30 Days of Thanks -- Day 30

As we wrap up these 30 Days of Thanks, I am overwhelmed by the blessings in my life. I am so blessed, and it is ALL from my Father God.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above”

--James 1:17

But of all the blessings I have mentioned (and the many, many, many infinite more I have not!), still the greatest blessing of all is…

God our Father and His Son,
our Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ

...and His powerful, life-saving, life-giving, forgiving, redeeming, grace-pouring, presence-sharing, protecting, inspiring, amazing, never-ending, eternal, immeasurable, everlasting love.

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love’ ”

--Jeremiah 31:3

I am His and He is mine…

and I am SO THANKFUL!!!

“We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because You have taken Your great power

and have begun to reign.”

--Revelation 11:17

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 29

I thank God for...love.

By spouses...

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving Tuesday 2010

By parents...

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

By grandparents...

Thanksgiving 2010



Thanksgiving 2010

By friends...

Matt's Birthday Party 2010

By sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins.  By God.

For all the love in my life, I am so very, very grateful.

“Give THANKS to the God of gods. His LOVE endures forever.

Give THANKS to the Lord of lords: His LOVE endures forever.

Give THANKS to the God of heaven. His LOVE endures forever.”

--Psalm 136:2-3, 26

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 28

I thank God for…songs of inspiration, worship, & praise.

So often, my heart is so touched by a song.  They bring tears to my eyes, inspiration to my soul, and turn-it-up-and-sing-it-loudly to my lips.  :0)  They change all the time (depending on what's going on in my life) but right now, some of my favorite songs are...

(click the song title to link to a video & hear the song!)


“Feels like Redemption”
By Michael English


“By Your Side”
By Tenth Avenue North


“Ocean Floor”
By Audio Adrenaline


“Your Hands”
By J.J. Heller


“In Christ Alone”
By Travis Cottrell


“How He Loves”
By David Crowder Band

“Let us come before Him with THANKSgiving

and extol Him with music and song.”

--Psalm 95:2

”I will give THANKS to the LORD because of His righteousness;

I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.”

--Psalm 7:17

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

always giving THANKS to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

--Ephesians 5:19-20

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 27

I thank God for…the calm of the country.

Breathtaking sunrises,
The coo of a dove,
A rumble of a tractor
Driven by one you love

A moo from the pasture
Smell of fresh grass or dirt
Wind whipping through the clothesline
Whirling Dad’s work jeans and shirt

The amazement of watching
God’s creatures so sweet
The cows as they munch
The birds as they tweet

Even on the busiest day
there’s calm and thankful elation
perhaps because you’re surrounded
more by God’s and less man’s creation.

No sirens or honking or crowding.
No sidewalk or traffic or stoplight.
No neighbors you don’t know around you.
No street lamps to hide the stars at night.

Just me and my dear loved ones,
Living and loving and laughing too
surrounded by God’s field of earth,
under endless sky of heavenly blue.

“Give THANKS to the LORD, for He is good;

His love endures forever.”

--1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1

(Look how many times this is said in the Bible!!!)

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 26

I thank God for…laughter.

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

…a time to LAUGH”

--Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

At my funny hubby.

At my hilarious sisters & Mom.

At precious Baby Girl.

At my hilarious brother-in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins & friends.

At funny movies and tv shows.

At silly willy Jilly me. (My hubby says all the time that he thinks it’s so hilarious how I crack MYSELF up all the time! That’s me!)

Laughter turns that frown...    :0(

upside down...     :0)

…and really does brighten your whole day.

“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with LAUGHTER,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

‘The LORD has done great things for them.’

The LORD has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.”

--Psalm 126:1-3

“All the angels were standing around the throne

and around the elders and the four living creatures.

They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and THANKS and honor

and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’ “

--Revelation 7:11-12

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 25

I am thankful for…Thanksgiving Day with family!

Today is such an amazing day when our nation stops to gather together with loved ones and offer thanks.  God, You are so good to us.  Everything we have, do, are or hope to have, do or become are Yours and gifts from You.  On this day of giving thanks, I give overwhelming thanks to You…for You and Your amazing love and grace...for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, redemption of our lives, and gift of eternal life with You in Heaven...for my wonderful and loving family and friends...for all the incredible blessings You have given me...for everything.

I am so blessed. 

Thank You, Father, today and always.

