Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day Four

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Today, I am thankful for my Bible.  I remember the first "real" Bible I ever owned.  It was a present from my older sister for Christmas in 1980. That Bible carried me many miles.  I used it for many years, Sunday Schools, innumerable sermons, sword drills, teen camps and conferences, Bible classes, even Bible college.  I love that Bible.  I have underlined special verses.  I have written in the margins.  I have cried over it's pages tears of conviction, repentance, forgiveness, longing and love.  It is very special to me. I retired it to a study Bible only when I got married, and wanted a Bible with my married name on the cover. We've been married 16 years, and the "new" one, still doesn't have the broken in feeling that I love about the "old" one.  But it is getting there.

Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Yet more important than the fact that I am thankful for the actual Bibles (yes, that is plural, because I own several, plus I have my grandmother's, my mom's and my dad's), is the fact that I am thankful for EVERY word written on its pages.  I am thankful that God loved us enough to leave us His word, so that we might have it's guidance anytime we need or want it. I am thankful for the life changing lessons it provides.  I am thankful that I live in a country where I am free to own a Bible and read it without fear of being punished or persecuted.  I am thankful for people who risk their lives to get Bibles into the hands of those who can not legally go to a store and buy one for themselves. I can not even fathom what it would be like to live in a country where reading the Bible is against the law.

Psalms 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Today, I am thankful for my most prized earthly possesion, and that is my Bible.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day Three

Day Three

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Prayer.  That is what I am thankful for today.  I can't even begin to imagine what I would do without it.  I love that because of Jesus' death on the cross, we have open access to the very throne room of God.  I can talk to Him any time day or night, and know that He hears, and deeply cares.

Jeremiah 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

I know that I can talk to my Heavenly Father at any time, about anything.  I receive great comfort and peace from this knowledge.  But more importantly, I know that He will answer my prayers according to his infinite wisdom in His time and in His way.  So I know that I can take my petitions to Him, and walk away in perfect peace, because He is in total control.  What an amazing gift...the gift of prayer!  I am thankful for the privilege of prayer everyday, but wanted to share why I am thankful for it with you today.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness ~ Day Two

Day Two

Habakkuk 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Today, I am thankful for salvation. I am thankful that Christ came to the earth for the express purpose of being the sacrifice for our sins. I am thankful that His death made a way for all of mankind to spend eternity in Heaven. I am thankful for the circumstances in my life that led up to my decision to accept God's gift of Salvation. Things like being born into a family that regularly attended church. All of the many people who invested in my life, and taught me Bible stories, and prayed for me. The teens that were doing the puppet show the Sunday morning, when the Gospel story actually clicked, and I went forward to pray and accept Jesus as my personal Savior. Bro. Johnny Dowell who took me through the plan of Salvation to make sure that I understood it, and then prayed with me, as I prayed to ask Jesus to be my personal Savior. That day changed my life. Following Christ was the single greatest decision I've ever made, and I have never regretted one day of the journey with Him. Yes, today I am thankful for the priceless gift of salvation.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness ~ Day One

Wow! Am I ever glad that today is November 1st!
And for several reasons. Let me share a few...

1. Halloween is O.V.E.R. My spirit just does not bear witness with Halloween.
2. No more evil, scary junk in the stores.
3. No more evil, scary commercials that catch you, and your children off guard.
4. Did I mention Halloween is O.V.E.R?

Now, we can move on to my most favorite holiday of the year! Thanksgiving! It's the holiday that the retailers love to ignore, and can't wait to see go, because then starts Black Friday. I love Thanksgiving for several reasons. Let me share a few...

1. It is the one holiday that is not over commercialized.
2. It has nothing to do with getting, and everything to do with giving.
3. It is about giving thanks to God for ALL He has done.
4. It is about coming together as a family, and enjoying the blessings of the Lord.

So, with that preface, I plan to do this year on my blog what I did last year on Facebook, only in a little more detail here. I am going to post Thirty Thankful posts.
And here is today's:

Day 1

I am thankful for God. I am thankful that He is the one true and living God. That He is loving, and caring. I am thankful that He sent His son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. I am thankful that because I have accepted His gift, I will live eternally in Heaven with Him. I am thankful that He hears and answers prayers. I am thankful that He never sleeps. I am thankful that He encourages us to cast our cares upon Him. I am thankful for His mercy, and His grace. Yes, He is definitely the starting point of my thankfulness, and I am extremely thankful for the God I live my life to serve and glorify!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Day 1. What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

This week in our Bible class we talked about how the Israelites had a grumbling complaining spirit even after all the wondrous things that they had seen the Lord do. We shake our heads and wonder why they couldn't just be thankful for ALL the Lord had done. When in reality, we are a lot like them. We grumble and complain, when we see daily all the things the Lord has done for us. Oh, please join me in finding God in the unexpected places in our lives, and let's not be grumblers and complainers like the Israelites. The opposite of a grumbling, complaining spirit is a thankful heart! If we are praising God and thanking Him, we have no time to grumble and complain.

