In everything giving thanks-19 through 23!

You may wonder, as I do, how one goes five days without posting a single item for which she is grateful. I have no excuse, really, other than the crazy kind of busyness that is life as we know it. Isn't it interesting how busyness tends to displace gratitude, even deliberate expressions of gratitude such as this. One of life's lessons there, to be sure.

So, because I fully intend to finish what I started, I am thankful for the following:

19-Speaking of the crazy kind of busyness that is life as we know it, I am thankful for Entourage, my computer calendar. I was hesitant to go (semi) paperless but now I love it. I especially love the reminders that pop up in the corner of my screen, like the one that just came up reminding me of my two sons' basketball practices tomorrow.

20-And being thankful for Entourage reminds me I am thankful for my Mac laptop. My husband, he spoils me. Rotten.

21-I am also thankful for my two mentoree friends, the two young pastors' wives that I meet with on Friday mornings. I so enjoy our time together (even though I am still a little unsure of myself in a mentor role--can you say "insecure"?). I am so glad for our growing friendship and for how the Lord is blessing our mornings spent in good conversation, prayer and the Word!

22-I am grateful for my church, for the bold proclamation of the Word and for the centrality of the gospel in everything we do. As I've testified here before, there is nothing easy about starting a church from scratch but the Lord has shown Himself faithful to us in countless ways. I am grateful for the blessing and the privilege of serving the Lord here in this place with these my brothers and sisters, friends and fellow journeymen...

23-And today I am glad for the combined efforts of mother and sons and the clean playroom that resulted.

Surely I am the only delinquent participant in Rebecca's month of Thanksgiving! Check out the other, more consistent testimonies at Rebecca's blog.

In everything giving thanks-18

Wednesdays are my days to volunteer at the pregnancy center. I love it; even on days like today when we didn't have a single client come in while I was there, I still love it. I am grateful that God has called me to this work for many reasons; one being that I am glad for the opportunity and privilege to serve our clients, women who are often in very difficult circumstances. In providing diapers or clothes we are offering them a cup of cold water in Jesus' name and I am glad to help meet their needs in this small way.

I am thankful that as I counsel I am learning to put my theology into words, to share the good news of Christ, to proclaim the hope that only He gives, something I am ashamed to admit I hadn't done very often before.

I am thankful too for the community that exists among the counselors. I love that we all love Jesus and we are committed to sharing that love with each woman who comes in our door. I love our common passion and common mission. I love that when I see a fellow counselor pause before she enters the counseling room I know she's praying and I pray too. I love that they are my friends, the kind of friends that pause and ask me how I'm doing, really, and promise to pray.

Volunteering at the pregnancy center is something I love so much that I wonder why I never did it sooner. As I give thanks this November, I am thankful for the ministry we have at the center and for my friends and partners in the gospel there.

In everything giving thanks-16 and 17

Yesterday was such a hectic, somewhat stressful kind of day that, to be honest, I was most grateful for an evening on the sofa watching House Hunters. I'd gotten up early that morning--way, way, way too early--4 am kind of early--because I was worrying over the busyness of the day and week ahead. By the time night fell, I was ready for a quiet evening at home even though my son was playing basketball out of town and I felt like a loser mom for missing his game.

Today I am glad all four children bought their lunch (no packing lunch boxes--yes and amen!). I hate packing lunches and reprieves like this are few and far between and are therefore to be relished.

Today I am also thankful for the nice woman at the middle school where my son played last night, she who tracked down a rogue backpack mysteriously left in the locker room after the ball games not to be missed until the next morning (this morning). If truth be told, I wasn't so thankful to be making the trip (50 minutes one way) to retrieve said backpack but I am glad for the Books a Million a block away from the middle school and the Grande Caramel Macchiato I purchased there (just reward, in my opinion).

Sometimes it is not so easy to choose to be grateful! Thus I am thankful too for this exercise in thankfulness. Knowing that I pledged to post an item of thanksgiving for every day of the month has become a source of accountability for me. Now, when I am vexed about something (say, a missing backpack, just as a for instance), I know that ultimately I must be thankful not just for blog fodder but because as a believer, I am to give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20)! Always and for everything? Yes, indeed, for the Lord is good and His steadfast love endures forever...

Words worth pondering

I want a different obsession, a better obsession. I want Jesus to be the center of my life, the focus of my thoughts, the object of my passion, the definer of my identity, the source of my significance, the supplier of my happiness, my definition of beauty. I want Jesus to satisfy my appetites and longings...

