Thankful Thursday Thoughts

Today I am giving thanks that our oldest daughter, our SIL, and two grandchildren are coming for a visit...it will be a 24 hour visit....short, but so sweet! They are traveling a long distance to visit us~! Just being able to see them.... Yahoo!!!

Which brings me to the many blessings our children and grandchildren bring into our lives. What joy! Our four oldest and their families all have good jobs, nice homes, loving families, and are active in their communities and their churches. What more can we ask for????

Praising God on this Thankful Thursday that our children love the Lord and each other!

For The Beauty Of The Earth

I love everything about Fall. The sounds, the smells, and God's paintbrush sharing with us rusts, golds, oranges, and greens. Beautiful! This tree is at the end of our cul-de-sac and graces us with it's vivid colors every year. How can anyone look at this proud, sturdy, vibrant creation and not believe in God!

As I look out my living room window over a blanket of colorful leaves on the ground, I see bushes and trees painting a picture without a canvas, and I can faintly hear the sound of geese honking as they fly overhead, heading back from the nearby river. Squirrels are scurrying around preparing for winter, and the wind speaks of colder days ahead. There is so much to enjoy about autumn.

If we just take the time to really see our surroundings, we can only bow down on bended knee, lifting our arms in praise! The hymn "For The Beauty Of The Earth" comes to mind.

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies

For the love from which our birth

Over and around us lies

Lord of all to Him we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise!

For other inspirational posts visit Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays:

http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

Another Thankful Thursday is here!

Today I feel led to tell you a story about when we adopted two of our children from The Philippines. We were living there at the time, as Joel was stationed at Clark Air Force Base. It was getting close to our departure date for leaving the country and we needed the courts approval to be able to finalize the adoption of our two babies and bring them home with us. Some of the legal system at that time was very dishonest, and the lawyers wanted us to pay them money under the table to get the signed legal papers that were necessary for us to leave.

About a week before we were to leave for the States, I went to my weekly inter-denominational prayer meeting. It happened to be at the base commander's home and I asked for prayers about this situation. After everyone shared their requests and praises, we began to pray. At this time the base commander's wife came over and motioned for me to go with her into the other room. She told me she wanted to help us, and handed me the phone. As I said hello, I found myself talking to the Ambassador at the embassey in Manila about our situation! Then I was connected to the Mayor of Angeles City, where we lived near the base. I shared my story once again and he told me not to worry. Just a few hours later my husband received a call from the lawyer apologizing to us and telling us we could have our papers that afternoon. He kept saying, "I did not know you knew the mayor....I did not know you knew the mayor."

God intervened! He answered our prayers in a "to God be the glory" kind of way, and we were able to bring our whole family back home to the USA just a few days later. At that time we were only the second couple to ever be able to adopt two children from the P.I. while serving in the military.

Today I am giving thanks for our two precious miracle babies who are now wonderful Christian adults with children of their own. I am giving thanks for a mountain moving God who loves His children beyond our own imagining. Praise His Holy name!

The Happiest People In The World

Today I watched the Oprah show where she went to Denmark to interview several woman and their families because research shows that Denmark has the happiest people in the world. I know that Scandinavian countries are known to take care of everyone in their native lands and that family is the number one priority....but I found this fact about Denmark disturbing for one reason only ~ The majority of the country does not believe in God or a "Higher Power". This is stunning and it gives me pause. Does it give you pause, too?

Dangerous Surrender

I have been reading Kay Warren's book, "Dangerous Surrender" and find I cannot put it down. Kay Warren is married to Pastor Rick Warren and they live in California where he is pastor of Saddleback Church. I really don't think there are too many people left who has not heard of Rick Warren and his book, "The Purpose Driven Life". I watch services online from Saddleback every Sunday morning, and I confess that had a preconceived idea of their life in Orange County.

"Dangerous Surrender" gave me a deep respect for Kay Warren because of all she has gone through in her life. She is very honest about the abuse she suffered as a young child, and the consequences of that abuse in her adult life. She talks about her struggle with breast cancer and how the chemo and radiation treatments damaged her body, and she shares with her readers how devastating it was to be diagnosed with Melanoma just two years later. The book is not about her health issues, though. It is about her desire to serve God as best she can with the time she has been given, and the amazing results of her surrender to God when He guided her to help those with HIV/AIDS. The courage she has, and her willingness to follow Jesus on a daily basis no matter where he sends her ~ this is what has inspired me.

This book has challenged me to serve God in spite of or because of my circumstances, and to do what I can to fulfill God's purposes for me in the time I have been given. It has me asking myself the following questions: Have I said YES to God before He shares His requests of me? Do I live a life of courage and obedience? Am I helping the "least of these"? What is God's purpose for my life as it is? In what ways am I rearranging my life so I can interact with those God loves? The answers just may change my life......and yours.




If you wish to read more inspirational posts, please visit Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays. Be prepared to be blessed! http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/.

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

Giving thanks this Thursday for my warm wool comforter, soft PJ's, and heated rice socks as I spend time recovering from a "crash". (Sometimes the Lyme and Co infections like to be heard, and this week has been one of those times. )

Giving thanks for the privilege and gift of reading. Oh, how I love to read and cannot remember a time I did not! I can remember reading Trixie Belden mysteries as an 11 yr old and to this day enjoy a good light mystery.

Giving thanks today for silly shows on TV that make me laugh. For having the ability to laugh at myself too! Laughter is really such good medicine.

Giving thanks today for a warm home, large windows and a view that brings nature inside. Just to be able to own our home is a gift most people in our world can never imagine. How blessed I am.

Giving thanks for homemade chicken soup, hot herbal tea, and gluten free muffins from scratch. Nothing like comfort food to soothe us.

Giving thanks for God's wisdom shared with us all through His Word, and the words of His servants. We are so privileged to have the freedom to worship and adore!! Praise God!

Have a blessed Thankful Thursday.