A Thanksgiving Offering

November 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment

*I won’t be posting next week during Thanksgiving but will be back on Nov. 27. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

We’ll find Thanksgiving on the calendar next week, but we can be active in thanksgiving all month long, can’t we? Yes, every day is a good day to give thanks. May my following Thanksgiving offering help us all give full voice to our thanks. Hope you’re blessed by it, friends!

A Thanksgiving Offering

“Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9 NIV

Think of your many blessings, tell God daily you’re grateful, talk about what he’s done for you, and thirst for a life that pleases him.

Humbly give glory to the most high God, honor him for his deeds, hold his name in high esteem, and help others like he has helped you.

Acknowledge the Giver of all you have, appreciate the gifts he gives, ask for his continued blessing, and adore him every day.

Name God’s mercies in your life, notice him at work around you, nourish your spirit with thoughts of him, and never forget his kindnesses.

Keep as memories God’s wonderful deeds, know his limitless grace, kneel before him in love and devotion, and knit your heart with his in times of sweet communion.

Sing because of his love so amazing, sacrifice your praise to him, see the Light behind the clouds, and simply live for his glory.

*What would you like to give thanks for today? 

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out Nov. 1st. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by mathewingram, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: blessing, celebrate, faith, giving, holidays, prayer, thanks Tagged With: , , , , ,

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Living a Life of Gratitude

November 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Do you desire to live a life ever-flowing with gratitude? This month’s installment of my blog series featuring sentence prayers that invite God’s power into important aspects of our lives will help you achieve that very desire.

Since we celebrate Thanksgiving in November and many of us focus on thanks all month long, I hope these sentence prayers for living a life of gratitude will help our hearts grow even deeper in the life-transforming practice of thankfulness. May you be blessed, friends, as you voice these prayers in your own lives!

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Living a Life of Gratitude

  1. Father, help me to be ever aware of your presence, remembering that you’re my past, my present, and my future. (Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5)
  2. Lord, help me always proclaim, “Father, thank you for sending; Jesus, thank you for coming; Spirit, thank you for staying!” (John 3:17, Luke 2:11, John 14:16-17)
  3. Father, I trust that you are causing everything that happens in my life to work together for good. (Romans 8:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
  4. Lord, when life is hard, remind me to notice all the good things in my life, including the blessings I usually take for granted. (Psalm 112:4, James 1:17)
  5. Father, draw my attention daily to the beauty of your world and cause me to ever rejoice in its wonders. (Psalm 65:5-13, Psalm 104)
  6. Father, may I always be grateful for the work you’ve given me to do, for the way it meets needs, and for the opportunity to glorify you through it. (Ecclesiastes 5:19, Colossians 3:23)
  7. Lord, I embrace your sovereign plan for my life and rest in the peace that comes from trusting you completely. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:12)

As we live our lives with gratitude, may they shine with the grace and peace of God and be used to draw others to him!

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NIV

*Which of the above prayers do you most need to pray right now?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by maltzevans, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: blogs, faith, holidays, life, prayer, thanks, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Let’s Give Ourselves a Time Out—For Gratitude!

June 20, 2017 by 4 Comments

Too often we wait until November, the month of thanks—or even the very end of the year—to focus on things we’re grateful for, but let’s take a time out to do it today.

After all, we should have thankful hearts all year long, right? Sometimes we let life blaze past us, forgetting to truly appreciate and express gratitude for the blessings in our lives. So let’s do our best from now on to continually cultivate thankful hearts—and we can start by being intentional about it today.

Since we’ve almost reached the midpoint of 2017, let’s each give some thought to the top ten things we’re most grateful for so far this year. Limiting it to this year will help us focus our thoughts on the most recent events in our lives rather than thinking of the general things that always come to mind when giving thanks.

Here’s my Top Ten Gratitude List thus far for 2017:

  1. I’m thankful for being able to trust God for the outcome of a big personal prayer concern as well as some work-related concerns. So grateful for the peace and rest I find in trusting him.
  2. I’m thankful for the times we’ve spent with our daughters, sons-in-law, and two sets of twin grandsons. So thankful for sweet baby smiles and little boy laughter, for snuggly cuddles and precious hugs. Thankful for trips to the zoo and for seeing baby milestones achieved.
  3. I’m thankful my dad, my sister Carolyn, and I got to go meet the newest member of our extended family—Jaxon, my niece Joanna’s baby and my sister Janice’s first grandbaby.
  4. I’m thankful for God’s Word and how he has used it to guide me and to strengthen and encourage me and how he’s allowed me to share it with others through my writing.
  5. I’m thankful to have reached one of my main author marketing goals for the year—participating in bridal fairs.  This has been a challenge because of high vendor fees, but God has led me to two so far on the lower end of the expense spectrum.
  6. I’m thankful for safe travel in all my trips to see our grandkids and also travel associated with my writing. For example, on one trip to Little Rock, I had three close calls on the interstate. I don’t take safe travel for granted.
  7. I’m thankful for the beautiful job Stephanie Wheatley of Wheatley Design did on the Wedding Inspiration cards I developed. Also very thankful for God’s leading in this project as well as my daughter Kristin’s help with various aspects of it.
  8. I’m thankful for good health for Don and me through cold and flu season. Also very thankful that God kept our grandbabies protected from the flu.
  9. I’m thankful for a quick getaway to Branson with Don in May. It had been over five years since we had been there. It was so good to enjoy Silver Dollar City once again—a place where my entire family has many great memories together.
  10. And finally, I’m thankful Don is carrying a lighter teaching load in summer school this summer. Since his Microbiology class is filled beyond capacity, he could never have kept up with all the extra work that causes plus teach Anatomy & Physiology the way he normally does as well.

