Peace Today

This week has slowed down some. I only had school two days. This fall air is so refreshing and rejuvenating. It gives me new found energy, desire, and hope. Having the extra time at my home, a home that I have grown to love so dear, is so appreciated. Having time to clean, cook, and listen to the Beatles. Spending time with my grandson Treyton.

Dad brought me a huge bag of fresh turnips and turnip greens. I'm fixing those with homemade macaroni and cheese, baked bean, meatballs and a huge pan of cornbread. Cornbread. It reminds me of my grandpa. His cornbread, turnips and greens were out of this world. Mine will never compare but the smell and every bite brings an old memory back.

Family. My sister is here helping me. I've missed her so bad since she has been at the beach for 16 years. I'm so glad she has moved back. Quality time together has suffered. Somehow those yearly visits just don't keep the bond as much as spending time together everyday.

God is so good.

My sweet second cousin-that I call my niece had surgery yesterday. They discovered a tangerine sized tumor at the base of her skull this week. We are praising God that the surgeons were able to get it all. She is only 7 years old and such a sweet, precious, brave little girl.

I have peace today and a heart of Thanksgiving.

Thank-You Lord for this day.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

By St. Basil the Great 

O Existing One, Master Lord, God, almighty and adorable Father: It is truly meet and right and befitting the majesty of Thy holiness that we should praise Thee, hymn Thee, bless Thee, worship Thee, give thanks unto Thee and glorify Thee, the only truly existing God, and offer unto Thee with contrite heart and spirit of humility this our rational worship; for Thou art He that hath graciously bestowed upon us the knowledge of Thy truth.

And who is sufficient to speak of Thy mighty acts, to make all Thy praises to be heard, or to tell of all Thy wonders at every season?

O Master of all, Lord of heaven and earth, and of all creation both visible and invisible, Who sittest upon the throne of glory and beholdest the depths, Who art unoriginate, invisible, immutable, the Father of our Lord: the great God and Savior Jesus Christ, our Hope, Who is the Image of Thy goodness, the Seal of equal type, in Himself showing forth Thee, the Father, the living Word, the true God, the Wisdom before all ages, the Life, Sanctification, Power, the true Light, through Whom the Holy Spirit was manifested: the Spirit of truth, the Gift of adoption, the Pledge of the inheritance to come, the First-fruits of eternal good things, the life-giving Power, the Fountain of sanctification, by Whom enabled every rational and intelligent creature doth serve Thee and ascribe to Thee perpetual praise, for all things are Thy servants.

Filled thus with great awe at Thine immeasurable mercies and love, do Thou receive the unfeigned praise and thanksgiving of our unworthy hearts for all that Thou hast provided for us in this world and the next, and enable us to walk before Thee in holiness and purity all the days of our life in fitting gratitude for Thy loving-kindness to us;

For blessed art Thou O Holy Father together with Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to Whom, with Thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory and worship, now and every and unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my husband and his strong faith in God. I'm thankful for each one of my beautiful daughters, my son-in-law, my grandson, my mom and dad, my brother, my sister and my in laws. Thank-You Father for each and every one. All of us knitted together make quite a story.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

~ Psalm 100:4 (ESV)

Thankful Thursday

Proverbs 31:10-31

A good woman is hard to find,

and worth far more than diamonds.

Her husband trusts her without reserve,

and never has reason to regret it.

Never spiteful, she treats him generously

all her life long.

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,

and enjoys knitting and sewing.

She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places

and brings back exotic surprises.

She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast

for her family and organizing her day.

She looks over a field and buys it,

then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.

First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,

rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.

She senses the worth of her work,

is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.

She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,

diligent in homemaking.

She's quick to assist anyone in need,

reaches out to help the poor.

She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;

their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.

She makes her own clothing,

and dresses in colorful linens and silks.

Her husband is greatly respected

when he deliberates with the city fathers.

She designs gowns and sells them,

brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.

Her clothes are well-made and elegant,

and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,

and she always says it kindly.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,

and keeps them all busy and productive.

Her children respect and bless her;

her husband joins in with words of praise:

"Many women have done wonderful things,

but you've outclassed them all!"

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.

The woman to be admired and praised

is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

Give her everything she deserves!

Festoon her life with praises! 

Yay! It's Thankful Thursday again. I'm with Lynn-I heart this day! 

Today I am thankful for my husband. 

The Lord has me focusing on him for the next 30 days. Praying for him daily, showing him how much I love and appreciate him, doing small sweet things for him. Learning how to be a virtuous wife to him. Discovering more ways to serve him.

