Thankful Thursday

I'm joining Sonya at Truth 4 The Journey for "Thankful Thursday". Be sure and visit her and all the participants--maybe you'd like to join us!! I'm sure we can all think of 5 things that we are thankful for!!

And here are my five thankfuls for this week:

• I am thankful for my present from my son--4 new tires and inspection for my car for another year!! I am so thankful to him for this. I've been needing tires--he knows this. He didn't wait for me to say anything to him about this--he saw the need and acted upon it!! He went to pick my car up after the repairs had been done from the accident it was involved in. He was taking so long to come home, and the roads were bad again!! I called him to make sure that everything was alright. He said, "I'll be home soon--I'm fine." And he came home with 4 new tires and the inspection done for the year.
  

• I am thankful that my youngest daughter, Lindsay, will be coming home from Texas on Tuesday and able to spend CHRISTmas with us. This would not be possible financial wise except for the goodness of another who is paying her airfare.
  

• I am thankful that this same daughter, who had a health scare and finally talked to me about it after spending three weeks worrying over this, has gone to the doctor and is being treated with good results. All of her worrying over the dreaded diseases that she was looking up on the Internet, and this has been diagnosed as a rather simple thing that can be treated with antibiotics.

• I am thankful that God has surrounded me with friends--my spiritual family--to encourage me and uplift me during what has been a difficult time for me.

• I am thankful that God has purpose in my life. He has plans for me, is making them known to me, and I will willingly follow through with what He has directed me to do.

• And last (I know this is more than 5, but I have a lot to be thankful for this week!) but certainly not least, I am thankful that God sent Jesus to earth so that we could see and have an example of how we are to live and conduct our own lives. When I think of this, God sending Jesus to us--knowing how He would be tortured and sacrificed for us--God's love for us seems overwhelming to me, and it is!!

I am very thankful this week, and despite all the commercialism of Christmas, I'm keeping my focus on Jesus--the love HE wants us to show and share with others. As I'm growing deeper and deeper in love with HIM, I'm realizing all that HE has done for me--even when I was far from HIM. I want to share this love with others, not only for this special season, but always.



Beth

Thankful Thursday!!

I'm joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday. Please stop by and visit Sonya--check out her blog and everyone else who is participating!! Maybe you'd like to join us!! I'm sure we can all think of 5 things we are thankful for--big or small!!

So, here we go with my 5 thankfuls for this week:

• I am thankful that even though my son had a car accident on Saturday night in the ice and was thought to be injured, he was not. I am also thankful that the damages to the car were not too major and can be repaired easily.

• :I am thankful that my daughters' best friend since they were very young delivered her baby safely--a healthy 8 pound 3 ounce baby boy--despite a scare at the end of her labor and an emergency C-section.

• I am thankful that I have a job with good benefits. I work in a physicians' office, and every day I see more and more people coming in who have lost their job or their health benefits. There are many days when my job seems almost overwhelming to me and can be very stressful, but I am thankful that I have this place to go to every day.

• I am thankful that I finally saw the albino squirrel that frequents my apartment complex. Hopefully, the next time I see him, I'll have my camera with me. He is a rare sight and actually rather beautiful--all fluffy and a huge white tail!

• I am thankful that even though I wasn't able to attend a gathering at my church last night due to illness that people cared enough to call and ask where I was and what could they do for me. This reaching out meant so much to me when I wasn't feeling well--just knowing that I am loved and cared for by others.

Oh, I could go on, but I have to go and draw the winner for my angel. I'll announce that tomorrow!! Hope to see you at Sonya's!!

I also have some blog blessings to share--probably tomorrow or Saturday at the latest!! Stop by because I have some blessings to pass on to you!!

Beth

Thankful Thursday

I'm joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey for "Thankful Thursday". I've been keeping a "Gratitude Journal". I just started this recently, and I'm going to share my 5 recent entries with you. If you want to read more about having a "Gratitude Journal" of your own, you can read about it here.

Now, on to my "thankfuls" for this week:

• I am thankful for my journal, itself. My daughter sent it to me from Texas for my birthday, saying that she didn't know if I would write in it or not. Shortly after I received this from her, I read about the "Gratitude Journal'. So, I am thankful for God speaking to my daughter's heart even though she doesn't realize it. My prayer for that evening was thankfulness for my daughter, her thoughtfulness, and God reaching towards her to speak to her. May she one day come to know and love Him!

• I am thankful for my friends--my spiritual family, my friend that I see almost every day and also all of you in the blogging world--my friends that I visit, laugh and cry with them--people that though I may never meet on this earth I feel I know very well. There are a special few of you (you know who you are!) that I have become closer to, and I so thankful that I am able to establish relationships with others because there was a time when I was not able to do this. My prayer for this evening: Thankfulness for God waiting patiently for me until the time was just right, then reaching out and grabbing me, never letting go, and transforming me into the person I am today. And then He surrounded me with people to uplift and encourage me onward in my journey.
  