My aunt, sisters & mom the last Thanksgiving we were all home...Thanksgiving 2008.
Sidenote:  Note the two HUGE containers of Crisco in the cabinet to the right.
Yah...Southern Thanksgivings are yummy delicious like that.  :0)

Yummy food, big hugs
Funny stories, lots of love
Football fanatics, Macy’s parade
Tradition in everything done or made

Ping-pong tournaments
Prayers from the soul
Grannie’s famous dressing
and poppie seed roll

“Now thank we all our God”
every voice does sing
as on this special day together
pies and thankfulness we bring

"Give THANKS in ALL circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

--1 Thessalonians 5:18

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 24

I thank God for…baking & goodie making!

As we prepare for tomorrow’s day of everything delicious and delightful, I am SO EXCITED to get a chance to tie on my apron and get in the kitchen!

Now to be honest, I am NOT a good cook.  To be completely honest, my poor hubby & I eat some type of sandwich / salad / soup / breakfast variation almost every night of the work week for dinner.  We say it’s because we are too hungry by the time we finally get home to wait to make dinner, or that we eat simple things to make it easier to stick with our healthy eating diets, but a huge factor is also that I am just NOT a good cook.  :0(   (I do take direction well, though, so I hope to set tables, stir pots, fill glasses with ice, etc on tomorrow’s happy day!)

But what I lack in the real-food-making department, I’d like to think I make up for in the goodie-making and baking division!  I LOVE baking…from cookies and brownies to homemade pear tarts and cinnamon rolls. 

And my all-time favorite thing to bake is…

Pie.

Last Saturday, my sweet Grannie called and asked me to bring a pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving Day at her house.  I was RIDICULOUSLY honored and giddy.  (To fill you in, for Grannie & my great aunt to pass along the pie-making responsibility on a major holiday is ji-nor-mous!!!)  Therefore, for Thanksgiving Day, I will be making and baking (in my Grannie famous pie pan...I'm picking it up today) THE pumpkin pie.  And when I’m in there, with flour in my hair and mixing bowls and measuring spoons everywhere…and when the whole house gets that pumpkin-y, cinnamon-y, dough-y smell…and when I pull that warm pie with golden brown crust out of the oven…I will be so ridiculously grateful.  :0)

“Is not the cup of THANKSgiving for which we give THANKS

a participation in the blood of Christ?

And is not the bread that we break

a participation in the body of Christ?”

--1 Corinthians 10:16

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 23

I thank God for…my extended family.

I have posted about my sweet hubby, amazingly loving parents, wonderful sisters, precious niece, awesome brother-in-laws, kind grandparents, giving in-laws, and fantastic friends, but I realized amongst the blessing of big family gatherings coming this week (yay!) that I hadn’t posted about how thankful I am for my wonderful EXTENDED family!  I am SO BLESSED to have the sweetest, funniest, most kind and giving and supportive and loving aunts and uncles and cousins in the whole world.  I am THRILLED to see them this Thanksgiving week, and SO THANKFUL for them!

“We always THANKS God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when we pray for you”

--Colossians 1:3

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 22

I thank God for…watching movies with my hubby.

It is one of my favorite things…to cuddle up on the couch, in our recliners, or in bed together and watch a movie.  Matt loves action and sci fi, I love romantic comedies and classics, and together we LOVE watching funny movies.  Just last week we watched “Toy Story 3” together.  I know it’s a children’s movie, but it is also so sweet and SO HILARIOUS!  We LOVED it!

And loved being together. :0)

That's us playing with his Halloween costume Star Wars light saber. 
See...we really ARE big movie fans!
And yay...that's me with a butter knife.  I'm scary like that.  :0)

“I always THANK my God for you
because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus.”

--1 Corinthians 1:4

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 21

I thank God for…Matt’s Mom & Dad.

For being so welcoming and wonderful and sweet and supportive and kind and loving to me.

For raising such an amazing son.

For teaching him to love and be so lovable.

For helping him to become the man I am so madly in love with today.

I am so thankful.  :0)

“You will be enriched in every way so that
you can be generous on every occasion,

and through us your generosity will result
in THANKSgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying
the needs of the Lord’s people

but is also overflowing in many expressions of THANKS to God.”

--2 Corinthians 9:11-12

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith

in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

I have not stopped giving THANKS for you,

remembering you in my prayers.”

--Ephesians 1:15-16

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 20

I thank God for...evening walks with my hubby.

