...Cleaning out my “office closet” and going through old boxes of scratches and scribbling and came across this…

So it is with every attempt to do something significant for God. It is never simple. Whenever God stirs us to establish His Kingdom in a new place, the enemy is sure to taunt us. The devil always tries to convince us that we’ve tackled too much this time and we’ll soon be humiliated. 

For anyone struggling though a “Kingdom construction project” today, here is a gentle reminder to brush off the dust, straighten your hard hat and keep swinging your hammer. 

Alright, let’s try this again. Many of you humored me last Friday and came up with a list of five things. (See my original list here.)  I’m challenging you to do the same thing this week only you have to pick different things to be thankful for. You may have to dig a little deeper this week.

The rules are the same. Five things, ridiculous or serious, big or small, that you are thankful for this morning. Again though, don’t just stop with the list. Take a moment while you’re reflecting and remember where all of our blessings come from. Turn your list into a prayer of thanksgiving.

Here is my Friday five list…

1.) My husband….He works so hard and it was so nice to have him home all week for the first time in five weeks!

2.) Piano duets…playing the piano with my daughter warms my heart. Music, specifically piano, is a family tradition. And while I love heart and soul it’s nice to have been able to move on to something a little more difficult.

3.) A reliable car…my car gets taken for granted but I was struck this morning by how much time (and how many miles) we spend in it in any given week and I don’t have to worry that we won’t be able to get where we are going.

4.) Duck face selfies…compliments of my son who changed my lock screen on my phone to his absurd picture. Every time I have since picked up my phone, his goofiness has made me smile.

5.) Laughter…this week brought a 5 year milestone since my grandfather passed away and I cannot think of him without thinking of his laugh. He brought so much joy into life and always, always, always loved a good laugh.

These things, each of them random and seemingly disconnected are blessings, gifts from God. Laughter, music, family…

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. (‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ NLT)
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ NLT)

I would love to hear yours again this week!

Happy Friday! Tis the season for gratitude. Finish the week strong with a thankful heart.

Good morning! I want to challenge you all to start off today with a thankful heart. So, right now, wherever you are, take a minute and make a list of five things you are thankful for. Big, small, serious, ridiculous, the key is being thankful RIGHT NOW for (at least) five things. (I don’t know why five. Three seemed like it would be too easy and Friday and five both start with F, so there you go.) Don’t just stop with your list though, take your list and turn it into a prayer of thanksgiving. Recognize where each of those blessings came from.
Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. (‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ NLT)
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ NLT)

My Friday Five
1.) It’s Friday…enough said.
2.) Football Prayer Services (pep talks with God as Ty calls them) and the ability to send my kids to a school where a priority is placed on prayer. (Please Lord keep these boys safe this weekend.)
3.) Good coffee and a beautiful sunrise. I know that’s two but they go together in my book. I might as well throw cinnamon rolls on this number too because they were part of the coffee/sunrise combo this morning.
4.) School uniforms and French braids and headbands because they make mornings soooo much easier.
5.) Words and all of you who read my words and share my words. (And when you share with me the way God is working through them – wow! Just wow!)

What are your five? I would love to hear them!

Have a fantastic Friday! Go forth and be thankful.

This comes to you courtesy of my 14 year old.  He watched it in theology today and thought all of you might enjoy it as well.  It is a little long but well worth the watch.

Enjoy – and try not to sing along.