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