GRATITUDE 59 Friday campout

Perfect weather
Extra time with Jack today
A playmate for Jack
A tent for Christmas from my fun-loving in-laws
The fun of setting it up with two five year old boys this afternoon
A safe backyard for my kids to play
A camp out with my two big kids
stars

Fridays are normally sleepover night for my kiddos, which means they take turns sleeping in each other's rooms.  They love it...well, the idea of it.  Sometimes it works and other times they end up back in their own beds.  Tonight we are opting for a campout in the back yard as our sleep over.  I'll be joining them!

GRATITUDE 58 Reminders I needed today

"Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more." Romans 5:20

"And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Mark 2:17

Thankful today for these truths...  Today, my sinful heart needs to remember the abounding grace of the Lord that covers me...that Jesus came for such as me!!

GRATITUDE 57 God's good earth

GRATITUDE 56 Legos in my dishwasher

Thankful today for this cute face

 for the way he helps me with the dishes

 For a visit from friends, and the peaceful afternoon we had

For a spontaneous dinner with them,
for time to visit with Ellie, my china roomie, this weekend!  That she and I could just pick up where we left off!
For a cardinal by my backdoor
For doctors and modern medicine
For sprouts and sprouts and more sprouts...somehow I am surprised it's actually working! HE HE
For God's AMAZING design of the earth.  incredible
For time to rest and think on his heart of love

GRATITUDE 55 A Daddy

Thankful today for this Daddy who
wrestles
prays
reads
sings
confesses
leads
spanks
tickles
serves
comforts

GRATITUDE 54 He chooses better for me

I love this quote.  And on days when I face some of the difficulty and brokenness God allows in our life, I remember this and am encouraged.  Thankful today for this TRUTH!!!

"How happy are they who can resign all to him, see his hand in every dispensation and believe that he chooses better for them than they could possibly for themselves."  John Newton

Thankful today that I can (by his grace) resign certain hard things to God
That I can by his grace, see his hand in the hard dispensations of our life
Thankful that he DOES choose better for me than I could for myself.
Thankful that he gives me hard things when it's truly best for me.

Thankful for the joy and peace I have knowing that my ALL LOVING FATHER has chosen better for me than I could possibly for myself.

That brings a joy that is not dependent on my circumstance.  And that is a gift.

Thankful.

GRATITUDE 53 Marriage Olympics

Thankful today for the fun of leading our newly marrieds group.

For Marriage Olympics...This week's event...couples puzzles. (Each week, the couples will be competing in an Olympic Event that will test their marriages to the max!!! The Prize at the end of 8 weeks...a date night on us!

That God created fun!

 For the blessing these friends are to our kiddos.


For God's faithfulness to us in our marriages.

 The competition was intense!!

The winning couple with the creator of this week's event, EG!! 

GRATITUDE 52 33 years

Today thankful for 33 years of LIFE....a gift
Mercy and grace following me all the days of my life.
Cards from my kids and husband
People who love me and expressed it today!
Joy of being alive
Loving neighbors who celebrated with me!!!
That one of the hardest years of my life was full of God's faithfulness and his nearness EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Gratitude 51 Bosses

Thankful today for:

One of Andy's bosses who came over last night to hang out and see how Andy is doing.
One of Andy's bosses who took him out to breakfast thing morning to see how Andy is doing.
Bosses who care so much.
The organization we work for and how well we are cared for
The incredible privilege it is to work full time doing what we do
God's work in friends lives...we saw it clearly today and earlier this week
A husband who "gets it"  when I just need to order fast food for dinner
No throwing up today....we had lots yesterday
A friend who could help me at the last minute
My loving mother-in-law

GRATITUDE 50 Sprouts

Spinach
Basil
Tomato
Onion
Flowers

All Sprouting.  Amazing.

Thankful for sun, and plants, and life giving food and for God's whole system- incredible.

Now only 60-100 days to grow and survive all the bugs, slugs, squirrels, fungi, etc. and then I can give thanks for eating our produce!

GRATITUDE 49 Tuesday Thanks

sunny weather
A teacher who corrects with love and prays for my child
Neighbors stopping by
Neighbors-what a blessing
The courage God gave Andy when he needed it today
Quiet this morning

GRATITUDE 48 Monday Thanks

Thankful today

for sunny weather
for heart to heart conversation on my my back patio
for the hope the gospel brings to relationships
for popcorn with my kids and a friend
for the way my kids reached out to a hurting friend
for Andy's extra help on the kids day off of school

GRATITUDE 47 Sunday thanks

Snuggles with my big kids before bed.  A heart that actually wanted to snuggle rather than just get them to bed as quickly as possible which is my norm.
Conviction of drinking from a well that will never quench my thirst.  Realizing I've been going to this well for most of my life and that it really has a grip on my heart.  The comfort that he loves me still.  The hope that he will change me.
.Dirt. Amazing
Spinach sprouts.  Amazing.
Safety for my kids in our neighborhood for the past three years
A sunny fall-like day
A pastor who preaches God's word to us faithfully.
A pastor who is  seeking to have his thirst quenched from the well of living water.
A pastor who is sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, after the death of his son.
Grace to keep fighting for a grateful heart.  Some days it's really hard

GRATITUDE 46 Newlyweds

After they left last night, Andy and I were lying in bed both struck by what a privilege it is for us to lead this newlyweds group.  It's an honor, a privilege and a weighty task.  Some of them have known each other for years and are more like old married couples.  Others, just a few months and are experiencing the thrills of falling in love.

