Salvation

I am so grateful and thankful for salvation. This may seem like a bit of a repeat, but as I have been reflecting on this month, I could not even be grateful for anything if I did not have the grace of God in my life. And by God's grace and I have salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. I have done nothing to earn this gift, but God has changed my heart to live for Him by His grace and work in my life. I am thankful that I am saved and I am thankful that God is still molding me through the Holy Spirit living inside of me. This salvation is a free gift and I know that I can now life my purpose, which is to bring God glory in everything I do and proclaim His Name to all people. God is so great!

Lord, You are a great God and I praise You for saving me, an undeserving sinner, by Your grace. Thank You that there is nothing I can do to earn Your favor and that Jesus has earned Your favor for me by living a perfect life and dying the death I should have died and rising again to new life so that I can now live with You forever giving praise and glory to Your Name. Thank You so much for this eternal gift that nothing can compare to.

Prayer

I am so thankful for the privilege to pray to my God. This past month I have been very neglectful of this privilege and have struggled a lot. As a child of the One True God, through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, we have the ability to come before the throne and talk with our Father, to have a personal relationship with Him. In the last week I have been reminded of this privilege as I seek to reconnect with my God. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit living in me to convict me and move me forward in Christ-likeness by praying to my God. May I return to the desire God has given me to be a prayer warrior and pray in the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.

Father, help me to pray and commune with You through the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. Thank You that You call us to pray and that You use the prayers of Your saints to accomplish Your good work.

Gabriel is 1!

 No, I did not forget Gabriel. I saved him for today, Thanksgiving day, which is also his 1st birthday. Today my 4th blessing is 1 year old! I cannot believe it has already been 1 year since he was born, nor can I believe I have a Thanksgiving baby. But that's God for you. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so it seems appropriate that God would bless me with a child whose birthday falls then.

Gabriel has gotten so big and I am so thankful for his life. This boy is not afraid to be heard and makes his opinion known. As the 4th child he wants to be sure he is not forgotten. Trust me when I say, he is not. He loves to explore and put everything in his mouth. We thought he might be thinking about walking, but not so much. He is super fast with his crawling and keeps up with his siblings just fine. He is beginning to sign a little which is so helpful. He, like everyone else, loves to laugh. It does not take much to make him laugh either. Listening to him crack up is music. I am excited to see what God does with his little life.  As Jim has been learning Hebrew we have learned that Gabriel's name is better translated "mighty man of God" (instead of God is my strength) which I pray he will be. God really did name this little boy as we completely changed our minds about a boy name when he was born.


God, please make Gabriel a mighty man of You! Thank You for his precious life and for a year with him. You have blessed our family far beyond what we deserve and I know  you will do great things with Gabriel's life to bring You glory.

Traveling

With a nurses schedule, it can be very difficult to travel for the holidays. I'm so thankful that this year Jim was able to get the weekend after Thanksgiving off so we could travel to North Carolina and Georgia to see family and friends. This is such a huge blessing, especially since the policy for vacation during holidays will change next year. We have been able to see my aunts, uncles and several of my cousins and will get to see a little of Jim's family as well as friends we have not seen in a couple of years. It has been so challenging to get back since moving to Kentucky and I am so thankful we have the chance this year.

Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to travel and see family and friends for the holidays. This is such a great gift from you and perfect timing for us with our schedule this year. Please continue to allow us to have wonderful surprises so that we can see those we care about more frequently.

National Novel Writing Month

This one may seem silly to some, but I am so grateful for National Novel Writing Month. I have been working on a novel for about 15 years and have been wanting to finish it for quite some time. In fact if you read my monthly updates, I had mad this a goal for the year and all but given up on it. I found out about this group on our church writing group page and it peaked my interest. When I learned Gidget would be going it as well I said, that's it, I'm doing it and going to finish my novel before the end of this year (and hopefully before the end of November). I was unable to go to most of the write ins, but Gidget and I had a few of our own and I have done a lot of writing when the kids are resting or in bed on the weekends. The goal for these novels is 50,000 words and currently I am over 43,000 typed (I have some more written that I will type later). God is so good at orchestrating things to help us accomplish the goals that He has for us. I know what I'm writing now will need a lot of revision, but at least it will be finished!

Thank You, Lord for National Novel Writing Month. Thank You for this time to work on a story You have helped me work through over the years. May many be encouraged by it and seek You as they read it. May it bring You glory!

The New Baby

I am so thankful to be pregnant with my 5th child. We finally got to see him or her on Friday morning and it was so amazing. I have 5 children! How amazing is that? I am so thankful that though I am completely unworthy, God has decided to bless us with 5 kids. God has already done so much in my heart with this pregnancy. We have also had wonderful opportunities to talk about God's goodness with many including our kids. They talk about the baby and what gender they think the baby is. For awhile Jamey was saying he would be sad if it was a girl, but the last couple of weeks he has stopped saying that and is now saying it is a sister. Only God knows if he's right, but it has been a blessing to talk to Jamey about God giving us what is best for our family, even if it is not what Jamey wants. I don't know if he understands completely, but clearly God's grace is in his life to stop saying he will be sad if he doesn't get what he wants. I am so excited to see what all God does with this little one!

Father, You are the giver of all good gifts. Thank You so much for the gift of another precious life. Please save this child for Your Kingdom and Your glory and may they do amazing things in Your name so that many will know Your greatness.

