WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY!

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
(Isaiah 40:26)


Stop by the 160 Acre Woods for more Wordfilled Wednesday.

Why not join us this morning?!

THANKFUL THURSDAY!

I'm joining Sonya at Truth 4 The Journey and a host of others again this week in sharing 5 things for which I am thankful today!

1) Our son is coming home from school! We've really missed having him here and it will be great to have him home for a couple of months while he waits for his new session to start. (Our dog will be especially excited to see him!)

2) The three little ones I care for are all healthy after a couple of rough weeks passing a virus back and forth to each other.

3) Monday is the official start of the last course I need to complete to receive my certificate in Advanced Congregational Leadership:-)

4) The sky - every morning and every evening has been so glorious to behold! One morning the moon hung there against a slate backdrop. I had to stop and just look at it for a few moments.

5) My Savior, Jesus Christ. He hears me when I call out to Him. He answers me in ways I never imagined He would.

What are you thankful for today? Join us!

IT'S THANKFUL THURSDAY TIME!

After you read my list, stop over at Truth 4 The Journey and see Sonya's list and link to everyone else participating in this great meme.

I'm so glad I didn't have time to post this until this afternoon because I have more to be thankful for than I did this morning! Isn't that wonderful?!

1) I'm thankful the sun is shining! It is so pretty this afternoon. The air is fresh and clear and I just can't help but rejoice in the beauty of the day.

2) I'm thankful I saw the sunrise this morning. From my kitchen window I looked out to see a red-streaked sky - just breathtaking.

3) I'm thankful that I finished writing my first column for Christian Women Take Root (with a quick critique from a dear Christian sister/writer). It will be posted in the next couple of weeks.

4) I have had several opportunities to help writer friends with everything from proofreading to critiquing. It's a blessing to help other writers in the journey.

5) I'm thankful for God's unfathomable grace won for me and you by His Son.

What are you thankful for today?

Rainbows and Blessings Large and Small

While I have not been diligent about posting a list of my blessings, there have been many lately. The most recent came on the back porch of the family for which I nanny. Yesterday afternoon all the children and I were on the back porch. The boys were playing with their trucks, their sister was coloring and I had just put my feet up, set my head back and looked up - to see if I could find interesting clouds to point out or other phenomena in the sky.

Directly overhead I saw what I thought was a very faint rainbow! It was so odd because we've had no rain and none is predicted. It was a clear day with whispy, thin clouds, almost like spider webs in the sky. When I looked up again to verify my eyes weren't simply playing tricks on me, it was still there--this time very clear and vivid! It extended exactly the length of the house-well, I know it was much larger than that, but from my vantage point, that is where it rested. It was there for about 5 minutes and then it was gone.

Now being of Irish descent, I know just how lucky rainbows are! I also understand the biblical significance of the rainbow (Genesis 9:12)-a reminder of God's covenant with the earth. Wow! Lucky and blessed! Yes, I am both.

No, life isn't perfect--and some days it's downright tough. But God is in the heavens and He sends us reminders of that truth. We just need to look for them.

I also continue to be blessed with ideas and opportunities for enlarging my ministry. I have a blank journal for sale as well as Scripture verse card decks. I'm finalizing my poetry/devotional book for publication soon. I continue to receive free-lance writing work and other opportunities that contribute to our financial well-being.

God is so very good. He surrounds and enfolds us in His love and grace every single day. We just need to remember to look for the blessings He sends our way. Actually, sometimes they appear out of "nowhere" like a rainbow on a beautiful, sunny, early autumn afternoon.

1 Chronicles 16:31-Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"