One Thousand Gifts - 4

We are on Spring Break this week. The girls are enjoying a week with their grandparents and Chad and I are home preparing for Friday's move.

Our house is quiet. So I sort, wrap and place our belongings into boxes in quiet. It's a process I do not like. But at the same time I love that this process makes me purge and toss out the clutter. It is somewhat refreshing.

This week my heart is full and grateful for so many things.

53. Rain
54. Emma. (Who turned 10 on Saturday!)
55. The family that spent the weekend celebrating Emma with us.
56. A little over 100 children I was privileged to direct last night in our Spring Musical. ("Happily Forever After") They make my heart so happy.
57. Chloe's text messages to me.
58. Simple dinners with Chad.
59. Toile
60. The things God is teaching me during the moving process.

Thank you for stopping by today. You have been prayed for!

Blessings,
stephanie

What's Running Through My Brain Today

We are knee deep in bubble wrap and brown boxes.

Next week, we move. We are so excited, but today, I'm about overwhelmed at all that's left to do before the movers come.

These are the lyrics running through my head, so I thought I would post them. Love this old hymn.

All the way my Savior leads me,
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.


Thank you God for songwriters like Francis Crosby! Oh to write a lyric that over 100 years from now, someone is encouraged by.

My favorite line:
This my song through endless ages: Jesus led me all the way.

He is certainly leading us right now and I do believe He has given me a new theme song.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Praying you will follow Jesus wherever he leads.

blessings,
s.

One Thousand Gifts -3

It's Monday again! (Well, it's actually Sunday evening, but we have a busy couple of days so I'm preparing an automatic post for Monday.)

I received Ann's book in the mail from a dear Blogging friend last week! I am in the middle of another book, but I cracked it open last night and was quickly taken.

So, this book begins my list for the week.

42. One Thousand Gifts!!
43. Our new pastor and his family.
44. Friends who "get" you and are okay to just pray w/out needing all the details.
45. Birds nests
46. New journals. (the smell and cracking sound before they are broken in.)
47. Emma realizing today God is answering a prayer she's been praying all school year.
48. Two precious nieces that talk my ear off on the phone.
48. Hershey's Caramel creamer (international delight)
49. Monogrammed items
50. God's gift at 3:00 AM on March 20. Will never forget it. NEVER.EVER.
51. Nancy Drew
52. Bev Brandon- I'm praying one day we can worship in the same church. She oozes God.


I pray that this week, you realize how much our God loves you. You are so precious to him.

Thanks so much for stopping in!

s.

Little By Little

I'm using the daily reading plan in my study Bible this year. The goal is to read through the Bible this year. I have been amazed at how the passages for the day line up with the Bible study we are doing on Thursday evenings.

This morning, part of the reading had me in Exodus 23. Verses 23-32 were so in line with what we are studying right now. I loved that. (Also in Psalm 78 and that totally wrapped up the last couple of weeks. But that is another post.)

As much as seeing God orchestrate the passages to go along with our study thrills my heart, that was not what stuck out to me this morning.

Exodus 23:29-30 was the zinger for today.

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.

God is referring to the Hivites, the Canaanites and other "ites" who are currently occupying the Promised Land. What struck me was that God could have blinked and removed these idol worshipping enemies of his people from their Promised Land, but he didn't.

He told them it would be a process. Why? So that the land would not become desolate. They needed that land healthy, not overrun with weeds. Even though he could blink and make them all go away, he knew his people needed time. Time to increase before they possessed the land. Just blinking it into being was not beneficial for the land OR his people. There were things they still needed to do and learn before they were ready to enter their Promised Land.

Little by little. As we have been asking God to show us our idols and then taking steps to remove them, I am so thankful God is that way with me.

He is firm enough to say, "this has to go" but gentle enough to work it out little by little. (And then we work on the next thing.)

Little by little.

One step closer to entering the Promised Land.

Not a Detour After All

I posted here that I felt like God has us on a detour. I called it a detour because the circumstances in our life right now are so off my map or plan that it feels like a detour.

Shortly after I posted, I began to get a holy nudge that I was wrong. Wrong about calling this path a detour. Here's dictionary (dot) com's definition of detour

a roundabout or circuitous way or course, especially one used temporarily when the main route is closed.

an indirect or roundabout procedure, path, etc.


Detours are the gravel side streets used when the main road is closed. They are "Plan B" when the GPS has to recalculate...

But my God does not have a Plan B for me. He doesn't need to recalculate.

This thing we are walking through is not unplanned. Even as difficult and uncomfortable as it is, God has known since before creation we would be traveling this path. He knows our heart. That my friend is enough to make this journey less traumatic.

I shared with you that my first memory verse for March was Isaiah 30:21. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

This is my new verse. It has been in no less than 4 different places over the last two weeks. I KNEW it was my next focus verse.

Deut. 8:3

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that HE might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

I can hardly wait to share with you how he has sustained us. How he has directed our steps. He is so good, and....