A few things I am thankful for this week...

*An important invitation

*An answered prayer

*A date

*The ability and opportunity to be a part of helping others

*That the oldest princess is old enough to watch the younger two for short periods of time

*Plans that only God could work out

*A two year prayer answered

*Another soul bound for Heaven

*A loss that helps us remember how wonderful it feels to win.

*That the youngest princess still asks me to read to her, and soaks up every minute of it

*The blessing of talking heart to heart with my children

*Chilli on a cold day

*Knowing that my children all have a personal relationship with the Lord

*The oldest princess' willingness to serve outside of her comfort zone

*The young prince's willingness to serve God even in areas that are not his favorite

*The youngest princess' willingness to serve as long as it's on the stage and she is in the spotlight

*Over 3,000 page views - I never would have dreamed!

*Crickets chirping their praise to God, and time between trains to actually be able to hear them

*The fun of being a teacher

*Someone who cared about a simple preference

*That my children still share their thoughts and feelings with their Daddy and me

*Connections that bring help quickly when it is really needed

*A truth affirmed to keep Satan's lies at bay

*That God has blessed me with a wonderful family

*A peaceful (even if sometimes chaotic) home

*A husband that is way better than I deserve

*Teens that say "Thank you"

Thank You, Lord for being so huge, and caring for even the tiniest details in our lives! Help me to always see You, and how You are working in our lives. Help me not to fall into a grumbling, complaining spirit like the Israelites. Please help me to always have a thankful heart.

Fun Times in the Fall

Every October, our school has a Fall Break.  This year, because of our crazy busy September, we decided to stay at home.  We did go join some friends of ours for a day of fun at a local pumpkin patch.  Here are pictures of a few of the great things we did while we were there.

We enjoyed the giant slides and bouncy house things :-).  I love the youngest princess' spread eagle total abandon sliding stance. She was completely enjoying every minute of it!

Of course with all of the hay, and pumpkins, and scarecrows and such, I had to pause to get a few pictures of the kids...Look at those blue eyes!

My beautiful oldest princess...she will soon be out of those braces :-)!  And I love the red, white and blue fingernail polish!  Those are our school colors...always looking for creative ways to show our school spirit!

And the young prince...isn't he so cool!  I love that even though he was totally tired of taking pictures by this time, you can't even tell it.  He was still a great sport!

Then we took a covered wagon ride to the actual pumpkin patch, and let the kids pick out their own pumpkins...our only stipulation was that they had to be able to carry the  pumpkin that they picked out.

Then we took pictures in the field of sunflowers.  My friend's little boy wanted to be in the picture too, so I told him sure, to get in there.  He did!  Too funny!!!  Can anyone say Where's Waldo?

We had a great time and just wanted to share a little of it with you.

And last but not least...one of my students found a HUGE praying mantis, and brought it to school.  Her mom forbid her to bring it back home.  So, knowing that the youngest princess would totally LOVE it, I brought it home.  The youngest princess did love it, and helped me to release it in our bushes, where it will be very happy.  It was really big, and really cool...so of course we HAD to take a picture of it. 

Our prayer is that you and your family are enjoying the beauty of fall just as we are.

Thankful Thursday

For this week, a sampling if some of the MANY blessings I am thankful for:
*For three beautiful, healthy children

*A warm blanket on a cold morning

*Fun times making memories with my kids

*A break from the "busy" life

*Two baptized Sunday morning

*Being out of my comfort zone, which helps me know how to better help others when they are in that same position

*Dinner at home several nights in a row

*That the littlest princess is beginning to show real maturity in her prayers

*Heat on cold days

*Every few minutes that pass without me coughing

*Both princesses making music on the piano, and the young prince making music on his guitar

*Answered prayers for Grace

*The prayers of friends

*Great 5th grade students

*Cough drops

*Sweat shirts

*Encouragers

*The young prince spending time with the littlest princess

*The youngest princess confessing without being prompted

Thank You, Lord...for all of these things, moments, and people that You used to be a blessing in my life this week.