Weekly Gratitude Journal

It's been almost twelve years that I've been keeping a gratitude journal-of writing at least three things a day that I give God thanks for. I'm still learning to see with gratitude. I'm still having to practice so that my eyes see the blessing of the Lord even in the messy middle of life's hard days. I still have to remember to stay present to His presence and not worry about tomorrow. I am still learning, but what I do know is that in the practice of training myself to see life through a lens of gratitude, I am being changed. 

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Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks, 

piling up gratitude day by day in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#14,304-#14,327

3-22-2021-

-a heart talk with my firstborn

-praying with a dear one from church 

-such a beautiful evening hosting one of our women's growth groups at my home

3-23-2021-

-seeing God at work in our growth groups as we learn to trust and be real and honest with each other

-good reports back from each of the growth groups

-God's help and grace and wisdom and strength as I lead the women of our church

3-24-2021-

-a sweet friend getting some lily of the valley for me

-my daughter, oldest granddaughter and youngest grandson coming by to see me

-hot pho soup for dinner on a rainy evening

3-25-2021-

-a heart talk with my youngest 

-a rare but wonderful nap!

-God's help when I'm over my head in ministry life

3-26-2021-

-my firstborn daughter- it's her birthday!

-a grandkid sleepover at our house (with three of the eight grandkids)

-the annual making of the hot cross buns with the grandkids

-the first outdoor fire in the fire pit since last year

3-27-2021-

-my guy bringing me coffee in bed

-the sun warm on my back as I watched the grandkids play together at the park

-this beautiful spring day

-grandkids' hugs

3-28-2021-

-my granddaughter's sweet letter to her little cousin

-God's good work in our church

-Sunday lunch with family

-my two year old granddaughter via FaceTime telling me, "I need a magic wand!"

still following,

Make Sure Your Foundation Is Trust In God

 "I know that I can trust You...

I lean not on my own understanding

My life is in the hands of the Maker of Heaven"

("Climb" by Will Reagan and United Pursuit)

When I sing these words from Will Reagan's song, "Climb," I realize two things - just how true those words are and just how far I have to go in wholeheartedly living them out. I completely believe the Bible and the Bible says that God is trustworthy, but there is a kind of "I know" that means I really truly know it personally and intimately. I KNOW that I can trust Him is something we learn and grow in throughout our journey of walking in a living, breathing, growing relationship with God. There have been many times over the years that I may have struggled to sing those words with personal assurance.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 28th at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:
Sunday Scripture Blessings

Sue Moore Donaldson

Weekly Gratitude Post

I never loved the part of the song, Blessed Be Your Name, that says, "He gives and takes away,"specifically the "takes away" part. In the past year there has been some taking away in our lives and there is more on the horizon-there are a  lot of changes happening for us and in us that I alluded to in last week's post. However, I can honestly say, that even in the hardest parts of the taking away process God is doing something so deep and rich and sweet in us and in the church that we lead, that I can truly say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" and mean it. There is something better than a life with no loss in it. There is a life where the riches of knowing Christ Jesus are more than enough compensation for the losses we go through in this world. For that, I give Him thanks.

*****************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks, 

piling up gratitude day by day in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#14,282-#14,303-

3-15-2021-

-a phone call from a friend wanting to pray with me right when I needed it

-encouraging messages in our growth group chats

-God's faithful, watchful, affectionate care for us

3-16-2021-

-a fun afternoon with a friend

-beautiful spring weather

-sweet women who invest time to mentor my granddaughter 

3-17-2021-

-the comfort of God's Word showing us the things that are to come 

so we don't have to be unaware or unprepared

-praying with my husband for our children and grandchildren

-a fun outing with our three oldest granddaughters

-St. Patty's Day dinner at our oldest daughter's

3-18-2021-

-the tenderness of the Lord with me in my quiet time today

 as He speaks to me through His Word 

-God's grace in helping me to see things that I'm spending time 

and effort on that are not profitable

-my husband's care for me

3-19-2021-

-the way God is opening my eyes and heart to understand His Word more

-lunch at my favorite spot by the river with my guy 

-our oldest granddaughter laying on the foot of our bed and watching TV with us

3-20-2021-

-the first day of spring

-a walk in the rain in my yellow raincoat

-dancing Ghanaian style in our living room with my granddaughter to some Hezekiah Walker (Oh, how I miss Ghana and our friends there and worshiping with them!)

