much to be thankful for

I am so thankful for the many undeserved blessings that God gifts me with daily. His goodness and His love just overwhelm me. If He never blessed me another day, I have been blessed beyond measure.

"My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring

your splendor all day long"

Psalm 71:8

I am thankful for:

Little grandsons  named Silas in cute little jackets.

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Watching Bryton trying to decide whether or not to step into the puddle after his mama said not too...

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Little boys  named Sawyer in rubber boots and no pants..

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Seeing my youngest grandchild take 7 steps...

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Bryton and Eli. Cousins and best friends....

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My precious dark-eyed Mikaela, who loves me and fills my heart with great JOY!

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Sweet Mercie who loves me so! Her mama (my sweet daughter) asked her why she loved her Nana so much and she said, "Because she's mine..."

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My 7th grandchild. Today I got to see God's amazing power at work as I marveled yet again at the wonder of His creation. Nestled deep inside my baby daughter is this precious, perfect and awesome gift from heaven. Joining Ashlie, Cody and their precious 2 boys in August will be a sweet and beautiful LITTLE GIRL!!!!!! 

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My ever growing 1000 gifts journal. It has been such a blessing to me to keep track of each days gifts that my precious Lord grants me. He is so good.

Thank you my sweet Lord for bestowing such amazing gifts to me daily. I love you and stand in awe of your goodness and your grace.

great JOY on this thankful thursday

A thankful heart breeds JOY. When you begin to count your blessings, you can't help but be filled with unspeakable, unending joy. Joy that just begs to be shared with others. Today, I am thankful for these things that fill me with GREAT JOY:

** Spending time with my oldest granddaughter, Mikaela. She has the sweetest personality and always has a smile on her precious face. She still loves to hug me and kiss me and tells me she loves me often. She reminds me so much of her mother when she was a little girl.

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**  Being entertained by Eli wherever we are. He loves to climb on things and to hang upside down. He is quick to give me big hugs and kisses and he is always so serious when he tells me, "Nana, I just love you". 

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** Seeing Mercie rocking her baby doll and singing to it.

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** Seeing the little boys face that I am now sponsoring through Compel Outreach. I pray that I can make a difference in Peters life.

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** Finding scriptures that just minister so sweetly to my spirit and writing them on index cards so I can keep them close to my heart and at my fingertips.

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** Seeing this little fella take 3 steps today! Silas will be walking in no time!

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** Reaching #100 in my 1000 Gifts Journal. It has really made me more aware of the many, many gifts bestowed upon me on a daily basis.

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** Listening to Bryton talk about God and ask a million questions about heaven.

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** Watching Sawyer try to do everything that his big brother does. I told him one day that may get him in trouble...

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** Little sparkly shoes under my coffee table.... because that means little sparkly girls are at my house!

Thank you sweet Lord for all these blessings. You fill me with joy uncontainable and I love you.



a picture filled thankful thursday

"Giving thanks always for all things unto

God and the Father in the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ"

(Ephesians 5:20)

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I am thankful for 8 year old granddaughters, who still like to go to the park with their Nana.

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I am thankful for 5 year old grandsons that appreciate their nana's love of a camera and always oblige with a smile!

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I am thankful for little 3 year old girls in sunglasses.

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I'm thankful for my mother who took her 6 great grandchildren to 'build-a-bear' and had a great time with 2 of her granddaughters and daughter at the same time!

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I am thankful for little boys who love to play outside and love coming to Nana's house.

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I'm thankful for precious little feet in sandals ......

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I'm thankful for the start of ball season....

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I am so thankful for the first page of my 'One thousand gifts' journal that I started. It has caused me to be more aware of the daily gifts bestowed upon me by my Lord. Things that I usually overlook but now am very conscious of. Thank you, Lord for all that you do for me.

Join Dana for thankful thursday each week.



consuming fire

"So that the priests could not stand to minister by

reason of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD

had filled the house of God"

(2 Chronicles 5:14)

Our church has been in revival since Sunday morning. We have had 5 of the most powerful services that I have ever experienced. The fire of the Holy Spirit has fallen in our midst like never before. The move of the Spirit has been so strong and the anointing of the Lord has just been flowing like a mighty river.

Lives have been changed. Decisions have been made. Peoples hearts have been moved to action. Souls have been saved.

The revival has been held in our church sanctuary, but the people that filled up our pews have been from many different churches and several different denominations. We have come together as one body. The body of Christ.

Hungry for the fire to fall upon us and ignite us with a real and mighty move of God. Desperate for the Word of God to leap off the pages of the holy scriptures and bury itself deep into our hearts. Longing for a real change to take place in our lives. Yearning for a deeper thirst for the living water.