The scripture I am studying is Proverbs 31. 

The Lord spoke this to me on Sunday. He said, "You ARE a Proverbs 31 woman." He didn't say I would be or that I could be. He said that I am.

I came home and looked up this scripture and as I read through it my heart began to drop. The more I read the more I knew that this couldn't be so. 

Ah, but the Lord said, I AM. It took a while for this to sink in.

Help me to listen and obey.

How about you? In what ways can you pray for, serve, help and show your love for your husband? Allow the Lord to lead you.

For more Thankful Thursday's visit Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage. Have a blessed week!

Thankful Thursday

Genesis 50:17

'This is what you are to say to Joseph:

I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins

and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.'

Now please forgive the sins of the servants

of the God of your father."

When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

My brother and sister and I have always been distant. We led different lifestyles. My sister lives states away. My brother is 10 years younger than I am. For various reasons as we got older we lost our connection, our comfortability around one another.

It's been a rough several years. We love one another so much but somehow couldn't figure out how to bond. We'd see each other at holidays, give hugs and kisses but after the simple greetings of, "How are you doing?" and, "What have you been up to?" We sort of didn't know how to proceed.

I could always look at them and see pain. I'm not sure what they seen when they looked at me. I always prayed for them and I'm sure if they prayed they prayed for me also. It was hard on all of us.

For me, I didn't notice the 'hole'. I guess I filled that place with my family and I felt that my prayers for them were enough. I prayed for so long part of me really didn't have the faith that my prayers would be answered. I've tried to figure out a time period, the closest I can get is over 10 years.

The odd thing here is that this year when I fell flat on my face away from my Father, they were so angry with me, so let down, so disappointed. I didn't quite understand it. I had been praying for them for so long, so many long years and I seen them hurt so badly. I had cried out to my Father to stop their pain and hear their cries and answer their prayers. Somehow when I fell I think I thought they would be happy. Glad to have me living a similar life, we'd have more in common, maybe I wouldn't make them so uncomfortable, finally-maybe we could be family.

But, that didn't happen.

They were so bothered by my fall that it put it even more space between us. My heart was broken. I felt as though I were dangling alone, as though I had lost everyone, and was accepted by no-one.

This was when the Holy Spirit wooed them in.  He wooed my brother and He wooed my sister. The Lord answered my prayer, after all this time. Then He did the same for me. He brought us all to repentance. The Father refused to let us go, to turn us over to ourselves.

We all had a lot of forgiving to do, and are still a work in progress, but tonight as I read that scripture above and I remembered what Joseph had been through, I knew my walk was a piece of cake compared to his. He was told to forgive and so should I. Not only forgiving others but forgiving myself, which to me, is the hardest part.

So today, I am thankful for my brother and sister, I am thankful for forgiveness-that they forgave me and I forgave them and the Father forgave us all, and I am thankful for unity. It is so wonderful to be a family that is growing and getting to know one another all over again.

This is but the beginning. If you think of us please continue to lift us up in prayer.

Have a very blessed Thankful Thursday. 

For more Thankful Thursdays visit Lynn at  "Spiritually Unequal Marriage."

Thankful Thursday

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”- Romans 15:7 
I am thankful to have a husband who accepts me for who I am. He doesn't think that I should aim to be like others. He doesn't desire that I should worry about getting older or how I look. He loves me, bedhead, bad breath and all. He is satisfied with my housekeeping. He never complains about whether dinner is ready or not. He is simply happy when I am happy. The love that he has shown to me over the past 17 plus-years has taught me much about love. He brought love to life for me. 

1 Corinthians 13

The Greatest Gift

 ¹ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Thank-you Tony. For loving me no matter what. 
I love you.
I am ever so thankful for you.
(To participate in Thankful Thursdays visit Iris at Grace Alone)

Thankful Thursday

I have so many things to be thankful for but today I'm keeping it simple. I'm thankful that the Lord has given me time with this little fella, short as it may be. He is so precious. For those who missed yesterday his mommy is in prison and he is staying temporarily with my sister in law. Please keep them all in prayer. Have a blessed day!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for meeting other Christian bloggers and thankful that the Lord uses us to help one another. Its great to meet other people with like struggles and you always bump into those who have been through so much more than you have. When you meet those people and see how they've handle their battle you learn that you have so much more growing to do and that you aren't as far along as you thought you were. To me that is always a wonderful revelation because then you are able to move deeper into your own relationship with God. You also realize that you are not alone. Sometimes the enemy wants to single you out and separate you from everything and everyone else so he can really come against you but the Lord is always opening doors and windows to allow us to see past the moment. This week I've had such sweet reminders of my God being in complete control. Complete control. Not the enemy but my sweet Father in Heaven, My Savior His Son Jesus Christ and the precious Holy Spirit. For this I am ever grateful and very thankful.