November 18 to 24

7541. Getting up early
7542. God's faithfulness in our weakness
7543. Moving school back upstairs
7544. Kids being excited to be back upstairs in their desks
7545. Gabriel being a part of school
7546. Listening to our songs that go with our weekly verses
7547. Lillian's excitement over doing more music
7548. Getting back into a more structured home school routine
7549. Reuben doing puzzles better
7550. Lillian finishing her first "Developing the Early Learner" book
7551. Lillian going to the grocery store with Jim
7552. Doing Russian!!!!! (I have really missed doing this)
7553. Jamey remembering some of the Russian I was doing
7554. Reuben's desire to learn and grow
7555. Leftovers for lunch
7556. Jamey helping with the laundry
7557. Getting outside to hang laundry
7558. Staying on top of laundry to start the week
7559. Leftover tortellini soup
7560. Rest time
7561. Jamey actually napping
7562. Being reminded of the need for consistency in discipline and training
7563. Jim getting in his annual doctor's appointment
7564. His appointment not being long
7565. Getting more written
7566. Talking with Jim
7567. Quick dinner
7568. Dollar menu at McDonald's
7569. Being able to sit in the car to avoid taking the kids too early
7570. Heat
7571. Hearing the kids sing praise songs
7572. Lillian's answer to everything being "Jesus" or "eternal life"
7573. Childcare for class
7574. Great subject for the last night of our marriage class
7575. Being challenged in seeking how we escape from reality
7576. Learning what escapism is
7577. Learning how to recognize escapism
7578. Being challenged to evaluate what I do and why
7579. Being challenged to break bad habits
7580. Seeking to grow in everything
7581. Great date time to talk with Jim and challenge each other
7582. Kids doing well in child care
7583. Lillian falling asleep in the floor
7584. Reuben hugs
7585. Reuben giving lots of high 5s
7586. Learning to battle
7587. Desiring to be with my kids more and love them better
7588. Teaching discipline
7589. God disciplining us
7590. Bed
7591. Good sleep
7592. Sleeping until 7
7593. Waking mostly refreshed
7594. Getting going
7595. Doing school on a Tuesday! (we have been struggling to do this lately)
7596. Productive school morning though shorter
7597. Eating a snack before leaving the house
7598. Walking to playgroup
7599. Seeing Laura Beth and Felix
7600. Meeting Candace and Elliott
7601. Kids playing well together
7602. Seeing Shannon, Charlotte and Juliet
7603. Great conversation
7604. Seeing Caroline, Luke and Hadley
7605. Looking at some of the Memoria lesson plans
7606. Encouragement from Caroline
7607. Being able to give Caroline a lot of egg cartons
7608. Great time of play
7609. Becca getting some pictures done for her class
7610. Watching the kids play games together
7611. Kids version of "Duck, Duck, Goose"
7612. Walking home
7613. Reuben doing well with walking on the sidewalk
7614. Easy lunch
7615. Everyone eating all of their lunch
7616. Good rest time
7617. Working on SWI homework
7618. Getting done with all of my homework
7619. Almost being done with Discipleship
7620. Time to talk with Becca
7621. Being able to share what we are learning
7622. Being able to share and apply things from our marriage class to other areas of life
7623. God teaching and training us
7624. God challenging me
7625. God challenging our home in growing more in His likeness together
7626. Getting the turkey made
7267. Kids doing well waiting for dinner
7628. Seeing Sara and Amanda's home (one of the Urban houses)
7629. Having our CG together for a Thanksgiving meal
7630. Watching our CG play with, read to and love on our kids
7631. Lots of really good food
7632. Homemade Apple pie and Derby pie
7633. Fun conversation
7634. Learning more about each other
7635. God's grace
7636. Kids doing well with a late night
7637. Going a whole 24 hours without turning on the TV!!!!!
7638. Bed!
7639. Getting up and going with the kids
7640. Kids sleeping until almost 7!
7641. Mini-wheats
7642. Eating breakfast with the kids
7643. Getting dressed and ready in a timely manner
7644. Great school morning
7645. Getting a lot of school work done
7646. Doing some extra language arts done with Lillian
7647. Seeing Lillian progress more
7648. Exploring how to help Lillian learn best
7649. Jamey learning the hard way to get his work done in a timely manner
7650. Reuben beginning to count
7651. Gabriel saying please!
7652. Gabriel standing and clapping his hands
7653. Reuben telling us what "B" says
7654. Getting kids books picked out for our trip
7655. Picking a couple of books to take with me on our trip
7656. Yummy sandwiches for lunch
7657. Getting laundry hung
7658. Being more productive
7659. Seeing for myself that doing what God created and called us to do gives more fulfillment than being lazy and shoving off responsibility
7660. God's word not returning void
7661. Getting 6 chapters read in the Bible
7662. Kids resting well
7663. Jamey picking out his clothes for the trip
7664. Lillian picking out her clothes for the trip
7665. Teaching them how to choose clothes for traveling
7666. Getting all 4 kids clothes picked out and laid out for packing
7667. Making a "need to get" list
7668. Really good sweet potato lasagna
7669. Great time talking as a family
7670. Teaching how to talk and take turns
7671. Watching "Narnia" together
7672. Watching the kids and Jim play and wrestle
7673. Jamey practicing his "I" verse on his own
7674. Lillian singing her "J" verse on her own
7675. Hearing God's Words come out of my kids' mouths
7676. Smooth bed time
7677. Jim getting to work along side Andy with member care
7678. Getting my testimony typed up for class
7679. Frozen individual pizzas
7680. Getting some more written in my story
7681. Diapers getting washed before going to bed
7682. Jim feeling the baby move
7683. Great nights sleep
7684. Sleeping until 8:30
7685. Cheese grits
7686. Kids being excited to do school
7687. Kids running upstairs to start school
7688. Using every opportunity to teach
7689. Remembering that teaching God and His Word are more important than anything else
7690. Jamey finishing book 2 in "Developing the Early Learner"
7691. Both Jamey and Lillian doing well with there book work
7692. Figuring out how to teach both at the same time in a productive and efficient way
7693. Doing more language arts with Lillian
7694. Jamey writing his spelling words
7695. Write boards and erasable markers
7696. Kids still excited to do puzzles
7697. Reuben learning to do harder puzzles
7698. Doing a couple Russian lessons
7699. Kids playing outside together
7700. Great lunch
7701. Good conversation over lunch
7702. Learning to discern God's will among confusion
7703. Hanging laundry
7704. Jim having a good class
7705. Learning some interesting things about Hebrew
7706. Having a husband who teaches me what he is learning
7707. Getting all of the kids clothes packed for next week
7708. Teaching Jamey how to pack
7709. Letting Jamey pick out a few other things that I had forgotten to pull out to take
7710. Finding Lillian another scarf to wear
7711. Getting some of my clothes packed
7712. Staying a head of the game
7713. Seeing how a little work each day makes things go smoother
7714. Nice rest time
7715. Productive afternoon
7716. Getting needed emails written
7717. Working on blog posts
7718. Reading a couple of things
7719. Pancakes for dinner
7720. Chocolate syrup
7721. Getting out of the house in a timely manner even alone
7722. McDonald's McChicken
7723. Dollar menu
7724. Water aerobics
7725. Seeing Jenny
7726. Good work out
7727. Lots of pregnant ladies
7728. Seeing Cade and Amy
7729. Meeting with Loren
7730. Hearing the testimonies of the ladies in my Discipleship class
7731. The uniqueness of each story
7732. God never working the same way twice
7733. Salvation
7734. Getting to the SWI library before it closed to get a couple of books
7735. Leftover apple pie and cool whip
7736. Early bed time
7737. Getting up with the alarm
7738. Making it through the morning without eating
7739. Not throwing up
7740. Seeing the baby
7741. Blood draw not hurting at all!
7742. Getting everything needed filled out for insurance discount
7742. Getting to the house at the same time as Gidget
7743. Hanging out with Gidget, Silas and Margo
7744. Great conversation
7745. Being able to go outside for a few minutes
7746. Learning and growing
7747. Being able to clearly explain my beliefs
7748. Exchanging thoughts and ideas
7749. Article about C.S. Lewis
7750. Really yummy sandwiches for lunch
7751. Jim having a productive morning
7752. Jim being done with classes (only 1 final left)
7753. Jamey engaging Silas
7754. Reuben's sweet strong hugs
7755. Good rest time
7756. Jim napping well
7757. Lying down for a few minutes
7758. Frozen pizza
7759. Time to write some
7760. Watching Jamey, Lillian and Reuben playing together
7761. Gabriel watching his siblings intently
7762. The laughter of children
7763. Showing the kids a picture of their new baby brother or sister
7764. Jamey's excitement over the baby
7765. Jamey now wavering a little on whether he thinks the baby is a boy or girl
7766. The blessing of life
7767. The blessing of children
7768. Seeking
7769. Opening 2 and a half cans with a horrible can opener
7770. Really yummy casserole
7771. Having food to eat
7772. Having an electric stove and oven
7773. Refrigerators
7774. Gabriel eating enough for 2 babies
7775. Great bath time
7776. Jim getting off to work smoothly
7777. Jamey seeing Jim out the door
7778. Gabriel watching Jim leave
7779. Snuggling with Gabriel for a few minutes
7780. Packing kids books for the trip
7781. Kids excited about the trip (praying they're still excited when in the car for 7 hours)
7782. Smooth bed time
7783. Lots of time to write
7784. Becca typing up some of my story for me
7785. Having over 42,000 words!
7786. Beginning the end of the book
7787. Getting to see my dear friend, Ashley Wells on the news sharing her story about adopting her 4 kids
7788. Having another productive day in a different way
7789. God's faithfulness to His people
7790. God having different plans for us every day
7791. Going to bed after a long wonderful day
7792. Getting up this morning
7793. Snuggling with Lillian
7794. No plans for the day
7795. Finishing the Gospels
7796. Reading more of Jesus's teaching
7797. Being reminded of how amazing Jesus is
7798. Hanging out with my kids
7799. Gabriel beginning to stand on his own
7800. Reuben's big hugs
7801. Jamey's fun imagination
7802. Lillian running around
7803. Kids eating lunch well
7804. Talking and laughing
7805. Early rest time
7806. Taking a mild nap
7807. Restful day for all
7808. Talking with the kids throughout the day
7809. Learning how to do different things when home by myself
7810. Growing in trusting God's strength
7811. Jim sleeping well
7812. Shrimp and green beans for dinner
7813. All 4 kids eating up their dinner
7814. Amaretto creamer
7815. Coffee
7816. Kids asking to watch different things that are more wholesome
7817. Seeking to reduce TV and change what we watch when we do
7818. Andy fixing our dryer
7819. Getting caught up on laundry
7820. Getting a little more written
7821. Kids seeing Jim off to work
7822. Talking to Lillian about taking fears to Jesus
7823. Otherwise smooth bed time
7824. Getting a few minutes to work on the computer
7825. Becca fixing my toe nails
7826. More writing
7827. Reasonable bed time
7828. Waking up with the kids
7829. Getting going with breakfast
7830. Cinnamon rolls
7831. Really cold weather
7832. Good heater
7833. Jim getting home safely
7834. Getting ready for church in a timely manner
7835. Having a car for really cold mornings
7836. Kids being excited to go to class
7837. Seeing Melanie
7838. Worshiping in song and prayer
7839. Learning more about Jesus's miracles
7840. Hearing Pastor Jonah preach
7841. Being challenged at how we look at all suffering
7842. Learning how to look at suffering through God's eyes without being trite
7843. Getting home from church early
7844. Leftovers for lunch
7845. Jim getting a good nap
7846. Becca having a good morning
7847. Early rest time
7848. Time to rest
7849. Packing some
7850. Watching the kids play together
7851. Reuben making us all laugh
7852. Frozen pizzas
7853. Listening to Jamey and Lillian singing Bible verses
7864. Seeing God's grace in Jamey's life
7865. Jamey using manners and speaking politely without being reminded
7866. Jamey sharing his blanket with Lillian on the sofa
7867. Jamey growing in sharing
7868. Reuben growing in sharing
7869. God's grace in Reuben's life
7870. Hanging out as a family
7871. Jim wrestling with the kids
7872. Lots of fun
7873. Smooth bed time
7874. Praying with Jim
7875. Early bedtime

