A Holy Season Wrapped in Hope; Practiced In Waiting - Day #20 of Thankfulness

The Thanksgiving decorations are packed in the attic. 

Leftovers stacked in the fridge. 

Memories tucked away. 

A grateful heart.

Ready now,  for the Season of Advent.

The practice of gratitude paving the way. 

A time of Preparation.

The days leading up to the celebration of the birth of Christ. 

We prepare for so many tasks, attention to careful details. 

Shopping lists, and daily planners. 

Packing lists and Christmas lists. 

All in preparation; 

second nature as we move through the rhythm of the day. 

Choices and priorities made; spurred by the necessity of the task. 

Yet the preparation of our heart often neglected.

The inner sanctuary pushed aside; overlooked.

The soul. 

Become awake to the stirring. 

The waiting.

God incarnate. 

He became flesh. 

For us. 

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

He left the comfort of the Holy; the presence of the Almighty,

to humble himself on our behalf. 

So that we may benefit. 

Born in a manger; a commoner's son. 

With the lineage of the Royal. 

In this Season we press on.

Our hearts softened to the guiding of the Holy Spirit. 

A time for inner growth. 

My tired, aching soul longing for communion with the One who came and touched earth. 

A Holy Season wrapped in hope; practiced in waiting. 

30 Days of Thankfulness~

I am thankful for:
family and friends gathered around the farmhouse table
days of preparation
leftovers
the warm glow of Christmas lights
the excitement of children and their love of tradition
lessons learned when farm life changes plans
my farmer who is still willing to try to find a tree, long after the sun has set
a soul that longs to seek Christ first in all things
the shimmer of freshly fallen snow
the moments just before dawn
a warm home on a very chilly morning
the promise of being held
the hope of what's to come
strength for this day
grace given freely that I might live


How do you prepare for the Birth of Christ? 
How do you let him dwell richly in your Season of Advent? 

Psalm 107:1
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, 
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Creating A Day That is Purposefully Thankful Day # 27 of Thankfulness

The season of Thankfulness. 

The settlers of this land grateful for sustenance; coming together in fellowship. 

A time to be grateful. 

And what is gratitude really? 

The lists that I have made of all the things I possess? 

That happy feeling when we are content and things are going swell? 

That is a part of the practice. 

True gratitude is deep contentment in life, no matter the circumstances. 

A Thankful life is lived looking through a different lens. 

One is not born a thankful person. 

It takes effort and intentional actions. 

To be thankful in every sense of the word mandates a shift in the view of the world. 

It permeates all you do. 

Because being grateful isn't just about the stuff. 

It's about looking at the world as a place where change can happen; and it starts with us. 

We take the step towards gratitude. 

Even when the checkout line is slow. 

(Oh I am so guilty of this)

We need to guard our hearts. 

Be careful what we watch and listen to. 

Intentional steps to cultivate a habit. 

Bitterness and greed are easy to step into. 

It is our default mechanism.

To rise above and shut the door in the face of those temptations is rich. 

So, as this Thanksgiving Day dawns and I want to just crawl back in bed, I am going to walk in the warmth of the memories of Thanksgiving's past. 

Oh, they are rich. 

I am going to treasure each moment for the gift it is. 

If you're in a place where bitterness and pain have become your 
constant companion,let it go. 

Make today different. 

Count your blessings.

Take your eyes off yourself.
Shed the negative.

Find another to bless. 

There is no greater pull out of despair than giving to someone else. 

Reach for a journal and begin the list of that for which your heart is Thankful. 

30 Days of Thankfulness~

I am thankful for:
Memories of the warmth and joy of family together
a home where I can share Thanksgiving meals

a table where all can gather

friends who are family

the blanket of white covering the barren landscape

a farmer who holds me in the night when I can barely breathe

grief; despite the pain and agony. there are lessons to learn

the hope of heaven and the beauty of a sweet reunion

the 17 Thanksgiving's I had with Elijah

a home that is full of laughter and teenagers

a hot cup of coffee

these moments to sit and reflect on all that I have to be thankful for

a season of Thankfulness that is followed by the rich Season of Advent

when we are truly Thankful the message of the cross becomes so much more

this day, this moment and the grace that will be given for the rest

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

May you create a day that is purposefully Thankful.

. 

