The Little Things

While my posts have been sporadic as of late, my blessings have not!

I have tried to spend this CHRISTmas season truly focused on preparing my heart and home for the coming of the LORD. That was the plan anyway...

 "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9

Instead, I found the LORD leading me on a little journey of discovery. Who knew?? ;) Each LITTLE THING that He has revealed to me has been a blessed gift in, and of, itself...

With the last days of autumn, here are My Autumn Blessings:

#95...having a dear friend join my family for dinner and staying to bake cookies with me, just because ♥

#96...attending a beautiful CHRISTmas concert that touched my heart and made my soul sing in praise!

#97...hearing the LORD's Prayer spoken in another language...one I do not know or comprehend, but God does.

#98...getting ready for my husband's company Christmas party and taking joy in "getting pretty" just for him:)

#99...sharing my childhood Christmas memories with my husband, the good ones and the not-so-good ones.

#100...spending an hour on the phone talking to my mom. I miss her so much, especially at Christmas time. We decided that if we can't get together next Christmas, we will set up the webcams when we make our gingerbread houses so we can "share" the time together and laugh at the sugar-induced fun!

It has been a beautiful, blessed season...even if it wasn't what I had planned. I didn't even finish my advent countdown...I was too caught up in each LITTLE THING...each little gift.

Thank you, LORD.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..."

~ James 1:17

Jehovah-Jireh

God’s provision is so perfect, so timely, that I can’t help but be amazed at how I try to put Him into this little box, defined by my little brain! He’s so much bigger, greater, mightier than I can ever hope to imagine…

God Provides in such abundant ways, that I must count them or forever lose them:

My Autumn Blessings…
#78…for turning my house into a home.
#79…for my husband who loves me.
#80…for my children who bless me with their “antics”.
#81…for the opportunities He gives me to bless others.
#82…for the LIFT my spirit receives after time with a friend.
#83…for my sister who challenges me to be honest with her, even when it hurts. I’m also thankful she knows I still love her!
#84…for brides-to-be ♥
#85…for baby giggles ♥♥
#86…for genuine laughter that makes my sides hurt & my cheeks ache! Even better when shared with loved ones:)
#87…for my son who is becoming a young man.
#88…for books that encourage and inspire.
#89…for movie nights, curled up on the couch with my honey.
#90…for songs that express my heart~ and I can’t sing them without crying!
#91…for God’s healing, even when it’s slow-in-coming.
#92…for the silly little thrill I get when I make hot chocolate with my kids. (or mochas for grownups!) Yummmm
#93…for new recipes that turn out better than I hoped!
#94…for my phone that shortens the distance between faraway family.

Lord, you provide so, so much! You are my Jehovah-Jireh! Thank you for each and every blessing you shower down on me. My heart sings with joy ♥

Gifts

Pondering…

Over 100 “gifts” in the Bible, almost half of those in the Old Testament…but I want to look at the rest, the New Testament gifts…

For the Newborn King…
they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ~Matthew 2:11

From our Father in heaven…
If you…give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ~Matthew 7:11

As an Offering…
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ~Luke 21:1-2

Of Living Water…
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." ~John 4:10

Of the Holy Spirit…
And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ~Acts 2:38

Encouraged by faith…
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ~Romans 1:11-12

Grace by faith…
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…by his blood, to be received by faith. ~Romans 3:24-25

Of Eternal Life…
…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 6:23

Of Spiritual Gifts…
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. ~1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 11

Good and perfect…
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ~James 1:17

Of service…
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ~1 Peter 4:10-11

So many gifts…

My Autumn Blessing #77…
…God’s gift to the world, Christ Jesus. ♥

Father God, the greatest gift of all was Your Christmas Gift to the world, Jesus! It is because of Him that all these other gifts are possible. Thank you, Lord…thank you.

He IS the Newborn King.
He IS from our Father in heaven.
He IS the Offering.
He IS the Living Water.
He IS the Holy Spirit.

It is our faith in Him that encourages others.
Through His Blood, we receive His grace by faith.
Jesus IS our gift of Eternal Life.
Our spiritual gifts are to glorify Him.

Jesus, You ARE the Good and Perfect Gift, the beginning of all other gifts. Without You at the heart of it, all other gifts pale in comparison. As each of us has received a gift, help me to use the gifts you’ve given me to serve others, to be a good stewards of God’s grace. When I speak, let it be as one who speaks oracles of God; when I serve, let it be as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through You, Christ Jesus. All glory and honor are Yours now and forever!

Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room

♫Joy to the world! the LORD is come;

♫Let earth receive her King;

♫Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,

♫And heav’n and nature sing,

♫And heav’n and nature sing,

♫And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing!

Today, we began our advent celebration by preparing our hearts for the coming of our King. I can’t think of a better way to honor our LORD than to truly give Him what He wants for His birthday~ all of me!

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~ Romans 12:1-2

My Autumn Blessing #75…
…preparing our hearts and home for the coming of our King…CHRISTmas has never looked as lovely as it does in the Light of Jesus.

LORD Jesus, Thank you for Your gift of salvation! Following You has been a continuous growing process and I am so thankful that You continue to mold me, change me, love me. Help each us to prepare room in our hearts for You this CHRISTmas season, to last the whole year through. Help us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Help us to discern what is Your will, what is good, acceptable and perfect. Thank you, King Jesus!

My Autumn Blessing #76…
…hearing my family sing CHRISTmas carols together…off-key…and loving every minute of it!

Treasure Hunting

“You’ll find what you want to find, if you look hard enough.”

Sneaking away this morning to have coffee with ‘my girls’ was the perfect start to my day. Sharing Thanksgiving stories, victories and struggles, family dynamics…all come tumbling out onto the table, like a giant collective EXHALE. *sigh*

While discussing the difficulties of being critiqued (and sometimes judged) by well-meaning family members, one friend stated that “You’ll find what you want to find, if you look hard enough.”  Hmmm…really??

At first I didn’t agree…Do I do that? Do I just wait (like a predator) for that one relative  who always gets under my skin (my chosen prey) to just rub me the wrong way so I can say “See what I mean?! He’s impossible!!” (ATTACK!!!) or does that friction just exist and sparks are sure to fly, no matter what?

But, my God is so good…He got me thinking about this in a positive way, a godly way…What if I choose to find the GOOD in people? What if I look for the person God sees? What if I hunt for the treasures this one person…this beautiful, created-by-God individual…holds, until I find it?

A pretty big “what if?”

What if I looked for the blessings in every circumstance? …in every person? …in all Creation?

My Autumn Blessing #74...

...godly friends who challenge me to think.

Father God, Thank you so much for these beautiful women you have placed in my life that challenge my thinking. I know Your Hand is at work here! The big “what if” can be answered by the Great I AM. To see others as You see them, to love them, to treasure them…for Your Glory, LORD. Thank you also for the challenging people you place in my life that keep me focused on Your Beauty in all Creation, seeking You through it all. You are my Treasure, LORD! ♥

Treasure Hunting for the Kingdom of God…

…what if we all looked at life this way…

Preparing for His Coming

Christmas carols before Thanksgiving? I am usually one to wait…until December!

Not this year.

Honestly, this grateful heart could not wait to celebrate the coming of Our King! I’m not talking about Jingle Bells and those silly Santa ditties (whoa…I just said ditty…who am I???) you hear in every retail establishment this year with their subliminal message *shop, buy, spend* being chanted through every aisle. No, I’m talking about True Christmas.

♫♪O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.♪♫






Free from Ann VosKamp

Our family will spend the next month preparing for the coming of Our King. We will (re)turn our focus towards Christ Jesus by creating a Jesse Tree during this advent season with our children. We will make simple, thoughtful gifts for our loved ones. We will fellowship with each other without distractions (so long, Facebook!). We will take God’s gift of love to the streets & spread CHRISTmas cheer wherever we go!

My Autumn Blessing #73…

…streaming unlimited CHRISTmas music anytime I want!



Mighty God, You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings,  Emmanuel, the Great I Am, and the Prince of Peace. And I will worship you, love you, adore you any time of year, any season, any place, any time!



♫♪O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.♪♫

I invite YOU to come, let us adore Him…together! Rejoice with me! ♥



Full

I am full…
Thankful.
Joyful.
Prayerful.
I am full.

“Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Full of thanks.
Full of joy.
Full of prayer and praise.

LORD, from the bottom of my heart, thank you… This blessed season of Thanksgiving should last the whole year through! I am truly humbled by Your love for Your children, Your love for…Me. Thank you, LORD. In my thankfulness, I say YES! to your grace! My joy is complete in You and only You…now and forevermore…

My Autumn Blessing #72…
…experiencing the FULLness of Thanksgiving with my family and my friends! I could not have asked for a better day ♥ and yet You knew, LORD!