Hi. I’m Dianne.
For decades, I have tried to connect my faith with everyday life. Some days, I almost get it. Other days, I fail miserably. If you feel my pain, struggle and challenge, then let’s be friends. Here. Today. Tomorrow.

For years, I embraced the badges of being hard-working, dependable, consistent and reliable in my daily life. Yet, I felt this constant struggle of how to integrate faith into the over-full, over-committed and over-scheduled I lived. Daily, I felt a tension between DOING enough and simply BEING in God’s presence. No matter how much I accomplished, it was never enough. I yearned for more joy, peace and contentment in my daily living.

Yes, there were glimpses of this. But my heart yearned for more. Daily affirmation. Knowledge that what I do IS enough. Permission to not just say that I smell the roses but that I actually do it.

You see, for years, I couldn’t find another way. My parents raised me this way because, well, this is how they were raised. On our small Wisconsin dairy farm, work was never considered a dirty word. Everyone was expected to pitch in. I was living the only way that I knew how. My whirlwind of busy-ness and activity could be admirable … or simply tiring.

I’d always planned to work in agriculture. With a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I designed ads and flyers, wrote newsletters, laid-out catalogs and provided other marketing materials within the agricultural industry for many years. Then, one day, I felt called to serve overseas as a missionary. Soon, I found myself teaching college-level English at a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. And yes, it was a life-changing event. Seriously.

Back in the United States, I expected to return to the business world. I didn’t expect God to call me into pastoral ministry. But it happened. Soon, I found myself working on a Master of Divinity degree at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary while serving churches as a student pastor. At one of those rural Wisconsin churches, I met Hubby Rick. We fell in love and developed a relationship rooted in our love and respect for God. Rick and I join together in serving God and for 20 years, I served five United Methodist Churches as a part of three appointments.

These days, I consider myself a recovering Martha. I still struggle with knowing how to let the DOING and the BEING collide in my life. Some days, I focus on the part-time marketing work I handle for a couple small agricultural companies. Other days, I find myself using the ministry gifts God blessed me with. Regularly, I explore life and faith here at Simple Words of Faith.

Every day, I contemplate how I can find joy, peace and contentment in my life and then inspire others to do the same. Sometimes, it’s Hubby Rick’s unique view of life and appreciating our little place that we call home. Other times, this happens when spending time with some of our six grandchildren. Daily, I celebrate blessings with gratitude and pray that you do the same.

I’d love to explore this faith and life connection together with you. I’m confident I have more to learn from you than you have to learn from me. So, please, let’s do this together. Using Simple Words. Rooted in Faith. Confident God works in and through all of this.