We all Need.....

This past weekend was a good weekend as well as a draining weekend. Rick and I had the chance to hang out on Saturday morning and just talk and cuddle. We needed the down time together. We have been on the run for so many weeks that our batteries were going dead. So we drank coffee slowly, we talked, we went out to brunch. Sweet day.

This weekend I was honored to have a part in many conversations both face to face and online. As I woke up praying for these people and there situations one thing became very clear. They all needed one thing... Love. No matter what the issue was underneath it all they were all crying out for someone to love them and hug them and listen to them. Isn't that what we all need? Someone to hold us in their arms and say I am here, I care, tell me about your troubles.

God is there for us 24/7 but sometimes we also need a physical touch to connect us. God has put us here on earth to love one another. Isn't that what Jesus said the 2nd greatest commandment is ....love your neighbor as yourself....

I know that I need love and hugs and someone to say I am here for you. Whether it is a friend struggling with marriage issues, a teenager who is fighting against knowing God, a teenager worried about their life and family or a pastor who is learning how to fit into and serve a congregation; we all want to be loved.

I know that God has given be the gift of hugs and it is a honor to be able to share this with as many people as I can. Maybe you need a hug today?

Grief Lessons

Well it had been an interesting week. After being very busy over the last two weekends and then having a disagreement with a family member, I crashed. I haven't slept well and I was feeling very discouraged and blue and once again I was questioning why!

Why do I feel this way?
Why has our life taken this path?
Why do I have to fight my attitude about going to work?
Why am I fighting with people I love?
Why is my daughter gone?
Why is God asking us to change more of our life and start new tasks and ministries?
Why am I so resentful?
Why, why, why, why?

The questions don't have answers that make sense right now. The only thing I know is that that my heart hurts. I know that I have so many friends who care about me and who pray for me. For now I will hold on to those prayers.

It seems that every time we have a really good day or a really good weekend then I crash. I invest so much of myself in the day to day living and caring and trying to reach out to others and I forget that I need to refresh myself and I need to lean on God's strength and not my own. I can't reach out and love others if I don't first fill up on God's word and God's love!

So tonight I am going to go to sleep early, wake up and spend time with God and then go to work. And somewhere in the mix have a really good, cleansing cry!

May God bless you! Hugs!

Family Fitness Retreats

This past weekend Rick and I had the opportunity to lead a marriage retreat weekend called Family Fitness Retreats. This weekend was wonderful but so emotionally draining.

We were hosted by Ed & Annie Knotts who own a home on Darlington Lake. They host weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, graduation parties and have the bed and breakfast aspect also. It is a beautiful home and all of the couples felt so welcomed and loved.

The weekend was about making your marriage and your family more fit to serve God. It is a wonderful time to learn, to reflect both individually and as a couple and to set some new goals for the family. We were so honored to be asked to lead this group.

Marriages and families are under attack and anything that we can do to help the family to grow stronger and closer to God then it is worth our time and passion.

God has really held us up over the last two weekends but now I am crashing and I need to recharge my battery, Today I will reflax and work on pictures and listen to what God has taught us.

Thank you for your prayers!

Emmanuel Bible Fellowship ladies

This weekend I had the great honor to speak at a church retreat in Sunbury, PA. It was such a wonderful weekend. God was there and he gave me so much strength. I have made some new friends and I have seen the family of God reach out to a stranger and love her all weekend. My friend, Kathy, drove in from Philly to be at the retreat. This was the first time we have ever met face to face. What a delightful woman and she is evidently following God and allowing him to help her heal and grow. We will come and have dinner when we are in Philly! The Clark sisters: Joy, Ruth, Dori and Kathy, sang all weekend. They were 4 beautiful women who were using their gifts to glorify God! Don't forget to call me when you get to Pittsburgh! Shari and her daughter, Morgan, were so much fun to get to know. Morgan wants to be a doctor in the mission field and I believe that she can reach this goal. She is a very insightful young lady. Can't wait to see you when you visit Seth at Geneva. Gloria and Pastor Chuck are a delightful godly couple. I enjoyed the conversations I had with Gloria. Thank you for your prayers! Julie, Katie and Dennis: what can I say? Thank you for your hospitality, especially for Katie giving up your room! Thank you for your friendship. Friday night's chat session was so precious to us. We were sharing our hearts and lives. Julie you are a sister of my heart!

The ladies reached out to love us and lift us up and I can't say thank you enough. As we were driving away I said to Rick that we had just made some new friends. He agreed with me and said that we needed to keep in touch. God was so good to me. I had the strength to speak and my voice never gave out until we started driving home. I got in the car and it was as if the plug had been pulled. I was exhausted and my voice was sore and I became hoarse. But before this I was fine. God is amazing.

I will keep all of you in my prayers. I love you! I am sending a BIG HUG to all of you!

Prayers for Retreat

This weekend I will be speaking at Emmanuel Bible Fellowship Church in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. The theme for the weekend is Healing and Hope for the Journey.

I would appreciate your prayers as I speak this weekend. My goal is to share my testimony and the story of how God has worked in our lives after the death of Tonia. I hope that God will use our story to reach out to other women and families who are struggling with storms in their lives.

My prayer is that I would honor God in everything I say and do. I am also honoring my daughter's memory. I am nervous and excited about the weekend.

Please prayer for the ladies putting this weekend together as well as the ladies attending.

Love & hugs!