... what are you obsessed with? Is it your weight or appearance? your house? your children? your vacation home? your reputation? your relationship with a certain person? Are you so obsessed with something that happened in the past that you can't move forward? Are you obsessed with collecting what you think you'll need to ensure a comfortable future? Are you simply obsessed with yourself--your own needs and concerns and interests?

... It's not that what we want is bad. It's that we want it too much. Our desire becomes a demand and we find ourselves off track, obsessed with so many lesser things than Jesus himself.

... We must take stock of our ambitions and allegiances and affections to make sure that Jesus is at the center of our lives, in his rightful place. We want to be obsessed with him, not merely affiliated with him or interested in him or associated with him. We want to be united with him, to give ourselves to him, letting go of whatever keeps us from him so we can run toward him.

~Nancy Guthrie, Hoping for Something Better

In everything giving thanks-13, 14, and 15

I've fallen a little behind in my daily chronicle of thanksgiving. So, to catch up a bit...

Friday reminded me how grateful I am for books. I was reading an Agatha Christie mystery (The Secret Adversary) I had checked out of the library in pursuit of a light, fun read--and it did not disappoint. I'm thankful for the escape of a good story well told; I'm also grateful for the non-light, not-quite-so-fun reads--books that challenge and instruct, edify and confront, books that make me think and books that expound on Truth.

Yesterday I was so grateful for the patience and longsuffering of my two youngest sons who sat through two basketball games (and the few hours between games) at out of town tournament. It certainly would not have been among their top ten ways to spend a Saturday (all day Saturday) but they did so without complaint and even enjoyed themselves (of course, they were well prepared with book and PSP). They aren't always so easygoing (keepin' it real) but I'm so thankful for those times they are.

Today I thank God for a gorgeous fall day, brilliant blue sky, glorious sunshine, gentle breeze--a perfect afternoon for sitting on the front stoop, coffee cup in hand, watching my two boys throw the football. Have I told you I love fall? Truly the beauty of this Lord's Day gives reason for my love for autumn. The earth is full of God's glory and I am reminded of such today as I give thanks for a Sabbath afternoon on the porch, enjoying my boys and the beauty of the Lord's creation. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Remember to check out more testimonies of gratitude at Rebecca's.

On grief, in everything giving thanks-12

I went to a funeral yesterday. My husband was out of town so I went alone, burdened with grief for this family, these friends of ours who lost wife, mother, and grandmother. I was saddened, too, by my own small load of hurts and disappointments, nothing that can compare to the terrible loss of their loved one too young and too soon, but sadnesses just the same.

Tears filled my eyes, spilling over as I greeted the family, remembering the friend and neighbor my family has lost. She loved my boys; they loved her. We all loved her. She kept sodas in the fridge in the garage for them to help themselves; that is, until their worrywart of a mom expressed concern that the soda consumption was ruining their supper. A stick in the mud, that's me. She bought me a pair of flip flops, wild and fluffy in a bold hot pink. Not exactly my style, but I wore them anyway. She baked a cake once and sent it over because she knew I was having the new preacher over for Sunday lunch and hospitality is not my strong suit. She suffered from a multitude of health problems for many years yet the last time I saw her, just a few weeks ago, she spoke with the same energy and vitality she always had. Frail of body, yes, but not of spirit.

She loved us. We loved her.

I remembered these things yesterday and I wept. I saw the crushing grief of the husband who loved her for 38 years and who loves her still and I wept. It was so sad. I am sad still.

But I received two things yesterday. One, a realization that my small sadnesses could be much, much heavier. It could be me standing before friends and family mourning the loss of husband or parent. Oh, to be granted perspective to see the things that truly matter, it is both a gift and a conviction.

I also realized afresh the reality of death and I hate it, death, our last and ultimate enemy. We will all die. It is a sure thing. We hate it, we fight it, we mourn it--all because we know, deep inside, that we were made to live forever. Our Creator set eternity in our hearts. The only hope, the only victory we have is in Christ, He who defeated death once and for all by His resurrection. He lives and He grants life eternal to those who repent and believe in Him. Thanks be to God, He has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Today I am grateful that because of the Lord's mercy we do "not grieve as others who have no hope." (1 Thess. 4:13) Instead, we can have the "full assurance of hope until the end" (Heb. 6:11) because of Christ in us, the hope of glory! (Col. 1:27)

On Veterans Day

My great-grandfather in France, WWI

My grandparents, WWII

My grandfather, the WWII pilot

I come from a long line of heroes, of men who fought for country and liberty and of the wives and daughters who watched them go. A deep love for this country is part of my grandmother's legacy to me. She knew better than anyone that freedom is never free, she whose father fought in WW I, her husband in WW II, her only son in Vietnam. My brother, her grandson, recently served in the US Navy. She, unlike many, received her men back to her, but I try to think how it must have been--to send your man, or your boy, off to war without benefit of email or the internet or Skype or Fox News. I esteem my grandmother and the fervent patriotism she modeled right up to her death.