The glory of the Lord has filled the House. We have encountered the consuming fire of God. God has been speaking loudly from the lips of His anointed servant. Speaking truth. Speaking love.

Our services were to end tonight, but the move of the Spirit has been so amazing and the outpouring so strong, that no one wanted it to end. The revival pastor and the worship group said they would stay. We will be having two more services and will conclude on Friday night unless the Lord deems otherwise.

There is nothing I would rather do than worship my Lord. There is no place I would rather be than the House of God.

I am thankful that God is still moving upon His people. I am thankful that for such a time as this, He is doing a mighty work in our midst. I am thankful for the amazing grace that is my salvation.

Consume us, Lord, with the fires of revival.

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Join Dana for Thankful Thursday!

I am thankful that God spoke through my excess

As I stood inside my closet, my eyes fell upon stacks and stacks of shoeboxes. I glanced to my left and took in the sight of a shoe rack hanging on the wall. It was filled with even more shoes. I counted them and was shocked. And ashamed. I had 48 pair of shoes. Excess.

I fixed my gaze on the closet rod to my right and began looking at the long row full of shirts, jackets and blouses. I didn't even want to count them, but I did anyway. 100... I had 100 shirts hanging in my closet. And that didn't even count the sweaters that filled a drawer in my dresser. Or the t-shirts that filled another one. Excess.

I looked at my dresses and skirts and pants that occupied yet another rod in my closet. I didn't even bother to count. I knew there were too many.

As I walked into my bedroom from the closet, I opened my drawers and I continued to see too much. Way too much. And I was ashamed.

Who needs 20 pairs of pajama pants and matching shirts? Who needs 30 undershirts in every color possible? Why do I need a drawer filled with bracelets and earrings when I basically wear only a few of them. Why is there a cross on my dresser draped with about 30 necklaces that I never wear but keep them anyway?

I began to think about this and realized that I had becomes much too focused on clothes and shoes and stuff. Much too materialistic.. I had spent way too much money on things that were not very important. I had too much. Excess...And God began convicting my heart and speaking a word to my ailing spirit.

Excess... A quantity much larger than needed. A state of exceeding what is normal or sufficient.

I was guilty of excess alright.. Big-time excess. I suppose I have always been aware that I had too much. I buy things when I don't really need them. I buy things because they're cute and pretty, not necessarily because of a need I have for them. I spend way too much on frivilous things.

Did you know that 40% of the world, or 2.6 billion people, live on less than $2 a day. Two dollars a day.... I spend that much almost every day on a diet cherry coke from Sonic. And I will drive 13 miles to town and 13 miles back just to fill that craving. That is absurd. And that really shames me. 

Did you know that 15% of the world, or 1.0 billion people, live on less than $1 a day. One dollar!

I am living in some major abundance while there are people working very hard for the price of a sonic drink. I waste more money than billions of people make.

Each day, over 26,500 children die of preventable causes related to their poverty. That is almost 10 million children a year. About 9 million people die each year due to causes related to hunger. There are over 350 million children in the world classified as 'hungry'.

And I am sitting here in my excess and not really giving much thought to the poverty that affects so many. I've never been hungry. Never missed a meal because of a lack of food. As a follower of Christ, I need to be more aware of the plight of so many people in this world. I need to realize that in my excess I am not doing what I should be doing to try and help. I am not being a good steward of what God as blessed me

with.

The Lord has been showing me that there are many ways I can cut back in my excess and use it to begin helping those in need.  God has been dealing with my heart on this and helping me to see that I have way too much and it's time to start scaling back. It's time to take the excess and give to those that need it. It's time to find a way to begin doing something to help fight against poverty in this world. It's more than just paying my tithe at church and thinking that's the best I can do. I can't just sit idly by and not try and do my part.

I am thankful that God used my closet to speak truth to my heart. I am thankful that He is changing me little by little and molding me more into who He wants me to be. I am thankful that He revealed this excess in my life deep into my heart.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien" (Leviticus 23:22)

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Join Dana for Thankful Thursday!

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**statistics from "The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns

a heart of thanks

I am thankful for the amazing snow that we got last week. It wasn't much but it was enough to give me and my grandbabies a little bit of fun and a lot of good memories. Thank you, Lord, for creating snow in all of its beauty!

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I am thankful for 2 good books I just read by James MacDonald. I was blessed immensely with the message of each book and God has used them to speak a much needed word to my heart. Life is hard sometimes and we need to understand that God knows this. He sees us in our trial. He knows everything about us and He cares about these things. He pours out His strength to us as we need it to endure the trials, tears and uncertain times that we face.

