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Thankful Thursday ~ His Faithfulness

Before I start my post this week, I would to remind you that my friend Laurie at “Women Taking A Stand” will be hosting Thankful Thursday in the month of March.

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.
(Psalm 26:3 ESV)

Over and over I see how distressed people are these days. Have you noticed that more and more people are fearful of their future? I often tell my friends that I don’t know where I would be without God in my life.

I know that life is not easy and not everything goes according to plan. Maybe life is not going according to our plans, but I know for certain that God is moving us in the direction of His plan. Paul in his letter to the Philippian church noted:

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)

Sometimes I look at my situation and forget about God’s faithfulness. But when I look back at my life, I know that He always has been with me; moving me along His plan. Since I have gone through the highs and lows in life, God can use me to encourage others who are on a journey of despair. May I always share with others His faithfulness and love.

What are you thankful for this week? Please share by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: God is faithful and He will use your life story to bring others close to Him.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. The Minimalist Guide to Being a Thankful Wife
2. How To Deal With Anxious Thoughts
3. Beyond Romance
4. Six Years		 5. Heather @ Living In the Moment
6. Reflections
7. Sarah @ The Fontenot Four
8. Kathleen 🙂		 9. bp @ Raindrops & Rainbows
10. lorig
11. Mia De Vries
12. Jess @ Homestead For Him

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Singing Over Me…

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.”
~ Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

Just popping in really quick this morning to share a little encouragement with you all.

I was a little discouraged this morning, but through God’s faithfulness my day starts to look a little brighter. If you haven’t read Lori’s article in “Exemplify Magazine” (page 19/20), I encourage you to read it today…being thankful in all things helps to put our focus on the One who holds us in His hands…

The sweetest thing that happened to me though is that the Lord sang over me with a song that made me smile and stilled my heart. The song is called “The Words I would Say” by Sidewalk Prophets. Let me share the chorus with you:

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Remember, no matter how bleak your morning may seem – God is singing over you with a love-song that goes straight to your heart 🙂

Have a super blessed day in the Lord…
grace_iris1

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Thankful Thursday ~ Random

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” ~ Colossians 3:16 (ESV – emphasis mine)

Before I share my random list of thankfulness with you all, I want to say “Thank YOU” all for the wonderful birthday wishes last week during our ‘get-together’ on Thankful Thursday. You all made my heart skip a beat…

If you have read my post “Welcome to ‘Grace Alone…'” you know that I really had a hard time over the past 6 months. Nothing seemed as it should have been. I was down — all the time. I want to apologize for not being a better hostess on Thursdays…The Lord has lifted the dark cloud, put the spring back into my step 😛 …Isn’t He grant????

I promise I will stop babbling now, and share my list with you all…

  • Lord, thank You for lifting the dark cloud. Thank You for putting a spring in my step, joy in my heart…

  • I am thankful for my beloved. He made my birthday special last Saturday. He looked all around town to get me a manual camera. He now is patiently teaching me photography from the ground up…

  • I am thankful for God’s guidance. Tuesday morning I read this post from my friend Lynn. You see, I was praying for subjects to blog about. Little ole’ me thought – well maybe about marriage, raising a son. But NO – He has a different agenda for me. I pray that I will not chicken-out. I will trust Him to give me words to share with you all (and hopefully some who see Christians in a not so good light). I am willing to be His tool (although a little scared)…

  • I am thankful for Lynn’s hard work on putting together a wonderful Fall Giveaway prize. If you have not seen it yet; check out the giveaway post at Laced with Grace…

  • I am thankful for Darlene’s site “Writing Fundamentals“. I have already gleaned some great insights on improving my writing. I need all the help I can get 😉 – still the German thought pattern working in this ole’ brain…

  • I am thankful for women like Lysa TerKeurst. They step out in faith, sharing their heart with the world. I was really touched by her post “My Secret“…

  • I am thankful for Firefox. I know this seems kind of odd to you. You see, I have IE at work (an old version). It keeps crashing when I try to access some blogs because of the plugins used on the blogs. It gives me hardly any time to read blogs during my lunch-time (30 mins), because I constantly have to reboot. So, yes, I am thankful for Firefox here at home – fast browsing, tabbing, linking, clicking, leaving comment…ahhhhhhhh