3-21-2021-

-the amazing unity and presence and power of God as our church participated in a global prayer gathering this morning

-getting to give hugs and kisses to my grandsons who just got back from S.C.

-God's help, wisdom, and insight in talking with a dear one

still following,

Seasons Change

"...You have been upheld by Me from birth,
You have been carried from the womb:

Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you."

Isaiah 46:3-4

It is the first day of spring as I sit and write this post. It feels as though the seasons come and go with breakneck speed the older I get. As I have gotten older, I sometimes wake up in the night with a panicky feeling because of the unknowns about the future that come along with aging. That ought not to be. The truth is, what tomorrow will bring is unknown to all of us, no matter what season of life we are in.   (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 21st at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:
Sunday Scripture Blessings

Sue Moore Donaldson

Weekly Gratitude Post

Here I am posting two weeks worth of gratitude journal entries again. Last week was very busy and full and I just didn't have time to post! Our life has so many changes going on right now-good changes, beautiful changes, hard changes-all happening at once! Our calendars are full, our character is being refined and our comfort is being challenged. I am daily surrendering and submitting everything to God and choosing to trust Him instead of trying to figure out and fix everything on my own. 

Meanwhile, spring is right around the corner. The daffodils, bluebells, snowdrops and muscari are all popping up in my flowerbeds and the flowering trees that line many of the streets in our neighborhood are beginning to bloom. Seasons change and life continually changes and God is worthy to be praised and thanked through it all!

*****************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks, 

piling up gratitude day by day in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#14, 236-#14,281

3-1-2021-

-It's March!

-spending the afternoon with two of my little buddies, (grandsons)

-a hug from my daughter

-a beautiful walk around Lake Sacajawea while pushing my youngest grandson in his stroller

3-2-2021-

-conversation and prayer with a friend

-savoring time with my grandkids before their move

-spring flowers beginning to bloom in my flowerbeds 

3-3-2021-

-this beautiful day

-a sweet belated birthday outing with my twelve year old granddaughter

-a giant piece of chocolate fudge cake for her free birthday dessert

-an encouraging word to trust God with my kids and grandkids during all these changes

3-4-2021-

-quiet time with Jesus

-relistening to Sunday's sermon on my walk

-texts full of photos and videos from my kids on their travels

3-5-2021-

-a slow, lazy morning to recuperate from a head cold

-funny grandkid videos

-my husband watching one of my favorite movies with me even though it's not his favorite! 

3-6-2021-

-a Saturday afternoon nap

-delicious hot pho soup-just what I needed for my head cold

-God's truth and light shining on my heart

3-7-2021-

-our church family

-having lunch and a good talk with our son-in-law

-visiting with friends

3-8-2021-

-digging deep into Proverbs 3:5-7-such treasure

-a big pot of yummy homemade soup simmering on the stove

-God bringing someone back into our lives that we lost touch with years ago

3-9-2021-

-more encouraging reconnections

-the joy of painting/creating

-a wonderful evening with the women in our church

3-10-2021-

-a gloomy morning that gave way to a lovely afternoon

-a beautiful walk around the lake

-spring blooms on the trees

3-11-2021-

-waking up to the sound of birds in the backyard

-talking to and praying with my granddaughter over the phone, (she's home with strep throat)

-my friend's help, wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration

-my kids all arrived safely in S.C.

-my oldest granddaughter is here and staying with us for a few days

3-12-2021-

-this beautiful day

-seeing the first blooms of flowering quince

-Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helen's showing off against the blue sky

3-13-2021-

-a quiet morning spent with Jesus in His Word and writing

-good wisdom from a friend

-a beautiful evening walk

3-14-2021-

-the beautiful work God is doing in our church

-a restful Sunday afternoon after a full, busy week

-watching a moving with my granddaughter

still following,

Finding Hidden Treasure in God's Word

I believe it's been about two years now that I've begun my morning quiet time by writing Proverbs 3:5-6 at the top of each day's journal page. I used the version of these scriptures found in The Message Bible - "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the One Who will keep you on track." It became my daily reminder to do what it said-to trust God and to quit trying to figure things out myself.

This past week I thought I'd dig deeper into this passage. To do that I simply explored the words of the passage in the original language. What used to involve the need to have an extensive library of concordances and lexicons and other Bible study books is now readily available and accessible through apps like blue letter bible or bible hub . (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, March 14th at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:
Sunday Scripture Blessings

Sue Moore Donaldson