I'm also thankful for the rain! :) God bless you and have a blessed Thankful Thursday.


For more Thankful Thursdays visit Sting My Heart

Thankful Thursday

Today I am Thankful for time.


For more Thankful Thursdays visit Sting My Heart

Thankful Thursday

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.


I found this scripture because the Lord had been giving me the verse that says "washing in the water of the word". I had no idea that this scripture was included here with the scripture on Marriage. The Lord has been pouring scripture into me that I know He is wanting me to study. This one hit me pretty hard because as of late I've not been submitting to my husband. Its so hard to submit willing and trustfully without first putting in my two cents and making it clear when I don't agree. Now I'm not saying I shouldn't have input or an opinion but I've crossed the line. My husband honors me. He cherishes me. He loves me just as Christ loves His church. Tony truly desires nothing MORE than he desires for me to trust him. For me to allow him to lead us. For me to say "ok honey, God is leading you so I'll stand beside you in this."

So today I am thankful for my husband. I'm thankful for his patience with me because I know its by the grace of God that he doesn't just simply explode!! I'm thankful for second chances, and thirds, and fourths....I'm thankful for the Lord's gentle nudging and how He always opens my eyes to situations at hand even if I can be slow at realizing it.

I'm thankful for the internet, the blogoshere, my homeschooling boards, my e-mail, my friends, the ministry and every gift from my Father. I'm thankful for the fast the Lord is calling me to. I'm going to miss you all but I'm thankful the Lord is drawing me close to Him. I'm thankful I can ask you all to pray for me! Tomorrow I'm going to post my give away and say a farewell. I will be praying for each of you and looking forward to seeing you when I return. I pray each of you have a wonderfully blessed Thankful Thursday and blessed thankful everydays until we meet again. I love you all!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that Jesus still heals today. My sister is better. She fought a huge battle that almost took her under but we banned together and we prayed for her and she is better! Praise God.

I am thankful for forgiveness. So many times I allow my flesh to rule and my mouth to take over situations before taking the time to seek my Father and allow Him to show me how to handle things.

I am thankful that this week is a short week for us and Tony will be home tomorrow night. We have plans this week to attend Battle Cry~Recreate hosted by Ron Luce. Tony and I will have training and the girls will have separate classes in between the Praise and Worship. I'm so looking forward to this time with my family learning and basking together with the Lord.

I am thankful for home schooling and the opportunity to be a stay at home mother. I thank my husband for sacrificing so much to make this possible. It truly has made a difference in our family.

I am thankful for the call the Lord has put on my family's life. I so look forward to watching each of us fulfill that call.

I am thankful for each one of you reading my blogs, this one and our new ministry blog. It tickles my heart to know that the Lord leads so many by here. I pray that the Lord use me to lift each one of you up in some small way.

Happy Thankful Thursday! Have a blessed beyond measure day!
For more Thankful Thursdays visit Sting My Heart

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for prayer, my very dedicated prayer warrior sisters online both in blog land and on my home school boards. I am thankful that you are each sensitive enough to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and that our precious Father is always, always, always faithful to hear our calls and answer!

Thankful Thursday

It is Thankful Thusday once again! They seem to be rolling around quickly now don't you think? First of all I'm going to say I am thankful that I got the image to load. Some of you may notice that my image is a little blurry, I noticed too, but I have done all that I know to do in my very limited skills to clear it up. I have tried to copy older codes from older posts but for some reason it doesn't work. I must load the image using the image button on each post and I copy the properties into the box as I always have and I load the image in small but its still large and blurry. So today I'm just thankful its there!! :)

Now I want to thank Iris at at Sting My Heart for her generous giveaway. I won! I won! I won!!! What did I win exactly? I won a Mug of Truth and the new Casting Crowns cd The Alter and the Door!! I have been wanting this cd since it came out and I'm so excited to have won this bloggy giveway! This is my first time winning in bloggy land!!

I am thankful that the Lord has led me to blog and that this community is so Christlike. I love you all and it truly is a joy getting to know everyone better and growing closer to you.

I am thankful that it is Christmas time. I love the spirit that comes along with it and I love seeing family that I haven't seen all year.