Gidget White

Today I am thankful for Gidget. We met at the Science Center during a play time for toddlers and just started talking. Who knew it would bud into a great friendship so quickly! She has 2 kids that my kids love as well. We see each other regularly and have such wonderful thought provoking conversations. I love that we come from different backgrounds and I have learned so much from her. One of the most fun things this month has been writing together. It is always fun meeting other writers and having time to write together is a lot of fun. It has been wonderful getting to know Gidget the past few months, and I am excited to see where our friendship will go.

Thank You, God, for my dear friend Gidget. Thank You for time to hang out and get to know each other. Please bless her family with Your grace.

Nora Allison

Mrs. Allison is such a blessing to me and so many others. I thank God that she is here in Louisville and is connected at both Sojourn and Southern. I have learned so much sitting under her teaching. She is wonderful at leading women as she is over the women at Sojourn. She is encouraging and lives what she teaches. I have had the privilege of taking Leadership with her through SWI, which has helped me in learning how to lead women in the church. I was also privileged to take Lessons in Prayer with her and again learned so much. I love to pray and it was helpful learning different kinds of prayers and seeing how people prayed in the Bible. She has taught me so much. Mrs. Allison has also been a tremendous help in getting Childbirth Conversations started at Sojourn. We have only had one class thus far, but she is such an encouragement and also great at giving constructive feedback to help improve future classes. It was also helpful to have her be able to figure out logistics. Mrs. Allison is such a wonderful woman of God who has a heart for the women of God and I am so thankful to know her.

Thank You, Father, for Mrs. Allison, a woman after Your own heart who desires for all women to be women after Your own heart. Thank You that she cares for the whole woman, spiritually, emotionally and physically, the way You care for women. Please continue to bless her ministry as she teaches other women to follow You and lead other women.

Sarah Sloan

I am so thankful and so blessed by having Sarah Sloan in my life. She is the wife of our International Pastor at Sojourn and from the time we met she has been such an encouragement to me. Her quiet spirit, love for her Lord and respect for her husband shine through in all that she does. When we first met I was struggling with how I fit here and questions about how we should live as Christians. She came along side me and shared her heart and the Bible with me to help me muddle through. As I felt called to begin a women's prayer  time for the nations she talked me through what that could look like, handed me the reigns and said go for it. She has encouraged me when I felt like I was doing nothing and my work was all for nothing. This past year I watched her as her husband suffered through cancer. I cannot tell you how much I learned from just watching her stand by his side, pray for him, and love him like Jesus. She takes the wedding vow "In sickness and in health" very seriously. She is an example of A Proverbs 31 woman and a Titus 2 woman yet is so humble. I thank God that I can serve the Body along side such a woman after God's own heart. They are now in the process of adopting and I know God will give her the grace to be a wonderful mother.

Lord, I thank You so much for my dear friend and Sister, Sarah. She is such a blessing to so many. Thank You for giving her the grace to be an example of a Godly wife. Please be with them as they adopt and prepare them for the life You have for them as parents.

Caroline Bales

I'm so thankful for my friend Caroline. I met her at playgroup and we connected from the start. She loves Jesus and His people. She desires to be real and to be in others lives. She is a wonderful host and I thank God for her hospitable heart. We had our last babies just a couple of weeks apart and it has been fun watching them grow and learn together. It is such a blessing to talk about things and share our hearts. We also do not see each other as much as I would like, but she is such a blessing in my life.

Thank You, Lord, for Caroline and her heart to see Your people grow together in love and community. Guide her in knowing how to encourage others to live as You would have them live.

Ann Daugherty

I am so thankful to have Ann Daugherty in my life. She was one of my first friends here. We lived in the same apartment complex and our oldest boys are a month apart (ironically our second boys were born a month apart 2 years ago). We met regularly both in her house and playgroup and talked about life and how God is involved in everything. She really has really helped me in understanding diversity and how to talk things out in a loving Christ centered way. I'm also thankful for her love of educating women in childbirth. This is a passion we share and she has helped in educating me in some of the issues I was not as aware of in my medical background. She is so patient and loving but real. We also do not get to hang out as much as I would like, but when we do see each other it is always an encouragement.

Father, Thank You so much for putting Ann in my life. She has such a heart for You and seeing Your Kingdom come on earth. Please continue to to guide and bless her and Luke as they seek where You would have them go and what You would have them do.

Ashley Wells

Today I am so thankful for my friend, Ashley Wells. She is such a real and honest person, who loves the Lord and seeks to follow Him daily. She is about to adopt 4 children into her family and I would encourage you to go and read more of her story on her blog. The journey God has taken her through has been very challenging, but she has come out more Christlike and is still growing in His character. We do not get to see each other often enough, but every time we see each other it is encouraging and a breath of fresh air. Having 4 children I have an understanding of her struggles, but I always say, I was able to ease into my four, she got her 4 all in one day. But that is who she is. I'm so blessed to have Ashley in my life. Please be in prayer for this family as they adopt their kids on Friday!

God, thank You so much for Ashley and what You have taught her and so many others through her story. Thank You that she is finally adopting the children she has been praying for for so many years. You are a great God and I know You have great plans for her and her precious family. Be with them as they transition to being a family without the system involved. I know they are all anxiously awaiting this day!

