Day 11 of Thanksgiving

Thankful for trips down memory lane....

When I was a teenager I used to sing this song in my church at just about every church singing we would have.  It's really neat to look back now and read through these lyrics that I sang so often and see how God has used them throughout my life.

God is so faithful and I stand in awe of Him right now!!

Here's the lyrics to the song:

God will make this trial a blessing

I’ve just come into a valley one like I’ve never been before.
I keep searching for a way out seems like pad locks are on the doors.
Oh ther must be another sunrise another sunset that I’ll see.
God will make this trial a blessing that’s the love he has for me.

I was not the first one to come into this place.
You see every child of God this test you must face.
It is here that God will mold you and make you what you ought to be.
God will make this trial a blessing just be patient you will see.

Now I’m standing on a mountain lookin back I can see.
When I was in that lowest valley his strong hand was leading me.
Oh its good to see the sunshine and to taste sweet victory.
God has made this trial a blessing oh the grace he gives to me.

chorus

God will make this trial a blessing tho it sends me to my knees.
Tho my tears flow like a river yet in him there’s sweet relief.
There’s no need to get discouraged there’s no need to talk defeat.
God will make this trial a blessing and the whole wide world will see.

Day 10 of Thanksgiving

Thankful that "there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus!"

Day 9 of Thanksgiving

THANKFUL for a wonderful LifeGroup to share life with. Our LifeGroup has been meeting for a little over a year now and it's so neat to see how we've all grown closer to one another and to Christ through our Bible studies and other life events. They were truly there for me, Rodney and Joshua during a rough time we were forced into by an individual earlier this year. I can't put into words how much each of them mean to me and how much it meant for them to really reach out and care for us during that time.

Looking forward to beginning our new study tonight and seeing how God will use it to bond us and our children even closer together.

Day 8 of Thanksgiving

Today I am very thankful for freedom and to have been born in America. I'm also thankful for the faithful ones that have protected our freedom and sacrificed so much so that we can live in a free country.

I watched a video and read an article today about a lady that spent 28 years in a Korean concentration camp. She was captured at the age of 13 and just a few years ago she escaped. She lives her life "under cover" now. She still has family members in the concentration camp and doesn't want harm coming to them because of her escape.

As thankful as I am to live in the freedom of the USA, I'm thankful that God sees beyond our borders and He cares for the World. His heart yearns for those in capativity to find freedom and for those being persecuted to find rest. I'm thankful that God sees each one of us individually, no matter where we are, and that He has not forgotten a single one of us. I'm thankful that this dear Korean lady has found freedom from her captivity and my prayer is that she will turn to Christ and realize that it is Him that has truly set her free. I pray for her healing, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. I'm sure she has a lot to overcome from her past and my prayer is that she will find peace and healing.

I'm also thankful for the ability to pray and to be able to pray openly and boldly to the Lord, knowing withouth a doubt, that He will answer.

Day 7 of Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for quiet moments like tonight. Joshua is tucked into bed for the night and Rodney is sleeping and I'm just enjoying the silence of our home. I used to HATE silence and it would drive me nuts, but here lately I love sitting in a quiet room and just being still with nothing to do and absolutely no agenda. The rest of my life is so loud and busy and I love every minute of it, but nights like tonight are one in a million and I'm thankful that right when we need them they come along.

Day 6 of Thanksgiving

Today I'm thankful for my awesome church family! I'm so blessed to be a part of such a great missions minded church that truly reaches out to others!! If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be a member at Gateway I would have laughed at you. I distinctly remember having conversations with Rodney saying I would NEVER join Gateway. My only reason was that I didn't want to join his home church and that I wanted to go somewhere that neither of us had been before. Needless to say, I'm so very thankful that I gave in and followed the Lord's leading, along with my husbands, and am now a part of such an awesome church with some of the best people in this world!!

Day 5 of Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my parents. I read in a book recently that, "it doesn't matter whether your parents are good, bad, or indifferent. God knew that those two individuals possessed exactly the right genetic makeup to create the custom 'you' he had in mind. They had the DNA God wanted to make you."

