Have a Thankful Thanksgiving, Part 3

• Friday, 11-11-11 - I am thankful for such a cool date! I am thankful that today is Veteran's Day and I have a paid day off in a country that was kept free by Veterans who made tremendous sacrifices to keep it free. I am thankful to be an American. I am thankful that I grew up close to Fort Hood, TX and got to see first hand the sacrifices our soldiers and their families make for the rest of us. I am thankful that I got a chance to go shooting for the first time!!
• Saturday, November 12th - I am thankful that we made our goal last week at LC so I got to wear a blue jean skirt and t-shirt to work. I am thankful that in a time where many have trouble finding a single job, that God has blessed me with two.
• Sunday, November 13th - I am thankful for Friend Day at church today. I am thankful that I can have so much fun working with four year olds! I am thankful for how much they enjoy saying their memory verses in as many crazy ways as I can think of (underwater voice, monkey style, robot style, etc). I am thankful for friends who are my age and single that attend my church and have fun hanging out. A year and a half ago I didn't have that luxury. I am thankful for the Spiveys who work with us Pathfinders and plan fun activities for us to do. I am thankful that I do not have to try to eat Oreos placed on my forehead without using my hands on a regular basis (a game that I failed miserably at)!
• Monday, November 14th - I am thankful for a washer and dryer in my apartment. When I lived in TN and had to use the laundromat it was such a hassle! I am thankful for a dishwasher that get the dishes clean and more sanitized than I can by washing them by hand. I am thankful for a refrigerator that keeps food from spoiling and being wasted.
• Tuesday, November 15th - I am thankful that IHOP is open after 10 pm and has a place to plug in your computer. I am thankful that I can concentrate and get a lot of writing done there like I can not seem to do at home. I am thankful for all of the HBBC students that work there who may not recognize me, but I know are HBBC students. I am thankful for their testimony.
• Wednesday, November 16th - I am thankful that a new haircut can make a girl feel like new! I am thankful that the salon had an opening and was able to fit me in on my lunch break even though it was a spur of the moment decision and I had obviously not made an appointment. I am thankful for all of the encouraging coworkers, friends, and family who supported my drastic change in hair styles.
• Thursday, November 17th - I am thankful for a boss who is understanding when I am 10 minutes late because I didn't realize that my windshield and windows would be frozen over when I tried to leave for work this morning. I am thankful for defrosters, heaters, sweaters, gloves, coats, scarves, hats, boots, and anything else that keeps me warm!

Have a Thankful Thanksgiving, Part 2

Have you ever found yourself down in the dumps grumbling about something? In that moment you were not grateful. There's just something about the way that God made us, we can be thankful or ungrateful but never both at the same time. This thought convicts me because I know that I must complain to God far more often than I thank Him for things. So these are the things that I wanted to thank God for this week...

• Friday, November 4th - I was thankful that my sister invited me to go see the Beauty and the Beast play done by Oklahoma Christian University. I was thankful that the weather went from 29 degrees and frosty to the mid 50's. I was thankful for my co-workers that I work with on a daily basis; they make work fun and are truly a blessing to me.
• Saturday, November 5th - I was thankful that the earthquake at 2am didn't cause any damage where I live. I was thankful that I was able to sleep in after a night of very little sleep. I was thankful that I got off of work at LensCrafters at 8pm instead of 9pm. 
• Sunday, November 6th -I was thankful for the "fall back" time change that allowed me an extra hour of rest after the second larger earthquake in 24 hours had me wide awake again. I was thankful that even though it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma, that I have not heard of anyone being seriously hurt and no major damage other than a couple roads buckling and some people's walls cracking. I am thankful for Southwest Baptist Church which celebrated it's 60th anniversary on Sunday. I look forward to Sunday mornings when I can work with my precious 4 year old girls and then sit and hear Pastor Gaddis preach about things that feed me spiritually. I truly have been blessed to be a part of a church that is my church home.
• Monday, November 7th - Despite the fact that earthquakes, tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms happen in one night here, in spite of the wind that comes sweeping down the plain, and even though the weather in general changes faster than a girl can change her mind, I am very thankful that I know I am right where God wants me and I am very thankful that it is here in OKC. While this Texas girl will never give up her Texas heritage and roots (After all, you can take the girl outta Texas, but you cain't take the Texas outta the girl.), Oklahoma has truly become home to me in the last 7 years and there's no place I would rather be.  =)
• Tuesday, November 8th - I was thankful for Tuesday night visitation nursery. Every Tuesday night I go play with babies while their parents are out visiting people. I get to help by freeing parents up from distractions and get my baby fix all at the same time! I have one little girl, Emma, who has become my special buddy. I think I am one of her favorite people ever. She always wants to come to me whenever she sees me and it makes my day every time!
• Wednesday, November 9th - I was thankful for the cold, nearly freezing weather last night. (It's a one time thing, but I actually was truly grateful for it!) I somehow managed to drop my ground beef right outside my front door while I was carrying in groceries last night. Thankfully with the weather being so cold, it was nearly frozen and not spoiled! It was truly a blessing!
• Thursday, November 10th - I am thankful for coffee and how soothing it feels on a sore throat. I am thankful for the french press coffee maker that I won at work several months ago. I being able to make coffee at home. I am thankful for a stove that works, electricity that is consistent, and safe, clean water that comes out of the facet every time I turn it on.    

