Late for Worship

Let me know if you can relate to the story I am about to share. Last Sunday, as I prepared for church, I had an agenda...a plan...a schedule. I knew exactly what time I needed to be out the door. If I stayed on schedule, I would have time to stop at the church café and grab coffee before worship. Of course worship would come after I met with the youth pastor about making an announcement regarding a missions trip. If the announcement happened at a precise time, I would be able to spend time in the sanctuary before I had to rush off to a drama meeting. I don't know about you but I am excited just typing this.

As I walked upstairs to the sanctuary, I was juggling a purse, mission trip notes, drama folder and of course...coffee. My hands were so full that a sweet lady grabbed a bulletin for me, placed it on top of my file as she opened the door. I found my seat and almost laughed as I attempted to organize my "stuff" on the chair beside me. The congregation was already singing as I foolishly rustled papers, folders and coffee...oh my.


Finally, half way through the second verse...I began to sing.

Can you relate or am I the only crazy lady at church?

I sat there and it hit me...too many things hindered my worship that day. They weren't necessarily bad things. I love being involved in ministry and serving in the church. In fact, I think we should all find a way to serve the local congregation. We just need to find balance and not let it get in the way of our personal worship. We can only give to others what we have experienced ourselves. Our ministry is an overflow of our worship. You can't serve from a dry well.

What is hindering you today?

I invite you to attend an event for women on this very topic.

Sign up here:



http://northamptonbiblechurch.org/#/ministries/womens-ministries



Take time to invest in your relationship with Christ by attending this one day event.

I would love to see you. Let's take this journey together!

RED HAT LADIES

Yesterday I spoke in Mentor at a luncheon. Several times I started to cancel due to the weather. I was driving on 271 and was scared to death. I hate traveling on highways when it is icy and snowy. I actually found myself getting mad for agreeing to speak. I arrived at the luncheon late and to say my heart wasn't in it ...would be putting it mildly. The Lord grabbed ahold of my heart and reminded me that it wasn't about me...it was about Him. I was able to share the Gospel that day with 60+ women. It turned into a great day. Through this event...I was able to book possibly another 4 speaking engagements. One is with the "Red Hat Ladies" in April. I am excited. It is a mother and daughter event, so there will be women/girls there of all ages.

I also met a lady who wants me to be part of an outreach event for girls and teens. I was moved by her story. She is a one year ovarian cancer survivor and wants to do this. She feels motivated to do this now because of her illness. Pray for her. She is only in her forties and is a mother. I am speaking again tomorrow in mansfield. I can't wait to see what God has in store.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Trachsel family. The first day of 2007 was a day of relaxation and rest. We had a New Year's Eve Party at our house last night. My mom and sister were in town, we had about 11 college students and Austin and Alex had a friend over. I was excited that I actually stayed awake. The kids and I counted down the last 10 seconds, celebrated with sparkling juice and Alex did our traditional "beating of the pans at midnight." We have done this since I was a little girl.

Today I allowed everyone to pick their favorite dinner and we had a smorgasbord. We had everything from pasta to steak. Today our children received a "New Year's Day" present. I took a picture of them participating in their favorite sport and had it enlarged and framed. On the picture I had the following scripture placed on the picture. "This is my son (child) whom I love, with whom I am well pleased."

I think they liked it. I told them this was to remind them of how much they're loved and how well God is with them when they use their gifts.

I hope 2007 brings everyone much joy and happiness.

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

It's almost Christmas and I am looking forward to being with friends and family for the next few days. At times I am sad when I think that this is the first Christmas without my grandmother. She loved the homemade gifts that we gave her every year and made a big fuss over the kids. A lady who lives in Peninsula is making something for us that will help keep our grandmother near our hearts all year long. She is designing a charm. One side of the charm she is taking one of her favorite blouses and snipping a small square of fabric and placing it inside the charm. She is mounting a daisy on top of the fabric. My grandmother loved daisies and her nickname was Miss Daisy. On the other side she is scanning my grandmother's signature from a card that I had kept. I can't wait to see the finished product.

As I look back on the month of December, it has been a wonderful time with family and friends. The annual cookie exchange, our buckeye making day with Sherrie and Sandie, the annual Christmas production at Hope, Wally's Christmas party, and a fun night last night with the teens at Hope. The best is yet to come.