Me and my momma!! We're closer now than I think we've ever been and I appreciate her so much. We've been through a lot but she's my momma and I love her so very much! She's always been there for me and I know without a doubt that she always will be.

Me and my dad. I've known my dad for 14 years now and although things aren't exactly how I would like them, I am still thankful for him. The times we have spent together and the conversations we've had are very special to me. 

I am thankful that I'm here because of these two individuals and I'm thankful that my momma never gave up on me.

Day 4 of Thanksgiving

I'm so very thankful for having a personal, one on one relationship with Christ. I've been a Christian since I was 11 years old and although there have been times where I've ROYALLY messed up, God has stayed consistently with me and has showered me with overflowing forgiveness and compassion. Looking back at some of the things that have happened to me I often wonder where I would be had I not known Christ during those times. Even imagining it makes me shutter and scares me half to death because I know, without a doubt, I would NOT be the person I am today if it weren't for Christ. I'm so very thankful that He has saved me from myself and I'm thankful that He has not left me hopeless. He has given me a firm place to stand and dignity to hold my head high.
I celebrate in the confidence I have in Christ that I belong to Him and with Him I'm eternally secure!

Day 3 of Thanksgiving

With much confusion and pain that I still feel in regards to this sweet baby girl, I am thankful for her! My January 1, 2005 New Year's Baby Girl - Renee Grace - didn't make it to see her 2nd birthday, but she made a lasting impression in a lot of lives, including my own. And, though I would much rather have been able to bring her home and see her grow up with Joshua I am thankful that people that didn't have a relationship with Christ now do because of her. Rodney and I had began looking to adopt a baby from Nicaragua and shortly after beginning the search we recived a phone call on January 3, 2005 asking if we wanted to adopt a baby girl that had been born January 1, 2005. She had not even been named yet. We said yes and named our precious little girl Renee Grace. She now lives on in our hearts and in those that have come to know the Lord because of her.

Day 2 of Thanksgiving

MY SWEET, SWEET JOSHUA!! The miracle of how Joshua came into my life still leaves me teary eyed and so very thankful each and every day I look into his sweet little face. When facing the dark path of infertility there is little room for hope. You see those around you beginning their families and it makes you envious, sad, scared, hopeless as to when or even if you'll ever have the same.

Rodney and I began looking into the possibility of adoption when we were approached by a friend asking if we would like to meet a lady he knew who was pregnant and wanting to give the baby up for adoption. Looking back I see how God's hand guided each and every step of the process and how he very intentionally placed Joshua in our lives. I am so grateful for my little boy and can't even try to put into words my love for him. He is a joy and brings such excitement to our lives.

Seems like it was just yesterday that he was this little. He loved laying on his changing table and checking out all the fun stuff on his wall.

NOTHING BUT PERSONALITY!!!! He's such a happy boy!

Kicked back and enjoying a little vacation time.. :) I love this picture of him.

The most recent picture of Joshua. He is 6 years old now and is growing up way too fast for this momma.

I'm very thankful for Joshua! He is one in a million!

A Month of Thanksgiving

I'm going to give it my best effort to blog each day this month about someone/something that I'm thankful for.

Today I am thankful for my wonderful husband. I often say that God knew exactly the man I needed in my life when he put me and Rodney together. Rodney holds me together more than he probably realizes. He is my rock and he is the one person in my life that I know without a doubt will ALWAYS be there for me; no matter how horribly I might mess up. Two of my favorite things about Rodney is how forgiving he is and how VERY patient he is. Trust me, with me as a wife, he needs A LOT of patience and God has definitely given that to him.

Rodney stands behind everything I embark on. He is always there to support me.

I'm a lucky girl to have Rodney in my life. It's so hard to believe that we've been married for 11 years and I'm so excited about what the years coming have in store for us. No matter what it might be, as long as we are together, I know we will always have exactly what we need.