tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352186773249351932024-03-05T14:40:16.143-08:00Teske DrakeLeading Women to Live in HOPEUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435218677324935193.post-78648025431255439032012-08-20T07:10:00.002-07:002012-08-20T07:10:51.052-07:00Hop on over to Mommies with Hope...Thank you for visiting me today! I pray you are filled with HOPE in the face of whatever greets you. I want to invite you to join me over at my ministry's site, <a href="http://www.mommieswithhope.com/">Mommies with Hope!</a> We are having a Monday Fun Day and you are invited...there are some great giveaways going on. Just sayin'. See you there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435218677324935193.post-66848931024528331672012-06-09T08:42:00.004-07:002012-06-09T09:15:38.440-07:00Greeted by Gift of His Word<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I had been </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">anxious</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> in the days leading up to this particular day; a day that held possibilities unknown, yet potential for exciting </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">new ministry endeavors </span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">on the horizon. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I rested well the night before this day of meeting. The morning, however, began differently than most others. Typically, my mind is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">consumed</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> with thoughts of tasks, deadlines, and to-do's. Before I can even open my eyes, my brain is in overdrive as I think of all the demands that greet me each day. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Yet this day was </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">different</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...as I began to rise from my sleep, my heart was filled with eager anticipation for what the day held and and my mind was clear. I felt a sense of peace as I transitioned from restful sleep to a refreshing morning. I find it hard to describe, but the next thing I know I experienced an overwhelming sense of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">comfort</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> and these words echoed in my mind: </span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way that I should go, to you I lift up my soul." </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I repeated these words to myself until I was fully awake and then realized the value of this </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">gift of His Word</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. I knew these verses from previous Bible study, believed they were from Psalms, but couldn't recall the reference. More importantly, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I knew they were words for me ~ for that particular day ~ straight from Him. </span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Even though I had already known the significance of His Word, this </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">sacred experience</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> was an epiphany of sorts for me. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">You see, I usually rise up each day and have to get myself into His Word. This day, I arose and His Word had already gotten into me!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Might we be so consumed by Him that His Word be the last thing on our minds as we rest at night and the first thing we think about as we awake each day. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As the day drew on, I reflected on those words, His Word, over and over. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Father, you are unfailing. Lord, I trust in You. You will show me the way. I give this all to You. </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I went about my day, doing the tasks that He had set before me, attended the meeting that I had been anxiously awaiting, and carried on with a refreshed perspective of all that He had set before me. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">His Word truly is a gift; a gift to receive, embrace, and to share. </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">During my ministry related lunch meeting, I shared this story of how I started my day. I then took out my tattered bible and found these verses in Psalm 143. The 2011 NIV translation records these truths as follows...</span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life."</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Psalm 143:8</span></div>
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...to You I entrust my life</span></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">... may this be our heart's cry! First, for the salvation of our souls and secondarily for each and every detail of our lives ~ even little ole' lunch meetings!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435218677324935193.post-7653787954397065292011-08-20T08:18:00.000-07:002011-08-20T08:18:47.779-07:00Torn...There are seasons, situations, and circumstances in life that each of us face when we are just torn. I'm not talking about the "Should I go with the Wheat Thins or Triscuits" kind of torn. No ma'm! I am talking about the tough stuff, where the implications possess the powerful ability to build up or tear down, unify or break apart. Oh I am in one of those seasons, friends, and it is so very hard. Balancing family, work, and ministry is at the crux of the matter and each one of these areas have some major changes and challenges. Some days, I feel scattered into a million pieces, torn by my priorities, my commitments, my obligations, and my desires. I admit, sometimes everything is out of balance. Most days I go with the flow and prepare myself for the craziness that is sure to unfold. And on some days - very rarely I might add - things go just as I hoped they would. I've learned, however, that the key to all of this is not about how things go. Rather, it's about <b><i>Who</i></b> goes through it with me. <b>I'm relying on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">my Jesus</span> because I know I can't do it on my own. </b><br />
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<i>He gives me strength when I'm tired to the bones. </i><br />
<i>He gives me encouragement when I feel defeat. </i><br />
<i>He shows me love when I am hurting. </i><br />
<i>He brings me peace when life is nothing but chaos. </i><br />
<i>He provides comfort when my soul needs consoling.</i><br />
<i>He carries my burdens when it's too much to bear.</i><br />
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And at the end of the day, He pieces me back together when the craziness of life tears me apart. He mends every tattered and broken piece because <b>He loves me</b>. And you know what? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I love Him too.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"You hem me in - behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Psalm 139:5</div><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435218677324935193.post-72263898856097907312011-08-07T19:14:00.000-07:002011-08-07T19:15:40.910-07:00Majesty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL65MvXfmFmx8ubLTrnGsEjuSlwSwErDzW4H6LakRI_Ya469ZoJvLRHAkRpoG3_FrmS5LzRDb_6q5dqFK5S5oGLZsxurTBDxDxT7uVyOsNoAH2mr7l_nJUjH2BjIA8STZwwshOt_a-gyqs/s1600/sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL65MvXfmFmx8ubLTrnGsEjuSlwSwErDzW4H6LakRI_Ya469ZoJvLRHAkRpoG3_FrmS5LzRDb_6q5dqFK5S5oGLZsxurTBDxDxT7uVyOsNoAH2mr7l_nJUjH2BjIA8STZwwshOt_a-gyqs/s400/sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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I took this picture at sunset this evening as I peered outside of my hotel room in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. I am here through Tuesday and will be attending a conference related to perinatal bereavement. Looking out across the horizon and seeing the majesty of God's handiwork is a reminder that He is Creator. Over the next few days, I will learn more about the very real and difficult circumstances parents face when a baby has died. I will likely relive some of my very own bittersweet grief moments myself. I am comforted by a view that tells me, as if God Himself were speaking to me...<i>"Teske, I am so far above all of this. I am Creator of heaven and earth and every living thing and person. I know you and I know your babies. I love you."</i><br />
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Take a moment to recognize the beauty that surrounds you, today....wherever you are.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435218677324935193.post-64123645691209412822011-08-05T19:32:00.000-07:002011-08-05T19:32:23.568-07:00My Story...I have started adding content to this site! Check out <a href="http://teskedrake.blogspot.com/p/meet-teske.html">"Teske's Story"</a> to learn more about me...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435218677324935193.post-21052620187038623872011-08-03T16:49:00.001-07:002011-08-04T20:11:27.657-07:00Stepping Out<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tonight, I sit in a local coffee shop as I write this post on a blog that didn't exist three hours ago. I came here to write, yes. I ended up creating a new blog, prompted by a tug in my heart to step out. In faith. In obedience. In love. In surrender. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I love how God messes with me. When He's messing with me, I know He's molding me. So tonight, I'm just allowing Him to continue to fashion me according to His will. I don't know whether this blog will be read by many or any. I don't need to know. It's for Him. I'm stepping out. For Him. Only Him.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So here it is...an incomplete blog, written by an incomplete woman. There is much work to do; both on the blog and in my heart. He's not finished with me yet. I'm just stepping out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>If you have any specific questions or topics that you'd like me to post about, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!</i></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1