Advent - Day 1

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

~ Charles Wesley

Day 30 - Thankfulness

I was going to write about and post a picture of the snow. Yes, it's finally snowing! But as I was going through the pictures on the disk I came across this one and realized that this is the picture I want to end this month of thankful posts with. For this precious and unexpected gift I am so very thankful. Because of this gift, and in the living out the words of Deuteronomy 11:18-19*, I'm even further blessed by seeing so many other gifts that I might have otherwise missed. 

*You shall therefore lay up these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul, . . . You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Day 29 - Thankfulness

Everyday there are so many things for which to be thankful. Today it was our cell phone and the blessing of a good signal. Our land phone was out of order and usually we have a very weak cell signal.

Also, the folks that came to repair our TV today. They were nice, they knew what they were doing, and they gave us all sorts of great information on a variety of electronic issues.

Two examples of things that could have been fodder for grumbling, but instead were opportunities for thankfulness. Not in a pollyanna kind of way, but real opportunities to see God's hand in our life.

Day 28 - Thankfulness

I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving. ~ Psalm 69:30

We Will Glorify

We will glorify the King of Kings,
We will glorify the Lamb,
We will glorify the Lord of Lords,
Who_ is the great I Am.

Lord Jehovah reigns in majesty,
We will bow before His throne,
We will worship Him in righteousness,
We will worship Him alone.

He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth,
He is Lord of all who live,
He is Lord above the universe,
All praise to Him we give.

Hallelujah to the King of Kings,
Hallelujah to the Lamb.
Hallelujah to the Lord of Lords,
Who is the great I Am.


©1982, Singspiration Music
Words and Music by Twila Paris

Day 27 - Thankfulness

Day 26 - Thankfulness

Make-up. Today I am thankful for make-up and ribbons and bows and lace and dresses and skirts and pretty tops and sparkly belts and bracelets and flowers and well . . . you know . . . all the pretty, feminine, girly stuff.

It was a lovely wedding . . .

Day 25 - Thankfulness

I'm thankful for birthdays, weddings, and holidays. Opportunities to stop and reflect, to reminisce, to focus on and celebrate with the special people in our lives. Today is a birthday, tomorrow a wedding, and Thursday, Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for!

Day 24 - Thankfulness

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
~ Colossians 3:12-17

Days 22 - Thankfulness

The other day when I was checking out Google Reader, I discovered another handy application, Google Notebook. It is just what it says, a notebook. When I find something I want to remember, I just copy and paste into the notebook. It's so handy. And if you want, you can share it. So cool.

Day 21 - Thankfulness

Why should I fear when evil days come,*
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped; Therefore my heart dances for joy, and in my song will I praise him.


* ~ Psalm 49:5, Psalm 28:7

Days 20 - Thankfulness

Oh LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.* 

And for this, I am truly thankful. Amen

*~ Lamentations 3:58

Days 19 - Thankfulness

All the day to day stuff. I am thankful for all of the day to day things (that sadly, I sometimes foolishly complain about). Dishes, laundry, dusting, vacuuming, cooking, picking up, schooling, shopping. I am so blessed to have a family and a home and a car and a yard that need me to do all of the day to day things for.  

Days 18 - Thankfulness

I've been thinking about this a lot lately ~ the little things. I am grateful for all the "little things." All of the wonderful amazing little things that God does in my life that would only be special and meaningful to me. The little things are really very big things.

Day 17 - Thankfulness

My laptop. I am so thankful for my laptop. Tonight I am able to sit with my family by the fireplace and write this post and email with my best friend. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to sit outside enjoying the Indian summer weather and follow blogs and answer emails. It has traveled with us as we moved across the country and has gone with us to Ukraine and Israel. It has my contacts, my music, my photos, e-books, electronic devotions and Bible, and lots and lots of journaling. During long periods of being homebound it has been my "window" to the world. I am thankful for my laptop especially because it was given to me with love, from my husband, for whom (I might have mentioned this before) I am very thankful.

Day 16 - Thankfulness

I am thankful for this beautiful sunny Lord's day and the blessing of family to share it with.

Day 15 - Thankfulness

I am thankful for a talented creative husband who creates beautiful children's books and animated Bible maps and websites. I am also thankful that he is able to do his work from our home, and that Peter, who loves the kind of work Daddy does, has the opportunity to be with Daddy and learn from him and create his own wonderful projects.

Day 14 - Thankfulness

I am so thankful for a friend, a kindred spirit,
who really knows and understands me.
Someone I can just be myself with.
She is such a blessing.



related: Friendship

Day 13 - Thankfulness

A few days ago Kim wrote about being thankful for blogging friends, for Google Reader, and for the positive impact that blogging has had on her life.

As I was reading, I was thinking about how I too am very thankful for my blogging friends and the positive impact that blogging has had on my life, but I didn't know a thing about Google Reader. So I decided to check it out. Wow! I had no idea how much easier my blogging life could be (and now will be).

