a gentle rain, and everything greened up again! It was perfect!

Work went well, and I worked extra on Friday again. It gave me a little extra time to get things done, but I also saw a few patients. We also had a going away party for my coworker. We had some treats and enjoyed our time together. We will miss having her on our team, but we know she will do well in Colorado!

Today, we prepared for the coming week, and now a friend is over to visit. We might order some Chinese food and watch a movie, but it is always fun to see them either way!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #321

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Flower, Petals, Buds, Blossom, Bloom, Spring

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a rainy week full of God’s grace!

I was playing catch-up all week at work; it was just busy! I saw a lot of patients, which is nothing unusual. But, I was crunched for time when it came to charting. I did my best, and I am satisfied with that!

On Monday afternoon, we went to the dentist, and each of us received a good report! Also, we had another chiropractic adjustment on Thursday. The chiropractor is impressed with how well we are doing. That means we can spread out the sessions even further!

I was able to connect with several friends and family via text throughout the week. It was good to encourage them and cheer them on in some of the trials they are facing.

Today, we spent a couple of hours helping a widow clean out her garage. It can be a burden to go through all the ‘stuff’ after someone dies; there are so many decisions to make! I had some friends help me go through things when Dave died, so I was glad to pass on the blessing. It was good for Lydia to use her muscles and serve as well! It was rainy, and we came home wet but happy.

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Victory in Volunteering

Raise your hand if you like to volunteer! It has been said many hands make light work.

Recently, Lydia and I had a couple of opportunities to serve our local communities. While it is always my goal to set a good example for Lydia, I also hope she can feel more connected to Dave this way. He loved to serve others and was always so good at it!

Last week, I helped a friend deliver Meals on Wheels. Several of my patients over the years have received meals through this program, and I wanted to see more of it behind the scenes.

On Friday, we drove to our friends’ house in a nearby community. Leading up to this, Lydia had been excited to help. That is, until she realized we were “just” delivering the meals to everyone’s door. She mistakenly thought we were going to make the meals, and she was eager to cook and put them all together.

Sensing a teachable moment, we started talking about serving others and volunteering. I mentioned how I didn’t really know what to expect, since I hadn’t done it before, but that we would just show up and do whatever was needed. When we are volunteering, we really don’t get to call the shots!

Lydia thought about this and we role-played how it would feel for someone to “volunteer,” yet tell everyone exactly how they were going to “help.” We talked about how that could make some people feel, to be told what to do when they didn’t ask for any input.

In the end, there was not much room for the food and Lydia and her little friend, so they stayed to play while the other mom and I went into town.

As a side note, later, I did explain how sometimes partnerships occur when one party offers services or something specific to the other party, and together, they agree on how to best use the resources. That kind of helping is a little different than straight-up volunteering, though!

Then, on Saturday, Lydia and I volunteered with a program at our church. The goal was to distribute huge boxes of fruits and vegetables FREE to anyone who stopped by. No strings attached.

Once again, Lydia was so excited to help! She wondered if we would be working hands-on with the food. Of course, I worked to managed her expectations for this event, too.

We ended up inside, helping check people in and out. Even though we had a small part, I explained that each job is important. If we didn’t do our part, it might prevent someone else from doing theirs. She was so proud to help!

We had a lot of fun and even met some new faces. We look forward to the next opportunity to serve at church in a couple weeks!

This week, Lydia and I have continued to talk about what it means to serve. For example, I asked her what would make a good volunteer.

We brainstormed ideas and came up with these: Show up on time and be ready to work. Be willing to do whatever is asked of you. It’s okay to be out of your comfort zone. Have a good attitude and don’t complain. Always give your best to God. Don’t be showy or expect a reward for helping, but be grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.

Honestly, I used to second-guess my ability to help others. My skills didn’t always match up with what I thought was needed. But, I have realized (usually) just doing something is better than doing nothing. There is room to grow, but no time to waste.

For me, this is Victory: To stretch myself on behalf of someone else. To let God use me in new ways. To keep showing up without getting credit or always seeing the final outcome. Perhaps, by serving others, I can even help someone else find freedom, too!

