Happy Thanksgiving

I have so many reasons to be thankful This year. And one of them is the reason that I have not posted a blog in quite a while. You see, this is the busiest time of year in my line of work. I am a Medicare insurance agent, and this, being the open enrollment season, has kept me away from my blog. I'm not complaining mind you. In fact I am very very thankful to God for blessing my business.

 I've been doing a study with the "she reads truth" morning devotional on "Giving thanks in all circumstances". You can join by going here: http://shereadstruth.com/2013/11/16/give-thanks-circumstances

And one thing I've learned is that it is so easy to be thankful when times are good. When we're being blessed in our work, when our relationships are good, when things are going the way that we want, it is natural to give thanks.
It is not so easy however to be thankful in times of sorrow and pain and sadness. But, we still are to be thankful because a grateful heart is good medicine.
I'm not saying that we should be thankful for our sorrows pains and suffering. No, instead we should be thankful "in" these times, during these times. Why? Because our thankfulness, our gratefulness for what is good in our lives can and will help us to heal. I know it's hard to find the good when you're in the middle of a crisis. But there are many things that you can be thankful for. Start with just one. Find one small thing in your life and give God thanks for it. The sunshine, the rain, the sound of a childs laughter that brought a smile to your face. This will start the healing process. I encourage you to check out this devotional if you are in the middle of a trying time. I think it could help.
This wasn't where I thought I was going when I sat down to write this today. But somehow it is where I ended up. This is one thing I know, God is good, He loves us, he is there for us even when we don't feel it.
I hope and pray you have Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving Day. May God grant you peace and love In whatever you are doing this holiday weekend.

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Words

Monday Praise – Words

 

There is a very thought-provoking Christian song out now called "Words", By Hawk Nelson. And the lyrics are;

 

"Words can build us up, words can break us down, start a fire in our hearts, or put it out." Here's the full song on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anVweXDcxhA

 

Praise God for words.

Words that can be so powerful in constructing a human life.

Words that plant seeds of hope.

Words of encouragement

Words that communicate.

Words that point others to God's glory.

Words that bring change.

Words of instruction and correction.

Words of joy, peace, and love.

Kind words, loving words, thoughtful words.

Thought provoking words.

Poetic words.

Passionate words.

Words of caution.

Words that cause action.

Words that bring life.

 

Words are powerful things. And we have the power and the responsibility to use them with wisdom and compassion. It's also our responsibility not to misuse them. Because once they are said, you can't unsay them. And words used wrongly can actually drive people away from God.

"Set a guard, oh Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" Psalms 141:3

 

I am reading a book right now by Paul David Tripp. It's called The War of Words. And it really speaks to God's divine purpose for our words and our communication. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you read it. It is a very insightful and thought-provoking, biblical look at how we should, and can use our words.

 

"… There is hope of substantial change because Jesus Christ, the Word, the Redeemer, has given us every resource we need to speak as we are meant to speak." Paul David Tripp

 

I praise God for words and I praise him for His Word.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." John 1:1–2 ESV

 

Proverbs 16:24"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones."

 

Dear God,

May my words be like a honeycomb.

Amen

 

 

 

 

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Monday Praise: Grandchildren

In thinking about what I am thankful for, There are so many things, it is nearly impossible for me to pinpoint one. So I went to the Internet and Googled 'things to be grateful for'. I did this to help me focus my thoughts on a specific area. Well...a million and one things came up!  Instead of focusing or pinpointing one, it gave me a boatload more to be grateful for. Thanks Google... So instead I decided to start with the obvious. This Week;

I praise my God for grandchildren. 

Lily, Aviana holding Stevie & Isabel

 Duh thought of the day... God knew what

He was doing when he placed grandchildren Into our lives.  

I remember the day that my first child Brook was born. My heart was so full of love for her that I couldn't imagine ever having enough room for another child let alone for anyone else. But God is so good to allow us to expand our love. What I found is the more I love, the more love I have to give. And there was always enough room. But I never, ever thought that there could be a love greater than the love of a mother for her child. Oh how wrong I was....

Aviana

 When my first granddaughter (Aviana) came along, my heart was so full of love for that child that it felt like it would explode.   She was two weeks old when I first met her and I immediately started crying like a baby. I loved her so much, and because we lived in Washington state and they lived in Arizona, I was devastated to think that the next time this child saw me she would not know me.

In fact the love for this beautiful baby was so strong that we sold our house in Washington and moved to Arizona.

Since then, God has been so good and blessed us with three more beautiful grandchildren in our lives. And praise God, they all live close by. I love their joy of life. Their daily exuberance and excitement is like a refreshing rain. 

Isabel

As I watch their carefree play, it refreshes my heart and helps me to remember not to take life so seriously. They usually have smiles on their faces and their giggles are medicine to my soul.  Even when they're being loud and silly

Isabel, Avi holding Stevie, Lily

They give and receive love with such ease and grace. And they're untainted by the world as of yet. I pray that they would maintain their sweet innocence with God's protection for as many years as possible. 

Proverbs 17:6 says "grandchildren are the crown of the aged..."

Lily & Isabel

Aviana

Lily

While I won't admit to being aged, I will admit that they are my crown. They bring so much joy to my life that I am blessed beyond measure.

Praise God for grandchildren!

Monday Praises

I'm in love with Today's technology.

Why?  I'm actually blogging right now and taking a run/walk, thanks to voice texting. I'm walking the last part of my run so I can use the time to work on my blog. (How cool is that!)

This is the first time I've actually been out all summer long. Here in Arizona the weather is much too hot to be running outside In the summer. So I spent the summer either running on the treadmill at home or jumping up and down in my living room with my daughter doing "insanity."

But this morning it was a lovely 79° at 7:30 AM when I headed out for my jog. It felt so wonderful to get outside this morning that I decided to take some pictures of what I saw on the route. I feel so blessed to live in such a pretty area.

I spent the first half of my run contemplating what I would say for "Monday Praise",  This is a gathering of Christian bloggers who want to give God the glory for all of the blessings in our lives. And today is the first day of Monday Praise. 

The idea was started by Amy at WalkhumblywithGod.Word press.com But I thought, "what a wonderful way to start your week." By giving thanks and glory to our Savior. I am so thankful for my salvation. I began counting my blessings, and I have so many things to be thankful for that it was hard to pinpoint one. 

Then I started noticing my surroundings. 

How blessed I felt!!

  I can run. I can walk. I can move and breeth.  I'm awake, I'm alive. I'm surrounded with the beauty of God's creation. Thank you God for that. 

I have an awesome family. I thank God for them.  For my children and their spouses and children. What a blessing they have been in my life. I'm in awe. 

I meandered this morning and lollygagged so long that it took me an hour and 10 minutes to finish a 4 mile run. And I loved every minute of it. 

I am amazed at the beauty surrounding me, and how much I take for granted. I never think about the desert as a beautiful place. Yet I see the presents and evidence of God everywhere. And as you can see, it doesn't look like the desert at all. 

We still have flowers! and its summertime!   I guess I'm saying I'm thankful for the small things as well as the big ones. 

Psalm 9:1&2 says;I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult you: I will sing praise to your name, Oh Most High. 

Joel Osteen said it nicely in his book; Your best life now.  "one of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we become ungrateful… We let what was once a miracle become common to us. We get so accustomed to his goodness it becomes a routine… "

It's easy to praise God for the big blessings in our lives, but I don't ever want to let the small wonders of life become routine. I want to always see God in them. And be thankful for them. Because they each are their own little God moment.

Expect the best. And make it a great day!