On this, Veterans Day, it is fitting that we pay tribute to the those in our armed forces who serve sacrificially as well as their families and loved ones who also serve sacrificially, just of a different sort. To my dear friend in real life Alaina and her helicopter pilot-husband and the countless families they represent: I remember, and I honor and thank you.

In everything giving thanks-11

Today as I continue my month-long daily chronicle of the things for which I am thankful, I express my gratitude for my Number Three son, my contrary child. His moods are as extreme as the day and the night and sometimes I'm not sure which I prefer! He is at turns bouncing and jovial as well as petulant and moody and yet I love him both as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

He is determined to be his own man and as often as I find myself in a tug-of-war of wills, I admit I both respect and admire his dogged independence. He brings a richness, an unexpected-ness, to our lives through his intensity and his stubborn resolve. As I've said before, I pray the Lord will take my boy's determination to be different and live different and use it for His glory and the furthering of His kingdom. And I pray for grace and wisdom for my husband and I to teach him to live contrary to this world!

Today I am profoundly and inexpressibly thankful for the gift of my Number Three boy.

In everything giving thanks-10

Today I am thankful for chocolate iced doughnuts from the Home Bakery. And coffee. Always and especially coffee.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

In everything giving thanks-8 and 9

Yesterday was crazy busy; hence my lack of thanksgiving posting for the day. I was indeed thankful: for the energy and health necessary for (among other things) two soccer games (and a second place finish in the tournament), madly cleaning my house for community group, slinging concessions at the Lecrae concert, not to mention the concert itself. And, speaking of Lecrae, I am thankful for his ministry and his unashamed proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as the profound influence he's had on my oldest two sons. He spoke Truth last night and how I pray the Lord will reap a great harvest from the seeds planted among the young people in attendance last night!

And today? Today I am grateful for a Monday morning calendar absent of obligations (don't ask about this afternoon/evening), a morning of coffee and rest, solitude and gratitude. And laundry, mounds and mounds of laundry, the kind of volume of laundry generated by six people after a busy weekend away from home.

And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31)

Be sure to visit Rebecca for more testimonies of thankfulness this November and, if you're so inclined, add your own so that we may all boast in the Lord's goodness together!

In everything giving thanks-7

Today I am thankful for:

• a beautiful fall day (all day long) spent at the soccer fields
• the miracle of sunscreen
• the refreshment of a cold Coca-Cola and the thoughtfulness of my son who brought it to me
• grandparents who travel many miles for the opportunity to applaud and cheer
• volunteers who give a great deal of time and effort with no pay other than the reward of seeing a few hundred kids have a great time playing a great game
• daddies-turned-soccer coaches who encourage excellence as they teach the importance of teamwork, discipline and fun
• boys and girls who play hard, give their best, and have fun as they do so

On cleaning house, in everything giving thanks-6

I've been cleaning house today. I'll be honest with you, nothing makes me hate myself more than cleaning house. I'm no housekeeper, not by any stretch of the imagination, and on those occasions I do clean and thus come face to face (sometimes literally) with the dirt and grime I've allowed to build up, well, it makes me despise myself (more so than usual, that is).

Today is no different. As I've sped through the house in a mad frenzy of vacuuming, dusting, and squirting cleaner on the bathroom surfaces, I've battled the same old frustration and self degradation. You would think that finally doing something about it (already), thus gaining some sort of victory over the mess and the clutter, however short lived, would make me feel better. It doesn't. I know even as I wipe and scrub that I've by no means tackled the real issue.

What, exactly, is the real issue, I'm not real sure. Pick one or more of the following: Lack of organization. Procrastination. No discipline. Distractions (like blogging, for instance, ahem). Or maybe clean house nirvana is only a useless striving after the wind; I mean, is my worth as a woman and follower of Christ really measured by dusting my baseboards weekly? There is a fine line between being a good and careful steward of my home--of serving the Lord by being busy at home--and making everyone miserable by pursuing some impossibly high OCD type standard.

Not that I'm in any danger of pursuing some impossibly high OCD type standard. I'm speaking theoretically here, of course.