This saturday our family will be going with 2 other families at Hope to visit children who are in the hospital and a dear friend in a nursing home. This just isn't any visit...we all dress up in the "nativity" costumes...including a camel, and bring the manger to them. This may sound "cheesy" to some...but we have fun.

I think I have truly felt the true meaning of Christmas this year. It is easy to be busy with the shopping and baking...but the importance of this holiday is sharing the love of Christ with those around us. It's about putting the busyness of the season aside and making time for people.

Stonecroft Ministry

One of the best kept secrets in women's ministry is an organization called Stonecroft. Stonecroft ministries are all over the country. They host monthly luncheons or breakfasts for women to bring their unchurched friends. There is always a secular speaker and a spiritual speaker. About a year ago I started the process to become an approved stonecroft speaker. Several times I wanted to give up. Your talk is critiqued over and over again. I had to swallow my pride many times as I listened to constructive criticism. They pay you to come to their clubs and speak. I have been blessed to have the chance to speak 3 times this week. Monday I was in Warren, Tuesday in sandusky and tomorrow I will be in East Liverpool. The clubs are mainly made up of women who are retired. At first I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this. I was so wrong. For example, today I sat beside a woman who was 92. She was what I would call a "firecracker". I enjoyed talking to her so much and appreciated the wisdom that she had. I also sat with a lady who is a greatgrandmother. You would never know it. She runs a bed and breakfast and invited me to come visit. YEH! Can I also say she was the best dressed lady there. She was so hip and fashionable. The best part is...she is going to send me a box of her hand me downs. YEH! YEH! The grandmothers there today were stylish, funny and more importantly...believers. Monday I met another group of mature women (I won't dare call them older) who blessed me as well. I can't wait until tomorrow to see what God has in store. Maybe I will meet someone who wants to get rid of some jewelrey.. HA HA

I also had the honor of speaking at a ladies event in Auburn. I am in awe of how the Lord continues to bring the opportunities my way.

Random Thoughts

I am about to begin my 8th day of teaching in a row. I have loved every minute of it. I have taught kindergarten to 11th grade in the last 2 weeks. It's ironic that I can't get the kindergarten kids to rest and I can't keep the high school students awake. I am thankful for the chance to work. It is great paying cash for Christmas.

It was great having a classroom with windows today so we could watch the snow. Yes today was kindergarten. It also makes my faithful that we have already booked our summer beach house for July. We loved this house and the irony of it is the owner lives one town away from us so we were able to book directly with her. I am also excited that 15 of the 16 people (my immediate family) will be there. We have never had this many before. It should be fun. I am excited to spend some time with my nephews and nieces that I don't see very often.



Another neat thing that has happened is that we continue to see the legacy of my grandmother live on. She was always a giver. An unexpected insurance policy was discovered and that money has been earmarked to help others. A fund has been set up in her honor. My mom has had the privledge of already helping buy medication and a hot water tank for people in need. This is exactly what my grandmother would have done. I don't think we will ever know the amount of lives that she touched while she was alive. Now her memory and her legacy live on. Way to go Miss Daisy. (her nickname)

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS

That can mean alot of things. Time to shop, decorate, bake cookies. For my family it means one more thing...time for the annual homemade Christmas gift. Yes, for the past 7 years, I have made my children (yes made) make a homemade gift for their grandparents. Every year when I bring up the idea, I am reminded of all the homemade gifts of Christmas past. There was the placemat purse, the pillow case angel, the reindeer ornament, the snowman made out of popsicle sticks. Oh who could forget the fleece blankets and scarves and our all time favorite fleece mittens. I am sure there are others that we have blocked out of our memory. So I open to suggestions. I am looking for something quick, simple and cheap. I need to have money left over to buy another gift after we mess up the homemade one and have to shop for the replacement. This weekend, the sewing maching will be threaded, the glue gun warmed up and the scissors sharpened. Yes...this is the weekend of the homemade gift.

