Be Still

If I pause to listen, I will hear it. If I pause to notice, I will see it.

Sunlight on grass and leaves

Birds singing

Morning breeze

Varieties of beautiful plants, flowers, and trees

Thank You, God, for Your gifts!

My cat Espresso and her five cute kittens’ small voiced mews

Robin on green grass

Light dancing on the wood pile

Eyes to see

My warm, cosy robe against crisp morning air

Pretty tray with my breakfast and coffee on it

Bright colours

Thank You, God, for my health today.

Thank You for Your infinite, beyond-my-understanding love!

Perennials in my yard from previous owner

Thank You, God, for my wonderful, understanding, forgiving, gracious husband.

Thank You for this quiet time outside!

Breeze in the trees rustling

Turtle dove’s mourn

Mango, sweet and sour, tasty, bright orange

Fire pit for family times

Thank You, God, for headache-free days, for discoveries of food that makes me feel well.

Robin’s alert—cat!

Grass so green—pristine—reminds of Ireland!

Hostas getting big

Coffee with hazelnut
Sun on a barn shed

Lines and character in an old hunk of wood

Do you see? Do you hear? 

Do you thank?

I Corinthians 4:7

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? ~ I Corinthians 4:7

Everything we have in life is a gift. E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.


Nothing should taken for granted. I could lose my sight tomorrow. My hearing. My fingers that enjoy skipping across piano keys and harp strings. My voice that loves to sing.

http://pricelesssimplicity.blogspot.com/

Am I truly grateful? Have I thanked God for these instruments that I use every day, more than a thousand times a day?


A fellow blogger advocates keeping a running list of gratefulness... 1,000 Gifts. While I have not yet read Ann's book 1,000 Gifts, I am an occasional reader of her blog.

And I fell in love with her emphasis on gratefulness... So I join in...

1. A friend loses her baby. I still enjoy my little granddaughter every day.

Elaine Morie Bender, waiting in heaven

2. An acquaintance's spouse is about to go to jail. I have a wonderful, faithful man who loves and daily provides for me.


3. People around the world have no shelter... I enjoy the warmth of a fireplace on a frozen winter evening. They scrounge for food... I am warmed and filled. Their only clothes are on their back... I have a closetful.

Filipino boy starts his own fire.
(photo, Victoria Wonser, missionary in the Philippines)

4. Many around the world sleep outside because they have no bed or home. I have a warm bed with beautiful blankets I love.

Philippines graveyard:
Missionary friends saw a man sleeping here
and many living here in a graveyard.
(photo, Victoria Wonser)

5. A family of seven children including a newborn loses their mother at age 39. I am 39 and I can still call or email my own mother any time. 


What are you grateful for? 


Will you notice and give thanks for the thousands of gifts God has placed all around you?

Grateful

The late Sara Frankl

Gitzen Girl

Sara has inspired me to learn to choose joy every day.

Sara faithfully shared her gratefulness to God in the midst of a terminal illness that kept her in constant pain for more than the last fourteen years of her life. She was honest, open, real. She, like Jesus, "learned obedience through the things which [s]he suffered."

I’ve learned to appreciate the simplicity in my moments. I’ve learned that being thankful in everything is more important than being thankful for something. I want to be grateful for everything in my life, not just the special moments. ~ Sara

Sara could not leave her home for years, due to the need for continuous purified air to keep her alive, and so she could not spend holidays with her family. She could not eat food brought to her from family gatherings, because she had so many food allergies that were deadly.

Yet Sara was grateful. Two years ago around Thanksgiving, she wrote about how thankful she was for the good things in her life.

I am simply grateful. I appreciate my life because it’s the one He has given to me, and I don’t want to waste a moment of it wishing for anything else. ~ Sara

Sara's acceptance of her illness from God's hand as His divine purpose for her, whether she understood it or not, is expressed in the following paragraphs. (Honestly, she sounds just like me in the first two paragraphs!)

I always believed I had that faith… but mine was a faith of conditions. I had faith He would take care of me, but I assumed that meant I would be cared for with good health. I had faith that I would prosper, and assumed that meant my career would follow a good path. I had faith that He wanted the best for me, and assumed that meant my life would unfold in a way I envisioned.

But as the years progressed and I lost more and more of what I thought defined me...I realized that being a servant meant all or nothing. A line was drawn in the sand and I had to choose my fear, or I had to choose to completely trust Him. It had to be an all or nothing choice because one cannot exist if the other is true.


I chose to trust, and I’ve never looked back. I can be tired, I can be frustrated by my circumstances and exhausted from the pain, but I am never fearful of what is to come because I know that He is in control. I have faith that He will take care of me, and He has given me fortitude and peace in my heart as I face the challenges my body inflicts on me. I have faith that I will prosper, and I have been blessed with plentiful friends who walk this journey with me. I have faith that He wants the best for me, and He shows me that daily by using my life in ways that serve others--being there in small ways I would never have been able to if my life had unfolded the way I envisioned...

If Jesus was a servant, if he lost everything to come to Earth in the form of a baby who had nothing more than love to give, why would I assume to deserve more? ~ Sara

Sara's doctrinal beliefs are far different than mine, but in the few articles I have read, she has taught me her one little word for 2011: Praise.

Sara is gone now, but her exhortation lives on. This Thanksgiving season, will you join me in the simple praise she modelled... by yielding yourself in new, tangible ways to the One Who knows best for you? ...The One Who has a purpose greater than your own plans? ...The One Who "will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"?