Surrounded by nature and the birds and bunnies. 
Covered in the colors of the sunset aglow. 
Sometimes with hearts racing we walk rather briskly. 
Sometimes we meander, kick rocks, and walk slow.

Sometimes we talk about our day, our future,
A funny story we heard or a plan we will make.
Sometimes we walk quietly, no words spoken but listening
To our thoughts, the birds, and each step we take.

With God's glory all around me
And the man who has my heart
On most any given day
This is my favorite part.  :0)

“I will give You THANKS, for You answered me;
You have become my salvation.”

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 19

As we wrap up another work week, I thank God for…our jobs.

My hubby & I are so blessed to have jobs we love.  We were talking the other night about Thanksgiving, and Matt said that if we go around the room to say what we are thankful for, he would say that he is thankful for all our families’ jobs.  And so am I.  In this scary time where almost 1 out of every 10 people are unemployed (9.6% unemployment per the November jobs report) and in a recession the worst since the Great Depression, we are SO BLESSED to have these opportunities and their financial support.  They can be busy and crazy and stressful, but at the end of the day, we are SO HAPPY where we are and with what we are doing.  I know they don’t bring eternal happiness or even absolute security in this world, but I am so thankful for these blessings and for God’s providing love.  (On a related note, please see “Tax Returns for Jesus” and “The Girl Who Drove Down the Freeway & Went Up the Elevator”.)

Me & my sweet co-worker, Wanda.
She is such a sweet inspiration and Godly example to me!

Everything we do is His! May we do well but also DO GOOD in each position and opportunity given! :0)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving THANKS to God the Father through Him.”

--Colossians 3:17

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 18

I thank God for…inspiring people of faith in my life.

For Beth Moore, my absolutely FAVORITE Bible teacher. Her words speak of God’s Word and speak right to my heart. On occasions more numerous to ever count, I have been brought to tears by her words of God, of encouragement, of faith, of love. She is such an amazing women of faith, has taught me to LOVE God’s Word, has shown me that the Bible is SO EXCITING, has given me “strength and dignity” “for such a time as this”, and has been such an awesome example of a woman after God’s heart.

For Max Lucado and his amazing books. Reading them always makes God’s Word and love and saving grace so alive, it takes my breath away.

For Gail M, our church’s women's minister. Her love of God is so overwhelming, and she is always so welcoming, so encouraging, and such a loving example of a Godly woman of faith.

For the ladies of (in)courage. Every morning they sprinkle my day with sparkles of Godly (in)couragement, strength, grace, and love. They are each such a blessing to me and inspire me in ways I could never describe. Most especially I am so thankful for Holley Gerth and her amazing, awe-inspiring, tears-in-my-eyes-everyday words that always speak right to my heart, for Emily’s “30 Days of Grace” series, for Annie’s “Twirling” encouragement, and for Angie & Jessica’s ever-inspiring and so-much-fun Bloom Book Club. These women are uber-amazing, ridiculously loving, incredible examples, remarkably talented with words, and always, always, ALWAYS so inspiring to me in my walk with Jesus.

Words can’t even describe the blessing these amazing individuals (and so many more!) are in my life. They are doing such amazing, amazing things for God’s Kingdom and for His glory, and I am SO THANKFUL for them and their blessing in my life. They make me be / want to be a better Godly woman. Their example inspires me. Their words feed my soul and put my focus back on God. In this world where internet and literature can be so negative or questionable, they are the shining stars, not shining for themselves, but for God…and that is the most amazing shine because it allows others (like me!) to see God more clearly. :0)

They are so talented, and I am so blessed. May God bless each of them for their amazing work and gift.

"But THANKS be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin,

you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching

that has now claimed your allegiance.
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

--Romans 6:17-18

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 17

I thank God for…our grandparents.

I am so blessed to have known all four of my grandparents AND great-grandparents in my lifetime, and Matthew is blessed to have known three of his. Their overwhelming love, endless support, yummy food, amazing stories, funny jokes, sweet hugs and snuggles, warm quilts and smiles, and awe-inspiring legacy will be with us always.

 With God’s help, may we as their grandchildren bring honor to Him and them with our lives. We are so blessed.  :0)

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us
as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession

and uses us to spread the aroma of the
knowledge of Him everywhere.”

--2 Corinthians 2:14

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 16

I thank God for…Christmas decorating!!!

As most of you know, my hubby and I are MADLY in love with Christmas.

