Sing a Song of Thanksgiving

Psalms 26:6-7 (NIV) I come to your alter, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders.

Sitting in the lunch room yesterday, I listened to a co-worker complaining because a section of the newspaper, provided by another co-worker, was missing. Like a dog with a bone, the grumbling continued for several minutes. Listening was difficult for me. Such a small little thing in the midst of many trials that our world is facing.

Our son-in-law was hospitalized on Monday to have his kidney removed. Monday evening he was moved from recovery to intensive care...which we hadn't expected. Prayers were in my heart and on my lips as I waited for word on his condition. So, when the co-worker let her bitterness show over the missing newspaper, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the goodness of God. When I returned to my desk, I found a message waiting on my cell phone. My son-in-law had been moved to a regular room. Praise God. My prayers now are for his continued coverage and thanks to the Lord for guiding the surgeons hands.

In times of trouble, people turn to God for help, even those who are non-practicing Christians. But, many forget to give thanks for blessings he bestows upon us when we ask.

This Thanksgiving my family has many things to be thankful for and we will thank God for them.

God bless you and thanks for stopping by.

Faith and Trust

Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

This Bible verse is my screensaver because it is so meaningful to me. As humans we tend to depend on ourselves to come up with solutions to our problems. We worry and fret and sometimes fall ill. Recently our youngest daughter went through a very difficult situation which put us on a treadmill of worry, anger, and a fight for justice. Things spun out of control and it hurt me deeply that I couldn't fix this like I'd fixed her skinned knees when she was younger. At this time we weren't actively attending church. I didn't have the faith and trust in God that I'd once had because I didn't have a church family.

One night in desperation, I fell to my knees and turned the situation over to God. I felt his calming spirit pour over me and was humbled. We've since returned to church and now have that wonderful Christian family to support us. God lives in our lives. The situation with our daughter was resolved, perhaps not the way we wanted, but in looking back I see it is God's solution...and it is right.

Many people believe in God, but without being members of a church family it is easy to lose faith and trust. I'm grateful that God brought me to my knees that night.

May you be blessed today by God's healing presence.

Surprise Gifts from God

A few years ago my husband and I put up bird feeders in the back yard. We loved sitting on our deck and enjoying the chorus of many different bird songs blending together. In May, several chickadees built nests in the multi-tiered bird house. Soon we'd hear the cry of tiny babies as the mothers flew in to feed them. It was our vision to spend the rest of our lives providing food and shelter for the birds so we would have the pleasure of enjoying their gifts of beauty and song.

God had another plan. We found a litter of kittens under our deck one morning, and within a couple of weeks, we counted a total of seventeen kittens and cats, a result of a neighbor abandoning a small colony of semi-feral felines. They took refuge in our back yard, hiding in the bushes and woodpile. To protect the birds, we stopped providing food for them. God has provided in nature a bevy of seeds to feed his feathered friends. However, in an urban subdivision, there is little wildlife to sustain cats...unless we continued to draw in the birds...which went against our hearts. We had the felines neutered/spayed through a trap and release program in exchange for providing food and shelter for the remainder of their lives.

Now instead of birds, we have thirteen furry friends depending on us. At times it is hard to scrape together the money to provide the forty pounds of food they consume in two weeks, but God always finds a way. For these felines, we are their lifeline. You can read the entire story on my website by clicking "My Mission."

Sometimes God knocks and when you open the door, he provides a mission and it is your decision that will determine what you reap. Sure, we gave up what we envisioned for our back yard, but we have gained so much more. Every time we step outside, we are greeted by a furry family who thank us for giving them hope.

I Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

I Corinthians 12:4 NIV There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.

I See God in a Smile

Psalm 37:5-6 NIV Commit everything you do tothe Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Yesterday we had our Thanksgiving celebration dinner at church. My husband and I had the privilege of sitting with Mable, one of the single "young at heart" ladies, a pillar of the church. Mable is about four feet tall and has a "widow's hump" and a slight twist to the spine. She has the beautiful aqua blue eyes and a warm smile that welcomes everyone. She is one of the first to greet us when we started attending church. She remembers names, she is up to date on current events, and can tell you everything about the church and the town from days before I was born. She's 86 and one of the smartest women I know. She keeps active by square dancing twice a month, and she still drives. She doesn't judge others, and she never frowns. She is a ture example of Christ living within us. When she smiles, you see God.

