Thankful Post #5

Wow, it is pretty hard to blog everyday! But I am getting a little better!

Sunday, what I was thankful for was the ability to worship as a church family, without fear. Many times we forget how big of a deal that is! I have never experienced anything different than being able to do this, and I am thankful for that, but I never want to forget that it is a privilege and I should continually be thankful for that!

Monday, yesterday, was a long day! I was called in to sub for a 5th grade, and it was good, just long. After subbing, I went to the after school program that I have been working at for the last few months, and then came home. I was so tired! It was all I could do to stay awake until 9 - and honestly I think I fell asleep a time or two before then! As I sit here on the other side of that, I am so thankful for rest. God gives us rest, but too many times we don't use it like we should. He set the practice of rest for us during creation. He didn't need to rest, the Bible tells us the He never grows weary or faint. He set the practice for us. I am thankful that He gave us rest. Thankful that He understands what we need, and provides it. :)

Thankful Post #4

So I got a little behind on this over the weekend, and this will be a few posts in one! :)

Thursday, was my fourth day working at Magnolia's here in Carthage, and it was the day that the Vera Bradley order with all the new Winter Colors came in! For those of you that know about and share my love of Vera Bradley products, you can understand how much fun it was getting to look at all the new prints and styles. As I was doing this, I thought about how awesome it is that our God is creative and colorful. That He didn't just make everything black and white and boring. All of these patterns that I enjoyed that day, reflect His creativity throughout nature, and they are a reminder that we serve a God who isn't stale and boring, but creative and exciting!

Friday, my parents came up and got to experience Smith County Football, and a 5th Quarter with us. Our friend Melvin also came up that afternoon, and spoke at 5th Quarter. On this day I was reminded of how thankful I am for friends who love Jesus and want others to know the love of Jesus. When I get overwhelmed with things, as I had let myself that day, I need to be reminded that He is the most important thing in my life, and He calls me to tell others about Him. It is an encouragement for believers to be around other believers. They are like-minded and know the purpose God has called them to. Friday God placed this on my heart and I realized how thankful I am for these believers that He has put in my life and used to encourage me and challenge me in my walk with Christ.

Saturday was my mom's birthday! Zeke went on His first hunt with Bro. Tim, and he came back all in one piece, but also without seeing any deer. My dad and I worked on some things around the house - I guess I did more watching than helping, but oh well. He took the pressure reducer off of our water pipes so now I can wash dishes and clothes at the same time - I can't even explain the big deal that is! :) Then we switched the the doorknob on the front door with the one on the side door so we no longer have to fight the door knob to get out the front door! :) That night we went to Outback for my mom's birthday dinner. We definitely enjoy it when they can come up here and spend some time with us. We are thankful that they take time out of their schedule to be involved in what God is doing in our lives.

Thankful Post #3

So this is actually yesterday's post, I just wasn't able to get it up yesterday.

Today I have been thankful for music. That may sound a little strange, but God has used music in my life at times where words just don't fit. There are some truths from His word that cut to our very core when they are put to music.

We were working on some Christmas songs in choir last night and we are doing "O Bless the Lord." This song is absolutely so powerful! I love it! There is so much truth packed into this song! There is a line at the beginning of the song that says "Oh darkest night, Your reign is done, now melt before the rising son" then it goes into the chorus that starts with "Hallelujah, Praise on Praise." So amazing!

As we were practicing this last night it just reminded me of how blessed we are and how worthy our God is to deserve all our praise! I am thankful for music given to us by a God worthy of all our praise! Sometimes I just have to stop and listen as others praise God around me and I think how sweet and treasured that sound must be as we truly realize that He isn't part of our life, He is our life and we take time to thank Him and express out love and gratitude to Him.

Praise God!

Thankful Post #2

Today has been a very productive day! :) I started working at Magnolia's here in Carthage last Friday. I worked today and we got a lot done! :) We got to start setting up the Christmas room - I guess that is what you would call it. :) But it was really fun for me because I am a huge Christmas fan! I am the one who is ready to start playing Christmas music as soon as school starts back! I just enjoy it.

So, as I sat down to think about what I was going to write about for my 24 Days of Thankfulness, I realized I can't decide what I want to write about! There are too many things to choose from! :)

Today I am so thankful for my husband. He has been gone to East Tennessee all day, and even though I have been busy today, I hate days when he is out of town! God has used Zeke to challenge and encourage me in/through so many circumstances. He is always able to see things from the side I can't/don't/won't see them from and he challenges me to look at it from his angle. More than anything, I am thankful that He loves God and daily seeks to know Him more. I am thankful that he continues to seek after God to lead and direct us in everything. I am absolutely blessed to have such an amazing husband!