And each other.  :0)

Both of our families have traditions of putting up the Christmas tree and decorations the day AFTER Thanksgiving, so when we got married, we figured we’d follow that “rule” too.  Then one day many years ago when we were sitting around chatting, and Matt said, “You know…this is OUR house.  And you know…we really can make up our OWN rules here…if we want to.”  I remember being so shocked at first.  What?  Go against the way we’ve always done it?  I mean…I am the MASTER rule-follower.  (Just look at what I do for a living…it’s complex and crazy and lots of math, but it’s essentially “following rules”.)  Then, I got excited in a teenager I-really-want-to-do-it-but-are-we-going-to-get-in-trouble sort of way.  There I was…back in high school…sitting up on a branch of a tree fixing to jump/fall who knows how many feet into the river.  But we talked it over, and it was just too exciting NOT to do!  We RIDICULOUSLY LOVE Christmas, so why not put up our decorations whenever we get that Christmas-calling each year…to enjoy the decorations, to enjoy each other while working together, and to start our own family tradition.  :0)

Some of our friends think we are crazy, and I’m not even allowed to speak of such blatant Christmas violations to a certain brother-in-law (hee hee!), but my hubby and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it…and it’s that time of year again!  Yay!!!  Two weekends ago we got all our trees down from the attic and put them in their places, and this past weekend, we started DECORATING!!!  It has been SO MUCH FUN!  I love the music…I love the sparkle…and, being the sentimental goof that I am, I LOVE the memories and nostalgia behind each ornament, each song, each decoration.

And, I love my hubby for loving it too.

“Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.  Jesus, Lord at Thy birth!”

We still have more decorating to do, but “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” at our house. Yay!!!

"We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will

through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord

and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work,

growing in the knowledge of God,

being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might

so that you may have great endurance and patience,

and giving joyful THANKS to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people

in the kingdom of light.

For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

--Colossians 1:9-14

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 15

I thank God for...my brother-in-laws.

Today is a very special day to my family…today is my baby sister and her hubby’s anniversary!  Yay!  Happy Anniversary K & B!!!

photo by the uber-awesome and talented k|d loftis photography

Their wedding two years ago was simply amazing…not only because of its beauty and elegance, but because of all the love that day. <3

It got me thinking how thankful I am for my amazing brother-in-laws.  They are simply two of the greatest guys EVER, and we are SO BLESSED (along with my sweet hubby) that they decided to put up with all of our crazy and join our family.  (Hee hee!) 

They are respectful and smart,

helpful and caring,

giving and loving,

and ridiculously funny. 

I know they always have an appetite for fun, football, and for my raw pie crust dough.  (Seriously, if their wives let them, they will eat handfuls of the stuff!) 

They teach my hubby country-boy things like shooting and hunting and hanging out at “The Shack”. 

Our manly men...my sweet hubby, B and L.

They are wonderful and amazing men, and I’m so glad my sisters have them to love and love them in return.

“...we know that the One Who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead
will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself.
All this is for your benefit,
so that the grace that is reaching more and more people
may cause THANKSgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”

--2 Corinthians 4:14-15

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 14

I thank God for…my Mom & Dad.

I love them so very, very much and am so amazingly blessed to have them as my mom and dad.

In our house, they raised three girls while raising up the Lord.

They taught me to talk, to laugh, to play, to be respectful. They taught me to learn, to read, to write, and to love Jesus. They taught me how to tie my shoe, how to laugh with reckless abandon, and how to drive a tractor.

In our house, there was ALWAYS encouragement, ALWAYS understanding, ALWAYS support, ALWAYS laughter, ALWAYS two-hour family dinners talking around the table, and ALWAYS infinite amounts of love.

They are my nourishing roots, my backbone of strength, my pillar to lean on, and my ultimate cheerleaders.

They gave me life, love, laughter, huge pancakes for breakfast, and two wonderful sisters.

They are absolutely the greatest parents in the world, and I am SO THANKFUL for them, for ALL they have selflessly and generously done for me, and for their amazing, wonderful, and never-ending “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as your living, my baby you’ll be” love.

Me & Daddy dancing at my wedding  :0)

“THANKS be to God for His indescribable gift!”

--2 Corinthians 9:15

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 13

I thank God for…time spent with family.

Just got home from a quick trip down home to see my parents, sisters, and sweet niece. Time with them is full of love, filled with laughter, comforting to my soul, and such an amazing blessing.

J and yesterday's beautiful sunset...so pretty!!!  :0)

"I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with THANKSgiving.”