Please don't get the wrong impression. Our home is not unsanitary. It is more cluttered than it is filthy (baseboards not included). And while I struggle with finding the proper balance (and corresponding discipline and organization), I remain grateful, glad for a home, my home, as dirty and disheveled as it may be.

And that's the point of this long rambling, slightly self indulgent post. Today I clean house and though I am tempted to indulge in self indictment I will instead be thankful. I will thank God for His gracious provision in giving me a home to clean and a family to care for and serve by washing their clothes and cooking their supper and washing their dishes and, yes, cleaning their bathrooms. Our mess is a holy mess because it is evidence of the Lord's blessing to me: five people I love more than any others and whose care has been entrusted to me, however imperfectly I may do so.

I am thankful for my home and the privilege to clean it.

In everything giving thanks-5

Today I am thankful for the Word of God. As I am close to finishing reading the entire Bible in a year, I am amazed not just by the beauty and complexity of the words themselves but that it is indeed "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." His Word lives and speaks and convicts and changes and sanctifies and proves and provides. Every page of my Bible testifies to Christ, the Word made flesh and I am thankful, profoundly and humbly grateful, that by His grace He has granted me the privilege to see Him there. A lamp to my feet, a light to my path, may the Word of Christ dwell in me richly--and may I be a doer and not a hearer only!

The law of your mouth is better to me

than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Ps. 119:72

In everything giving thanks-4

Today I am especially thankful for my Bible study group. I've said before here on this forum and no doubt I'll say it again but I am humbled and grateful for the privilege to study God's Word with a group of women so passionate about knowing Christ. The Lord has been so good to us, to teach us and convict us and (please, Lord) change us. We've wrestled with some difficult truths as we've made our way through the book of Hebrews and I've loved our honest and authentic conversations as we strive to understand the ways of our God. To borrow my own words from another post (with appropriate changes):

My heart wells as I think of the Monday nights Wednesday mornings we've spent together, our Bibles and workbooks open, our conversation honest and authentic, and the table living room we gathered around becoming the Holy of Holies as our God is faithful to meet with us week after week. What grace, that He would "stoop down" to join our little group of very ordinary, very weak, very desperate women!

While I know that my journey is mine, independent of anyone else, and one I must choose to make though none go with me, I am so thankful that at this point in my walk, I do not make the journey alone. These, my friends, my sisters, my Bible study girls, walk beside me. Their support and love and prayers overwhelm me and sustain me. I've told them many times--and I've meant it each time--they are each a testimony of God's grace and goodness to me. That I would have the incredible privilege to study God's Word with them, those godly women and serious students of His Word--it's only His grace!

So, to my girlfriends: What a ride! We were (are) encouraged; we were (are) challenged. We all pray we will never be the same again. We sought God together (seeking Him still) and did we ever find Him! I love you all!

I wrote that a couple of years ago upon finishing up a different study yet the sentiment remains very much the same. I thank God for my fellow Bible students, my friends and sisters committed to meeting together on Wednesday mornings. Oh, the Lord is good to us!

Status Report, November

Sitting...on the loveseat in the den.

Drinking...coffee, black.

Giving thanks...daily this month as part of Rebecca Writes' month of gratitude. I have so very much to be thankful for that I am glad for the opportunity to express it here on the blog.

Loving...fall. The trees, the cooler temps, I love it all. LOVE fall.

Needing...to begin some Christmas shopping. Yes, I know: Christmas. We are exchanging gifts with my family early this year, Thanksgiving to be exact, which means I need to lay aside my Grinchdom earlier than I might otherwise, at least long enough to purchase (and wrap) some presents for the family celebration at my parents' this Thanksgiving.

Attempting...a good attitude about December and all it entails. I'm afraid my Scroogeness is scaring people.

Challenged...by our study of Hebrews as we work through Nancy Guthrie's Hoping for Something Better in Bible study. We're nearly finished and I have been encouraged and convicted by the ongoing theme of perseverance and holding fast. There really is something better: Jesus! He is worthy!

Making plans...for my upcoming trip to Nicaragua. Preliminary plans, that is. Mainly attempting to secure a passport and a fan, two necessities from what I've been told. Any ideas where I find a small (9" or so) fan this time of year?

Reading...Little Women and loving the corresponding nostalgia.

Reading...Mere Christianity and loving the corresponding challenge.

Recommending...this post on the nastiest and loveliest of truths and thinking that our view of our depravity affects our view of God, Jesus, salvation and grace.

Loving...basketball season though simultaneously dreading the accompanying frantic pace.