What about you? What are some of the things that you are thankful to God for this week? I would love to hear yours too. So please, comment at the bottom and let me know!

Have a Thankful Thanksgiving, Part 1

I had noticed people were putting something that they are thankful for each day on Facebook for the month of November. I liked the idea, but I thought I would do it on here and do a week's worth at a time.

Oh, and by the way... Did you ever stop to think that being thankful for something implies that you are thankful to someone for that thing? Think about it. Most of the things that we are thankful for we have little to no control over. Who are we thanking for those things? The very concept of being Thankful implies that we are thankful to God. So don't be generic this Thanksgiving and November; don't settle for being grateful to the unseen and unknown. Be specific and thank God!

• Monday October 31st - I was thankful that I live in a safe apartment complex where I don't have to worry about mischief befalling me on Halloween night. I was thankful that I was not scheduled to work at Penn Square Mall on Monday. I was thankful for a nice quiet evening where Jen and I got to hang out and watch a movie together.

• Tuesday, November 1st - I was thankful for one last day of short sleeves, sandals, and windows open kind of weather before the cold front that was coming through the next day. I was also thankful that my work paid for all of us to have free Big Truck Tacos today at lunch. I had never had them before and they were very good! I was thankful that I was no longer sick like the week before and was able to do visitation nursery like usual. I was missing those babies!! 

• Wednesday, November 2nd - I was thankful that I got to eat lunch with Mrs. Rachel Spivey and Samuel. She is such a blessing to me! I also was thankful that I had a much less stressful day at work than on Tuesday. And I was thankful that I got to ride to and from church with Jen and Colby who just crack me up! 

• Thursdays, November 3rd - I was thankful that I have warm blankets that keep me so cozy that I don't want to get out of bed. I was thankful for hot water to take a shower without freezing. I was also thankful for my cell phone since it is my faithful alarm and keeps me in touch with my friends and family.

Songs on a Sunday - I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I haven't done a Songs on a Sunday post in a while because I hadn't had any new songs just jump out and squeeze my heart lately. But even though it wasn't sung in church today, my sister was randomly singing this song today and it caught my attention. Read the words; they are very encouraging!

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

by Ira Stanphill in 1950

Verse 1

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from it's sunshine,
For it's skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Verse 2

Ev'ry step is getting brighter,
As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter;
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eyes,
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Verse 3

I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the One Who feeds the sparrow,
Is the One Who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood. 

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

A Loving Relationship, Not a Daunting Checklist

God has been working in my life for the past two years to teach me that I really knew nothing about what it means to be spiritual. It's been a process that began with me meeting people who didn't have my same standards and therefore should have been "worldly" people. Yet I came to realize that my definition of what made a person Godly and spiritual must be skewed. You see, these people I met I now consider to be among the most Godly, spiritual people that I know.

I began to see how my list of standards had become a checklist for spirituality. I could see that I would look down on and judge other people as not being as Godly as myself because they didn't follow my list. I began to see pride, arrogance, hypocrisy, self-righteousness in myself. I felt like I had become a modern-day Pharisee. And Jesus was clear in how He felt about them; He didn't count them as spiritual, but as hindrances to the spiritual walk of others.

