Before It Ends

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8

Isn't it amazing how fast time flies? It seems like yesterday we were celebrating our first Thanksgiving in Jasper. 

Now here we are almost two years later and oh, how our lives have changed.

I can remember that moment when G came home and sat me down and said he felt like God was calling him out of football. I remember my response, "Well maybe you should go visit with Him again."

And he did, not because I told him to but because he felt it to. It was not but two weeks later he came home, sat me down and said, "Babe, God is calling me out of football. He has confirmed it several times."

And at that point I knew. So we prayed, took a huge step in faith and here we are today.

God has been so faithful. We are thankful 

and beyond blessed for His sweet blessings and presence in our lives.

He has opened the door for us to serve and minister to others together. 

 

He has opened up so much time for G to be home, be involved, to travel, and to be by my side as I teach. That alone is very dear to me.

I didn't want to let November run out and I not share all that we are thankful for.

So here is a few things we as a family are thankful for.  I had lots of help with this :)!

1. We are thankful to be used by God.

2. We are thankful that God's plans are greater than ours.

3. We are thankful for our new home.

4. We are thankful for Dax's continued healing.

5. We are thankful to have more time together.

6. We are thankful to be able to take trips.

7. We are thankful for our Church home and the oppurtunity to serve.

8. We are thankful that both boys are saved and baptized!!!!

9. We are thankful for our sweet new friends.

10. We are thankful for this new profession that provides and blesses others.

11. We are thankful for all of our families health.

12. We are thankful to be near family.

13. We are thankful for what God has planned for us each day.

14. We are thankful for each new day.

15. We are thankful for God's Word.

16. We are thankful to be able to spend Christmas in New York.

17.  We are thankful for our patients.

18.  We are thankful for each of you!!

And many many more! 

I am thankful for my precious women that God has so graciously allowed me to teach and learn from.

And I am so thankful to be able to share His word with you and many others. 

Praying your hearts overflow with thankfulness and joy! 

Captivated

When was the last time you were truly captivated by Jesus' love and beauty that it moved you to songs of praise?

"Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his wonderful name with music." Psalm 135:1-3

Altar Sunday

Sometimes remaining silent at the altar heals more.

Do You?

He was the second of two. A twin. He came out grasping the heel of his brother.

His mother learned of the blessing he would receive before he was even born. 

Rather than waiting on God's timing she chose to take things into her own hands, thus setting the example for him to follow, and he did just that.

He lived up to his name "He deceives".

As a young man his first deception came when he stole his brothers birthright. Then later on stealing his blessing and deceiving his very own father.

We too can be guilty of these very things.

We can deceive others by pretending to be followers of Christ, yet never live as one. Deception can come in the form of appearance, money, a "friend", authority figure, even self. 

We can also ignore God's will and timing by acting to quickly. We are known for our impulsive behavior. There is a reason God does not tell us our futures, could you imagine?

Have you deceived others, your family, your children, your friends. Have you pretended to be someone your not? 

Maybe like Jacob you have deceived others to gain more for yourself. 

What about ignoring God's timing and stepping outside of His will? 

Whether it be a job, a relationship, family, etc, trust God and His timing for your life.

Most importantly, as a parent, make sure you are not deceiving your children.

Either be all in for Christ or not. You will do more damage and confuse them more by living one part in the world and the other part as a Christian.

To read more about Jacob head on over to Genesis 25-50! 

Altar Sunday

As you gather together may your praises be sweeter than they have ever been.

Inside Out

She was a woman of beauty, a hard worker, and a servant.

And though those things are wonderful traits to have, it's the heart that holds the most beauty.

Though her outward appearance was eye catching, her heart revealed something quite different. 

It revealed deception, lies, a "I need right now" impulse. Her heart was full of what her flesh wanted. 

She knew God's plan, but rather than waiting on Him, she chose to take matters into her own hands.

Her decisions affected not only her, but her husband and both of her sons.

She managed to deceive her husband, teach her younger son to lie and deceive his brother and father, and to act on impulse.

It's amazing how quickly her outward beauty began to change, when her heart began to be revealed.

What does your heart reveal about you? 

Jesus reads you inside out, the world reads you outside in. Let your inside define the beauty on the outside. 

To read more about Rebekah, head on over to Genesis  24-27

Time

Building a relationship with Christ requires time.

Are you taking the time?

Missing You

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

I am missing you terribly. The process of my blog update abruptly came to a stop, but hopefully it will be finished at some point. 

So until then, we will just stick with this one. 

There has been a lot happen within these last two weeks (has it been two weeks?) and all of it amazing, some of it hard, some heart breaking, but all in all God is teaching me, using me, working in me  showing me more of who He is and guiding me, all of which I desire from Him daily.

This morning I was visiting with The Lord about the month of November and how it seems to spur people on to share what they are thankful for. It's a GREAT thing, but today I asked Him why just November, why not all year, every day for 365 days? 

It's the same reason with Christmas. It roles around and it motivates us to give more, serve more and even attend church. 

But why do we not desire to do that all year?

Some questions are not meant to ponder on, but rather to spur us on. I don't know why you do what you do, just as you don't know why I do what I do.

But I hope that my life will begin to be a reflection of why I do what I do and that He is seen in every movement, every thought, every motive, every action, every word, every hug, everything. For then at the end of my life, He will be known to many.