November 11 to 17

7291. Getting 7 consecutive hours of sleep
7292. Waking up early
7293. Having a few minutes with the computer working somewhat normally
7294. Getting a few more things written
7295. Getting email written
7296. Taking advantage of waking up far too early
7297. Praying throughout
7298. God using everyday "annoyances" to teach me thankfulness
7299. Getting school done in a timely manner
7300. Worshiping God helping with my grumpy mood
7301. Jamey going to the grocery store with Jim
7302. Lying down with Lillian and Reuben for a little bit
7303. Fun deals at Kroger
7304. Really beginning to plan for our Thanksgiving trip
7305. Leftovers for lunch
7306. Gabriel eating well
7307. Figuring out what is wrong with our charge cord
7308. Learning more about Hudson Taylor
7309. Teaching my kids about the world
7310. Our curriculum being focused on the world and mission
7311. God's goodness in all things
7312. Growing in wisdom
7313. Celebrating new life
7314. Getting to school early
7315. Childcare being willing to take the kids early
7316. Time to write a little before class
7317. Discussing roles and responsibilities in a Biblical manner
7318. Laughs and encouragement
7319. Being able to encourage others
7320. Sharing the reality of life
7321. Time to talk about what we do in the home
7322. Practical suggestions for including kids in doing household chores
7323. Kids doing well in childcare
7324. Smooth bedtime
7325. A few minutes to hang out before bed
7326. Getting some sleep
7327. Yummy hot breakfast
7328. Decaf coffee
7329. Becca brushing my hair
7330. Playgroup
7331. Hanging out with Gidget, Silas and Margo
7332. Karey and Britta coming to playgroup
7333. Being able to talk some
7334. Learning patience
7335. Being with friends
7336. Kids playing hard and enjoying themselves
7337. Easy lunch
7338. Kids eating well
7339. Jamey wanting to play outside after playing all morning
7340. Nice rest time
7341. Getting all of my homework for SWI finished
7342. Shrimp, corn and rolls for dinner
7343. Kids eating up their food
7344. Reuben taking a much needed long nap
7345. CG
7346. Jim and I sharing our testimonies at CG
7347. People asking thoughtful questions and desiring to know and understand us better
7348. Breaking up into small discussion groups
7349. Leading a group
7350. Getting to know Sara and Hilary better
7351. Confessing sin to each other and praying for one another
7352. The Body of Christ (It really is a beautiful thing)
7353. Hearing stories that sound like they are out of a TV show or movie
7354. Realizing that crazy things like that actually happen
7355. Learning how to better pray for people and the world
7356. Great discussions and encouragement
7357. Planning for our Thanksgiving meal next week
7358. Having so many things to be thankful for
7359. Sleeping undisturbed until 7 am!!!!!
7360. Jamey and Lillian playing well together quietly without waking the rest of the house
7361. Getting 2 days of school work done
7362. Growing in consistency and patience
7363. Knowing who to turn to when I want to lose it
7364. Being forgiven when I do lose it
7365. Great rest time for the kids
7366. Meeting Gidget at Sunergos
7367. Black and white mocha
7368. Homemade biscotti made by Gidget, really good!
7369. Getting some writing done
7370. Learning more about Gidget
7371. Laughs and openness
7372. Honest, heartfelt conversation
7373. God's goodness and grace
7374. Sweet potato lasagna made with home grown sweet potatoes from Gidget
7375. All 4 kids napping for Jim
7376. Getting ready in a timely manner for church
7377. CG Sync meeting
7378. Lots of encouraging stories of how God is working in the community of Sojourn
7379. God moving
7380. Seeing the power of the Holy Spirit
7381. Discussing ways to involve our kids more in community group
7382. Talking about keeping connected during the holidays
7383. Getting advice on planning for multiplication
7384. Encouraging conversation
7385. Seeing Heather
7386. God answering prayers immediately
7387. Having people I can be honest with regularly
7388. Catching up with Sarah
7389. Thinking about planning my next childbirth conversation class
7390. Kids doing very well
7391. Fairly smooth bedtime
7392. Talking instead of turning on the TV!!!!!
7393. Finalizing family plans for Thanksgiving week
7394. Being able to go to NC and GA during Thanksgiving week
7395. God's perfect timing
7396. Intense conversation
7397. Learning to speak truth in love
7398. Talking while going to sleep
7399. God moving
7400. Sleeping until almost 9
7401. Getting school accomplished (really needed to get more disciplined with this)
7402. Yummy hot breakfast and decaf coffee
7403. Kids playing well
7404. Jim getting home early from class
7405. Learning how to communicate in different ways
7406. Getting laundry sorted and started
7407. Having a fence to hang our laundry on
7408. Computer cords being broken
7409. Dryer being broken
7410. Lots of leaves to put in the compost bin
7411. Working together as a family
7412. Being reminded of how much I actually enjoy being outside
7413. Thinking bout ways to practically prepare for living in a different country now
7414. Beginning to evaluate more closely how and why I do things
7415. Desiring for God and His glory to be my motivation for everything
7416. Playing a game with Jim
7417. Great rest time
7418. Getting some blog posts written
7419. Emails
7420. Having designated computer time (this maybe something to implement long term?)
7421. Pancakes for dinner
7422. Chocolate Syrup
7423. Seeing Elise and Jen
7424. Water Aerobics
7425. Mocha frapaccino
7426. Swedish Meatballs
7427. Meeting with Becca and Loren
7428. Sharing our testimonies
7429. Sharing similar struggles
7430. No large group time in Discipleship
7431. Better feedback than expected on my written testimony
7432. Getting done with class early
7433. Finding a good resource to hopefully help with a future story
7434. Talking more to Loren
7435. Getting a few minutes to write
7436. Leaving school at 9 on a Thursday night
7437. Hanging out for a little while
7438. Sleeping until 9 am
7439. Fun morning
7440. Working on cleaning
7441. Someone coming to fix our heat today!
7442. Quick and easy fix
7443. Kids playing outside
7444. Lillian volunteering to clean the bathrooms
7445. Bathrooms getting clean
7446. Stealing a few moments with Gabriel
7447. Good rest time
7448. Jim getting to sleep
7449. Getting a lot written
7450. Finally seeing a light at the end of the story tunnel
7451. Black bean casserole
7452. Gabriel eating like a mad man
7453. Learning to take as many opportunities as possible to point my kids to Jesus
7454. Learning to love Jesus more
7455. Desiring to commune with God more
7456. Watching my kids dance
7457. Reuben dancing almost in rhythm
7458. Counting down with my friend's adoption date for her kids
7459. God's goodness and perfect timing
7460. Very smooth bed time
7461. Jamey praying for his siblings including laying hands on them (he insisted)
7462. More time to write
7463. All but finishing my protagonists time in the city! (Seriously a huge blessing)
7464. Seeing where God has taken my story
7465. Sleep
7466. Waking up in a timely manner
7467. Snuggling with Jamey and Lillian in the morning
7468. Kids eating well
7469. Getting several loads of laundry started
7470. Getting out the door early
7471. An easy answer to by debit card not working at the ATM
7472. Writing Group!
7473. Panera coffee with free refills
7474. Sharing with my Sisters
7475. Encouraging each other
7476. Great feedback and encouragement on my excerpt
7477. Hearing ideas from Amanda
7478. Hearing two of Marie's songs
7479. Being able to help Marie after group
7480. Hearing more of Marie's story
7481. Comparing thoughts and ideas
7482. Digiorno stuffed crust pizza for one!
7483. Relaxing for a little bit
7484. Getting a few things written
7485. New cord for laptops
7486. Jim sleeping well
7487. Becca being able to dry clothes at CG
7488. Tortellini soup
7489. Jamey and Lillian eating well
7490. Relatively smooth evening
7491. Watching all 4 kids run around and play together
7492. Gabriel wanting to join his siblings
7493. Gabriel beginning to stand up on his own
7494. Gabriel taking a couple steps with the walker
7495. Reuben snuggles
7496. Gabriel kisses
7497. Smooth bed time
7498. Getting computer charged
7499. Getting story from the past couple weeks typed up
7500. Having over 40,000 words in my story!
7501. Watching Courageous
7502. Becca brushing my hair
7503. Crashing
7504. Everyone sleeping until at least 6 am!
7505. Cinnamon Rolls
7506. Rain
7507. Sojourn
7508. Kids running around
7509. People not minding the kids running around
7510. Sunday school
7511. Meeting Heather
7512. Talking with Lora
7513. Telling Abby about Woman's Gift Exchange
7514. Worshiping through song
7515. Learning about true freedom in Christ
7516. Such an encouraging message
7517. Growing in understanding the miraculous as a church
7518. Healing prayers
7519. Being able to sing
7520. Being able to see
7521. Being able to hear
7522. Joe being able to use our pie dish
7523. Black bean chili
7524. Seeing Reuben understand he has done something wrong
7525. Productive afternoon
7526. Kids playing outside
7527. Lillian helping me sort coupons
7528. Kids eager to help with house chores
7529. Jim having a good nap
7530. Working on plans for the week
7531. Prepping for next week
7532. Making lists for next week
7533. Desiring to get more organized
7534. Watching Jim and the kids wrestle
7535. Playing
7536. Teaching kids to play Sudoku
7537. Leftovers
7538. Smooth bedtime
7539. Working on Oneness homework
7540. Hanging out with Jim