I am thankful for the reason, the real reason for this season, Jesus!!

How about you? What are you thankful for this day??

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that I had five days with my family over Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for my husband and our close healthy marriage, I remember those years before him and this love we experience, this security is truly a gift from our Lord.

I am thankful that the Lord is forgiving and merciful.

I am thankful that He guides me and protects my family.

I am thankful that its almost Christmas and we have our tree up and decorating done. :)

I am thankful for our church and our pastors.

I am thankful that our pastor and his wife are a true couple of God and that they are mature in Him and that we are in a deep season of learning under them.

I am ever so thankful for the Lord's precious presence here this week.

I am thankful for each new day.

God Bless You this wonderful Thankful Thursday!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that its almost Friday and I'll get to see my husband soon.

I am thankful for the new friends the Lord has sent into our lives. I had prayed for Him to send new laborers and He answered, so I'm thankful for answered prayers too!

I am thankful that our friend's insurance was approved for a desperately needed surgery which is Friday this week. Please be in prayer for him.

I am thankful that my girls are seeking God deligently at this time.

I am thankful that my brother stopped by and I was able to seep a little word into him.

I am thankful for the tribulation (great adversity, anguish and intense oppresion) that I went through this past week and the deliverance I experienced because when all was over God used it as a witness for my sister who is going through a similar warfare but isn't quite grasping what its going to take to receive from God, or simply put she isn't ready to surrender. Had I not went through the battle I couldn't have related to what she had been through. Henceforth I couldn't have shared God's mighty power and victory. Halellujah!!

I am thankful that when my computer just freakily shut down and locked up that blogspot saved this blog in a draft!

I am thankful that little Luke is doing well, please don't forget to pray for him and check on him as the Lord leads you to. 500 Prayers for Luke

Happy Thankful Thursday!

Psalms 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psalms 136:3O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Thessolonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Thankful Thursday~For Another Day

Today I am thankful. I have a thankful heart. I am very thankful for my husband, my children, our health, our home, food, the air I breathe (this fresh mountain are is so invigorating) clean water to drink, warmth from the cold and coolness from the heat, homeschooling and for living in America where we can freely serve our Father. Where we still have freedoms. I pray for those freedoms. I never take them for granted. I'm thankful for my life. My Father is so good to me. I'm thankful for Him and to Him.

I'm thankful for Luke and his heart for Christ. He is such a brave little boy. I am thankful that God is answering prayers and that both his brother and sister are perfect matches for bone marrow! I am thankful to those of you who are praying for him. I am thankful for this blogoshere. There are updates about dearest Luke on his family journal and the blog that is keeping prayers for him. Please go and read about him, put a face to his name and intercess for him today. If you would like to pray online for him but haven't yet go here 500 Prayers for Luke. Once there, there is a link at the top left of the page that will take you to his online journal. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support!

Happy Thankful Thursday!

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Psalms 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Thankful Thursday

 

Today I am Thankful For

*Time~ My oldest will be leaving for college in less than one year. I am thankful for this last year of time together. All of my children together.

*My Husband~ I have learned through his being gone so much just how much he means to me.

*Friends~ The Lord has blessed me with wonderful friends.

*God Blessings~ I can see in every area of my life the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon me. I am thankful for My Lord and His love!

Thankful Thursday

Col 3:15-17 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

I am thankful for my husband, that He loves me as Christ loves the church. That he is faithful and that he is a wonderful provider.

I am thankful that my children are saved, healthy and that the Lord chose to bless me with them.

I am thankful that my oldest daughter Heaven has heard God's calling on her life and that she is going on a missions trip at the tender age of 16 being obedient to our Father. (Please pray for her as we leave to take her to the airport on Monday July the 2nd.)

I am thankful for the home the Lord has blessed us with.

I am thankful that I can stay home with my girls and homeschool them.

I am thankful for my new church, my pastors, counselors, and new friends and family that we have met there.

I am thankful for old friends. Christian friends.

I am thankful that our Lord Jesus Christ is always there never forsaking us, that He is faithful, that He protects and is always in control.

I am thankful for another day.

For more Thankful Thursdays visit Sting My Heart! Have a very blessed Thankful Thursday!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful even though I don't feel thankful. I am thankful for my husband, my children and our health. I know this isn't fancy or in depth with alot of scriptures as usual..... I'm just struggling. My family and I are under a heavy spiritual attack. I appreciate your prayers. I'm thankful for your prayers and each of you! Have a very blessed Thankful Thursday.

For more TT click here: Sting My Heart