Well, you aren't dead!

Good Morning Friends!  Take time to be thankful, Tuesday!!  Well, my goodness seems like it’s been forever….missed you all!  Last Sunday I wanted to have a lesson on being thankful in conjunction with Thanksgiving for the kids.  I found a neat idea on the internet and adapted it to our group.  Basically I had a basket of apples with a number taped on each one.  I had each child tell me a song they wanted to sing and I had bible verses on being thankful.  So, I read a bible verse, someone picked an apple and we sang the song that corresponded to the number on the apple!  The singing came directly from the first verse, Psalm 147:7, “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp (I said piano too, we have the most awesome pianist at church).”  And so we began, bible verse, apple, sing….what a good time we were having making music to our God!  Pretty soon, I read 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  This verse lead me to ask the kids, quite dramatically, “Well, I’ve been really sick….so does this verse mean I have to be thankful for being sick???!!!!!”  I was really trying to make a point, about not being whiners, when one Jr. Hi boy said in his getting deep Jr. Hi voice, head down….”Well…..you aren’t dead!”  Wow!  Did that ever hit home….I have been doing quite a bit of whining about being sick…..in fact I’m sure there are friends and co-workers that are sick of hearing me whine……the point is I am alive!  Alive, with medicine, lots of chicken soup, cough drops and a caring husband…..I am going to be just fine!  That young man’s comment may have been a bit on the extreme side, but I think it really made a good clear point for us…..we do have so very much for which to be thankful, grateful….praise worthy!  Yet, it seems we are so quick to see the negative…..get sick once in a while and we think the world has come to an end….How about all the days we are healthy, feel great….are we thankful on those days.  Do we think to thank our doctor, pharmacist, friends, caring husband on those days….My husband starts my car every morning and pulls it right up to the back door for me…..Hmmm, have I thanked him lately….Ever called your doctor when you felt really good and thanked her for always being there when you need her?  Ever thanked God for her and prayed for wisdom for her in so many difficult situations?  Thursday is “Thanksgiving Day”  why wait…..let’s start thanking and praising right now!  Our God takes good care of us….provides us with what we need….oh yea sometimes we think it’s not quick enough, but…..never forget, Our Father always knows what’s best!  Trust and believe!!!  Father, oh my goodness there’s not enough hours in the day to thank you for all you do for us!!!  Accept our humble gratitude and praise!  Help us to always keep attitudes of gratitude.  And thank you for my doctor!!!

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the God of gods.  His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the Lord of lords:  His love endures forever.  Psalm 136:1-3.

Love you all!

Baby bunny blessings

Good Morning Friends!  WOW, our GOD is an AWESOME GOD, Wednesday!  Some of you might remember that a year or so ago, we (well hubby’s idea), got Cooper a little bunny for his 3^rd birthday.  The bunny stayed at our house for fun visits from Cooper (as well as to keep mommy happy).  Well, my husband couldn’t be happy having just one bunny so over the year we have acquired 4 more bunnies….now all rabbits!  We have bred them several times without a lot of success, but finally…..last Thursday when Kim went in the coop to give them fodder he noticed one girl rabbit was pulling her fur.  OH BOY!  A sure sign she was going to have babies, so he put a nest in her pen……..Friday morning when I went out to feed and water before work……Wow, the nest was full of fur and breathing!  Well you know, I couldn’t really see babies, but I knew they were there because the fur was moving!  They were alive…..I could see there were several, but dare not touch them…..mommy rabbits do not like you touching their newborn bunnies!  As soon as I got in the car to head out, I called Kim and told him!  Cooper and Katy were with us over the weekend and they were just thrilled with the bunnies too…we explained they couldn’t touch them, but they were very content to just look at them….at least, as Cooper would say, a hundred, thirty, fifty, ten times a day!!!  That was ok with me though, because I am, I must admit, just as excited as they are about the baby bunnies….precious new life….spring is blossoming all around us and at my house I have precious tiny baby bunnies…..What an awesome God we have!  In the midst of the turbulence of our lives HE blesses us with baby bunnies, singing birds, blossoming trees and flowers, growing grass….Today, I am just stopping to acknowledge and enjoy these simple to us….but our MASTER mind created them….from nothing….without HIM we are nothing….with HIM our lives  NEW!  Father, Help us to blossom in Your love, to grow in faith, shower others with Your love in word and deed!  And Father thank you so much for the special little blessings You share with us, they sure brighten our days!  We Praise You Heavenly Father, keep us ever grateful!