MOMStogether

I am thankful for MOMStogether, a group of ladies that gather once a month at Crestwood Baptist Church. We eat, talk, get encouragement and learn about different ministries in the area and how people are living on mission. It has been a blessing to meet new women in the area as well as connect with other Sojourn women. My kids also love their time in classes as they get to learn as well. It is such a blessing to have my kids there but with people who are teaching them about God at the same time. It was such a blessing when we had Gabriel as a few women from this group brought us meals, even though they live a long ways from us. It is great to see the Body serving each other even when we regularly attend different churches.

Father, thank You for the women at MOMStogether who love you and desire to see women love you more. Thank You for their care and encouragement.

Playgroup

When we moved to Louisville, I found out Sojourn had a playgroup on Tuesday mornings. I am so thankful for this group. It has changed a lot since we started going, but it is usually a really refreshing time to talk with other Sojourn moms while our kids play together. In the summer we typically go to parks which also allows us to meet people from the community and share God's love with them as our kids play with them. We are so blessed to have an indoor playground at our 930 building so we can still meet and play when it is raining or really cold. It is great to have something consistent for the kids to do with others during the week. If you are a Sojourn mom come to playgroup. It's great!

Thank You, Lord, for Sojourn's playgroup. Thank You for the fun, laughs and encouragement that comes from being around Your people. 

Dawn

I am so thankful for my dear friend Dawn. I know I have written about her before, but I must write again as I am so thankful for this Sister. She has been serving our Father for 8 months abroad and with all that she has had going on, she still has taken time to pursue and love on me, even so far away. I cannot tell you how thankful I am that God placed her in my life. I have learned so much from her and still learn from her as we write emails and Skype when we can. We pour into each other in ways that I have never experienced before and I still miss having her in Louisville almost every day. But I am thankful God has called her to serve Him with her family and it is a joy to hear what He is doing in them and through them. It's been a blessing to watch them go before as we plan and prepare for a similar challenge in the not to distant future. I have gained so much wisdom from her and her honesty is unmatched. I love Dawn so much and cannot wait to see what all God does with her.

Father, thank You for Dawn and for saving her and making her Your child. She is such a precious woman and I could not ask for a better friend. She is so faithful to You and Your people. Please bless her as she continues to follow Your leading especially when it is hard and challenging. Draw her ever close to You as she seeks You with all of her heart.

Our Community Group

I am so thankful and blessed to be a part of our current community group. What is a community group? It's a smaller gathering of the church body that meets together and does life together during the week. This was a new concept for me when we moved her almost 3 1/2 years ago. It took some time to get use to is, but now I look forward to and thrive on community group nights. Recently our group has grown and it has been amazing to see God at work in our midst. I'm thankful that we love to talk about God, His Word, share struggles, speak truth, learn from each other and just be around each other. I love these people so much and am excited to see what God will continue to do with us in our midst.
So a shout out to our group:

Andy and Shannon our wonderful leaders who are kind and lead well, giving thought to all in the group
Cory and Courtney who willingly open their home to us every week and have some kind of delicious treat for us to devour
Amanda who has returned from 5 years serving abroad to come home and serve along Sojourn in the urban experience and her family
Brian who is new, but has jumped right in and has Godly wisdom
Hilary joined 2 weeks ago and has been diving right into discussion, being open and honest and sharing with enthusiasm what God is doing in her life and teaching her
Jenny is quiet and cares deeply for the lost around her also part of the urban experience
Joe who is also quiet but challenges us with fun group adventures and loves life
Josh has been so open about his past struggles and was baptized Sunday as a follower of Christ!
Kristin is fun and full of life
Laura is so insightful and knows the Scriptures so well
Leslie is fun and adventurous with a great personality who is honest about who she is
Melanie can always make me laugh with a great story and is a hard worker
Paul came to the Lord recently and was baptized Sunday! He has so much life experience to share
Ryan is just Ryan full of laughs and a good time with so much knowledge
Sara has such a sweet spirit and is also very open about who she is

We have such a great group and I am so thankful everyone of these people is in my life.

Father, Thank You for this wonderful group that I can call family. Thank You for teaching us more about You together. Please continue to bless and grow us as we move forward in Your ways and teaching

SWI

I am so thankful for the Seminary Wives Institute at Southern Seminary. This program is designed to teach and train women for serving in ministry along side their husbands. It is a unique program geared toward ministry preparation with a wide variety of classes from Essentials overview and Leadership to specialized classes to focus on parenting, marriage or overseas work. You can take a few classes than are in your interest range or complete 13 to 17 units for a certificate. I have been so blessed to take nearly 3 1/2 years of classes and plan to finish in the spring. In my time I have had the privilege to take:

Cross Cultural Ministries
Embracing Femininity
Leadership Skills 1 and 2
Biblical Parenting
Old Testament/ New Testament Survey
Redeeming the Time
Introduction to Biblical Counseling
Family Life Conference
Raising Healthy Families
A Closer Look at the Old Testament: Amos
Essentials 1 and 2
SBC 1 and 2
Lessons in Prayer
Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
Discipleship 1 and 2

I plan to finish with Marriage and Family and Baptist Beliefs in the spring. I have learned so much from these classes and am thankful to have this opportunity.

Lord, Thank You for this program to help wives prepare for ministry. Thank You for the people who value our training and have put many hours into preparing this program for all who attend. It is such a blessing for those of us preparing to serve.

Sojourn

When we moved to Louisville, we were so blessed to immediately have a church to become a part of. We moved our family here, following God's call to full time overseas work and knew one family in the city. By God's grace that family brought us to Sojourn Community Church where we plugged in and found community that loves Jesus and encourages us to do the same. We are so thankful to be apart of the Body here as we watch the Lord move in mighty and wonderful ways. It has been most exciting to watch Sojourn International grow to where we have 15 families on the field with many more preparing to go in the future. We have learned so much from our Family here and still have so much to learn knowing that God is not done with us yet.