He is enough.

A Charming Birthday

Over the last two months several of you have joined thousands of others in prayer for Joanne. Some of you had never heard of her before January 11, but you prayed. I believe with all my heart God's heart has been moved by the prayers of his people on behalf of Joanne. DON'T STOP!!!!

Today is Joanne's Birthday!!! SO....

At the request (and wonderful idea!) of her friend Janna, it's Charm Bracelet day!!

The first time I met Joanne was in San Antonio. She was wearing her beautiful silver charm bracelet. It reminded me so much of my Grandmother's. Full of charms representing different parts of life and special memories made along the way.

Not too long ago, my grandmother gave me her silver charm bracelet. It is full of history of our family and her life.



Joanne's is MUCH "charmier" than mine. (It has more charms.) I know that each one is special and holds a special memory. It is a beautiful reflection of her journey so far. If that piece of jewelery could talk I bet it could tell some great stories!

Reminds me of Joanne's life. She is a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend. But first of all, a daughter of the Most High. She is crazy about her Savior. THAT is what I most admire about her.

Joanne,

Happy Birthday! I am SO very honored to call you friend. I smile everytime I pray for you because you are physical evidence that our God is the healer. He DOES hear and answer. Your life is drawing many to his side. I am waiting with great anticipation at the work he has planned for you.

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

Love,
Steph.

One Thousand Gifts -2

So much to be thankful for this afternoon. God has answered a huge prayer for us today. HUGE. More on that later in the week.

For today, I'm so thankful for the following:

21. So grateful to be part of women's ministry team "Freedom's Call".
22. Watching God work in the hearts of women.
23. Sunrise over the water.
24. God's hands.
24. Our toy poodle Paddington.
25. Blogging friends/Siesta's.
26. My girl's giggle. (The "I can't catch my breath I'm so tickled" giggle.)
27. Tulips
28. Apple Dumplings
29. Mexican food
30. Tuesday night prayer time at our church.
31. Radical (by David Platt)
32. New and unexpected friends
33. When God brings to mind a verse that you have memorized at just the right time.
34. HGTV.
35. Finding a good deal on anything.
36. The German lady that bags my groceries each week. She is just precious.
37. Kissing Chad
38. Hugs from my girls.
39. Grandmother's charm bracelet.
40. Mamaw's china.
41. Navy Blue
(The last two were given to me in the last year. I am so thankful to have something from each of my grandmothers.)

One Thousand Gifts - The Start of My List

At the top of my book wish list is Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts.
(Jesus Calling is right underneath it.) I'm seeing lots blogging friends post some of their list. It's quite simple, a list of "gifts" that they are thankful for. I loved this and decided to start.

1. Salvation
2. My piano
3. Godly parents
4. Chad
5. Chloe and Emma
6. My brown leather chair and ottoman (my most favorite place to study)
7. The smell of home when you've been gone all day
8. Red shoes
9. Pink shoes
10.My in-laws patio in Florida. (I love their backyard. Palm trees and citrus trees fill their yard.)
11.Early morning time with the Lord
12.Homeschool
13.The house God has provided for us
14.Fourth Grade Choir on Sunday afternoon
15.My 8th Grade girls Wed. small group
16.Ladies Bible study
17.Exodus
18.The word "anticipate"
19.Grande White Chocolate Mocha with an extra shot
20.A husband who winks at me from the sound board when he runs sound for me.

I had planned to stop at 10, but once I got going...

Our God is so good. What are you most thankful for this week?

DETOUR: Walk This Way

At the beginning of the year when God gave me my verse of the year, I thought he and I were headed in one direction. Umm..no.

It became very clear to us over the last few weeks that we were probably going to be taking a detour on this path God has placed us on. You see, what I thought was going to happen this year, and what is happening are two totally different things.

My memory work for the next two weeks is Isaiah 30:21. It was the verse God gave me right as we approached the detour sign this week. Here's what it says,

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "this is the way, walk in it."

You see, as hard as this detour is, I am at peace.

Peace because I know in the deepest part of my soul that this has been filtered through God's hands. Doesn't mean that it's easy, or that I like it. But as Chad and I talked through this one more time at 1:00 A.M., we believe God is sending us on this detour for a reason bigger than we can see right now.

This week we have heard that voice behind us saying, "Walk this way today."

I may never know why God is having us walk through this. To be very honest, this particular area of the path we are on seems a bit dark. At times, it is lonely. BUT. We are already seeing the treasure of being here.

My theme verse for 2011 is Isaiah 45:3. (I need to test my memory, so let's see how I do.)

I will give you the treasures of darkness, and the hoards in secret places that you will know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.


The presence of God has been the treasure in this. He is the prize. Everything else can be taken away...He remains. He is sufficient.

He is the treasure on this detour.

He is the voice behind us, telling us "this is the way, walk in it."

My prayer is that we represent him well.