For the honor of leading this group, I am thankful and I realize I don't deserve it.  For a thousand reasons I don't deserve it.  I am a sinner and that has never been more obvious than in my marriage.  Andy and I have seen God do remarkable things in our own hearts and in our marriage.

So we lead this group with humility, knowing that all good things in our marriage are by his grace and that the honor of speaking into their marriages is only by his grace.

We lead this group with hope, knowing that the challenges these three couples may face in their marriages and just in life in  general could be great, but that our God's grace is greater. Andy and I know this from experience.  Whether an inward trial or an outward trial, HIS GRACE IS GRATER. In ten years of marriage we have seen that his transforming grace is greater than the inward trials we have faced due to our own sinful hearts.  And we have seen that his sustaining grace is greater than the outward trials we have/are facing due to living in a fallen and broken world.

We lead this group with expectant hearts, knowing that God will do mighty things for his glory as we seek his will for our marriages.

And finally, we lead this group with excitement, because we think marriage is awesome and because these couples are deep, and fun, and interesting, (and some of the women are feisty!) and  they are all EAGER to learn how to put Christ at the center of their marriages.

THANKFUL THANKFUL
FOR THIS GROUP.
For Andy
For marriage
For the greater reality marriage represents
For God's transforming and sustaining grace in our own marriage
That the same grace is available to each of these couples
For the chance to keep growing in our own marriage

GRATITUDE 45 TRUE LOVE

Thankful today

For sweet notes from my kids at breakfast
For a card that had chopsticks on it from my hubby and the kind note inside
For how excited my kids were over heart pancakes and dollars in their cards from grandparents
For a delicious dinner with my husband after the kids went to bed
For the love God continues to grow in our marriage
For knowing the source of true love and the way he enables Andy and I to keep loving each other
For an extremely encouraging and insightful conversation with a wiser older woman
That God has provided her to lead and encourage me in my journey

GRATITUDE 44 From today

Coffee.  Coffee.  Coffee. 

B and C vitamins and getting enough of them today.

Not feeling well today and Judah played and played while I rested.  

Andy.  He took the time to have a heart conversation with one of our kids this morning that was needed.  

Resolution in a conflict.

A playdate with friends after school.  The fresh faith of this mom that really encourages me.  

Sweet Christina coming home with us after school to help me.

Money for groceries-it's my shopping day

Several phone conversations with my mom over the course of her snowy day! love that lady!!!

The God of the seasons.  How he brings wonders like snow.  

A picture on my desktop of my parents yard covered in snow.

That God loves to use his people to accomplish his work.  

That the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit, has produced in me faith, love, and hope.  

That the God who upholds the universe has covenanted himself to me and promises to always do good to me.  His lovingkindness is greater than the heavens.  

GRATITUDE 43 From my journal

Peanut Butter
John Piper
Hudson Taylor
Being a part of God's kingdom work because of his mercy to me

GRATITUDE 42 Generous Givers

This morning I mailed out 20ish thank you notes to people who recently gave generously and faithfully to our family and ministry.

Thankful for these people.For their hearts to give sacrificially for God's kingdom work.

Thankful for the fact that we have never lacked anything as a family.  NEVER. EVER.

Thankful for the mercy to be able to participate in his kingdom work full time.  We are unworthy.

Thankful for the grace to be thankful for their gifts today and for forgiveness for the many times I have not had a heart of gratitude.

GRATITUDE 41 Monday Mornings

Me. Coffee. My Bible. My Ipod.  4 hours all to myself.

Thankful Thankful for a morning of rest each week.  I love this time.  I love that God has given us the gift of Sabbath.

Thankful that he never fails to bring refreshment and encouragement to me as I embrace his gift of rest.

GRATITUDE 40 Our Pizza Garden

Handy Manny Andy built our first raised bed today and we planted our pizza garden!

Thankful for money to buy the items we needed
For Andy's ability to build this thing
For a fun family outing to Home Depot
For a sunny day
For seeds from Tim
For the kids' excitement over our garden
How truly amazing seeds are...I mean really.
That God spoke all of this into existence with the word of his power.  I mean really.

GRATITUDE 39 These Women

These are the women whom Andy and I are privileged to work alongside.  

Thankful for these women, a yummy breakfast at my favorite hometown diner, and the encouragement and inspiration being with them brings to me.