That started me on a journey. I began to re-evaluate my life, my standards, my beliefs. I knew how to defend what I had grown up believing and living, but I had come to the point where I needed to decide for myself what I believed. I knew that taking another human's word for it was not going to be enough for me, even if that person was my Pastor or my parents. I knew that I couldn't continue to live it if I didn't concretely believe it for myself. I realized that if it wasn't stated out and out in the Bible as a sin then it was a man-made rule. I began to sort through those man-made rules that I had grown up with to see which ones I could trace back to a Biblical basis, not personal preference.

When I moved back to OKC, Pastor Gaddis was preaching about some of the same things I had been learning. He preached about how judging another person's spiritual life based on human standards was wrong. This was exactly what I had been realizing for the past year. He also talked about how God sets a standard that is black and white; He draws the line clearly on an issue. Then he talked about how the Pharisees added to those laws by creating man-made standards. The intention was to prevent them from even getting close to breaking God's laws. Sounds good, sound zealous, sounds spiritual, sounds like us Independent Baptists, right? The motive may have started out right, but the practice went wrong. They began to treat their added standards as the law themselves. They began to believe that a person could not be spiritual unless he followed all of their man-made additions to the law too.

Throughout this time, there still remained one question in my works-oriented mind... If your personal standards are not the basis for evaluating a person's spirituality, then what does make a personal spiritual? This past Wednesday night Pastor's message finally answered that question. The answer is to remember that the spiritual walk is a relationship, not a checklist. I have heard this before many times, but this time it struck me differently.

I had been reading a book about the 5 "love languages" that people "speak." The book is all about relationships and how different people communicate love differently. It talks about how some people do things for each other to show their love. But for it to be an actual expression of love, the action cannot be demanded. If action is demanded then you are required to do a certain thing. You do what is demanded because you fear losing who you love. The book says that action out of fear doesn't show love; you must go beyond what is expected, out of the realm of fear, in order to express love by your actions.

Maybe those things seem completely unrelated, but in my mind they came together and clicked. That was how I had been viewing my relationship with God. I viewed Him as demanding this list of required actions. (I am not going to make a list, because it is different for every person. You will know what you believe is expected of you.) I believed that I had to do these things in order to not displease Him. I did them out of fear, fear that He would not be satisfied or pleased with me, like I had to earn His pleasure and approval.

When Pastor Gaddis talked about the spiritual life not being a checklist, but a relationship it began to click. He even made a comment similar to the one in the book about how action demanded cannot express love. To express love you must be free to choose not to perform those actions. It must be a free choice. God says over and over that salvation freed us. God doesn't demand that we fulfill His commandments any longer.

It doesn't mean that we are justified in going and living however we please. We are free, freed from sin not freed to sin. Even though God doesn't demand that we live a certain way, His standards of right and wrong are still there. But now we have a choice! We are free from His demands to freely express our love to Him of our own free will by choosing to live according to His standards because we know it will please Him.

The difference is subtle...

Instance 1) God demands that we fulfill His laws. We attempt to out of fear of His displeasure. When we fail, we always feel as though we have failed Him. We take our list and fearfully try to check it off, hoping He won't be displeased. We never make it to victory, but struggle with defeat constantly. We think of God as a harsh task master who is demanding and impossible to please.

Instance 2) We realize that God no longer demands that we fulfill His laws. We understand that right is still right and wrong is still wrong and we know that doing right still pleases God; it brings Him pleasure. So as an expression of our love to Him, we choose to do what will bring Him pleasure. We freely choose to do the things on our list, not out of fear of rejection, but because we know we are loved and accepted by God and we desire to show that we love Him too by doing what makes Him happy. We evaluate our lives and actions by how they will please God, not out of fear, but out of eagerness to please Him.

In the end, I may be doing the exact same things as I was before, but now I can do them wholeheartedly with joy. I can do them because I love Him and am grateful for what He has done for me. I can do them because I know that they will make Him happy, not out of fear of displeasing Him.

Hope Dorm - Room 705

My sister and I invited a bunch of people over to watch a movie. One of Jen's fellow Witness! members and one of my old roomies ended up being the only ones to come. We had a great time! We spent the last couple of hours watching a movie, talking, and just hanging out. It was nice to spend some time with a couple of people who know me better than anyone else in the world.

As we were talking we started to reminisce about the year I spent in Hope Dorm Room 705 with Heather, Lindsey, and Faith. It was also my sister's first year and since she was in the same dorm, she also spent a lot of time in there.

