Thankful #13...

I am thankful for immediate answers.

More often than not, waiting is involved. I’m better at waiting than I was at one time, but I’m not any better at liking the wait.

I like immediate service, immediate responses…and I like immediate answers to my prayers.

More often than not, I have to wait for all of them.

But, occasionally I get an immediate answer, and I must admit…it is usually quite startling when I do. God has such a sense of humor sometimes…. Here is my latest immediate answer…

Do not fret.

Trust in the LORD and do good

Delight yourself in the LORD

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

Wait for the LORD and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land
(select verses from Psalm 37)

When frustrated and disturbed, (that sounds better than mad as a wet hen…) I think of all sorts of ways to respond…(that sounds better than retaliate)

And when I ask God to show me how to walk thru it, He needs only to remind me of what I already know. Hence the latest message from Psalm 37.…

Fretting is useless.

I am responsible for my choices, either to do good….or not so good.

Handling it in my own human manner is just telling Him that I don’t trust Him to take care of it.

Taking charge and setting everyone straight is not committing my way to Him, but committing to my own agenda.

Waiting is the smart thing to do because I don’t see the big picture nor do I know other people’s heart.

What something ‘looks like’ is not always what it is. God will have His way ultimately…He just sometimes has a purpose for it taking longer than it ‘looks like’ it should take.

My temper and imagination will only lead to my own wrong thoughts and behavior.
I have a choice. I can continue to look at my wrong thoughts and consider them…or I can on purpose turn FROM them and choose life instead of death.

I can believe that God WILL keep His promises, that He IS KEEPING His promises even now, and especially when I don’t see nor understand the mechanics of His ways.

Thankful #12...

Today I am thank for grandchildren.

I remember eleven years ago today getting a call that my first would be arriving within hours.

The time was a bit early, but circumstances demanded an early delivery...so we headed off to the hospital and got there just in time to see our son hovering over a tiny little baby girl in a hospital nursery. Chesley was here, healthy, and precious.

She was our first experience as far as grand children went…and our first experience at little girls. They are indeed different than the two little boys born to us. Their grandfather had no daughters, and had no sisters. Boy was he in for surprises !

What a joy it is to be a grandparent. Grandchildren are just that. Grand children. Grand indeed.

What a legacy born to us.

“Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children…”(Prov. 17:6)

What a responsibility.

“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..”(Prov. 13:22)

We can’t eat cake and ice-cream with our firstborn grand-daughter on this, her birthday. We are geographically separated. (…another reason to be thankful for technology !! )

But we will never be separated in heart.

How we love you Chesley. Happy birthday sweetie…

Thankful #11....

I am thankful for rest.

Rest, as in going to bed and actually sleeping all night.
And rest, as in sleeping late!!

Rest, as in sitting with coffee for as long as you want.
Rest, as in reading whatever you want, and for however long you want.

Rest as in no agenda, no demands on my time or energy.

All of those things and a list of dozens more define what we think of as rest.

But here is where REAL rest comes from…. "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest….”(the words of Jesus, Matthew 11:28 emphasis mine)

When I find myself so very weary, often it is not a weariness that can be recuperated from by a good night’s sleep. It is weariness that is a result of getting out from under the yoke with Jesus, pulling the weight of my life in my own strength. When I do that, it doesn’t take long for me to wear myself out.


“ Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with Me.' If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. Remember that this nation is Your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Ex. 33:12-14)

Moses was called by God to shepherd His people out of bondage, thru a wilderness, to a promised place.

Moses knew the landscapes and the dangers. He knew the Egyptians, and he knew the life of a nomad shepherd. He had his hands full…but he was never asked to do it in his own ability.

I’m certainly not Moses. but I’m called by God to be a beacon of His Light, leading people out of bondage, pointing the way to His promised land.

And if you wear The Name of Jesus Christ….you too are called. Jesus Himself said, “….go and make disciples …and teach them…”(Matt. 28:20)

Like Moses, I am not left to my own ability. I don’t have the cloud guiding me by day and fire by night, I have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God within.



If Moses couldn’t do it alone, who am I to think I can…..

Thankful #10

I am thankful for today.

Thankful that it is over.

Thankful that all todays aren’t like this one was…


And I’m thankful for the encouragement and hope from God’s Word about days like today….

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”(Hebrews 3:13-14)

“…as long as it is today….:”

That includes this day.

Encourage one another. And if there’s nobody encouraging you...for those who share in Christ, He provides encouragement Himself. He comes in The Person of The Holy Spirit to encourage.

I am thankful for today, and thankful for the Comforter Who helped me get thru it.

Thankfullness #9...

I am thankful for my man.

I am thankful for all the nonsense, the wisecracks, all the picking and teasing… There are very few hours that pass that he does not in some way acknowledge my worth to him…certainly never a day of the last 37+ years.

I am thankful for the morals that he has, the standards by which he endeavors to live, and the integrity that he strives to maintain.

