Giving thanks....

It's been a while since I counted the graces, the gifts, the blessings that come each and every day...so I want to do that today.  I don't know off-hand what "number' I am on...so I am just going to list some for today, and get back to numbering later...here goes:

• finally relief from the pain of having three wisdom teeth pulled
• new faucets in the kitchen and bathroom - no more leaking, and we finally have cold water in the kitchen again!  :)
• a letter from a new sponsor child, Carlos, who lives in Mexico
• bright blue, sunny skies
• watching my son learn new things - he worked on his car this weekend and was able to fix it with only a little help from his dad
• my daughter, who volunteers to help with VBS prep at the church
• my boyfriend, whose laughter I love to hear
• my little zoo at home that adds delight to daily life - 3 parakeets, 2 dogs, 2 cats, a rat, and a fish
• time to sit by the river this morning and pray

When you thank God regularly, you realize how much joy you truly have in your life....












Linking here today....

Do you take Jesus at his word?

I'm doing a Bible study on the book of John with my Hello Mornings group.  Today we read a passage in John chapter 4, verses 46-54.  Have you read this one?  Jesus has returned to Cana, where on a previous visit, he performed his first miracle at the urging of his mother.  A royal official has heard that Jesus has returned and goes to find him.  You see, this man's son was sick...sick and almost to the point of death.  Can you just feel his heartbreak, his fear?  Can you hear the tremble in his voice as he begs Jesus to come, please come and heal his son?

And Jesus, perhaps with a look around at the crowd of people in the streets, looks back at the man and says, "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe."  Let's hit pause here for a moment....

Is that true?  Do we need to see the flashing lights, hear the music mounting in tension and volume, see hands make spectacular signals, hear fancy words....do we need to see miraculous signs and wonders in order to believe?  Jesus does know the hearts of humans.  He knows we are a fickle people...slow to trust, slow to believe...in need of signs that say "Yes, this is it!"  But what if we didn't?  What if we just....believed?  What if we just took him at his word?  What if we let the Truth shed Light over us and just accepted Him?

Let's go back to our story in John's book.  The official says, "Sir, come down before my child dies."  And Jesus replies, "You may go.  Your son will live."  That's it.  "You may go."  What?  Really?  And what does this man do?  Does he continue to beg?  Does he grab Jesus' hand and pull him toward his home?  Does he stop in shock and say, "What?  You won't come?  Are you serious?" 

No.  "The man took Jesus at his word and departed."  That's IT!  A quiet, simple act of faith.  He took Jesus at his word.  Jesus does not lie.  Ever.  Did this man know that?  Probably not.  But he believed him.  He turned and headed back home to his son.  On the way, some of his servants came running up to him to tell him the good news that his son was still alive, doing better!  The man asked when his son had turned for the better, and they told him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."  1:00 pm.  Goose bumps moment here, friends.  The man realizes that is the exact moment he was speaking with Jesus.  The moment that Jesus said, "Your son will live." 

Jesus spoke those words, simple words, and the son's fever immediately broke.  And the man believed!  He told his household what had transpired and they believed!  And this was Jesus' second miracle.

Friends, sometimes it just takes our simple, quiet acts of faith.  Take Jesus at his word.  He won't lie to you.  He won't lead you astray.  He won't tease or play games.  He speaks truth.  Jesus tells us we have eternal life if we believe in Him.  Jesus tells us he will never leave us.  Jesus tells us he will come again and gather us to him.  Do you take Jesus at his word?

Plenty of room for all....

I was at a small memorial service yesterday.  As I sat listening to my friend, the pastor, speak about God's perspective of our death, I was struck by this one passage of scripture that he read:

John 14:1-4  (The Voice)

14 Jesus: Don’t get lost in despair; believe in God, and keep on believing in Me. ² My Father’s home is designed to accommodate all of you. If there were not room for everyone, I would have told you that. I am going to make arrangements for your arrival. ³ I will be there to greet you personally and welcome you home, where we will be together. ⁴ You know where I am going and how to get there.

The NIV says:

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”


 Jesus is preparing a place, making arrangements for ALL believers to come to His Father's house.  Not just some, a select few, those who managed to do enough good works to earn their spot...all believers.  There's no magic number.  God would prefer we all end up there!  God gives us grace so that we don't have to live our lives in a panic of "Did I do enough good here, to get a place there?"   We must believe, confess, repent, and live in His light.

And how do we get there?  Jesus says we know the way....it's Him.  Jesus.  Believe in Him.  Hold on to Him.  Focus on Him.  Live in Him.  Walk in the light of Jesus.  Share that light.  Jesus...the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE.  The LIGHT...the beacon leading the way to eternal life with Him.  And He can't wait for us to join Him in that place He is preparing for each and every believer...what peace in knowing...

Do you need these words today?

Isaiah 41:9-10

⁹ I brought you from the ends of the earth
and called you from its farthest corners.
I said to you: You are My servant;
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
¹⁰ Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.


"I have chosen you and not rejected you."  Do you need these words today?   God brings you close, holds you near.  He has chosen you.  He has great love for you.  You are not rejected, left behind, forgotten.  You are chosen.

He will strengthen you, He will help you, He will hold you securely in His grip.  He will never let you go.  There is no need to fear.  He is with you.  Always.

Living in the flow...

