Grace in the Midst

1070. Listening ears 1071. Loving hearts 1072. God working in me and through me - right through my mistakes and/or sin 1073. Brokenness 1074. God's word 1075. The emphasis of praise in His word 1076. Missing friends 1077. Holding back 1078. Recognizing fear 1079. Wise counsel 1080. Unconditional love

Psalm 106   1   Praise the LORD. [ a ]     Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good ;    his love endures forever.   2  Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD    or fully declare his praise? 3   Blessed are those who act justly,    who always do what is right.   4  Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people,    come to my aid when you save them, 5  that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,    that I may share in the joy of your nation    and join your inheritance in giving praise .   6  We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;    we have done wrong and acted wickedly. 7  When our ancestors were in Egypt,    they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses,    and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. [ b ] 8  Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,    to make his mighty power known. 9  He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;     he led them through the depths as through a desert. 10   He saved t

1057. Asking Cole what he wants to talk about - his answer - Jesus :) 1058. Cole finishing my sentences 1059. Knowing my Savior has experienced all types of pain, and I can come to Him daily 1060. Learning how to walk with Him and allow Him to lead 1061. Knowing He loves me no matter what and that there is absolutely NOTHING I could ever do (or not do) to lose his love. 1062. Hope in Him 1063. Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace. 1064. Knowing He's not finished with me yet 1065. Connecting with family despite the miles between us 1066. Hope and trust in situations that seem hopeless (especially in regards to sickness of loved ones) 1067. A down day - for some reason I enjoy my children even more on down days (perhaps because I don't strive to get much done...I just lounge around with my kids) 1068. A relationship with my husband that is continually growing in depth (despite our weaknesses) 1069. A relationship with God that is continually growing in depth (despite my weaknes

1047. Resilience of young children - turns out Cole broke his Collar bone, but he is doing amazing 1048. All of my children have all of their limbs (sounds silly, but watching Cole go about his day with one arm has reminded me once again how much we have to be thankful for) 1049. Blake helping his little brother 1050. An understanding doctor - the first thing he said was, don't worry about what I think (or something to that effect), I have 6 boys and I have been there 1051. Time with family, both immediate and extended 1052. Cousins (and Aunties) 1053. Cell phones 1054. My friend,  Victoria Crain , and all she is doing for Avonlea 1055. Daniel 11:33 "Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless"  Isn't it INCREDIBLE, that God is at work even through our mistakes...by the way I am not insinuating that I am wise (I have a feeling it works across the board :) ) 1056. Daniel 11:1 "I took my stand to support and prot

1036. Protection - Cole has taken a few rough falls lately, but is doing just fine. 1037. Peace in scary situations 1038. Feasting at the Lord's Table & at Matt's mom's table - yum!  So thankful for her hard work. 1039. Picking my husbands brain 1040. Learning from what he's learned 1041. God helping me find a balance between goal setting and Holy Spirit leading 1042. Early Christmas presents 1043. Blake's coloring pages - complete with his name 1044. Cole's admiration for Blake 1045. Avonlea's growth & her new found talent (sticking out her tongue) 1046. Snail mail from someone who cares

1025. Learning more about God's sovereignty 1026. Making changes in a spirit of obedience rather than a spirit of fear and/or control 1027. A friend taking the time to reach out and ask how I am doing - really. 1028. Being able to answer her honestly that I am doing well (even through times of sadness), because God is truly at work in my heart, soul and mind...and then learning so much from her words of wisdom and encouragement. 1029. Sacrifices that aren't really sacrifices 1030. Avonlea "catching up" 1031. Enjoying Blake, Cole and Avonlea more every day 1032. Being truly hungry for the word of God 1033. Being truly hungry for wholesome food 1034. The beauty of snow falling - and the reminder that with Christ we are truly - white as snow 1035. Knowing that I am not alone in my journey

1 Peter 5b - 7 All of you , clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble .”[a] 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand , that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  I started to write out my thoughts regarding this scripture (which are many), but because I have so little time this morning I am going to write it as a prayer.  What does writing it as a prayer have to do with time?  Well, if I solely write my thoughts I may or may not come away in a spirit of hope.  If I pray (and even ask you to join me) I can almost guarantee I will come away in a spirit of hope.  If you are reading this and are a believer, I'd like to ask you to read it in a spirit of prayer...for me (and for yourself if you ever struggle with anxiety).  If you are not a believer, thank you for caring enough about me to continue reading. Father God, thank Y

"1 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;   make known among the nations what he has done.  2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;   tell of all his wonderful acts."  1010. That God works - even through consequences  1011. A healthy, happy little girl, who knows what she wants  1012. Trying my best, my best not working - God still working  1013. Experiencing some of the good things God has to offer when I "open wide my mouth" ( "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things" Psalm 81:10.)  1014. My precious husband who keeps picking up the multiple balls I'm dropping  1015. Realizing (as I typed the last line) that I am not necessarily dropping balls, I'm just a mother of 3 young kids who can't do all our culture says I can  1016. A friend's thankful list - and her taking the time to share it with me.  1017. Rocking & singing Cole to sleep (well, almost asleep)  1018. Blake asking me to do the same for him...

Somewhere along the line I fell into the belief that most things that seem good must come from God and most things that seem bad must come from the enemy.  However, I never really focused on the WONDERFUL gifts that God pours out every day. I also thought quite a bit about all the seemingly negative things in this life.    However as I am growing in my faith and getting in the word more I am seeing more and more that God is the author of all things. He gives uncountable good things...and sometimes painful things.  It sure is neat to look back in the word and see how even the painful things were all a part of an overall plan to bring good things for His people. How do you see God?  Do you see the wonderful things He gives every day?  Do you trust Him through the painful things? 1 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;   make known among the nations what he has done.  2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;   tell of all his wonderful acts.  3 Glory in his holy name;  let

1001. God's tender mercy 1002. The way He continually pours out  good things  whether or not we take the time to fully receive them 1003. Being overwhelmed, begging Him for help...and, Him providing it in so many ways 1004. Learning that I can not pour out unless I receive 1005. The words of an old hymn running through my mind regularly "I know whom I believed and He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" 1006. The story behind the hymn. 1007. Tea and prayer with a friend - via skype 1008. Mothers Milk Tea and Steel cut oats 1009. The precious gift of Avonlea who is more than worth cutting this blog short (as she is hungry).