  • And last but not least I am thankful that God gives me strength every.single.morning to stay on ‘target’ with my life. I had asked Him what needed to go in order for me to be available to Him. It was hard to give up scrapping as a CT, but I know it was necessary…

Okay – I better stop, because I have so much to be thankful for — I want you to have a chance to also visit others…(ps – I am my old self again – PTL!!!!)…So, what are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving your link below…

Thanks for stopping by today. And remember: He is able to put a spring back into your step – keep on thanking Him for the things He has done and will do in your life…

Be blessed today and always…

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Stacy – big announcement
2. Tammy
3. Melanie
4. Denise
5. JesuLalaine
6. Lisa@BlessedwithGrace
7. Nancie
8. speaking from the heart
9. To Know Him
10. Cheryl
11. our family story
12. Angie
13. Lynn (Spiritually Unequal Marriage)
14. Angela (son #2 is home!!!)
15. Felicity (The Voice of FMLL)
16. Laurie @ womentakingastand
17. BP @ Raindrops & Rainbows
18. Cheryl@Hope
19. Heather
20. Lori @ Front Porch Legacy
21. Laurie Ann
22. JanuJenn
23. Aisha @ The Holley Herald
24. Tonya @ Safe in His Arms 🙂
25. Jerri @ Jerri’s Journey
26. Sarah (part-time job)
27. heidi (a special friend)
28. Tammy @ Munchkinheads
29. Peggy
30. Mariposa
31. Janera
32. Beth@The Accidental Pharisee
33. mama meji
34. Rocks		 35. Tara
36. Esthermay
37. Marsha
38. Linda
39. Amy
40. Crystal @ News from the Zoo
41. Lori ~ Simple Life at Home
42. architect
43. Kim-
44. Willow
45. Liza’s Eyeview
46. Amanda Bowers
47. Erica
48. jennifer’s joyride
49. Nemo @ daily-dabble.com
50. He & Me 3
51. Tracey
52. Kristi-Kiki’s Corner
53. Heather @ Not a DIY Life
54. Debra
55. Jill – awards 4 u 🙂
56. Newlyweds
57. Amy @ Joy of my Heart
58. gen/entryhere
59. Dana
60. Tami @ The Next Step
61. Patricia@Typing One-Handed
62. Lea
63. Kathy C.
64. pam @ Without Fear
65. Susan @ Forever His
66. Bonnie
67. Tarah
68. Nichole @ A Call to Higher Places		 69. Susie-Pink Carnation in Bloom
70. Debbie @ Heart Choices
71. Kat
72. It’s All About Him!
73. Michele
74. Jennifer
75. Nancy @ Homemade Blessings
76. Angel (house under contract)
77. gail @ challenges and adventures
78. Tea with Tiffany
79. Mandy
80. lisa
81. Darlene @ Everything to Me
82. Sherry(@myjourney)
83. Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting – 29 Days of Giving
84. Rachel (Persecution in India)
85. Marcia
86. Sab
87. Rosheeda
88. Kathy @ BlessedBuilder
89. Kathy @ Joyful Journey Journal
90. Catherine
91. Heather
92. Denise @ Teacups & Time
93. Dori
94. Tessa @ Jesus-Filled Hope
95. becky aka theRAV
96. Ann
97. Tanya @ texastanya.net
98. Mommy’s Gems
99. Karl
100. Rebecca
101. Miss Ellie for feelin’ feminine

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Thankful Thursday ~ Hope

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” ~ Psalm 42:11 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

First of all, I would like to thank your wonderful participation over the last couple of weeks – you ladies are so wonderful sharing your grateful heart – you all ROCK!!!!

This week I will not really give you a list, but share my reflection on hope with you. I have looked up ‘hope’ in Webster: “to cherish a desire with anticipation”….Wow – what a definition that is.

As of lately, I only survive on the hope I have – a hope that all things will work out for the good. In Romans 5:4-5, Paul shares: “…and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

What if I wouldn’t have that certain hope? What if I were hopeless like so many these days…It makes me shiver…I am glad that I can put my trust and hope in God. Even when the days don’t seem so sunny, I do always I have Sonshine. My Lord makes my journey lighter.

