It's been a busy, busy week around here.  Two huge projects with quickly approaching deadlines at my "day" job, VBS each evening, kid's field trips two days, and jewelry orders to fill several evenings after getting home from church.  It all left this mom, wife, employee, and business owner tired and overwhelmed.

Regardless, it all was there and it all needed tending to... no matter how tired or how overwhelmed I felt.   One thing I've learned over the last few years, though, is that if I will give up my attempts to control it all then God will meet me right there in the middle of my overwhelmed and my tired.  He will lift me up, He will strengthen me, He will help me find ways to get it all done.

This week was no exception.  Just when I thought I couldn't get thru it all, there He was with co-workers willing to lend an extra hand, a husband that took time away from his job to help make all the home stuff stay in order, and friends to laugh with me when I needed it the most.

Another thing he gave me?  The beautiful sound of children's voices singing of Him, the wonder in their little eyes as they learned about Him, and their laughter as it rang thru the halls of our church each evening.

Thursday evening I had a break in my own VBS responsiblities and I took that time to sit in our sanctuary and listen to the sounds of those sweet, sweet voices sing.  The song?  "Give Thanks".  I can't even begin to describe what swept over me as I listened and sang along, "Give Thanks with a grateful heart, Give Thanks to the Holy One, Give Thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son...."

In that moment, I was stopped in my tracks with overwhelming feelings of thanksgiving for all God had given me as He held my hand thru a busy week, as He cares for me each and every day, as I thought of my friends and family He has given me, as He gave me a few still moments to listen to children's voices singing to Him with gratitude.

This weekend we celebrate our nation's freedom; yet another gift from our Lord.  I can't imagine living in any other country -- yes, we are blessed.

Happy Sunday and Happy 4th of July!

Melanie/Beads-N-Style

by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks


In the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving this week. I like this holiday because it is not weeks of preparation and if you take the time, it is a wonderful time to reflect on all that you have. I like the idea of having a day to stimulate thought, though quite honestly in the U.S. I think most of us dwell on the menu and less on what we have to be thankful for. God commands us many times to be thankful or to have a sense of thanksgiving in everything... good or bad. He tells us that we will receive peace when we are thankful!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

This verse comforts me because it reminds me that God commands us not to be anxious. He is big enough to handle it all! But the reality is that I am a control freak and want to have it handled my way so instead of trusting God, I hold tight telling Him how it should be resolved. When I do this I begin stressing and becoming overwhelmed with life. Is that sin? I don't know but I do know it is not how God wants us to live.
Trusting God, letting His peace rule within and letting go is what I am constantly striving to do. I found that at night as I start to fall asleep I can visualize in my mind taking the issue and handing it over to Christ. I state what it is and lay it as a package for Him to deliver the results. When I am done, I fall asleep... more and more I drift off prior to finishing my prayer list because I know He can handle it better than I can. And I know He knows what is weighing on my heart and those I pray for.

Waiting expectantly. I find that when I choose to do that - to be patient and watch and wait - the Lord answers my prayer in ways I could never imagine. So much better than what I would have told Him to do. This is always a work in progress for me. I still find myself explaining a situation (like He did not know all its details?) and stating what I think may work the best... then oops, I realize that is not what I should do so I quickly add "but Your will be done." Like that last tag along line is me giving it all over to Him?

It is the times when I am in prayer and dwell on who and how great our God really is rather than how big my problems really are that I truly am permeated with that peace. It is such a sweet peace... it truly is the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe Heb 12:28

If you have not felt that peace or if you haven't felt it recently, I challenge you to minimize your requests and maximize your God. Take your prayer time and spend a minimum of the first half of it dwelling on the greatness of your God and thanking Him for everything in your life and the world He created for us. Then wrap the rest of the requests in a package and lay it at His feet... trust... wait and watch. God is faithful and answers prayer!


Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here are some ways to express your thankfulness to others. Please take some time to check out these shops and how about making it an Etsy Christmas giving time?




Thank you cards by eyeletsagestudio











Season of love small ornament by elenaseasel















Family tree pendant by SissyPretties

"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19

My daughter asked me to write on this verse last week. She is working on having an "attitude of gratitude" and filling her heart with thanksgiving. She deeply feels that we take so much that God has given us for granted.

Leprosy is an ugly, deforming disease caused by a bacterium which affects primarily the peripheral nerves, eyes and face. It still exists today under the name Hansen’s disease and it is estimated that in 1995 two to three million people had been deformed by it. In 2008 there were over 212,000 reported cases of the disease. The good news is that they now have successful treatment for it.

I looked at pictures of people who have it and it is truly devastating. Back in the time of Christ those who had leprosy were isolated and not allowed any physical contact with others, not even family for fear of spreading it. (They now know it is spread through respiratory means, coughing and sneezing but back then they had no idea.)

The pictures touched me and I tried to imagine being one of those lepers who encountered Christ…

My name does not matter. No one uses it anymore, to them I am nothing. I am a mere “leper” relegated to the outside of town and I know that I am considered unclean and to be avoided. Not only avoided but shunned because this ravaging disease is considered an outward sign of my inner sin. As if in a horrible nightmare each day I am becoming more and more hideous looking as this curse continues to deform me physically.

I wallow in hopelessness as the feeling of isolation overwhelms me. If I walk near a person I am required by law to shout: “unclean, unclean”. I am tormented searching my soul to know what sin was so grievous that I am inflicted with this punishment. Depression sinks in knowing this is a death sentence… a lonely, slow death sentence with no one to comfort me.

There are rumors that a Jewish teacher actually touched a leper and cured him. He touched a leper! No one touches us. No one even comes near us.

After much labored walking, we saw Him on the road and hollered: “Jesus, Master. Have pity on us!” He did! Can you imagine the joy (after years of being spit at, isolation and depression, never being touched) of a restored body? Of my skin feeling soft again, my eyes regaining their sight, my oozing sores healed and the damage that the disease inflicted upon me being reversed! Oh my goodness, what an incredible miracle!

My first thought was to run back to my family and show them I had been restored. I could hug my loved ones and eat at their table! The other lepers must have felt the same way because they were celebrating (some were leaping) and running in different directions. Then it hit me if the disease was a sign of my sin did that mean I am healed of my sins too? I now felt cleaner than I ever had, even before this scourge came into my life. Who was that Jesus who healed me?

I swiftly changed directions and began running to Him. I started yelling out loud “praise be to God” and when I reached the Teacher, the healer, the forgiver of my sins…I collapsed at His feet. I was overwhelmed by His grace crying “thank you, thank you, praise be to God!”

It seems obvious to us that the leper should return in thanksgiving after having such a great miracle in his life. But if you think about it, don't we all have so much to be daily thankful for? Life at times gets overwhelming and we loose that sense of thanksgiving that the leper must have felt. As with so much in our relationship with Jesus, thankfulness is a choice. We can allow ourselves to take for granted that we have a roof over our head, food on our tables, a bed to sleep on or we can choose to be thankful for the gifts in our lives... tiny or big.

My new prayer is that I may have the heart of that leper, that I will run to my God, fall on His feet in thanksgiving and praise!

Gourd of plenty by ASenseofPlacePhotography












Lilac & Amethyst necklace by JewelsbyTrish














Happy Thanksgiving boy by kaleighbugkards

Thank you note card by Lyzard915