I woke this morning under something of a cloud...worries, irritations, sadness, fear...all things compelling me to let go of joy and instead allow myself to be sucked under the flood of negativity. 

Financial burdens that threaten to crush.  Worries of how to shepherd my children...to teach responsibility and integrity and uprightness of character.  Relationships that seem overwhelming at times.  Sadness for friends who are losing loved ones all around.  Sadness for friends who are battling life-threatening illnesses.  Fear of...well, many things.  Frustration over weight so easily gained...and so difficult to lose.  Frustration over my own lack of motivation to do the things that are good for my body and my health.

And then I realized as I was getting ready to go to work this morning, that I am spending far too much time listening to the whispers of the world and the evil one...and not nearly enough time listening to the Word of the Holy One.

So, as I prayed to the Father to show me a better way today...to open my heart to what He is doing around me...to let me see His glory happening...I heard a still, quiet voice telling me to change my focus.  To just for one day try something new...to take each thought captive....to turn those negatives and focus on Jesus...the author and perfecter of faith. I heard Him say that my eyes should be on His Son...on the blessings that come to me...on only Him...His Word....

So today, I will focus on verses from His Word that challenge my negative thoughts...I will allow myself to live in the flow of the Holy Spirit...open to following the path set before me by a gracious and loving God....

Take each negative thought and slice it through with the Sword of the Spirit....

Here goes!  (I'll be back to share how my day unfolds...)


Updated at lunch break:
 I link my posts to my facebook page and this morning I found this verse in a comment there from a friend, Alex:    

Psalm 118:24

²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

And another friend, Joanne, reminded me at work this morning:

Philippians 4:4

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Hmmmm....do you sense a theme here?  


Updated to add:
So something else happened today. I spent some time praying about my financial situation...asking for a miracle...hoping for a solution...and these verses came to mind:

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Now this is not the first time the Holy Spirit has reminded me of these words...and I am getting better at trusting the Lord for help. But today, my son spent two hours at the financial aid office at his school to get some help and answers. And!!!! He found out that we can still get financial aid for next quarter...and even though I still need to make a tuition payment tomorrow..it only has to be one third! Praise God!

hmmm, maybe I will try this again tomorrow!

Joy and gratitude

I have to admit, my attitude lately has been rather stinky...not so joyful, not so positive, but really rather stinky.

The sun's been shining.

My kids are all healthy and doing well in school.

My bills are paid.

I have a comfortable, warm place to live.

People who love and support me.

ah...and there it is...I've been forgetting to be grateful.

I've been forgetting to look at the positive and instead dwelling too much on the negative....the $5 change the kid at the concert forgot to give back to me and I forgot to get...the cost of this, that and the other that threatens to suck my bank account dry...the lack of sleep that makes me drag...

So let's take a look at some positives and get back to being "thankful always"...

219.  for the shining sun and the warming up days
220.  for the signs of spring - bulbs almost ready to bloom, geese flying back to the area, birds singing in the trees in the early morning
221.  my kids are all healthy
222.  ...and doing well in school
223.  tuition is due for the next quarter at the community college...and I don't know how it will be paid but I do know that this is a good opportunity for faith and trust...
224.  my other bills, however, are paid and up to date!
225.  I do have a comfortable, warm, affordable place to live my days and rest my nights
226.  I have a job that I love going to each day...
227.  ...with people I enjoy spending my work days with...
228.  ...doing ministry
229.  I have family, a boyfriend, and many friends who love and support me.
230.  my training to be a Christian Life Coach is going well and I'm excited about this new opportunity!
231.  I got to see an excellent concert at my oldest son's university last night
232.  ...and inadvertently gave an extra donation to their music program.  :)


Oh hey!  That's better!  There's a loosening in the chest, a lightening of the spirit, a little lift to the corners of the mouth...thank you, dear Father, for all the many blessings.

A weekend of quiet....and dreams

So last weekend, some dear friends loaned me the use of their RV for a much-needed weekend getaway.  My goal was to spend some quiet time with the Lord, in His word, in prayer, in reflection.  It seems like like is a constant whirlwind of activity, and I just needed some time to slow down and reconnect with my God and my purpose in life.

My weekend actually went much differently than I had planned...but that was just fine.  I took along this book: 

I read the first chapter, and then journalled my answers to the questions Holley asked at the end.  Took a little break...and went back to the second chapter.  The weekend continued in this way...read a chapter, answered questions...little break...until I finished the entire book in the weekend. 

I love the way Holley writes...just like she is sitting across the table from you with the cup of something hot she offers at the beginning of the book.  Her book challenges you to listen to God's voice...to what He is calling you to do.  Your God-Sized dream may be to stay home with your children and give them a strong foundation, or it may be to travel the world speaking to those who need to hear His Word...big or small they are all God-given dreams and important to your life purpose. 

I left my weekend getaway knowing that I am doing what God wants me to do...that this path of writing, and Christian Life Coaching is the path He wants me to follow.  I have no idea where it will ultimately lead...but I feel confident that the pushes I feel are from Him and that He will direct my steps forward.  There are parts of this future ahead of me that scare me silly...but as Holley points out, that fear can be useful. 

I'm excited to see just how far this God-sized Dream takes me!  And even if its not very far...that's ok, because I know it will accomplish whatever purpose He has in mind!  What are your dreams?  Where do you think God is taking you?