• I am thankful for music--how God speaks to me through music. I've always loved music, and God has used this love of mine to reach in and dig my roots deeper in Him. Thank you for the artistry of music, talented people who can speak Your Word to me in ways that I easily understand, feel in my heart and spirit.

• I am thankful for my son. Knowing how busy I am this time of year making Christmas presents, he has picked up my slacking off of household duties--dishes, laundry, grocery shopping. He has been very helpful to me these past weeks, and I have told him how much this means to me. Thank you, God, for my son--not only for his helping me, but the softening of his heart that I'm seeing every day in him--You working in Him to bring him closer to You.

• I am thankful for the spectacular site I saw in the sky on my way home earlier this week. The moon, Jupiter and Venus lined up in a triangle. I was awestruck by the beauty of this. I tried to take a picture of this, unsuccessfully. My son even drove to a darker area trying to take a picture for me--trees in the way. He continued to drive and found a perfect spot, but the clouds had covered over the display. Thankful for God's control of the universe, giving us beauty around us and spectacular displays of His creation--and also again for my son for his efforts in trying to capture this for me.
  

Someone else was able to take a picture of this though. I found this picture this morning:

Be sure and visit Sonya for more "Thankful Thursdays"!!

Beth

Thankful Thursday and Join Me at the Cafe

I am joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday, and since the Internet Cafe Holiday Expo is also on gratitude, I decided to combine the two into one post.

Sonya is requesting that we list 5 things that we are thankful for, no matter how big or small.Since this is Thanksgiving, the day that is set aside to be thankful, I have more than 5 big things that I'm thankful for today:

• Jesus, who loved and thought enough of me to give His very life for me

• God’s love for me

• God waiting patiently for me to re-turn to Him

• Forgiveness

• God surrounding me with people to uplift and encourage me to press onward

• My continual growth in God’s Word and His LOVE

• My faith in God, which is so strong, that I KNOW that one day my family will be restored and brought to HIM (MY ENTIRE FAMILY)

• My children--children I thought I would never have and are now adults. Thank you, God for these precious blessings

As for what I've done today--on Thanksgiving:

I've spent the day cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my children and I. We just finished eating, and we're all extremely full. The clean-up operation hasn't begun yet, but soon.

Just so you know that I really do can cook, here's a picture of my turkey:




While waiting for the turkey and side dishes to complete cooking, I finished Cara's hat which matches her Irish Hiking Scarf.

I haven't decided whether to add a pom pom on the top or not. What do you think? Pom pom or not?

I even did a load of laundry today, and as I was doing this I was thinking about how thankful I am to have running water, clothes to wear, a washer and dryer because there are many who do not.

I am also thankful for the provision of food that we enjoyed for our Thanksgiving dinner. There are so many in this country and others who don't have one regular meal a day--much less the amount of food I prepared for my family.

Also, one last item, and then I'm out for the day:

Heather is Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving, 2008, by setting up a blog specifically for people to post their testimonies. This is what she has to say:

"This week, many bloggers have devoted a special post in which they are sharing their personal testimonies of the Lord's work in their lives and/or that of their families. Our collective prayer is that this sharing of their testimonies will not only encourage each other and give Glory to our Lord, but also show the love of Christ to those who happen upon our blogs. To enjoy many more testimonies please visit them ...
or maybe you'd like to join them!!!

Please stop by and visit Heather and read all the wonderful testimonies of how Our Lord is working in each and everyone of our lives.


I have posted my testimony here, and I would appreciate it if you would stop by, read and know me more--where I have been and come from and the person I have become.

My wish for all of you is that you have had a blessed Thanksgiving, one to stop and be thankful for all that you have in your life.

Thankful Thursday

Before I begin "Thankful Thursday", I just wanted to let you know that even though I didn't post about this yesterday, I am still continuing "The Love Dare". This has gotten a little more complicated with my oldest daughter now being involved.

I am going to continue posting about this, but it will be posted on "The Power of Your Love" because I really feel that the only way I can do this is through God's power, not my own. I need His power, strength, might and love to lead and guide me in this venture. So, if you want to follow along with my "Love Dare", please stop by and visit there.

Thanks for understanding that I needed to separate this special time for building my relationship between me and and my children.

So, now on to "Thankful Thursday":

This is the verse that Iris has chosen for this Thursday, and it involves friendship:

“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.” ~ Colossians 3:16

I have friends--most of them are new friends. And you may ask yourself why I don't have old friends--friends that I associated with from long ago, people I knew from when I was in school, in college, friends that I had made during the early years of my marriage and when my children were young.