ONE STEP AT A TIME

I am off today so I decided to try something new. I decided to have my time in the Bible today with David Jeremiah. He is on the radio at 8:30 am so I grabbed my Bible, a muffin and a cup of coffee. We studied John chapter 17. Pastor Jeremiah talked about how Jesus was focused on what God was calling him to do. He challenged listeners to find out what God was calling them to do and let nothing get in the way of that purpose. Pastor Jeremiah began his career as a DJ on the radio but later realized that God was calling him to be a pastor and a teacher.

I decided today that I needed to take some baby steps and follow what God is calling me to do in the areas of speaking and writing. So far...I have sent an email to someone regarding speaking and I am offically sending my children's book to Nancy Leigh Demoss's publisher today. I had email her in FEBRUARY and she agreed to read my book. I have wasted 9 months. So...pray for me...I am sending it today. I'll keep you posted.

WOW

I wasn't sure what to call this post...all I could think of is WOW!! That is how I felt after leaving Bethel College this week.

I had an opportunity to speak at their mid-week chapel. I brought along 2 friends and the fun began as soon as we left my driveway. It is amazing how quick a 4 hour trip can be when you are talking and laughing the whole way. Bethel provided a cozy trailer for us to use and it was great having Ashley stay with us as well.


Wednesday morning came and it was an exciting day. The message is actually on their website if you would like to listen. I haven't listened to my talk. To me...it is sort of watching yourself on video. I hate how my accent seems to dominate anything that I say.

The worship was wonderful and my talk began with a wonderful introduction from Ashley. I am so proud of the way she carries herself and she has turned into such a wonderful young lady who loves the Lord.

We later had lunch at the dining hall and I loved the conversations we had with students.

My favorite part of the weekend happened at dinner. We went to a wonderful little restaurant with 4 other students. One girl and 3 boys. They allowed me to pick their brains so I could get an idea of how students at a Christian college think. I asked them if they thought there was only "one" person for them. I also asked them if they could make a list of what they wanted in their future spouse...what would they have on their list. No one mentioned looks. Their list contained character qualities that align with scripture and I was blown away. One statement that stuck with me was when one boy said "I want a wife that when I am around her and when I spend time with her...I love God more." WOW WOW

I rewarded them with a wonderful dessert. I left that dinner encouraged that God is building up leaders for the next generation.

Our "Girls only seminar" began at 9:00pm. We were suppose to send at 9:50 pm. We left at 11:30 pm. Girls began to ask questions and I was blown away by the stuggles that they are experiencing. It was wonderful time. It was exactly what I prayed for. I didn't want the seminar to be what I had to say...I wanted to hear what they had to say.

One girl came up to me after the seminar and just shared how the Lord is working in her life and what he is calling her to do. She feels called to speaking someday and is not sure where to begin. I invited her to accompany me to some speaking engagements. I pray that maybe she will become a "Timothy" in my life.

God is SO GOOD. He is so FAITHFUL.

I LOVE MONDAYS

After a busy weekend, I look forward to Mondays. This is the day that I can get caught up on cleaning and re-group from the weekend. Also on mondays I try to write down what I hope to accomplish this week. Now that I am working a few days a week, I have to organize me time a little better.

Last Thursday and Friday I taught 8th grade social studies. I loved it. I really enjoy that age. The hightlight was on Friday when a student came and told me how much fun he had and he hoped I came back. Another boy wrote "I love Mrs. Trachsel" on the white board. I think this was because I allowed them to do their homework in groups.

We had another whirlwind weekend. Friday night we went to the football with good friends. Saturday, we drove 6 hours to watch Ashley run 21 minutes. It was worth the trip. We had a chance to visit with Ashley, family and even a dear friend that we hadn't seen in years. SHe was a former youth from our church who has just as goofy as she was 4 years ago.

Austin had a soccer game this weekend as well. An interesting thing happened as we were walking to the game. An older man and his dog pulled up beside us and asked how old the children were playing today. This seemed like an odd question. His car had out of state license plates. After we spoke to him, he pulled over and watched the field for a short time. This made me very uncomfortable. The field is also beside a playground and a busy library. I hated to categorize this man, but everything inside me said I should let someone know about this. At halftime, I went into the library and explained what I saw. I pray that this was just coincidence....but better safe then sorry. It's a shame that the news is full of stories of children being harmed.