--Psalm 69:30

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 12

I thank God for...Fridays!

TGIF!!!  That initialism was always kinda special to my family.  I don't remember how or even when it started, but from as young as I can remember, my family and I would have a contest / game of sorts in seeing who would say shout "TGIF!" first each Friday morning.  There were no prizes or anything...just a fun and silly thing we would do.  :0)

Then a year or so ago, I saw a lady at Hobby Lobby with a t-shirt on that read "TGIF...Thank God I'm Forgiven".  I thought that was so neat.  :0)

Anywho, Happy Friday everybody!  I hope you all have a FANTASTIC Friday and a WONDERFUL weekend!

“THANKS be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

--Romans 7:25

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 11

I thank God for…our wonderful friends!

Today is a very special day for our super sweet and wonderful
friends, K & L. (Happy anniversary!!!)

Matt marrying our sweet K&L!  L is so pretty!!!  :0)

So with their happy day today, it got me thankful for them, for ALL our amazing friends, and for the gift of sweet, encouraging, long-lasting, supportive, forgiving, understanding, hilarious, fun-filled, caring, sharing, giving, and loving friendship!

“We always THANK God for all of you

and continually mention you in our prayers.”

--1 Thessalonians 1:2

P.S. And Happy Veteran’s Day too! I am so thankful for my Granddaddy, Matt’s Grandpa, my great Uncle Albert, Matt’s cousin Dillon, and ALL the brave, giving, and selfless men and women who have sacrificed for our great country. God bless them and God bless America!

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

--John 15:13

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 10

I thank God for...His beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

yesterday's beautiful sunset

And now (so as to save you all from a stay-in-your-head-all-day rendition of the "Fiddler" classic), I'll sing...     :0)

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning.
Great is Thy faithfulness.
'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul,
'therefore I will hope in Him.'
Therefore I will hooooope innnnn Himmmmm."
(song based on Lamentations 3:22-24)

"Now, our God, we give You THANKS,

and praise Your glorious name."

--1 Chronicles 29:13

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 9

I thank God for...my sisters.

I love them so very, very, very much. 

They are the icing to my cupcake...

     the spots to my ladybug...

          the sparkle to my Christmas tree. 

They are the two other peas in my pod...if peas played house / school / nurse, braided each other's hair, made mud pies and rolled-up freezer cookie dough, and dreamed of Gummy Bear-y holes. 

They have my heart, my back, and a smaller portion of my triangle behind.  

I would do anything, give anything, and go anywhere for them. 

I love them, love them, love them...and always will.  :0)

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

Let your gentleness but evident to all. 

THE LORD IS NEAR.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING,

by PRAYER and petition, with THANKSgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your HEARTS and minds in Christ Jesus...

I can do everything through HIM who gives me strength."

--Philippians 4:4-7,13

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 8

I thank God for...the time change's extra hour of morning sleep.

"Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Children of the Lord."

I know it's sad that there's less sunshine in the evenings, but with the time change, wasn't this morning wonderful???  (We go to late church, so I didn't get to fully appreciate it until this morning.) 

Plus, I noticed as I was leaving work on Friday that they put up the white twinkle lights on the trees outside my office building.  So with the end of Daylight Savings time and as the days get shorter, I'll get to leave work to the twinkle of Christmas lights!  :0)

"I will give THANKS to You, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds."

--Psalm 9:1

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 7

I thank God for...my Matthew.


Our engagement

Our rehearsal dinner



The blushing bride & super handsome groom.  :0)

Our wedding!



At dinner one night on our honeymoon.

"Nobody else gave me a thrill.

With all your faults, I love you still.

Baby, it had to be you.

Wonderful you.

It had to be you."

I am so ridiculously, ridiculously, ridiculously in love.  <3  

"I thank my God every time I remember you."

--Philippians 1:3

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 6

I thank God for…relaxing weekends!

Happy Saturday everybody!!!  I hope you all have a fun or relaxing weekend planned!  I’m spending mine with a warm mug of coffee this morning, running errands / doing chores & laundry with my sweet and super-helpful hubby during the day (seriously, my hubster is the master of our vacuum cleaner!), and probably curled up under fluffy blankets watching a movie with my Matt tonight!  A WONDERFULLY relaxing weekend…and just what we needed after a very fun but very busy last few weeks and weekends.

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL weekend!  Take time to give God thanks! :0)

“Let us come before him with THANKSgiving

and extol Him with music and song.”