"God allows pain in our lives hoping the pain will bring us to an awareness of His deep purposes" - James MacDonald

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I am thankful that God is my Protector and my Provider. I am so thankful that He watches over me and takes care of me each second of my life. I am thankful that He is my need-meeter and when I acknowledge my deep need with an open heart, He fills it with Himself. He alone is enough...

"I am the LORD thy God which brought thee out of

Egypt; open thy mouth wide and I will fill it"

(Psalm 81:10)

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I am thankful for grandkids and games with blocks and homemade play-doh. I am thankful that a stack of plastic plates fresh out of the dishwasher signified a great day with some precious little ones!

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I am thankful for a sobering walk through the halls of MD Anderson on Tuesday. So many people battling a dreadful disease that is no respecter of persons. When I got a glimpse of a 13 year old girl and saw her sweet bald head peaking out from under her hoodie, my heart broke. I prayed for her to be strengthened in her battle and for the Lord to reach down and touch her and minister to her and her family. I hurt for her loved ones that have to witness the struggle she is in and the feelings of helplessness they must experience. I saw a young man with a t-shirt that said "cancer sucks" and I had to agree with him. I am thankful that God allowed me this encounter and that He gave me new appreciation for my health and that of my family.

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I am thankful for my new blog look! I just love it and I thank Edie at http://richgift.blogspot.com/ for being such a precious woman of Christ. She is easy to work with and does an amazing job! Thank you, Edie!

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I am thankful for Silas' 2 new teeth.

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I am thankful for daughter's that love me unconditionally.

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I am thankful for the blessing of redemption. Thank you, Lord, for taking my sin upon yourself and for giving me the forgiveness for all them. Past, present and future. Thank you for the amazing gift of salvation and eternal life.

"For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

(John 3:16)

an awesome thankful thursday

If you haven't joined GREG before for Thankful Thursday, take a minute and join him this week. It is a wonderful to way to share our thanks for the goodness of God in our diaiy lives. Thanks, Greg!

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1. I am so thankful for honeydew melon. Oh, yes I am! It is sweet and delicious and I am thankful that God created it so I can enjoy it!

"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:12)

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2. I am thankful for the gift of music.  God saw fit to give me the ability to play the flute and I am so thankful that even now, at 48 years of age, I can still play for Him during our praise and worship service and bring Him glory through song. Thank you, Lord for bestowing the gift of music upon me.

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3. I am thankful for this little guy named Silas. God has blessed my precious grandson and he is doing so great!  At 7 weeks of age he is  healthy and happy and  is weighing in at 10 lbs 8 oz. He has been such a blessing to us all. Thank you, Lord for the life of little Silas.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above...." (James 1:17)

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4. I am thankful that Mercie is so in love with her little brother. She loves to hold Silas and thinks that she can really take care of him. She loves her little rainboots as well and wanted to wear them for the picture! Thank you, Lord for big sister Mercie.

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5. I am thankful for God's Word. There is so much powerful stuff hidden deep in the Word of God and we can never get to the end of it. There is always more to learn. More to know. More to seek and devour. I love His Word! Oh, thank you, Lord for your Word!

"Nobody ever outgrows scripture. The book widens and deepens

with our years"  (C.H. Spurgeon)

THANKful Thursday is Awesome!

I join Sonya today for her Thankful Thursday and am so glad that she hosts this each week.

Megan, Melissa, Ashlie

1. I am so thankful for my 3 precious daughters. God richly blessed me with sweet girls who love the Lord and I am so thankful that they all call me their best friend.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.." (Psalms 127:3)

2. I am so thankful that Megan and Ashlie are raising their children (my precious little grandbabies) in the admonition of the Lord. They both began teaching them the truths of God's Word when they were just babies and they continue to help their children grow in Him as they get older.

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6)

Thank you Lord for the Truth of your Word.

3. I am so thankful for something called "skype" so I can talk to my daughter Melissa while she is in Africa. What a blessing modern technology can be!

Thank you Lord for your mercy!

4. I am so thankful that Melissa is feeling so much better. Nothing is worse than knowing your child is very sick and that she is on another continent, far away from home. She has been so sick for the last week and it was so awesome to answer the phone last night and NOT hear her crying. She was happy and laughing and it did this mama a world of good to hear that!

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds",says the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17)

Thank you Lord for your healing hand upon my sweet Melissa! You are so good! Nothing is too hard for you!

5. I am so thankful for prayer. There are times when I feel like I am on my face ALL the time and I am so thankful that God hears my cry and that He answers me!

"In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me" (Psalm 120:1)

Thank you Lord for the power and privilege of PRAYER!