Father, thank You for bringing us to Louisville and to Sojourn for this season of preparation. You use so many things to teach and grow us and we know You are not done here.

November 4 to 10

7116. Sleeping until 8:30
7117. School time
7118. Kids desiring to learn
7119. Reuben singing
7120. Reading together
7121. Building auditory memory
7122. Being able to use the same meal plan schedule as last week
7123. Lillian going to the grocery store with Jim
7124. Taking more less obvious opportunities to learn
7125. Learning what "the world is a classroom" really means
7126. Desiring to eat more
7127. Trying to figure out how much I need to eat
7128. Kids playing together
7129. Having enough leftovers for lunch
7130. Learning how to cut back
7131. Making it a whole week without getting fast food for a meal
7132. Growing in discipline
7133. All 4 kids napping
7134. Writing 7 handwritten pages in my book
7135. A productive afternoon
7135. Not having a journal entry to do
7136. Jim making a great dinner
7137. Staying home from class
7138. Restful evening
7139. Smooth bed time
7140. No one getting sick after bed time
7141. Having time to talk to Jim
7142. Jim being able to record our class lecture
7143. Jim getting home around 8 pm
7144. Good honest conversation
7145. God growing us in love for each other
7146. God' grace abounding in our lives
7147. Getting in bed a little early
7148. Sleep
7149. Really good breakfast
7150. Kids playing outside
7151. Making a Walmart run
7152. Talking about things at the store
7153. Learning opportunities everywhere
7154. Kids enjoying walking around Walmart
7155. Easy lunch
7156. Great rest time
7157. Writing a decent amount more
7158. Jim getting work done
7159. Pancakes for dinner
7160. Jamey and Lillian helping with dinner
7161. Laughing and talking
7162. Community Group
7163. Having a full house
7164. Hearing Paul and Leslie's testimonies
7165. Learning more about each other
7166. Going deeper
7167. Great conversation about the Holy Spirit
7168. Great questions
7169. Connecting with Hillary
7170. Pumpkin and Nutella muffins
7171. Sweet tea
7172. Great evening
7173. Waking up at a decent hour
7174. Family breakfast
7175. Doing school with the kids
7176. Great learning time
7177. Getting a few things done for class
7178. Jim having a good class
7179. Meeting Gidget to have our own write-in
7180. Sunergos coffee
7181. Black and white mocha
7182. Having a productive afternoon
7183. Talking with Gidget
7184. Laughing together
7185. Enjoying each others company
7186. Encouraging each other in writing
7187. Yummy chicken for dinner
7188. Crescent rolls
7189. Smooth bed time
7190. Andy and Shannon coming by
7191. Time to talk with Shannon
7192. Andy helping Jim figure out what's wrong with our dryer
7193. Praying together
7194. Encouragement
7195. Good sleep
7196. Filling breakfast
7197. Great school time
7198. Kids learning and growing
7199. Great conversations about the Bible
7200. Jamey reading the Bible stories
7201. Jamey's desire to read more
7202. Reuben dancing and clapping
7203. Lillian pressing forward with her reading workbook
7204. Learning more patience
7205. Jim getting a lot of work done
7206. Writing my testimony for SWI
7207. Wrestling
7208. Teaching my kids patience and flexibility
7209. Tortellini soup
7210. Water Aerobics
7211. Nice water temp
7212. Great workout
7213. Meeting with Becca and Loren
7214. Encouragement
7215. Sharing life
7216. Talking about giving Gospel presentations
7217. Realizing how far God has brought me in understanding His ways and Words
7218. Realizing how much more I have to learn
7219. Remembering we serve a big God and it's the Holy Spirit's job to convict and change hearts
7220. Asking advice on response to people who make comments about big families
7221. God being in control of all things
7222. Getting information for Winter and Spring terms
7223. The 2 classes I want/need to finish out being offered
7224. Time to talk
7225. A wonderful encouraging husband
7226. Waking up early
7227. Smooth morning
7228. MOMSTogether
7229. Really yummy breakfast
7230. Talking about thankfulness
7231. A few minutes to journal
7232. Hearing the baby's heartbeat
7233. Sandwiches
7234. Taking a nap
7235. Low key afternoon
7236. Restful evening
7237. Kids asking to watch "19 Kids and Counting"
7238. Smooth bedtime
7239. Typing up my work
7240. Getting up with little sleep
7241. Yogurt, granola and blueberries
7242. Riding with Gidget to the write-in
7243. Learning more from Gidget
7244. Meeting fellow writers
7245. Writing for 3 hours
7246. Realizing I am closer to the end than I thought
7247. Laughs and sharing
7248. Enjoying company
7249. Sharing parallels
7250. Opportunity to teach
7251. Jamey helping Becca with the laundry
7252. Low key restful afternoon
7253. Jim sleeping well
7254. Jim finishing all of his church history assignments
7255. Almost being finished with the semester
7256. Shrimp
7257. Kids eating well
7258. Movie night
7259. Getting a couple things written
7260. Smooth bed time
7261. Bed
7262. Getting 6 straight hours of uninterrupted sleep
7263. Time to read my Bible
7264. Having 2 breakfasts to help with the morning
7265. Cinnamon rolls
7266. Seeing immediate answers to prayer
7267. Attending the 11:15 service with our CG
7268. Gidget and Margo coming to church
7269. Margo doing well in church
7270. Talking about Jesus being the light
7271. Seeing 4 people baptized including Josh and Paul from our CG!!!
7272. Celebrating the work of the Holy Spirit
7273. Being reminded of the depths of our sin
7274. Being reminded of what Christ has overcome for us
7275. Walking to and from church
7276. Beautiful weather
7277. Black bean soup
7278. Crock pots
7279. Naps
7280. Time to rest
7281. Taco Bell
7282. Having kids with some innate sensitivity
7283. Teaching (trying) Jamey how to play Sudoku
7284. Jamey and Lillian being able to answer questions about who Jesus is
7285. Playing with Gabriel
7286. Enjoying some family time
7287. Smooth bed time
7288. Healthy weekend
7289. Hanging out
7290. Earlier bedtime

FBC Smyrna

I grew up in the Smyrna First Baptist Church and I am so thankful them. From a young age the people from FBC Smyrna loved on and invested in me. I was discipled there from the beginning, came to know Jesus, was baptized, taught about missions, sang in the choir, was married, had two children while there and had the call to go to the nations. They have supported us as we follow the Lord on the adventure He has called us on by praying for us and giving to Jim's seminary education. It is such a blessing to have people who love and care for us even though they do not see us regularly.

Thank You, Lord, for people who love and support us because they love You.

Becca

I cannot even begin to say how thankful I am my for my sister, Becca. She has been living with us for almost a year and a half and has been such a blessing. She has helped so much with the kids, who love her so much. She does laundry, makes breakfast most mornings of the week, gets up with the kids when I need a little extra sleep, watches them at least 2 nights a week currently and still goes to school and is involved at our church. We have deep conversations on a regular basis and are learning to speak God's Truth into each other's lives in a loving way and seek forgiveness when we over react. She is seeking to know more about God and is a fighter. I am so thankful that God has brought Becca to our home for this time.

Father, Thank You for the blessing of my sister Becca. Thank You for the work You are doing in her life. I pray You will continue to do a work in her that is beyond what she might hope or dream.

