Thanksgiving

Today was our third and FINAL Thanksgiving.... My youngest cousin and I spent the night at my grandma's to help cook and get everything ready... this morning I drove to church and came back early to help set up for the day. Everyone started showing up around 12:30. It's always interesting to have the cousins together, and this time we added three new people -my two oldest cousin's boyfriends and my brother's girlfriend. what a household!! Thanksgiving is family dysfuntion at it's best. Other than being tired of turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the thanksgiving fixings, it was a long day with a slight headache. But I found a way to make it a great day!! My youngest cousin and I took pictures yesterday, and around 3:30 I told my brother and his grifriend that I wanted to take pictures of them...

 

Such a cute picture :) I am determining that they will get married, because I love this girl to pieces. She is such a joy and she is good to my brother... He is good to her!! They make each other laugh and I honestly think having her around has helped my brother and I's relationship... somehow... :)

 

This morning was very rough for me... full of lots of things I wish i could avoid, but happen nontheless... but I got some encouragement from a few people that I would like to share with you... The first is from a bible teacher I had in 6th grade... she is absolutely amazing... she texted me with the words "Nothing comes our way without passing through His hands first..." That really hit me... that God knows all I'm dealing with, and He knows the outcome... I just have to trust that whatever He let go through His hands to me, I can handle THROUGH and WITH Him... and that He has a reason and a plan...

The second I want to share is from a woman at our church. She is my "gramma". Love her to death, and she never fails to make me smile... She responded with "through our cracks God's light shines through!" That is something we talked about last year in small groups... that maybe the cracks in us are ways of Him shining through us when there seemed to be no other way.. Maybe the cracks aren't a bad thing, but good...she also asked me a question... "what are three words describing this time between thanksgiving and the start of advent?"

This question made me think...but I came up with "awaiting...slowing...and Holy..." She came up with "thankful...love...Holy Spirit."

What are three words you could use to describe this time???

 

 

Be grateful. Be eucharisteo. Be holy for Him.



Blessings in disguise

We put our CHRISTmas tree up last night... I am always filled with joy some way or another when the CHRISTmas season is approaching. I am blessed beyond belief to know the LORD our God, and have a real realationship with Him. He is so good and gracious to us... and we so often ignore the blessings that He places right in front of us... Maybe not intentionally, but unintentionally... we just drive right past them without stopping to realize that they might actually be blessings, maybe in disguise... like a grandmother passing away...but she is free from pain... or the girl in the hospital... but she is recieving help... or maybe even the girl crying to her friend... but she is not holding it all inside... there are so many blessings we often pass by... and we don't deserve a single one of them... We recieve blessings not because of who we are or what we do...but because of who HE is and what HE has done... because HE is good...

I took this photo last year... I like it because it is an immage of a cross in the snow.... another blessing he has bestowed... the joy and glammer of glistening snow fallen soft on the ground... HE is so good... granted, we do realize many blessings from Him; like rain or snow when we need or want it... but how many times do we really thank Him for all He has done and is doing? Not very often...I challenge you to keep going on your list today...and tell me if it truly brings you joy...
" ' Noel', I hear the angels sing."
He is here and He is good.

Give Thanks

This is what I'm struggling with lately....not just simple give thanks for my home and for family...but in the constant of every day life...in every moment...in every situation... the good AND the bad... eucharisteo... it means "He gave thanks"... it's what Jesus did when He broke the bread that night at the table... He "gave thanks" or "eucharisteo"...that is how He lived... it is how I should live... but trust me... it's hard... very hard...
The Lord calls us to be His children. To be His people. To share His love... it doesn't mean that I can't have struggles or trials...it just meand that I need to learn to look to Him when I have those trials...Lately I have been bombarded with all of the bad that life can bring...seems like all life could possibly hit me with, is hitting me all at once.. straight in the gut... but what I'm learning is that my troubles may be bad....but I have a God who is bigger... much bigger... He is bigger than any mountain that I could face...
I've been reminded of my life verse a few times this week...and just at the right time... so often I forget what it really means...but what it means, is exactly what it says...Isaiah 41:10 - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." It means that HE IS holding me... HE IS here. HE IS my GOD... HE WILL help me... HE WILL uphold me... even when it seems like i've fallen too far to get back up...because I haven't... and I never can.
As the holidays approach, it's a time of list-making..of things we want...my challenge for you at least for one week, is to make just one more list...and not of things you want...or need...but of things you already have...of things He has already blessed you with.. the small (382. hugs), the big (381. hospitals), the good (385. thousands of prayers), and the bad (242. words missunderstood)... those are just a few of my current list... a list to 1000... i'm on my way!!! Here are the last few I have written down...
381. Hospitals
382. Hugs
383. Time to write letters
384. an amazing uncle full of wisdom
385. Thousands of prayers united
386. Sharing of my testimony unexpectedly
387. God's work
383. Friendly doctors
389. Jokes during serious topics
390. Upping my medicine
391. TRUST

God is good -- all the time... <3