November 2010 Archives
Constantly Learning
“It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.” (Proverbs 25:2)
Do you ever experience those times of reading the Bible … maybe even a passage which you’ve read often … and all of a sudden a phrase jumps off the page and develops meaning for the first time? Sometimes the tendency is probably to wonder why you never noticed that before but you’re so thankful God used it to speak to you at this time in your life.
As I read the above verse this morning, it hit me that life would be pretty boring if we knew everything from day one. If the minute we were born, we already knew how to talk, walk, read and had knowledge about all things, it would take some of the joy out of life which comes from learning and discovering new things. Besides the fact that having all knowledge would make us as God, I wonder if God partially withholds things to allow us the privilege of discovering them and, in doing so, developing a closer walk with Him. As He shows us things, we realize He is still with us, speaking to us, and we thank Him for choosing us to be His sons and daughters whom He can delight in.
There are so many things I wish I knew but I’m thankful for a patient God who will continue to teach me how to be more like Him until the day He calls me Home. I can’t wait to see His face and to thank Him for His patience and perseverance in molding me to be a daughter He can be proud of. Father, help me to learn everything You desire to teach me so that I can reflect You more perfectly.
Thankful for You
My dear friends, in the midst of listing the things I’m thankful for, I can’t believe I didn’t once mention how grateful I am for those of you who read my blog but I truly am grateful for you. I love to write and I’ve wondered at times if God gave me the ability to write for my own benefit. However, I feel especially blessed when God uses something I’ve written to encourage or to speak to someone else. It’s interesting how the Spirit works but I love being His instrument as I realize it’s Him, not me who lifts up the downtrodden, gives someone a reason for living, or simply speaks something through some words on a page.
What a great and mighty God we serve. I feel so blessed to have this form of communication and pray that God will continue to give me words to share which will be uplifting and encouraging but also challenging as you strive to grow in your walk with God. After all, that’s what the Body of Christ is to be to each other.
Thank you so much for your prayers, support and encouragement. May God continue to bless you as you keep following Him.
The Day After Thanksgiving
‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving and all through the country
Were people up early for their bargain hunting
The sales were priced so no one could compete
And people didn’t seem to mind missing their sleep
When all of a sudden, store signs turned to open
The shoppers rushed in just a-pushin’ and hopin’
To get that one item they’d stood all night for
The one they could only get right in that store
Were these all items they needed to buy?
Some were; some were not. They just wanted them. Why?
Have we forgotten the day we just had
The one where we said we were thankful and glad?
Or has “thanks” lost its meaning as the day slipped away?
We’re now back to buying whatever we crave
I somehow don’t think this is what God intended
It’s all right to shop but don’t be discontented
A new day has dawned and our God is still good
His mercies are new if we just understood
Now’s not the time to stop giving Him thanks
Let’s thank Him some more for He’s worthy of praise
Why Are You Thankful?
Thanksgiving is the time when people are expected to be thankful. Some can easily come up with a list and others have to think a while before they find the one thing that they suppose they are thankful for. Regardless of which category you fall under, I would like to challenge you not to just mouth some platitude but to really think about the things you are thankful for and why those things are meaningful to you.
If you haven’t done so in a while, this could also be a good day to tell someone you are thankful for them and what it is that you most appreciate about them. I don’t think you can ever tell someone too much that you love them and thank God for them.
We have so much to be thankful for but let’s not just acknowledge it with our words. Let’s pray God will help us to truly see His blessings and have a gratitude which we can’t help but express.
CD Review: The Best of Perfect Heart
This year, Perfect Heart put out a “Best Of” CD with the current group singing songs made popular by the original Perfect Heart. Being a Danny Funderburk fan, I wasn’t sure what I’d think of this recording but I was not disappointed. Tenor Wesley Anders did a good job. He has a different voice than Danny but his voice is nice and clear which makes it enjoyable to listen to him.