SPEAKING SCHEDULE

We have returned from West Virginia. I will write later about some of the "GOD SIZED" things that happened during this time of grief. I learned one thing about prayer while I was in Charleston...It's Powerful! I learned that I don't pray enough so...I am posting my speaking schedule in hopes that you will pray for me.

September - Belleview Alliance Church
November - Kentucky and Ohio Christian Women's Club
November - Bethel College
December - Sandusky Christian Women's Club
February - Riverwood Women's retreat

RAISING CHILDREN ON OUR KNEES

Today I was talking to a mom about raising daughters. She told me that her 5th grade daughter is being taught "sex ed" in school. Her daughter was in one of my purity seminars. I thought it was interesting that her daughter told her mom that school health classes can make you become curious about sex and she was glad that she had heard the "truth" about God's reason for sex.

We talked in depth of how we need to be constantly praying for our children. I confided to her that sometimes in the busyness of my day...I often forget to pray for my children. I am a visual person and maybe I need a visual that reminds me to pray for my children...so here is my idea.

I am either going to make a bracelet or buy a bracelet with a heart charm. I will wear this bracelet as a constant reminder to pray for my children. To pray that they will guard their heart against the world and that they will give their heart first to God and then to that "special someone" someday.

Wouldn't it be cool if one day...I could hand this charm over to their "special someone".

I dream big dreams...but I also serve a big God.

GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!

Today I received word that Bethel College has accepted me as a chapel speaker. I will be speaking to the students some time in November. My talk during chapel will be called "When God writes your story" and that evening I will be speaking to girls only. This talk will be about purity, modesty and patience. It will be called "When God writes your LOVE story." I am excited and scared...but he is faithful. He has already given me some creative ideas. I am excited that Ashley gets to introduce me. It is interesting that I will be talking to the girls about self image and one of the first things I thought of whenI received the offer was "what will Iwear, and can I lose 3o pounds by november." Looks like I need to "preach to the choir"

A Big Step of Faith

I have been asked to submit a speaker's proposal to an organization. If I am approved, I would have the opportunity to speak to about 1500 people.

This would be a huge step out of my comfort zone. So far, my biggest audience has been about 300.

I debated about whether or not I should even submit my packet. I keep hearing little voices saying "you're not good enough". So after seeking some wise counsel, I have decided to submit my packet and let them be the judge of whether I am suitable or not.

The packet is due this Tuesday. I will keep you posted.

As I was fretting over this decision, I was reminded of a devotional that I read a few weeks ago.

It was based on the story in the Bible when Jesus drove the demons out of a man and into the pigs. People were so "afraid" of what Jesus could do and his power that they asked him to leave.

I am in awe of how God is working in my life and sometimes I am a little afraid...but I don't want to be so afraid of his awesome power that I "ask him to stop."

I love it when he speaks to me and when he asks me to do things that are "big" in my human eyes. I don't care if I am found to be good...I just want to be faithful.

My days at work are winding down and I have no second thoughts.

I can't wait to have an unscheduled summer.

Joy

Where to Begin

2006 has gotten off to a great start...I am not sure where to begin. I had a chance to be a retreat speaker for a Women's Retreat in Pennsylvania. I was blessed to have my daughter Ashley accompany me as my "techy"...but she did so much more.

You see, when we arrived, I realized that I lad left all of my teaching notes in Ohio. I wanted to make a run for it...but Ashley reminded me that God would not let me down and she helped me to reconstruct all 4 talks.

We had an amazing weeekend. Several women shared what God was calling them to do. What a great group of women.

The following weekend, I spoke at another retreat for Hope Community Church. It was an amazing experience to worship with 130 other women fromAthens Community and other churches.


I spoke on the woman at the well and the conversation that she had with Jesus. In the closing session, I spoke about how we all have dreams that the Lord has given to us and we need to be obedient and do what he has called us to do. Some of the dreams that women shared with me were:

One lady wants to start a moms in touch group
One lady wants to start a group that would pray for their city
One lady wants to be a retreat speaker and a writer
One lady wants to write a book about her life
One lady's dream was that her daughter would be healed.

I was humbled to see how God wants to use each woman in a different way. We are going to try to start a once a month lunch or coffee where we come together and encourage each other in our dreams.

I still stand in awe of what God did this weekend.

He truly is amazing.