Rachel

This is my sister, Rachel. I have so many reasons to be thankful for her, but the first is seeing as a young child a tangible answer to prayer. I had prayed for a long time for another brother or sister and when I was 9 our family was blessed with twins. Rachel was the first born and ended up designated as "my twin" because I was the oldest. She is a lot like me in some ways, which can cause us to butt heads, but we still love each other and talk. Last December she came to help us as we adjusted to 4 children in our family and she helped so much. She is growing into a beautiful woman and I am excited to see what God does with her life.

Father, thank You for my answer to prayer in my sister, Rachel. She is such a precious young woman. Guide her and direct her as she seeks to honor You in her life.

Britney

 Today I am thankful for my sister, Britney. If you look at this picture you can probably see why. She is so much fun and always has a story to tell. She makes me laugh all the time. She is such a determined person and has overcome many obstacles in her life. God has blessed me so much with her life and I am thankful that 25 years ago he brought her to our family and that almost 23 years ago she legally became part of our family. We do not see each other nearly enough and do not get to talk as frequently as we would like, but we can always pick up where we left off and keep right on going.

Thank you, God, for bringing Britney into my life and for the laughter and smiles she brings. Please continue to work in her life and teach her about Your ways.

My Mom

Today I am thankful for my mom. She stayed home with us kids for many years and managed our home, which I am so grateful for. Her heart for hospitality really shone through as we always had people in our home, whether her friends or ours, foster kids for awhile or people who just needed a place to stay for the night. I am also so thankful for her heart for missions, which she has passed on to me. We were always collecting money for Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong, setting up the mission house, getting to know the people in the mission house, writing letters to people overseas and doing whatever they needed. When I became part of the youth group I went on mission trips every year and went on my first international trip when I was in 11th grade. I'm so thankful for my mom's love of missions and hospitality that she has taught me and I am now learning to live.

Father, thank You for giving me a mom who loves You and Your people. Thank You that she has taught me a love for Your people. Please continue to grow her in love of You and Your people as she teaches those around her.

My Daddy

This is my daddy! We have always had a special connection, probably because we are a lot alike in the way we think. I am thankful that we can talk about anything, even disagree, and still be OK in the end. It has been a blessing to see my dad growing in the Lord and for him to be open to changing. I am thankful for his patience as I grow in the Lord and learn how to deal with things in a Godly manner. He has been an encouragement to me in a lot of things. Now that we live apart we can go for awhile without talking but it does not effect our relationship. We can pick up where we left off and continue on.

Thank You, God, for my Daddy who loves You and is seeking to be more like You everyday. I pray You will continue to grow him in wisdom and Christlikeness.

Reuben

 I am so blessed to have Reuben in my life. He too is so full of life and in the last couple of months his personality has really begun to shine through. God has made him a rough and tumble boy with a very sweet and sensitive side. He loves to throw you or be thrown on the ground then turn around and snuggle with a big hug. I know God has some great plans for this boy. He is beginning to say Bible verses and repeat Truths from God's Word. He wants to learn along side Jamey and Lillian and sometimes thinks he is as old as they are. He loves to do "book work" when they do and to be read to. He studies his surroundings but also explores. God has made him such an incredible little boy and I am excited to see where God leads him.

Thank You, Lord, for the precious gift of Reuben. He is an amazing boy full of energy. You know him perfectly and know exactly what he needs. Please guide him to Yourself and show us how to love him well along the way. Thank You for Your goodness and grace.

Lillian

 This is Lillian, my one little girl. And really, this picture is her. I am so thankful for the life and laughter she brings to our home. She has the craziest sense of humor and finds the most bizarre things funny. Her responses are short and to the point. She is just so much fun. I sometimes struggle with having fun, and she teaches me about fun everyday. Her spirit is precious and I love to watch her learn and grow. She loves saying her Bible verses. She tells me all the time she wants to be an excellent wife. By God's grace she will be. She loves her brothers and is already a "little mama". We have to remind her that she is not the mama and to let us handle things. She wants to clean and is showing some interest in the kitchen. She is just special. I am thankful she is learning to hold her own and that she is tough but in a gentle feminine way. It's amazing to see that in her at a young age. I pray that I can teach her how to be a woman after God's own heart.

Father, Thank You for precious Lillian. You have made her beautifully in Your image and I see reflection of Your grace in her all the time. May she grow to be a woman after Your own heart, an excellent wife, and a mama who leads her kids to You. Grow her to love Christ and reflect Him in all that she does.