We Need To Be About The Business Of Turning. Is Your Soul Up To The Challenge? I Dare You. Day # 15 of Thankfulness

Most days I do not want to be thankful for anything. 
 I want to step into the pit that says woe is me and stay there. 
I want to let the pain over take me. 
Each day is work.
Work to surrender. 
It is a conscious effort to step toward the holy each day. 
I wake. 
I remember. 
I hand it all over.
It is the way of the morning; before my feet touch the ground. 
(even before coffee-some things need to be done without coffee)
All my thoughts, all my desires surrendered. . . an emptying.
Even before I get out of bed. 
Each day. 
Work.
Before death and before cancer, I was struggling with some issues;
parenting, financial, a cluttered messy house.  .   . to name a few. 
I felt powerless.
I was praying and praying, asking God for guidance. 

On June 21,2013
He gave me this verse as I was reading:

Psalm 119:59 
I have considered my ways and I have turned my steps to your statutes. 
I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands

I was convicted of ways I was not following through on obedience. 
It is in the act of turning, that Christ is glorified and that victory is found. 
When we turn from the behaviors that threaten to pull us under. 
We literally need to stop. 
And turn. 
From that which we know is not pleasing to God. 
After the accident and during cancer on 
October 21, 2013 God again showed me: 

2 Timothy 2:19 
Everyone who confesses the name of the 
LORD must turn away from wickedness.

We need to be about the business of Turning.
Turning our hearts to God. 

Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, 
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

Turning our thoughts to Praise

Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 
Praise the LORD.

God has promised to turn our mourning into dancing. 

Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing; 
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 
That is one of the beautiful things about a faith journey, hand in hand with the Lord. 
He commands, yet his commands are followed by promises. 
Promises which He is faithful to uphold. 

I dare you to turn today. 

Turn from the idols that hold you in bondage. 
Turn to Christ. 
Turn from the behaviors that threaten to pull you under. 
Turn to the one who created you. 
It takes effort. 
The ruts we have created over the years are worn deep. 
But with the Lord on your side . . you have nothing to fear. 

Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? 
If God is for us, who can be against us?

There is none like him. 

Chris Tomlin

Our God - If Our God Is For Us

30 Days of Thankfulness~

I am thankful for:
a day spent with my girls
singing in the car with reckless abandon
finding my farmer son playing a game I haven't seen in just about a year
his creativity
a peaceful evening 
snow that is "sticking' around
the hope of a new day
that even when I wake with the heaviness in my heart there is a Savior I can run to
a steaming cup of coffee
a Savior that reached down made me new
the quiet hush in the morning before the farmhouse stirs
the opportunity to pray for the person/persons who are breaking into our cars
farming and the constant reminder to press on
mounds and mounds of laundry, that somehow just appears
dirty floors, which mean my house is full
this journey of thankfulness in year 2 of my grief walk

Are Those Waters Really Uncharted? Day #5 of Thankfulness

There are days when everything is hard. 

Getting out of bed. 

Focusing. 

The weight of this world. 

The "what ifs" of the day. 

Looming. 

When all the woes seem to circle round. 

The crisp clarity is marred. 

And you wonder,"What is this all for?"

Meaning clamors for attention. 

It can rise and become the driven thought. 

Pushing aside any beauty. 

It is loud and demanding. 

A churning and unsettled place to be. 

We hope for answers. 

A solid plan wanted. That 5 year plan.
Yet, in a moment 5 year plans vanish.
Uncharted waters entered.
Uncertainty.
Are they truly uncharted?
Or just unknown to us.
Leaning into trust.
The One who called the oceans into being.
He knows.
These are His waters.
Once again I lay it all down before Him.
I give Him my heartache and desire to "understand, why."
I pray to be able to bloom in this dark space.
These circumstances will not change.
But I can.

I Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

~30 Days of Thankfulness~

I am thankful for:

A desire to bloom in this dark place
Snuggles with my kids
the grace with which our daughter handled items being stole from her car
the gift to pray for those who stole from us
Hope
my farmer junior and his excitement with working on the farm
a call from my farmer junior to see if I have coffee, how I miss my coffee with Elijah
God's unfailing mercy
Coffee
flannel sheets
the smell of wood stoves
the sound of leaves crunching with each step
the pungent smell of fermenting fall
strength enough for each day
the sound of the tractor going by
elections and the great freedom we have to vote

Third Day
Cry Out To Jesus