Mike Presnell is the only original member still with Perfect Heart and he still does a great job on “Living Water,” “I Wish It Would Rain,” and “Glory Waves.”
The other songs included are “They That Sow,” “Somebody Touched the Lord,” “The Pleasure is Mine,” “Thinking of a Mansion,” “We Have Won,” and “Yes Is the Answer.”
CD Review: My Offering (Lauren King)
Lauren King has a country tone to her voice and style to her music. Her voice reminds me a bit of Misty Freeman. Lauren wrote four of the eleven songs on her latest recording.
The recording starts with the first radio single off this project, an uptempo song titled “All to Him.”
“Thankful” is one of the songs Lauren wrote with her husband Shane and is a perfect song to listen to this time of year.
“It Would Have Been Easy” talks about how Christ’s life could have been different but He didn’t choose the easy path; He chose the hard one.
“Hallelujah Offering” could be a Christmas song but songs of Christ’s birth are really relevant all year long and they chose to include this song on this recording. He truly is worthy of our praise.
I like the guitar on “Smoky Mountain Song.” As the title suggests, it is about the Smoky Mountains and is a song people who enjoy the mountains will appreciate.
Songs you’ll be familiar with include an uptempo version of “Jesus Saves,” “Hallelujah! What a Savior!,” and “What Child is This.”
Other songs are “Come to Jesus,” “Praises to the King” and “When I Think About the Lord.”
Thankful for the Cross
As thankful as I am for the Cross that Christ bore, the inspiration for this post came from thinking of the cross I am called to bear. I don’t always embrace it as strongly as I should but it’s through faithfully carrying the cross and sharing in His sufferings, that we can identify with Him and grow to be more like Him. If life were all ease, we wouldn’t see our need for Him but, because we have those things that drive us to our knees, we can say, “Thank you, Father, for counting me worthy to bear this for you.” Don’t forget that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We weren’t made to carry the cross by ourselves. If we keep our eyes on Him, the weight won’t seem so heavy and burdensome and we will truly be able to rejoice regardless of the cross we bear.
Thankful for Movement
Back in September, I hurt my leg and, shortly after that, my back went out, putting me down for a couple weeks. It was during this time in which I wasn’t able to take my daily walks or do much exercise, that I realized how important it is to be able to move. It doesn’t take long before the body begins to deteriorate if it’s not getting proper exercise. I’m not a very active person but apparently the little exercise I do on a regular basis is enough to keep my arms and legs moving to the degree that they need to without everything starting to hurt or refusing to move.
This has made me grateful that God has designed bodies to recover quickly. He thought of everything, didn’t He? He knows what we need and, if we do those things, our bodies will continue to function. If we refuse to eat right and exercise, our bodies will deteriorate since they’re not getting the things they need. With winter setting in, it will be harder to make myself get out and walk but I trust God to give me the strength to do so or else to give me creative ways to exercise indoors so that I’m taking care of His temple.
Thankful for Seasons
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Living up north, I’ve learned to appreciate each season as it comes but I have to admit winter is my least favorite. The older I get, the harder it is to make myself bundle to go out in the cold and the snow but I know that winter has a purpose too and, if I can stay inside by the fire, the snow is beautiful.
Spring is my favorite season but I wonder if the beauty of spring is magnified in contrast to the cold and drear of winter. Spring is the time of year we see life appear out of what lied dormant for several months.
As with seasons of earth, each season of life has a purpose and can be beautiful as well. There may be seasons that we like better than others but, with hindsight, we will see God’s hand at each season of our lives and will learn to thank Him for those seasons. He truly does all things beautiful in His time.
Helping a Friend Get a Job
This will be different than anything I’ve ever posted but I have a friend who is trying to get a writing job. Apparently the job is won by votes. I don’t know how many votes she needs but I’m sure she can’t get too many. If you are interested in helping someone be able to reach more people with an encouraging message, please visit here and click “Vote.” You may vote once per day until November 18.
Thank you so much. I hope you’re having a wonderful week!