GRATITUDE 38 This moment

GRATITUDE 37 Hard Gifts

Among the MANY awesome gifts that I am busy recording each day, there are a few gifts in particular that take faith for me to thank God for.  It's easy to thank God for fun moments with my children, beauty in my backyard, and dates with my hubby.  These are certainly gifts of grace from my generous and loving heavenly Father. 

But there are other things-hard things-that appear at first to not be gifts at all.  Until I recall (again and again) this promise.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

ALL THINGS are working for my good. That means the hard things.  My Father is totally in control of the easy and the difficult gifts he dispenses to me.  And he knows what my heart needs most...the 'no' to a pleasing gift is the 'yes' to a greater gift...he's using the difficult gifts to give me the things my heart needs most. So really, the hardest gifts are often the most loving.  

So today, as I faced (once again) something that continues to cause me stress and pain, I thanked him, by faith, for this gift.

And honestly, the more I recall this promise and the more I purposefully pronounce my thanks for this gift, I find a deep joy, apart from circumstances...a gift in itself.  

Thank you God for the hard gifts of today.  

GRATITUDE 36 Kind in all his works!

Cried tears of gratefulness today thinking about God's faithfulness to me in the area of friendship.

A few of our closest friends have left or are leaving our church for various reasons.  (moving, trying a new church model, etc)  Excited for them and for what God has for them, but it's a bummer for me.

So I have been expectantly waiting for how the Lord would open up new friendships in our church for me.  After relocating from China, GOD BLEW US OUT OF THE WATER with the faithful, intimate way he gave friendships that fit our needs so perfectly.  So this time around, (by his grace) I haven't been worried, I've just been....expectant.

And I am seeing him provide.  He's opening doors for new friendships and I am grateful.  Just reminded again and again that his heart is kind.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.  Psalm 145:17

GRATITUDE 35 Mangrove trees and feeling small

fresh vegetables

making a pot of my grandma's veggie soup this morning

all the memories I have of being well fed and well loved at her table

The weather was beautiful this morning....tempting us to head to the beach, so we did.  Got Emma Grace out of school early and headed to the beach with our  buddies, the Wilhoits.

Thankful today for 

a friend who loves last minute beach runs as much as I do

not running out of gas 

mangrove trees

a beautiful clear day

the ocean

watching Grapes diligently collect shells and then make a shell store

watching Jack happily dig in the sand with friends

watching Judah play in a puddle for an hour

feeling small.  It's good for the soul, I think.  

feeling the sun

feeling the sand

feeling tired and clean after a shower

GRATITUDE 34 A New Friend

Thankful today for a new friend that God has given me, and her son who Jack loves.  A very kind blessing from God!

GRATITUDE 33 A shoe full of cheerios

I found a Judah shoe full of cheerios.  












EG told me I talk like Linus from Charlie Brown.

Jack told me he thinks he has spring fever. Have no idea if he even knows what that is!

Thankful for silly moments with each of my kiddos.

GRATITUDE 32 Chinese New Year

For the last several years, Chinese New Year has been hard for Andy and me.  See, when you live in a place for 7 years, it just becomes part of you.  And upon moving to the US, things like Chinese New Year brought back a flood of memories of our life there.  And with the memories came grief.   Life here felt empty, and we longed for all that "was."  We missed our home, the food, the people, (I still miss our apartment.)  We had dreams of living there for a long long time...but the Lord had other plans.  

But this year has felt different.  So much healing has happened.  And though we miss China, we can look back on our time there with gratitude and a lot less sadness.  Now we have dear Chinese friends to celebrate with.  We feel at home here and we love much of our life here so it feels fun to celebrate a part of our old life...without threatening to undo us emotionally.  So this year has been our best Chinese New Year yet.  

I am thankful for a red table cloth and table decorated with fun Chinese items we brought with us and some that friends have sent/given to us.

I am thankful for a night to celebrate with our dearest Chinese friends here, Liu Yi and Zeno.

I am thankful for the happiness of my chop-stick wielding husband as he ate some of our favorite dishes tonight.  

I am thankful for how much my kids LOVE chinese food.  

I am thankful for the way China has made all of us vegetable lovers.

I am thankful for the way China calls me to remember....to remember that there are people yet to hear of the love of Christ.  The way China calls me to pray.

Thankful for the bonds of friendship forged in our time there.  Like family.  

I am thankful for the way our Chinese friends  here bless my children over and over.

I am thankful that God gave us the gift of living there for such a long time.  THAT IS A MERCY.

I am thankful that his ways are higher than mine, his plan so much better.  

I am thankful for the way China has made me live more as a cultural outsider here, reminding me my home is in heaven.

I am thankful for the crushed dream of not getting to live there now, as it is a constant reminder that I am not in control of my life...and that my very wise all knowing Father is!  

Thankful for the way my house smells spicy and a little smokey right now after cooking Chinese!

Thankful for beauty of this ancient culture.

Thankful for all the Chinese knick-knacks I found at a yard sale...from a woman who had traveled in China many years ago.