The reason for this is very simple--these are not the friends that God intended for me to have. These are not people that bring out the best in me, have the strength and courage to point out to me where and when I am in error with my life, these are not people that point me to God.

Because of these reasons, God has supplied me with new friends, friends in Him. These are people that do dwell in Christ, and that I can trust to point me in the right direction when I am heading down the wrong path. There are many of you, and I am not going to name you each by name--I would be typing a very long time. But, each of you know who you are and what you mean to me. I will give you an example though:

Any of you who have been reading my posts, know that my biological family has not been communicating with me due to my Christian beliefs. I felt as though I were being persecuted by my own family. I have discussed this with some friends, and they have guided me in the right direction with their encouragements:

"This is why God has given you us, your spiritual family. Sometimes you own family just doesn't come through for you, and that is why you have us."


"You need to move the knowledge that you have about this in your head into your heart and pray that they will soften their hearts regarding this."


and the comment that really sticks out in my mind:


"And who was persecuted for your sake?"

There are many more, and I am thankful today and everyday that God has given me my spiritual family, each and every one of you, to lead and guide me in His wisdom.

I have one more thing to be written about today, and that is what are known as blog awards. I prefer to call these blessings--blessings that others have bestowed upon me from the depths of their hearts--to encourage me, to keep me in God's Word, to keep me seeking His wisdom and not my own.

I have received these blessings both from Peggy and Lorie. I suppose I am doubly blessed today!! I would encourage you to visit both of these wonderful ladies and read what they have written and what is on their hearts! Thank you both for thinking of me today, honoring me with these blessings, and encouraging me in my journey!

I truly am thankful to God for providing me with the friends that He knows will guide and direct me in His path.

If you have a friend that you would like to bless today, please feel free to take one or both of these friendship blessings, and pass them on. Just please leave me a comment so that I know where these blessings are going so I can stop and visit them. Maybe I'll make some new friends!!

If you would like to read more "Thankful Thursdays" or participate, please stop by and visit Iris.

K--that's all for a while!

Beth

Movin' That Kitty!!

Today is "Weigh-In Day"!!!! As you can see from my kitty tracker, I've lost 6 pounds in two weeks!! Not too shabby, I think!!

Work was its usual self today--a lot of people calling in to schedule their flu shots, a lot of grumbling patients, and yet we still had time for a few good laughs.

Tonight, I have a couple of phone calls to make regarding new Small Group members and then on to knitting these Christmas presents. I have a cone of natural here already, so I'm going to use that for one of the market bags for Lindsay to see how it turns out. If I like it, I'll probably make her one in another color.

I started the Irish Hiking Scarf this morning before I left for work. Only about an inch of that done so far, but it's a start!

Off to The Power of Your Love to post my "Thankful Thursday".

K--that's all for a while!!

Beth

Thankful Thursday

Isaiah 40:31--But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

On this, my very first "Thankful Thursday", this verse came to my mind. Why?? Because any hope I have for my life, any strength that I have comes from God. With God, I can accomplish anything that He wills for me. And I am thankful that God is my focus in my life. I can bring anything to Him in prayer and quietly sit and listen and wait.

I went to work today and told everyone there that it was "Thankful Thursday". I passed around a notepad and everyone wrote several things that they were thankful for.

Here are some of their answers:

Family, friends, co-workers who can make even a bad day a good day, laughter, good health, being employed.

Here is what I am thankful for today:

This is my best friend. I love her dearly. She saw the anger and bitterness in me and knew that I needed God in my life. She didn't push me or prod me. She just quietly lived her life, and I saw goodness and peace there. I wanted what she had and just didn't know how to go about it.

She is the one who obeyed God's command to her; she is the one who reached out to me and invited me to her church. I stood her up the first time she invited me. There was no reproachment on her part. She just said that we would try again next week. And the next week I did go. God touched me that day, and I found something very special. I knew that I had finally come home.

My other thankfuls for today:

• My spiritual family who are always there for me in good times and in bad.
• My children--children that I had been told I would never be able to have--they are miracles from God.
• The fact that I can freely worship God without persecution from others.
• Talents given to me by God so that I can serve and bring joy to others.
• Birds--I know that may sound a little off the wall--but it's cool enough to sleep with the windows open. I heard the birds singing when I was getting ready for work this morning. I stopped to listen carefully. So many species of birds, each with their own song and colors! How creative of God!
• I am thankful for the difficult times I have had in my life. God has used these very trying circumstances to open my eyes so that I may serve Him and others.
• And most of all I am thankful for Jesus. He is the HOLY ONE--the one I am to try to pattern myself after in my own pursuit of holiness. Will I ever attain this goal? Of course not!! I will fail and falter along the way. But, thanks to Jesus, I can seek forgiveness for my sins, and He will pick me up and help me start along my way again!

Beth