 

The Sovereign Lord says, “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill.  I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”  Ezekiel 34:26.  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”  Lamentations 3:22-24.  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father we too may live a new life.  Romans 6:3-4.  Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God…For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Love as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).  Ephesians 5:1-2 & 8-9.

 

May 8, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully blessed by Him, Wednesday!  Yesterday Kim and I had to make some changes on our cell account and they needed him….couldn’t do it myself (let me tell you taking Kim to the cell store is more of an adventure than needed sometimes), so Kim met me in town a little after 5.  Even though he had worked cows all day and was totally pooped, he was in tip top…let’s have fun at the cell phone store mode!  After an hour and a half we were finally out the door.  To sweeten our time at the cell store we decided to go to Polo’s and have dinner!  We got right in, service was good, food oh so yummy…..while we were there Cooper and Katy’s mommy called…they were at our house…..oops (you know Nana and Papa are supposed to always be home).  Mommy had gotten a facial with all new make-up and wanted us to see.  We were both disappointed, so Papa said call her and tell her to not wash her face and we will come over when we get home.  We finished dinner and headed home….me in my car and Papa in his truck; I always hate it when we have two cars in town.  Well, I got home before him and never even saw him behind me….I unloaded the car and was changing clothes when he finally got home…..Aww….he proudly held two bags of M&M’s…One for Cooper and one for Katy.  What a sweet Papa!  I smiled, shook my head and said, “Oh Katy loves M&M’s!”  It was so nice out we decided to take the four wheeler…..upon arrival we found them in the bathtub having a splashing good time!  Papa couldn’t wait to show off the M&M’s so the bath ended rather quickly.  Cooper grabbed his, said thank you and headed down the hall.  Katy, oh my, that sweet, innocent faced, 2 year old dripping wet….Papa handed her them to her; her eyes lit up like 4^th of July fireworks.  She thanked Papa immediately and then looked at me and full of joy said, “bring M&M’s for me…..to eat?!”  She could hardly contain herself as she waited for me to say, “yes honey, for you to eat (if mommy says of course)”   Love just oozed from her….totally, completely grateful for a little bag of M&M’s…..As we rode home, I got to thinking…..here we go with that “childlike” faith again……thrilled, thankful, grateful for such a little thing……How often in our rush for the biggest and the best and in the midst of our whining, do we miss God’s “little” things…..hummingbirds feeding, birds singing, wildflowers blooming, someone to talk to in the cell store, a friend to share a ride with, an unexpected bag of M&M’s….Maybe we should reach into ourselves….go back…..find that childlike joy……And remember…..when we do, He loves to hear from us…..He doesn’t want us to hold back our praise just for the big stuff….Nope!  Our Heavenly Father wants to know about every “little” thing that brings us joy…..And oh my goodness….there are oh so many!  Thank  you Father for all the little things you send our way to bring us joy….open our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to see and experience them….to Thank You, to Share, to give You Glory!  Thank you Father, for bubble baths, M&M’s and innocent grandchildren! 

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE; LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!  PSALM 118:24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works!  In wisdom hast though made them all:  the earth is full of thy riches.  Psalm 104:24.  Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Psalm 34:8.  A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news give health to the bones.  Proverbs 15:30.  Light is sweet, and it please the eyes to see the sun.  Ecclesiastes 11:7.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:13.  Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.  Psalm 147:7.  Give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds.  Psalm 107:21. Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!  Revelation 7;12.

Love you all!