There are many ways to love and serve others, even if it looks different than you expected. Really, you can be kind and generous any day of the week, even if it is not at an official event. Smile. Carry groceries. Bake a pie. Show up. Speak out. Hold the door. Create space for others, too. Either way, it is important for us to “do,” not just talk about what to do!

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God, thanks for giving us the heart and capacity to serve. Help us have right motives and glorify You in all we do. Help us be difference makers and draw people to You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: Do you volunteer regularly? Where do you like to serve? Are there any challenges around you that could be remedied with a little help?

Tasks: Next time an opportunity to help someone presents itself, jump on it! Don’t be afraid or overthink it. Just do something! Be wise with your resources and pray how to best use them. Don’t be foolish or selfish; let God work through you to love others!

Finding Grace #223

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was a full and busy week! Work flew by and was jam-packed with things to do. I saw a few patients face-to-face and also led a journal club for the other dietitians. It was a lot of fun, and I was happy to share about plant-based diets. Eat your veggies!

This week, I had a lot of random tasks to complete. I didn’t have as much energy and didn’t get much rest. I’m glad I could lean on the Lord for strength!

Yesterday, Lydia and I went to hang out with some friends. I helped deliver Meals on Wheels, too. Then, Lydia stayed to play, while I came home to get some task done. Later, I mowed the lawn before we went to visit our neighbors.

Today, Lydia and I volunteered at our church. The goal was to provide a truckload of fresh fruits and vegetables to people in our community. It was fun, and we had a good conversation about volunteering and serving others!

We had a new baby born in the family this morning. I won’t share too many details here, since I haven’t asked permission, but we are very happy! Also, Lydia and I were both so honored that the baby’s middle name is David. 🙂

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #152

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week an unusual week, due to the extreme cold! Most of the Midwest was affected by the Polar Vortex, which meant school closings, delays, and businesses shutting early. We made the best of having a break in the middle of the week. Read more here!

In some ways, the extreme weather has forced me to slow down and spend more time with the Lord. Indeed, Monday felt like a spiritual retreat day. I accomplished quite a lot while Lydia was at school, even though I didn’t have anything pressing in my schedule. I simply sat with God for a while (reading and praying) and kept Him close as I went about my day. I felt Him lead me as I did chores and prepared for the week. Somehow, He helped me be more productive than usual, even though I spent “extra” time with Him! 🙂

Because I was more in-tune with Jesus, I also was able to face some fears and took several steps of faith. I’ve been working on a project for quite awhile and am entering a new phase. It’s good but a little scary. All month, I stalled and made little progress—but on Monday, with God’s strength, I pushed forward. And, I had several encouraging conversations as a result!

On Thursday, my friends came over for Bible study. We enjoyed our conversation and discussed several pertinent mom issues. I’m grateful for godly friends!

Friday evening was spent volunteering with an organization called, Feed My Starving Children. We opened, filled, weighed, and sealed small bags of food. It was cool because Lydia was able to help and see the direct result of her effort. The event put our own eating habits into perspective, too.

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

On Being a Servant

Earlier this week, I heard that the average person spends 85% of their time thinking about themselves and the other 15% thinking about others. Wow, what a disconnect!

Of course, Jesus is the ultimate example of selflessness. He loved us so much, that He did something about it. He came down into our mess to save us. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He gave us every blessing and lets us work with Him! What grace!

People are Jesus’ priority. And, because we are His ambassadors, we should follow His lead. But this requires sacrifice… It may cost time, money, or energy/effort. Or, all of these combined! This seemed to come naturally to my late husband, Dave. He was such a servant! For me, though, it’s something I continually have to cultivate.

So, how do we go from self-focused to servanthood?

Seek input from others. Be willing to listen to their ideas, yet refuse the urge to gossip.

Help solve problems, even if there is no gain for you.

Encourage one another. Lift each other up and don’t tear each other down.

Think “we” instead of “me.” Work together as a team to accomplish more.

Be considerate. How will _______ (this decision or action) affect everyone else?

Treat others respectfully, even if they don’t treat you the same.

