Never Once

Last week was quite a week, not so much in my life but it seemed that everywhere I turned there was pain and suffering. The week of suffering ended with some dear friends of mine welcoming their first child into the world. Quite the opposite of pain and suffering! I wasn't and am still not quite sure how to process all of this but I'm thankful that my pastors offered some direction and words of comfort on Sunday. None of them tried to answer anybody's "why" questions, they pointed us to the "Who" that holds us in the midst trial, the "Who" that never leaves us alone. So thankful for the pastors in my life!
"I have counted blessings in the heat of battle, this keeps my eyes on the Lord." -Ann Voskamp

So here we go!

Saturday:
1. A quiet morning, blueberry pancakes and a French press
2. An afternoon and evening of laughing with dear friends
3. A night of good sleep

Sunday:
3 Reminders-
1. Death is not the end
2. NEVER ONCE has He left me alone!

3. His presence brings rest. 

Today:

1. Busy day!

2. Green smoothie for breakfast

3. A cool night, time for a baseball game!

Another long list

After a convicting sermon on idols, been doing some soul searching, what are my idols? What could I not live without? What do I hold in higher esteem than my Savior? Well... a lot of things! I'm thankful for a Pastor that addresses these topics that make me cringe, but ouch! Gotta keep working through these idols in my heart!

In the mean time, gotta get caught up on my list!!

1. Dinner with a dear friend
2. A sweet new baby boy in the world
3. ... and his healthy momma!
4. Great small group filled with unifying conversation
5. So much prayer at work
6. Surprise visit
7. Concert in the park
8. Dinner with fun friends
9. Summer heat
10. Talented artists
11. Mid-week worship
12. Laughs with co-workers
13. Dinner with the fam
14. Concert with siblings
15. Perfect weather
16. New Memories replacing painful ones
17. Lazy Saturday with my nephew and crew
18. Food on the grill
19. Baby boy curls
20. Hospitality
21. God confirming a calling (in the littlest of ways)
22. A church that prays together
23. A friend that knows EXACTLY how I feel
24. The ability to work from home
25. Vitamins
26. Time to rest and get well
27. Creative minds
28. A fantastic hamburger
29. A beautiful evening for dinner outside
30. Laughter, so much laughter
31. Spontaneous dinner with mom and dad
32. ATM machines
33. Girl talk :)
34. Plan B
35. Picnics
36. Old Movies


Thoroughly enjoying my quiet, cool, lazy Saturday morning! I hope your day is off to a great start!

Patience and Reliance

You know what's a hard lesson to learn? Patience! Sometimes I regret asking God to teach me how to be patient. He doesn't just wave a magic wand and make me patient, He gives me opportunities to practice patience. Another hard one, how to rely on Him for EVERYTHING. If I would just learn that one I'd save myself a lot of heartache! As all sufficient as my Savior is, I find myself looking to other people to satisfy my longings again and again, no matter how many times they let me down. Well, I wish I had a solution for this one, I wish I could tell you that I've found the answer to learning patience and dependence on God, but I haven't, we've got to keep struggling through this one together!
One thing I do know, however, is that the simple concept of gratitude is a profoundly helpful one. When I remember to count my blessings at the end of the day, even for just a bit, I'm able to take my focus off of myself and onto my Savior.

So here's to some focus on our Savior for a bit...

Tuesday:

1. Sacrificial love from my pastors
2. A night to rest
3. An encouraging meeting

Wednesday:

1. My front porch
2. A good book
3. Furry creatures

Thursday:

1. Dinner with mom and dad
2. A tomato growing
3. Fingers that work to type

Friday:

1. Spontaneous girls night
2. Chinese food
3. Reminders

Saturday:

1. A clean house
2. Vacuums (I really do love them)
3. Mexican with Meredith

Sunday:

1. Finally some time to catch up with Jeri
2. Hot summer sun
3. A beautifully-relevant sermon

Thanks for reading! :)

Perfect Summer Weekend

Saturday:

1. Breakfast Burritos with the fam
2. New CD in the car
3. Legs that work

Sunday:

1. Frozen Yogurt
2. Surprises
3. Cool, summer nights

Today:

1. Mumford and Sons Tickets!
2. Busy work day
3. My plants are growing! :)

Friday

1. Love from my pal, Dale

2. Answered prayers 

3. Snuggles with my sweaty-headed nephew

Happy Weekend!

Comfort and Guidance

Wow! Getting this far behind in simply unacceptable! Thank you, Kimberly for reminding me that I need to get back to blogging! This time I'm due to write 78 things I'm thankful for, I'm bound and determined to record 1000 gifts this year, so here goes!

1. A behind-the-scenes look at worship
2. Great friends over for pizza
3. Stormy nights
4. Windows open - Cool breeze
5. Missionaries serving
6. Easy access to recipes over the internet
7. Veggies on sale
8. Living close by
9. My small group, my small group, my small group
10. An old friend over for dinner
11. Laughs while making a bucket list
12. Real conversation
13. Adoption
14. A time to celebrate new life
15. Sweet baby tears
16. Downtown date with Amanda
17. Good food
18. Perfect weather
19. Flowers
20. My new herb garden
21. My loving father helping me plant
22. Laughs over dinner with Meredith and Andrew
23. A day to celebrate dad
24. A kind repair man
25. Girl talk over red wine
26. Relaxation
27. Plenty of time to learn my new job
28. Understanding friends
29. Flexibility
30. Warm welcomes
31. "The One who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine" I love that this is true!
32. Brainstorming sessions
33. A new elliptical machine
34. Tears from laughter
35. New friends
36. Stories of redemption
37. Fresh perspectives
39. "The blood of Jesus is my victory"
40. Joy in working
41. House full of friends
42. Pancakes and girl-talk
43. Deep prayer and worship
44. Stories from Haiti
45. Day of meetings (love having meetings :)
46. New water softener
47. Putt Putt with fun friends
48. Weekend get-away on the calendar
49. Making New Years plans in June
50. Old friends over for dinner
51. Lazy, cool Saturday mornings
52. Snuggle time with baby Kate
53. Nursery time with mom
54. Convicting Old Testament sermon
55. Beautiful Memorial Service
56. An eternal perspective
57. "He knows my name"
58. "He hears me when I call"
59. Beautiful stories of a father's love
60. Continual welcomes from my new, work team
61. Pineapple frozen yogurt
62. My small group to "do life with"
63. My Savior's comfort in the midst of loneliness
64. The promise the He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me
65. Mid day prayer with my pastors - priceless
66. Morning coffee
67. Flexibility at work
68. Mid-week vacation day
69. An extra bed to share
70. This cool summer
71. Family in town
72. The joy of watching Jack grown and learn
73. Music
74. Staff meetings focused on prayer
75. Old Hymns
76. Humble leadership
77. Independence
78. A weekend with family

It's difficult for me to put into words how gracious my Savior has been to me and all that He is doing in my life. He is so near to me, so near. The past 6-8 months of my life have been one big transition and I couldn't have survived even one day of it were it not for my Savior's sweet comfort and guidance. I'm so full of gratitude to Him and to all of the people He has placed in my life for this season. Thank you all for reading and for keeping me accountable to count my gifts. I hope you're counting too! Don't ever hesitate to tell me some of your daily blessings, I love to hear them! :)

Happy Independence Day!!!