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Today our son-in-law is having surgery to remove a cancerous kidney. Please keep him in your prayers.

May God smile on you today.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Psalm 119:72 NIV Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.

Today is my Dad's birthday, but he isn't with us any longer to celebrate. I still miss him. He became my Dad when I was seven years old. He was bigger than life to me. He touched the lives of many people over the years. His home was opened to many in need, and his hand always reached out to help his extended family with a loving touch, whether a kind word, or the last dollar in his wallet. He touched lives of those he never met.

Dad never knew a stranger and he enjoyed every day to the fullest. One of his biggest passions was fishing. How I loved spending summer days on the river bank with him. He taught me to bait my own hook and to take a fish off the line...even those horned cat fish. My proudest fishing moment was the day I caught the biggest fish, and he was proud, too. He boasted to everyone about the "catch" his daughter made.

Happy birthday, Dad, until we meet again...

Raymond A. Butler, November 19, 1918 - January 2, 2005

Facing Life's Challenges

Last night I called my mother as I do several times a week. She lives alone and has congestive heart failure. She has chosen not to have surgery and to let God handle her life. For years, Mom's favorite passtime was creating beautiful handmade quilts. Her hands embroidered the squares in gorgeous colors of thread, then she would match one of those colors with a solid trim of squares and finally quilt in miniscule stitches. These quilts grace the beds of many of her friends and family. Not one baby was born who didn't receive a homemade baby quilt. After Dad passed away, she began to spend many lonely hours sitting in her chair, watching television, and sewing. Though we invited her to move in with us, she declined. I honored her wish because I understood her reasons. Two years ago, her arthritis intensified making it impossible for her to do any needlework. She turned to reading...the Bible, nonfiction and fiction books, working word search puzzles...anything to pass the time while the television played continuously. Over the past year, her health has declined rapidly and she began complaining that the house was dark. She can't hold a book or magazine for any length of time for it hurts her hands and she can't see the words. A trip to the eye doctor took away her last pleasure. Her eyesight is deteriorating and no change in prescription can help. She is going blind. But she is determined to meet each day that God gives her with an optimistic outlook. It may take her an hour to make her bed, but she manages. It may take her two hours to run the sweeper on her one rug in the living room. But she manages. She loves music and turns the television to listen to radio stations when her eyes are hurting. Her money is running out. By summer she will no longer have a savings...and she is finally realizing that she'll have to give up her beloved home and move to another state to live with us. It breaks my heart.

But with God's love, Mom will be able to spend her last days with family. She'll be able to enjoy some time with her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. She'll have people to talk with, and she'll be able to become part of our church family.

Though it will mean adjustments on everyone's part, we'll work together to create a new home full of old memories.

As quoted from Philemon 6 NIV, "And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ."

A Simple Thank You

This morning I encountered a co-worker in the breakroom, whom I rarely see. I thanked her for a job she had completed for me a few days earlier. She smiled and said it was no problem. I followed that up by saying, “In case no one has told you lately, you are greatly appreciated.” The look on her face made my day. She said no one at our workplace had ever told her that before.

That is sad, but so true in many arenas. A smile, a word of thanks, when heartfelt, can brighten someone’s world.

May God's blessings touch you today. Thanks for stopping by.

God is Tone Deaf, Too

Many mornings I have to push myself out the door and into my car to drive to work. With daylight savings time kicking in and the nights growing longer, I rarely see a spark of sun peeping from the sky. To combat the "blah" feeling, I turn on the radio and suddenly I hear beautiful music from my favorite christian station. Soon, my voice is joining with the radio, praising God in musical worship. Within a few bars, my heart is full of joy and the morning suddenly looks glorious. I see God's handiwork in all the wonderful things He's created on earth. My voice is blasting through the car...although totally off key...but God doesn't care. I know He is smiling down at me. On mornings like this, I believe God is tone deaf, too.

God bless, and thanks for stopping by.