So there’s my top ten—how about yours? I think you’ll find that when you get started, it will be hard to stop at ten!

“Come and see what God has done, the amazing things he has done for people.” Psalm 66:5 NCV

*What are you grateful for so far in 2017?

*Flickr photo by RnD.de.Portraits, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: action, blessing, life, memories, praise, thanks Tagged With: , ,

An Overflowing Heart for Thanksgiving

November 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

3339606759_265dc7c515Aren’t you thankful for a month when we can celebrate thankfulness? A month when all across our vast nation we each remember the blessings we have and offer God thanks for them?

The details of our thanks may vary from year to year, but the underlying truth remains the same—the countless gifts God gives fill our hearts with thanks and praise.

 I originally shared the poem “Overflowing Heart” on my blog in November 2007 (the first Thanksgiving after I started blogging), but it’s filled with even more truth and meaning for me today as God has continued to pour blessings into my life. Yes, today my heart overflows even more.

May my “Overflowing Heart” give rise to your own this holiday season. And may God continue to bless you all richly, my friends!

Overflowing Heart

On this Thanksgiving Day
My heart is overflowing,
The blessings in my life, dear Lord,
Just seem to keep on growing.

How can I ever thank you,
Where can I begin,
To show my appreciation
For the forgiveness of my sin?

Apart from you I am nothing,
No glory is my own,
From your hand comes all I have,
Your goodness I’ve always known.

My health, my home, my family,
You’ve given me by grace,
Help me, Lord, to give them back
To serve you in life’s race.

Oh God of all the universe,
I will ever sing your praise,
I will forever thank you,
I will honor you all of my days!

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life . . .” Psalm 23:5-6a NIV

*What blessings are you especially thankful for today?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out early this month. It’s not too late to receive it. I feature a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue so don’t miss out. Sign-up is free on the right sidebar!

*I won’t be posting during the holiday week next week. See you back here on the 29th!

*Flickr photo by Sangre-La.com, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, blessing, Gift, holidays, poem, praise, prayer, thanks Tagged With: , ,

A Mother of the Bride’s Thanksgiving Prayer

November 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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May this Mother of the Bride’s Prayer of Thanksgiving help you express to God what’s in your heart this year, dear MOB!

Dear Lord,

My heart is filled with thanksgiving this year as I help my precious daughter prepare for her wedding. These are once-in-a-lifetime days, and I’m so grateful to be sharing such an exciting journey with her. Thank you, Lord, for granting us this amazing time together.

Father, as I see my sweet girl take on this new role of bride-to-be and soon-to-be wife, my heart swells afresh with love for her. Not only has she grown into a beautiful woman, she has become a funny, smart, kind, and loving person. I am so very proud of her and I thank you, Lord, for allowing me the great privilege of being her mom.

And how can I ever thank you for bringing such a fine young man into her life to be the love of her life and share the rest of her days with her? I pray that you’ll draw them even closer to one another in these months preceding their wedding. Help them form a bond that nothing will ever break, and help them to always look to you and desire to honor you in their marriage and in all that they do.

Lord, help me to be a mother of the bride who is truly helpful and encouraging in every way. Help me to be the support that my daughter needs now and help me to develop a sweet and loving relationship with my soon-to-be son-in-law. I pray I will be a mother they can always count on and a friend who will walk with them through whatever the future may hold. Help me to be a blessing to them, Lord!

Yes, Lord, my heart is filled with thanksgiving this year. How I thank and praise you!

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3

*You might also like to read Spirit and Soul Refreshment for the Mother of the Bride. And from my home page, you might like A Prayer for Couples You Know.

*Since the readership of this blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post from November 2014 is a real blessing to you today, MOB!

*Also note I won’t be posting next week during the holiday week but will see you back here on the 29th. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

*It’s not too late to receive the current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter. I offer a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue so don’t miss out. Sign-up is free on the right sidebar!

*Flickr photo by JFXie, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: blessing, bride, faith, family, holidays, life, love, Mother of the Bride, prayer, thanks Tagged With: , , , ,
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