Practically speaking, this may be watching someone’s children, house work, yard work, or helping someone cross the street. It could be yielding to another car in traffic or letting someone go ahead of you at the grocery store. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top.

Yesterday, my heart was touched when a man in a wheelchair held the door for me!

We are transformed by serving others. Our hearts and attitudes change as we help meet others’ needs and join Jesus in His work. In fact, the closer we grow to Him, we become His friends, not just servants.

It’s much more fun and effective to work or serve with your friends, right?!

Being a servant is an act of worship. At the end of my life, I want to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But He probably won’t say, “Well thought, good and faithful servant.” We need to put our love in action.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Yes, it may be costly, but it helps to keep the right perspective. Our work is for the Lord Himself and He will reward us richly (in various ways). With Jesus, we always come out ahead!

In the end, loving others is not about me. People don’t need to see more of me, me, me. We exhibit Christ’s love so others may know Him personally. More of Him, less of me.

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Heavenly Father, You are so gracious. Thank You for calling us friends! Help us see where You are working and join You there. Give me a servant’s heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: Do you find serving others to be a challenge, or is it easy for you? Do you have any other ideas to share on being a servant?!

Tasks: Look for new opportunities to serve each day. Be creative and considerate. Write a thank you note to someone who blessed you!

With Appreciation (A Police Tribute)

On Monday morning, I drove with Lydia past an arena no more than three minutes from our house. We go this route nearly every day, but this time, something was unusual at the stop light. Hundreds of police vehicles lined up to honor the first North Dakota police officer killed on duty in 134 years.

Two weeks ago, an officer was wounded during a standoff with a domestic violence suspect. He was 33 years old and had previously served as a combat medic in two deployments. The suspect also died that night.

As our traffic light turned green, we talked about what was happening. “Do you see all those police cars, Lydia? They’re honoring a police officer killed on the job recently.” Being little, she couldn’t understand the impact on our normally quiet community.

But, I teared up with thankfulness and sadness at the sight. It was amazing to see such solidarity in honoring a hero’s life. Thousands of police officers came from several states and Canada. Though, I also grieved because of the tragedy and loss.

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I am so glad for the care shown to the officer’s widow and family. And, I am equally grateful for the acknowledgement of two widows and families suffering.

I pray for strength and peace for both families as they process how the community rallied around them. I pray the public love and support will bring great comfort and healing to these new widows in the coming days.

These tragedies are unifying for several reasons, including the shared loss we feel.

I identify with the officer because of his age. While I did not know him, we could have been classmates. Also, he was married with children; I can relate. I don’t live in the same area as the standoff, but many of my friends do. These days, it just hits home.

Police, firemen, paramedics, EMTs, those in the military, etc. make huge personal sacrifices on a regular basis. Many of these brave men and women start off as volunteers!

Our personal safety is something we often take for granted. But ‘first responders’ are in danger whenever they go to work. They also typically see us at our worst; as such, I’m sure they don’t get thanked enough.

I do not have a police officer in my extended family, but I have close friends who do. I have not personally experienced domestic violence, nor will I pretend to know how that feels. Yet, there are many emotional parallels in times of grief.

While my journey into widowhood has been different, it does help to know you’re not alone. I’m thankful people are pulling together for mutual support and encouragement.

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As we returned home later Monday afternoon, our normal exit off the highway was blocked. Instead, the police were in a 21-mile procession through Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota. Once again, I pointed them out to Lydia. It felt like history in the making.

We took the next exit and backtracked home. We reached our intersection again and the police vehicles were still passing through. So, we parked at a grocery store to watch across the street. Lots of other people had the same idea.

Several times over the years I’ve been teary-eyed in my car—usually the result of a song on the radio. It doesn’t happen as often these days…but Monday, I was in good company!

These people put their lives at risk for ours. They seek to protect us and I appreciate all they do for us. It is wonderful to see everyone pay respect to someone who deserves it. Thank you for your service, Officer Moszer. Rest in peace.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

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God, thank You for the brave men and women who are called to protect us. Please bless them as they serve. And please provide special comfort and peace to these families and this community. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Questions: Who are the heroes in your life? Have you thanked them lately?