Pondering...the strange and difficult ministry of the prophets in the Old Testament as I read the books that bear their name as part of my read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. Those guys sure didn't have it easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. Many times, God gave them a harsh and difficult message to proclaim and yet they were faithful to do His will. What an example they are to somebody like me, timid, unsure and anything but bold.

Wanting...a perspective like that of Moses: "He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward." (Heb. 11:26) Pursuing Christ as my reward, seeking Him as the true and lasting Treasure--may it be so in me!

Classics Bookclub: Little Women

This month's Classics Bookclub at 5 Minutes for Books is featuring works by Louisa May Alcott. As a girl, I dearly loved the Little Women trilogy: Little Women, Little Men and Jo's Boys. I thought for the Bookclub I would read something else by Alcott, something unfamiliar (did you know she wrote a series of suspense short stories--Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers Of Louisa May Alcott?). I even checked out The Inheritance from the library. However, one night last week I caught the end of a movie version of Little Women which prompted my desire to re-read my old favorite, something I haven't done in many, many years.

My first introduction to Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy occurred at my grandmother's house in the books that once belonged to my mom and her brother and sister, Junior Deluxe Editions published in 1950. I read all three, many times over, curled up on the sofa at my grandmother's. Alcott's Under the Lilacs was also a part of my grandmother's library but for some reason I never read it, preferring I suppose the familiarity of my friend Jo and the rest of the March family. Like nearly every other girl who loved Little Women, I wanted to be Jo: passionate, impulsive, idealistic--in short, a writer. I'm not but I like remembering wanting to.

Upon my grandmother's death, my mom made sure I received her copy of Little Women, the one I am reading today. I am glad to have it, not only for the memories of the books itself and my girlish love of good story but because when I read it I remember my grandmother and our visits to her home.

Check out what other bloggers are reading by Louisa May Alcott over at 5 Minutes for Books!

In everything giving thanks-3

Continuing with a month's worth of thanksgiving, today I thank my God for the privilege of being a mom to four priority blessings. I want to specifically express my gratitude for my number four son (I plan to highlight my thanksgiving for each of my children in a post so I thought I'd go in reverse order since being fourth he is so often last)...

My baby isn't so much a baby anymore! He'll be turning ten next month and I can't hardly believe it! He and I are kindred spirits in that we are both true homebodies who would rather be home than anywhere else. He is, for the most part, laid back and easygoing (except when he's not). I am so grateful for his hugs and kisses which he still freely bestows and I thank God that He has granted me the blessing of being the mom to such a great kid...

Me and my baby at 2 years old:

At three:

Four years old:

Me and my boy when he was 5:

The two of us last month:

In everything giving thanks-2

Today I am grateful for my husband. Back when I first started blogging, I dedicated a post to things I love about my husband. It's worth re-posting here as I thank God for this man who has pledged to love me no matter what--and he does! He loves me though sometimes I wonder why. He is truly evidence of the Lord's goodness to the least deserving!

"Things I Love About My Husband." (Please note the list is not exhaustive, nor is it in any specific order...)

1. He loved me first.

2. He loves the Lord Jesus.

3. He makes me laugh.

4. He is a great Daddy to our four boys!

5. He works hard to take care of and provide for our family.

6. He is a man of honesty and integrity.

7. He is really smart, especially with all things technical and electronic.

8. He thinks everything I do is wonderful.

9. He never complains when the house is a mess, the dishes not washed, the clothes aren't clean, and we're having cereal for supper. Again.

10. Did I mention he makes me laugh?

11. He loves me still, after all these years and all these children and all those times he's seen me at my absolute worst.

I am blessed beyond measure and today, as every day for many years now, I am profoundly grateful for my husband.

In everything giving thanks-1

Rebecca of Rebecca Writes plans to celebrate Thanksgiving by noting something she is thankful for on each day of the month for the entire month of November, "giving thanks always and for everything to the God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus." (Eph. 5:20)

I too want to mark this month with the remembrances of the Lord's goodness to me and to others so for today, November 1, I am grateful that I have been saved by the glorious grace of a merciful God who has made me alive in Christ even when I was dead in my sin. My sin condemned me, yet in Him I have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of my sins according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon me...

I thank God for so great a salvation.

Want to express your gratitude this month? Rebecca invites whosoever will to join in:

Here are three ways you can join in the thanksgiving.

• Mention something you’re thankful for in the comments here and I’ll included it in one of my thanksgiving posts, or
• Email me to tell me what you’re thankful for and I’ll include it in a post, or
• Post your thankful thought(s) on your own blog, send me the link(s), and I’ll link to your post(s). If you plan to make your thanksgiving posts daily during the month, let me know that and you won’t need to send me daily links