--Psalm 95:2

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 5

I thank God for...the sunshine!

Whether it's a beautiful sunshiny fall day after a rainy week or a warm day at the beach, isn't the sunshine glorious???

I love how the sun shining reminds us to shine for the Son!


"Hide it under a bush...oh no!  I'm gonna let it shine!
Let it shine, let it shine, all the time!"

"Give THANKS to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

Give THANKS to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

Give THANKS to the God of heaven. His love endures forever."

--Psalm 136:2-3,26

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 4

I thank God for...the rain! 

While others watch the weather to see if traffic is going to be nasty or their hair is going to poofy (I do too!), for this farmer's daughter, weather and rain and sunshine is serious business!  So it was such a BLESSING that my hubby and I (and especially my sweet Daddy down home) got rain the past few days.

"For everything God created is good,

and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with THANKSgiving,

because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”

--1 Timothy 4:4-5

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 3

I thank God for...our country.  Over the last few weeks (I early voted to miss the chaos!) and yesterday on Election Day (that's when my hubby voted), we all went to the polls to practice our right to vote.

“But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God,

trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—

and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”

--Exodus 18:21

My God bless our country, the men and women who protect her, and all the people of this great nation! God bless America!!!

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD”

--Psalm 33:12a

My Granddaddy, a veteran of the Korean War, and my cousin
proudly fly the flag.

“Let them give THANKS to the LORD for His unfailing love

and His wonderful deeds for mankind”

--Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 2

I thank God for...my sweet, adorable, beautiful, and wonderful niece! 

Yesterday she was 6 months old.  Happy 6 Month + 1 Day Birthday, J!

Aunt Jilly loves you SO MUCH!!!  :0)

"I always THANK my God as I remember you in my prayers"

--Philemon 1:4



30 Days of Thanks

Happy November!

Happy fall!

Happy Thanksgiving month

to one & all!  :0)

It’s November…a time for chilly nights and crisp mornings…a time for beautiful fall leaves and acorns on the ground…a time to pull down big fluffy blankets from our closets and cozy up with the ones we love.  And (most importantly!) a time to GIVE THANKS.

It has really been on my heart to cherish and relish this holiday season; to slow down, be still, take it in, and enjoy every opportunity of this wonderful time of joy, of thanksgiving, of wonder, and of grace. (I even had a dream nightmare a few weeks ago that it was December 26th and Christmas was over and I realized I had missed it.  I remember waking confused and so sad inside!  I vowed then and there…in my half-sleep / half-awake state…to slow down and truly enjoy the holidays this year.)

This time of year is such a blessing from God.  Everyone (including me!) loves the Christmas catch phrase “Jesus is the reason for the season”…but I also think He is the reason for the Thanksgiving season as well!  Tip of the hat to the Pilgrims for their part, but even they did it to thank and praise HIM.  So, with Jesus the reason for both approaching Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, I’d like to announce a new challenge for my blog self. In following with Emily’s “31 Days of Grace” in the month of October (which I LOVED! She is amazing!!!), I am excited to begin

“30 Days of Thanks”

For each day in the month of November, I will slow down, look around, thank God for my blessings, and post a thought / picture / message on something I am truly thankful for.  My plan (so as not to get overwhelmed or behind...I THANK you in advance for your patience!) is to post a few days of thanks at a time every Wednesday and Sunday.  I might jump on in between those days with other random thoughts or events, but I'll try to post every Wednesday and Sunday some thoughts of thanks.  So, with the announcement and admin work accomplished...

First and greatest of all, I thank God for…

GOD.

I thank Him that with billions and billions of people in His world, that He would love and be ever-present with little ol’ me…who sometimes sins…who sometimes is self-righteous…who sometimes is scared…who sometimes is lazy…who sometimes is a total worrier…who sometimes is mean or moody or tacky…who sometimes gossips…who sometimes fails…who often lives with giant dust bunnies…who is totally unworthy.

Though this list is totally incomprehensible and infinitely immeasurable, I thank Him for…His everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), His presence (Psalm 139, Psalm 145:18), His protection (Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 5:11), His gift of daughter-ship (Romans 8:14-17), His amazingly wonderful grace (Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:8), and His promise through Christ Jesus of forgiveness (1 John 1:9), redemption (Isaiah 43:1, Ephesians 1:7), salvation (Acts 4:12), and eternal life with Him in Heaven (John 14:1-3, John 3:14-16).  Hallelujah!

“But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:57