I so now can understand Christian teachers like Pastor Greg Laurie, who just lost his oldest son in a car accident. If the foundation is not Christ, but our own ability to make it through life – we would be lost. Lost in hopelessness.

I was never a great journal-writer, but over the last couple of months, I have shared – in writing – with my Lord the hope I have. The trust I put in Him. Although I always have prayed, I have never expressed my prayers in writing. As I am looking back over my prayer journal, I can see the changes. All I can say (as the Psalmist states) “For I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God”.

One of my current favorite songs is “My Hope is You” by Third Day. I listen to it often. Let me share with you the chorus:
“My hope is in You – show me Your Ways – God being truth – In all my days…My hope is in You…”

Yes, God is the only hope we can really hang on to, because He has a wonderful ‘record’. He has shown His faithfulness over thousands for years – and I know that He will be faithful until eternity…Hope in Him never disappoints 😛 …

Thank you so much for stopping by today. What are you thankful for this week? Please link your Thankful Thursday post below…

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Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Gina’s Public Diary
2. Twinkle Mom
3. Heather@mommymonk
4. Angie
5. Cheryl
6. Denise
7. Tänia of Faith Prints
8. toknowhim
9. Felicity
10. Aisha 😀
11. Susan @ Forever His
12. Ann/mom2HandH
13. BP @ Raindrops & Rainbows
14. Peggy
15. Peggy@3Ms..aMazing Grace
16. Nancie
17. Pia @ My Life’s Journey
18. Paula @ Refined By Him
19. Cheryl@Hope
20. Laurie @ womentakingastand
21. Cara Lynn
22. Linda
23. Millie
24. Willnette
25. Lynn (Spiritually Unequal Marriage)
26. LaDonna
27. Tracy @ Thirsty for Him
28. Sherry(@myjourney)
29. Amanda
30. Ladynred
31. Michelle
32. Lisa@blessedwithgrace
33. ari_1965
34. Ice Cream, Family and… Hope?
35. Joanne@ Blessed…
36. genny		 37. Serendipity Park
38. alihsee @ remember the moments
39. Tami @ The Next Step
40. Colored Heart
41. Susanne
42. Schotzy
43. Renee @ In Christ Alone
44. Kim aka GoofyMamma
45. Stacy
46. Amanda Bowers
47. Heahter @ Not a DIY Life
48. Willow
49. Mary
50. Robyn@Overflowing Grace
51. Tammy
52. Brianna
53. Gina@chats with an old lady
54. Mama Bear
55. Kristi@ Kikis Corner
56. akash
57. flmom
58. Michele-ScreamFree Parenting(this works)
59. Erica
60. Mamasmurf (Chrissy)
61. Tracey @ Cheese and Whine
62. SharonB
63. Carrie – Oak Rise Cottage
64. Karen
65. In Light if the Truth
66. mhstultz@hotmail.com
67. Tracy @ Seed Thoughts
68. Karen – Focusing on Relationships
69. Julie
70. Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
71. Rosheeda
72. Prairie Chick		 73. Lea
74. Mommy Magee
75. Annabelle @ Christian Momma
76. Front Porch Legacy
77. Nancy @ Homemade Blessings
78. Diane
79. Donetta at a life uncommon 🙂
80. jennifer’s joyride
81. Michele
82. Tea with Tiffany
83. Irene *The GreenGreek*
84. Bella Mama
85. Beverly
86. becky aka theRAV
87. Kathy C.
88. pam @ without fear
89. Laurie Ann
90. Kim @ Scattered Stones
91. Janet @ Daily Provision
92. Mariah
93. Heather
94. Linda aka Yellowroseli
95. Janera
96. Nessa @ Ramblings of a Texas Housewife
97. Marsha
98. Nette
99. Tessa @ Jesus-Filled Hope
100. Kathy
101. Edie @ Rich Gifts
102. Kathy @ Joyful Journey Journal
103. Rocks-thankful for the HOpe
104. Kathleen
105. Pat
106. Blessedw5mom (Heather)
107. Kathy S

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