October 28 to November 3

6901. Getting out of bed
6902. Coffee
6903. Getting a little school done
6904. Reuben going to the store with Jim
6905. Free Chick-fil-A lunch
6906. Learning more about God's work around the world
6907. Hearing the different ways and the different places where God is working
6908. Kids doing really well with a long afternoon
6909. Getting homework done
6910. Being able to lie down for a little bit
6911. Jim making a yummy dinner
6912. Jamey and Lillian loving to learn more all the time
6913. Kids wanting to watch educational shows more than non
6914. Reuben putting Jamey's shoes away for him
6915. Hearing the kids sing Bible verses
6916. Listening to the kids singing about being changed
6917. Great Truths coming from Jamey's mouth on a regular basis
6918. Seeing the Holy Spirit at work in our family
6919. Getting to school early
6920. Time to look around the bookstore a few minutes
6921. Kids excited about class
6922. Kids having time to play
6923. Great class
6924. Hearing sensitive issues discussed in a Biblical manner
6925. God's goodness
6926. God making men and women differently and the beauty of that
6927. An hour to talk and share
6928. Getting across the street without drama
6929. Smooth bedtime
6930. Commercials that make me laugh
6931. Nice evening with the hubby
6932. Having a husband who seeks to be more like Christ consistently
6933. Growing in communication
6934. Everyone sleeping until 7:30am
6935. Getting out of bed not long after
6936. Coffee and Grits
6937. Talking with Becca
6938. Playgroup
6939. Hanging out with Gidget
6940. Hanging out with Caroline
6941. Silas playing with the other kids the whole time
6942. All of the kids playing well together
6943. Seeing growth
6944. Fun conversations
6945. Planning times to write with Gidget
6946. Getting excited about (hopefully) finishing my book
6947. Eating and drinking without issue
6948. Gabriel attempting to play in the playground
6949. Walking
6950. Eating lunch
6951. Drinking water
6952. Resting for a few minutes
6953. Getting a head start on the prayer list
6954. Working on some blog posts
6955. Being inspired to write more
6956. Seeking to honor God with my writing
6957. Emailing Ann
6958. Yummy tortellini soup
6959. Starting to get trip plans finalized
6960. Reading my chapter for Discipleship
6961. Being reminded of the importance of telling people about Jesus
6962. Becca brushing and braiding my hair
6963. Finding out friends are a day away from getting there little girl!
6964. Community Group
6965. A couple of the guys bringing Chicken pot pie
6966. Really yummy cookies
6967. Laughing together
6968. Planning dinners and testimonies
6969. Great conversation about Jesus and rules
6970. Great conversation about God's sovereignty
6971. Great time of prayer for each other
6972. Taking time to pray for those who lost their homes in a fire a block away
6973. Discussing how to step into service in each other's lives and outside community life
6974. Wrestling with expectations and where my heart is
6975. Getting out of bed
6976. Being able to do school with the kids
6977. Learning more with the kids
6978. Jamey asking questions about what we're learning
6979. Finishing My Father's Dragon
6980. Getting extra school work done
6981. Great discussions about Jesus
6982. Kids voicing that we will talk about God and the Bible before any other school work
6983. Resting with Jamey
6984. Finishing worker lists
6985. Getting some blog posts written
6986. Getting all of my story thus far typed up (I write long hand with pencil and paper)
6987. Getting all of my SWI homework done
6988. Having a very productive day both with the kids and individually
6989. Reading my Bible
6990. Jim meeting with Cory
6991. Jim making a yummy dinner
6992. Watching some of the World Series
6993. Talking with Jim
6994. Growing closer together
6995. Sleeping until 8:30 and feeling mostly rested (the second part has been such a struggle lately)
6996. Coffee
6997. Gabriel throwing up on my so I got a few minutes alone with God in the shower
6998. Being reminded of the need to purposefully worship God everyday
6999. Learning more about God changing our minds to match His
7000. Doing what we needed to do even with a kink in the morning
7001. Kids playing outside in the rain without complaining
7002. Getting most of the school work for this week done
7003. Getting a decent amount of cleaning done
7004. Hot dogs
7005. Having conversations with Becca throughout the morning
7006. Cool weather
7007. Getting blog posts written
7008. Finding decent pictures
7009. Productive afternoon
7010. Pancakes with chocolate chips in them
7011. Water aerobics
7012. Good challenging conversation
7013. Great exercise
7014. Being in the water
7015. Mocha Frappacino
7016. Meeting with Becca
7017. Finding out Becca goes to Sojourn!
7018. Potential for continuing accountability
7019. Encouraging conversation
7020. Being able to speak into each other's lives
7021. Being challenged in knowing the Gospel well
7022. God helping me to learn and wrestle
7023. Time to laugh
7024. Jim's kind words and assurance
7025. Jim's patience with me as he listens to me voice wrestlings that sound crazy
7026. CSI:NY on Netflix
7027. Sleep
7028. Donuts for breakfast!
7029. Getting ready for Women's prayer
7030. Great time of prayer
7031. Remembering the persecuted church
7032. Meeting someone else having similar struggles
7033. Eating a whole sandwich and chips at lunch
7034. Great conversation
7035. Good rest time
7036. Taking a nap (apparently I needed it)
7037. Black bean casserole for dinner
7038. Gabriel eating a lot
7039. Watching Jamey and Reuben play and wrestle together with laughter
7040. Jamey and Lillian acting out movies together
7041. Listening to my kids' imaginations
7042. My kids growing up together
7043. Kids asking to play outside!
7044. Smooth bedtime
7045. Getting 703 words written in my book
7046. Typing stuff up
7047. The ability to write and type
7048. Watching a movie while working
7049. Great productive evening
7050. Sleep
7051. Not having any funky dreams!
7052. Snuggling with Jamey
7053. Gabriel moving to the kids' room
7054. Having a low key day with the kids
7055. Playing outside with the kids
7056. Productive rest time
7057. Writing 1324 words today
7058. Getting a clearer picture of how I want my book to end
7059. Laughing with the kids
7060. Using every opportunity to teach my kids
7061. Reuben "saying" Roman's 3:23
7062. Reuben singing "Jesus Loves Me" on his own
7063. Kids growing in Scripture memory
7064. Growing in Scripture memory
7065. Learning how to seek God in all things
7066. Yummy dinner
7067. Fun conversations
7068. Laughing
7069. Jim getting lunch for tomorrow together before work
7070. Having a great husband who works hard in all things
7071. Jim getting an extra hour at work tonight
7072. Getting some things done
7073. Helping Bec with her speech
7074. Getting word counts uploaded on the NaNo site
7075. Growing in gratitude
7076. Becca getting to go to the women's conference today
7077. Learning to change perspective
7078. Becca being here to help with sick babies
7079. Hopefully getting a little extra sleep tonight
7080. Jamey and Lillian sleeping until 6:30 (I realize it was 5:30 with time change but this is a blessing)
7081. Getting to sleep most of the night
7082. Movies to turn on
7083. Jim being able to stay home with the sick boys
7084. Jim getting a little extra rest
7085. Being able to take Jamey and Lillian to church
7086. Sitting with Alia
7087. A great sermon on the Holy Spirit
7088. Jesus promise that the Holy Spirit would fill His people
7089. Being encouraged to trust and call out to the Spirit
7090. Catching up with Ann
7091. Thinking of questions for developing advocate teams
7092. Yummy lunch
7093. Reuben and Gabriel doing better
7094. Becca getting pictures taken for class
7095. Jim and I going to the missions cookout
7096. Meeting new people
7097. Hearing about more ways of living on mission
7098. Asking questions about schooling overseas
7099. Praying for workers
7100. Hot dogs and chips
7101. Really good pie
7102. Catching up with Natalie
7103. More emails for women's prayer
7104. Meeting more women interested in learning and talking more about childbirth
7105. Leftovers
7106. Fun family evening
7107. Playing and wrestling
7108. Feeling some little movements
7109. laughing and talking
7110. Smooth bed time
7111. All 4 kids going to sleep around the same time
7112. Movie night with Jim
7113. Being together
7114. Low-key evening
7115. Always learning

Jamey

 I am thankful for my firstborn, Jamey. This boy surprises me all of the time. God has truly blessed me with a son who is smart, quick, loves to learn and challenges me everyday. Jamey loves to play, wrestle, build, read, spell, add, write, watch TV and movies, act out TV and movies, imagine, and figure things out. I am so blessed to have a child who loves to hear God's Word and memorize it. He loves to sing Bible verses and songs that talk about God, who He is and what He has done. Jamey is always surprising me with deep Truths. God definitely talks to this boy. I am so thankful for his openness to God and His ways and that He desires to know Jesus and be like Jesus. 

Thank You, Lord, for Jamey. Thank You for Your grace in His life. Please continue to reveal Yourself to him that he may know You and follow You all the days of his life. Bring him to Jesus and teach him the deep mysteries of Your amazing ways. 

Jim

I have the best husband in the world! Really I do. :) No he's not perfect, but he is wonderful. Why? Because he strives to grow in Christ-likeness everyday. He desires to seek God's best and direction in everything. He loves me unconditionally and does not give up. He desires to lead our home in a Godly manner. He plays with our kids and gets down on there level. He invited my sister to live with us so she could attend school in Kentucky (yes, it was his idea). He cooks dinner everyday, yes everyday, for our family. He plans all of our meals too. He is patient with me in my shortcomings. He values and respects my opinions and ideas most of the time. He is willing to listen. He is growing in leadership in our community group. He is supportive of the ministries God has led me into. He teaches our children God's Word. He talks through Spiritual issues with me. He allows me to wrestle with God and teaches me in a loving manner full of grace.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I am so thankful that God has given me Jim as a life partner. We were blessed to be married young and to grow up together. We have learned to do life together. What an amazing gift. It has not always been easy, but by God's grace we have persevered. I am excited to see where God will lead us in the next 50 years as He grows us closer to Him and together.

God, thank You so much for Jim. He is such a precious gift and I pray that I will not take it for granted. You knew what You were doing when You placed us together. May we live long lives together serving You together on earth before You call us home to Your side.

I'm Thankful For God

This might be an obvious place to start, but when I think about thankfulness I realize without God I would have nothing to be thankful for. God is all that I have. I'm so thankful that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me, to save me and call me His own. I am thankful that because of what Christ has done in me I have His Holy Spirit living inside of me to teach and guide me as well as convict me and help me grow. I am so thankful that sin and death have been conquered by Jesus death on the cross and resurrection 3 days later. I am so thankful that He has created me and my family and has given me all that I have. I am so blessed that He refuses to leave me where I am, but instead grows me in Christ-likeness as He leads me each day. I am thankful He has forgiven me of all my sins and views me as clean because of Christ. I am thankful that He has given me His Word, the Bible, so I know who He is and can learn more about Him. Thank You, God, that You have saved me! You are all I need!