“The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is totally yielded to Him.” ~ D.L. Moody

My Theme for 2011...

Yes, I'm late in the game. Better late than never, eh?

The Lord has been speaking to my heart about one main thing in the past few months and has brought my focus onto one word: gratefulness.

In past years I have kept a Gratitude Journal, but I needed something more visual to remind me. I have a wipe-off board on my fridge. I have used it for chore lists, notes, reminders, and everything in between. This past week, however, I began using it for a new thing. I wrote at the top: "Grateful..." And I am endeavouring to write something for which I am grateful every day. It's just another way I can act upon what God is prompting in my heart--and a method in which I can get my family involved as well!

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" ~ Psalm 107:9

What's your praise today?

Grateful

In the midst of the gratefulness challenge sent out by Joy, this morning I read Psalm 116 and was especially encouraged by verse seven: 

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Reminds me of Hebrews 4:9...

There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God.

That rest is for us here and now, on this earth. We do not have to wait until heaven to rest in Him! He IS our peace (Ephesians 2:14)! And He is right where you are--with YOU--right now!

If you're feeling anxious or more irritable than thankful today, go read Psalm 116. Then listen to this song by the Talley Trio. Hope it blesses you as it does me. Let me know...

I Am Redeemed!

Do you really know what it means to be redeemed by Jesus?
Sometimes when I'm doing a word study in the Bible, it's meaningful to me to simply look in the dictionary. Thefreedictionary.com gives this definition of "redeem":
1. To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.
2. To pay off.
3. To turn in and receive something in exchange.
4. To fulfill.
5. To convert into cash: redeem stocks.
6. To set free; rescue or ransom.
7. To save from a state of sinfulness and its consequences.
8. To make up for.
9. To restore the honor, worth, or reputation of.
Well, that was enough for me!
Lord Jesus, I thank You that You recovered ownership of my soul from the prince of the power of the air, the enemy of my soul by paying the price of Your death on the cross.
Thank You for paying off my sin debt!
Thank You for turning over Your body and life in exchange for mine!
Thank You for fulfilling me--that You are all I need. Ever.
Thank You, Jesus, for converting me from worthless to something worthwhile through Your indwelling Spirit in me.
Thank You for setting me free, rescuing and ransoming me from the devil!
Thank You for saving me from my sinful state and its consequences, which would have been to be eternally separated from God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and from you.
Thank You for making up the difference for everything in my life. All things are but loss for the excellency of Your power!
Thank You for providing me honour, worth, and reputation by allowing me to just BE IN YOU.
Thank You, Jesus, that I AM REDEEMED!


Note: If you have trouble playing the video, you may need to pause it until it completely loads. Then try playing it. It's worth the wait!

Autumn Joys

My Gratefulness List

This is not--and can never be--an exhaustive list! In fact, I plan to add to it as time goes on.

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada, so I was reminded once again to cultivate a heart of gratefulness, and to express it!

So here goes. I am grateful for...

1. My Jesus who saved me and called me with a holy calling, and loves to walk with me "in the garden."

2. My wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally and is always honest with me.

3. That God setteth the solitary in families... that He has given me a family to love.

4. Music that encourages, inspires, and refreshes me spiritually and emotionally

5. Beauty all around me in God's world, and simple little joys such as a warm, soft blanket

Grateful to Be Back!

I'm back in the blogging world! I apologize for the gap between my blog entries. There were issues that, as it turned out, related to my use of Firefox. Now that I have attempted an entry in Internet Explorer, I'm seeing success!

I will post soon... Today though... Thanksgiving dinner with our kids and grandbaby!

With a Grateful Heart,
Dayna

Here's the song that played as I came down the boardwalk at our beach wedding...

♫
We are so blessed, with the gifts from Your hand,
I just can't understand why You love us so much!
We are so blessed, we just can't find a way--
Or the words that can say, Thank You, Lord, for Your touch!

When we're empty, You fill us till we overflow!
When we're hungry, You feed us, and cause us to know,

We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all, everything, Lord, we love You so much!

"My" Psalm 136

This "psalm" is most encouraging when read aloud to God...

O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good:
For His mercy endureth forever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods:
For His mercy endureth forever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him alone Who doeth great wonders:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him that by wisdom made the heavens:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him that made great lights:
For His mercy endureth forever.
The sun to rule by day:
For His mercy endureth forever.
The moon and stars to rule by night:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him that won victory over the world:
For His mercy endureth forever.
And brought me out from among them:
For His mercy endureth forever.
With a strong hand and with a stretched out arm:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To God Who will never give me more than I can handle:
For His mercy endureth forever.
And gives me His power to go through anything:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him which conquered the biggest problem in my path:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him Who leads me through the wilderness places of life:
For His mercy endureth forever.
To Him Who smites and kills giants of sin in my life:
For His mercy endureth forever.
And slays the most common irratants in my way:
For His mercy endureth forever.
And gives grace to face whatever is in my way:
For His mercy endureth forever.
Who gives me grace to give a soft answer:
For His mercy endureth forever.
And helps me take back ground from the enemy:
For His mercy endureth forever.
He give me peace in the midst of the storm:
For His mercy endureth forever.
He remembered me in my low, sinful state:
For His mercy endureth forever.
And redeemed me from the enemy:
For His mercy endureth forever.
Who provides food for my table:
For His mercy endureth forever.
O give thanks to the God of Heaven:
For His mercy endureth forever!