I made memories that I hope I never forget! One is the memory of the only time I can really remember getting angry with them. I had won a Beta fish in a Christmas game at work and jokingly named him Ross after the CEO. Even though we tried repeatedly to rename him, nothing ever stuck and he was stuck being Ross.

Well, one day I came home and Ross was not alone in his fish bowl. There were these awful, disgusting little shrimp things swimming around with him. I was so annoyed! If you know anything about Betas they typically cannot live with other fish because they kill them. I knew that my little Ross was especially aggressive with his reflection in mirrors, so I knew that he would end up killing and eating them. Long story short, my roomies didn't believe me, but in the end that's exactly what happened. It took a while, but it's now funny!

Other memories include my 24th birthday at BJ's, the picture we drew and hung on our door and added to throughout the semester, Heather falling for Tim, the nicknames we all gave each other, the room meetings that always lasted way too long not because of trouble but because we were having such a good time, Heather and I studying together for Blythe classes, the laughter, Faith singing the same made up song over and over for weeks, Lindsey and Tae Bo, Jen doing a creepy face and chasing Heather around the room with a highlighter behind her back. The list could go on and on. We shared our hopes, dreams, fears, tears, failures, successes, prayer requests, praises, heartaches, and laughter, lots of laughter.

Personality-wise we couldn't have been more different. I have a hard time letting people in and opening up to them, but they just loved me and accepted me so easily that I couldn't help loving them back. By the time the year was over, we were almost as close as sisters.

While it's a lesson still in progress, it's good to remember the biggest lesson they taught me that year. It was my "extra" year. My 5th year at HBBC. My 6th year of college. The year I was supposed to already be done. It was the BEST year of college I had and that room was the best room. Yet, if I had planned my own life, I would have already graduated 2 years earlier. I can look back and see how His plan was magnificently better than my own.

I am so thankful that God's plans are not our plans!

Songs on a Sunday - The Love of God

This has long been one of my favorite hymns. While the whole song is special, the third verse is my favorite. It apparently inspired Fred­er­ick Leh­man to write the rest of the song. He says of the third verse, "Since the lines had been found pen­ciled on the wall of a pa­tient’s room in an in­sane asy­lum af­ter he had been car­ried to his grave, the gen­er­al opin­ion was that this in­mate had writ­ten the epic in mo­ments of san­ity." It was discovered to be an adaptation of a portion of the Jewish poem Had­da­mut, writ­ten in Ara­ma­ic in 1050 by Meir Ben Isaac Ne­hor­ai, a can­tor in Worms, Ger­ma­ny.

The adapted portion from Haddamut reads as follows:

Were the sky of parchment made,
A quill each reed, each twig and blade,
Could we with ink the oceans fill,
Were every man a scribe of skill,
The marvelous story
Of God’s great glory
Would still remain untold;
For He, most high
The earth and sky

Created alone of old.

The Love of God

Verse 1

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Verse 2

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain

Verse 3

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky. 

 

Refrain

Songs on a Sunday - God's Been Good

This song is relatively new to me. I think I heard it first about 2 years ago. Parts I can relate to wholeheartedly. It touches the raw places where only God can see. Other parts I look forward to understanding someday. Overall, it's just one of those songs that speaks to me and its beauty gives me "goosebumps." Hope that it's a blessing to you too!

 

God's Been Good

 

Verse 1

Lately I've been looking back, along this winding road
To the old familiar markers of the mercies I have known.
I know it may sound simple, but it's more than a cliche.
There's no better way to tell you, than to say...

Chorus
God's been good, in my life.
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams 

when I go to sleep each night.
And though I've had my share of hard times, 

I wouldn't change them if I could.
'Cause through it all, God's been good.

Verse 2
Times replay and I can see that I've cried some bitter tears.
But I've felt His arms around me, as I faced my greatest fears.
You see I've had more gains than losses and I've known more joy than hurt.
As His grace rolled down upon me undeserved...
 

Chorus

God's been good, in my life.
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams 

when I go to sleep each night.
And though I've had my share of hard times, 

I wouldn't change them if I could.
'Cause through it all, God's been good.

 
Verse 3
For God has been my Father, my Savior and my Friend.
His love was my beginning, and His love will be my end.
I could spend forever trying to tell you everything He is,
But the best way I can say it is this...

Chorus

 God's been good, in my life.
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams 

when I go to sleep each night.
And though I've had my share of hard times, 

I wouldn't change them if I could.
'Cause through it all, God's been good.