24 Days of Thankfulness

So, I was thinking about the fact that today is the first day of November and before we realize it, Thanksgiving will be here! As I thought about that I thought it might be neat to take the 24 days leading up to Thanksgiving to blog about some people/things I am thankful for. Also, the more I think about it, they say it takes 21 days to form a habit, so hopefully this time will help me form a habit of realizing I have something to be thankful for each day!

So, to start this little journey off, I am absolutely so thankful for my relationship with Jesus. It still amazes me that He loves me! The Creator of the Universe, who holds the world in His hands, as big as He is still desires a relationship with me. I am thankful that He loves me enough to not let me stay where I am, but continually challenges me to mature. I am thankful that when I call to Him, He hears me, and He answers! I am thankful that as I surrender to Him and follow in obedience after Him, I can rest in the fact that there is a purpose and a plan for all that happens in my life! I am thankful that He can be trusted in all things, that He is faithful, that he is my provider, that He never grows weary or faints. As believers, we are a blessed people!

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

Falling in Love with Jesus

So I had to take a break from washing dishes to blog for a minute. Today has been a weird day for me. I have gotten easily frustrated by things and found myself wallowing in complaints as a result. I was sharing these complaints with Zeke and then we sort of stopped because we realized that this complaining needed to stop. I went on to wash dishes, trying to think through some other things. As i was washing dishes I start to hear Zeke playing on the keyboard down in the basement. It took me a while, but I finally realized what he was playing. Here it is:

Falling in love with Jesus

Falling in love with Jesus

Falling in love with Jesus

Is the best thing I've ever done

In His arms, I feel protected

In His arms, never disconnected

In His arms, I feel protected

There is no place I'd rather be

It hit me that no matter what I face, that song is true of my life. Falling in love with Jesus is the absolute best thing that has ever happened in my life!

Can you say that? Have you ever fallen in love with Jesus? If you call yourself a Christian, does this describe your life?

I hope it does. I hope that everyone who reads this understands that following after Jesus is worth leaving everything else behind, and focusing our full devotion on Him!

Desperate Prayer

So, I haven't blogged in a while because it has been a busy last few weeks and honestly I don't know where to start! :)

I guess the best place to start is with a quick update. Almost 2 weeks ago now (doesn't seem that long at all!) 12 of us from Carthage set out to Long Island, NY for a mission trip. I have to admit I was not crazy about the idea of driving from Tennessee all the way to Long Island, but it wasn't bad at all! We drove from Carthage to Harrisburg, PA the first day, and then drove in to Long Island the next morning.

I cannot even describe for you here how amazing it was that from the second we started on this trip, God was with us! He absolutely created this team (representing 4 different churches in Carthage)! Everyone that came not only was able to encourage someone as God worked through them, but was encouraged by others in the same light. It was amazing!

God really used this trip to remind me of how absolutely desperate we are for Him, and how we need to cry out to Him through prayer. When I got back our lesson in Sunday school was over John 14-17, and as I studied, I was amazed at how many times Jesus told His disciples that whatever they asked in His name he would accomplish. There are many times in scripture where we are reminded that we do not have because we do not ask. Even though I know how powerful prayer is, so many times I don't cry out to God through prayer, and then I wonder why nothing changes.

Before I go any further, I should mention that many people have taken verses like this out of context to make them say something they absolutely do not! This verse does not say that I can ask God for things like He is a magic genie. It says that when I submit to and follow after Him, the things that are on His heart are now on my heart, and as I call out to Him in prayer, He will answer those prayers as I seek for his will to be done.

I wonder how different my day would look if I took everything to Him in prayer? If I truly looked at life and said "there's nothing too big or too small for me to seek God on," my life would reflect that in every way! I really and truly believe that as we seek God He will answer us - His word says He will. It is up to us to decide whether we are going to continue on in our own strength, or desperately cry out to God to guide us and direct us in everything we do.

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." ~2Chronicles 7:14

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you." ~Jeremiah 29:12

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ~John 14:13

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. ~John 14:14

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ~John 15:7

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ~John 15:16

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. ~John 16:23

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. ~John 16:24