I am thankful that he has never lorded himself over me, but has instead always had a servant heart. Not only does he think he’s not above any task, he considers that I am…and steps in to perform them instead.

I am thankful for the genuine concern he has for other people, the strong convictions about right and wrong, fairness, justice…

And I am thankful for the compassionate heart that has not become hard and calloused over the years, in spite of seeing and experiencing so much of human sinfulness and suffering.

He is a mighty man of God, my knight in shining armor.

Thankfullness #8....

I am thankful for seasons.

I love them all and my favorite one is usually whichever one we are in at the moment. (…unless I’m cold…I don’t like to be cold, but it takes more and more to make me be cold these days !!..)

When it is springtime, I enjoy watching the leaves sprout and the flowers begin to bloom, the birds building nests and laying eggs.

When it is summer, I love our garden, working the soil, enjoying fresh vegetables on our dinner table. I love a freshly mown lawn, the scent of honeysuckle in the evening air, and dips in the lake or swimming pool.

When it is fall, as it is now, I love watching the leaves change colors before my eyes. I love the smell, the warmth and the crackling sound of a fire as I sit on the patio by our chiminea sipping a cup of coffee.

When it is winter, I love the way snowflakes fall so silently and cover creation with a blanket of white that looks so incredibly serene and peaceful. I love the curling of the smoke coming from our chimney, the patterns of frost on the windshield, and the way it shimmers from the roofs of the houses.


I would tire of any one of the seasons. You would too.


God was wise to give us change in the seasons. We get bored so easily….an opportunity for the enemy to lead us into disobedience and rebellion.



“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

...I know that everything God does will endure forever…” (Ecc. 3 select verses)



Seasons don’t last.

The leaves bud and grow, they become lush and green, then change into brilliant colors, eventually falling to the ground to decay. They don’t last…

But they come back..

My life has seen many seasons. I’ve been thru lots of phases and experienced lots of growing pains. Certainly not suffered like some have, and certainly not from any merit of my own.

I’m nearing the autumn of an average life. Winter will come, this body will become dormant. And die.

And I will enter an eternal season with our Creator, with a glorified body, walking on the streets of glory.



“....Desperate, I throw myself on you: you are my God! Hour by hour I place my days in Your hand, safe from those who pursue me…….warm me, Your servant, with a smile; save me because You love me. (Ps. 31:14-16)



I love life. I love the seasons. And I love the God Who gave them both….



“ Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all:

He changes the seasons and guides history,
He raises up kings and also brings them down,
He provides both intelligence and discernment,
He opens up the depths, tells secrets, sees in the dark--light spills out of Him!

God of all my ancestors, all thanks! all praise! (Daniel 2:20-23)

Thankfullness #7.....

I am thankful for children.

I love babies. They are so very small and helpless. A tiny little human being is such a wonder !

I love toddlers. They are so curious, constantly learning, absorbing new information all the time.

I love adolescents. They are so awkward, ready to explore the world while still loving to be coddled.

I love teenagers. They are so sure of themselves, so confident in their own wisdom and ability.

I love adult children best…..

One day they see how tiny they still are in the grand scheme of things.
They see how small a human being is, yet how incredibly important.
They begin to see how much they don’t know….. and admit it.
They begin to embrace the wisdom of other rather than claiming they don’t need it.
They embrace the awkwardness of living in this world where we have no control except of personal choice.


They begin to see the older generation thru different eyes, seeing beyond surface and circumstance. They begin to see the frailty and weakness that was there all along and appreciating the battle we refused to stop fighting.


I loved my sons when they were in the womb, never having seen them or known them.
I loved the infants that nuzzled at my breast.
I loved the toddlers who hid under the bed and spilled their milk.
I loved the adolescents,so happy yet utterly miserable, fighting to mature yet stay babies.
I loved the teenagers who were so sure they were smarter than me.


I love the adult sons who now see my efforts instead of my mistakes.
I love the adult sons who are willing to share themselves freely with their parents.
I love the adult sons recognize the passing of time, and understand that it is limited.
I love the adult sons whose desire is to fill our needs as fully as their needs were filled.
I love the adult sons who ask what I think, and genuinely value my input.



“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”(Psa. 127:3)


I am thankful for the two sons we are blessed with. I am thankful to know they will always be there for us as we grow older and older. My heart rests in knowing they will care for us when we can not.


I am thankful that our two sons acknowledge our Creator God, and thankful that He will guide them into all truth, one step at a time….. Just as He did with their father and I. He will make them into mighty men of God as they walk in His truth.


“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”(3John 1:4)


“Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.
The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.
May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!
My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,..”(Pro. 23:22-26)




Lord, help me listen as an adult child to my own words. Help me to continue to make my father and mother glad, may I be a blessing to them, a reward from You, an arrow in their hand, contending with any enemy, may I bring them joy as I walk in Your truth, may I never despise but always delight in them and value their wisdom.