So, in addition to all of the other blessings that I am receiving as a result of Rebecca's "Thankfulness" post, I now have a much easier way to keep up with what's going on with everyone.

Thank you Kim.

Day 12 - Thankfulness

I'm so thankful for Rebecca for declaring November a month of thanksgiving and inviting us to join her in blogging what we are thankful for and for all of the folks I've "met" as a result. As I read through everyone's entries each day, I am so blessed and my thankfulness grows and grows.

Day 11 - Thankfulness

Necessary Knowledge
"Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are My people, saith the LORD God" (Ezekiel 34:30).

To be the LORD's own people is a choice blessing, but to know that we are such is a comfortable blessing. It is one thing to hope that God is with us and another thing to know that He is so. Faith saves us, but assurance satisfies us. We take God to be our God when we believe in Him; but we get the joy of Him when we know that He is ours and that we are His. No believer should be content with hoping and trusting; he should ask the LORD to lead him on to full assurance, so that matters of hope may become matters of certainty. It is when we enjoy covenant blessings and see our LORD Jesus raised up for us as a plant of renown that we come to a clear knowledge of the favor of God toward us. Not by law, but by grace do we learn that we are the LORD's people. Let us always turn our eyes in the direction of free grace. Assurance of faith can never come by the works of the law. It is an evangelical virtue and can only reach us in a gospel way. Let us not look within. Let us look to the LORD alone. As we see Jesus we shall see our salvation. LORD, send us such a flood-tide of Thy love that we shall be washed beyond the mire of doubt and fear.

From "Faith's Checkbook" - November 9
Faith's Checkbook by C. H. Spurgeon

Day 10 - Thankfulness

The 23rd Psalm ~
I am thankful for all of the Psalms and all of God's Word, but the 23rd Psalm holds a special place in my heart.

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Day 9 - Thankfulness

The internet ~
I am so very thankful for the internet for countless reasons. Here are just a few:
new friends
keeping in touch through words and pictures
innumerable free resources
shopping
music
a sense of connectedness

Day 8 - Thankfulness

Provision ~
When we moved to Oklahoma we didn't know we would be so rural, so far from stores and libraries. But God did. I cannot count how many times I have opened a box, a drawer, an old notebook, a cabinet, or looked on a shelf and found exactly what I needed, just when I needed it. Something I purchased or was given long before we moved for some “inexplicable” reason, and in many cases had completely forgotten about.

For all of the big things and the seemingly small things, for all of the amazing ways and means that the Lord uses to provide for me and my family, I am so very grateful.

Day 7 - Thankfulness

Like Dorothy, I am thankful for Fridays and the promises that weekends hold.

Also, fires in the fireplace. Our electricity went out for much of the day and it got quite chilly in our house, so we built a fire in the fireplace which warmed us and our home very nicely.

Which brings me to wood. I am so grateful for the wood we have this year to have fires in the fireplace.

Which brings me to how blessed we are to have a wonderful neighbor who cut the wood that we purchased so we would have fires in the fireplace.

Day 6 - Thankfulness

John records these comforting words from our Lord:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” ~ John 14:27

And Paul writes in Philippians:
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 your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:5-7

I am so thankful for the peace of God.

Day 5 - Thankfulness

What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

Psalm 50:23 tells us: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me;”

Thank You, Lord. 

Day 4 - Thankfulness

Telephones. Today I am so grateful for telephones that keep me connected to those I love.

Rebecca also reminded me how grateful I am for the long distance plan we have that allows me to not just keep connected, but to talk and talk and talk to my beautiful 9 year old granddaughter about well, whatever 9 year olds want to talk about!

Day 3 - Thankfulness

Today I was reflecting on how thankful I am to be able to homeschool. How fortunate I am to be able watch and nurture and share in the creative processes. To be there when the “idea” becomes a “reality.”

Day 2 - Thankfulness

So many things to list! 

Today it’s my camera. It’s so wonderful to be able to capture and share so many of the things for which I’m so grateful. 

Thankfulness

I have been going to restart a gratitude journal for months now and thanks to Rebecca and Ann, I have a renewed incentive. Rebecca has declared November a month of thanksgiving at her blog and is inviting everyone to join in. And Ann is also inviting us to join the Gratitude Community. 

At Study in Brown, Tonia reminded me that “thankfulness is a double gift; first, the obvious joy of every day’s blessings and second, the way such awareness has the potential to transform moments into a treasure hunt of beauty and gladness.”

On this first day of November I have so many things that I am grateful for. I'll begin my list with:

~ our home

~ family & friends

~ beautiful fall colors & weather

~ an unexpected visit & walk with a friend and her family

~ a wonderful online community

~ a fellow (and until today unknown to me) blogger from our former home town posting beautiful pictures that our family was so blessed by.