Giving Thanks

Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done!

Today I am thanking God for:

- a warm and comfortable home.

- friends nearby and friends far away.

- family nearby and family far away.

- a husband who loves me unconditionally and faithfully cares for me each day.

- children who love me and enjoy being with me.

- good food and never going hungry.

- all of my immediate needs being met.

- only having 1st world problems.

- modern medicine.

- modern conveniences like air conditioning, heating, indoor plumbing, toilet paper, electricity, and online shopping.

- the internet because it keeps me connected to the outside world even when I am home-bound.

- things that make my life easier such as a kindle, laptop, cell phone, and a wheelchair.

- things that make my life more comfortable such as a soft bed, pillow, heating pad, ice packs, a recliner, and a Roho cushion.

- a God who loves me and sent His Son to die in my place.

- God's Word, which is living and active and equips Christians for every good work.

- the ability to approach the throne of grace with confidence and find mercy and grace to help in time of need.

- mercies that are new every morning.

- grace that is greater than all my sin.

- the hope of resurrection.

- troubles that are insignificant in comparison to the joy that will come.

- blessings beyond what I deserve.

- a home in Heaven!


What are you thanking God for today?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May your holiday be filled with fun, family, thanks, and giving!

Photo: "Grace" by Enstrom

Raise Your Broken Praise

Life with a chronic illness is hard. Life with a disability is hard. Life is just hard! We all suffer to some extent. That is the reality of life in a fallen world, a world affected by sin. But in the midst of the brokenness, we can still praise the Lord. He is sovereign over hardship and suffering, and He is worthy of our praise!

Last week my friend, Melanie, shared the song Broken Praise on her blog. This song is based on the story of Job in the Bible. Like Melanie, I can identify with the words of this song. I think that many of my chronic illness friends will also identify with this song on a very personal level.

In the midst of whatever you are facing today, will you join me in giving God praise? Let us say with Job, "'The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'" Job 1:21, ESV

(If you are reading this in an email, please click over to the blog to view the video.)

Broken Praise

If one more person takes my hand and tries to say they understand
Tells me there's a bigger plan that I'm not meant to see
If one more person dares suggest that I held something unconfessed
Tries to make the dots connect from righteousness to easy street
Well I, I won't deny I've relied on some assumptions
A man's honest life entitles him to something

But who am I to make demands of the God of Abraham?
And who are You that You would choose to answer me with mercy new
How many more will wander past to find me here among the ashes
Will You hold me? Will You stay?
So I can raise this broken praise to You

Who else will see my suffering as one more opportunity
To educate; to help me see all my flawed theology
If one more well intentioned friend tries to tie up my loose ends
Hoping to, with rug and broom, sweep awkward moments from the room
But I, I can't forget, I have begged just like a madman
For my chance to die and never have to face the morning

But who am I to make demands of the God of Abraham?
And who are You that You would choose to answer me with mercy new
How many more will wander past to find me sitting in this ash
Will You hold me? Will You stay?
So I can raise this broken praise to You

But You were the One who filled my cup
And You were the One who let it spill
So blessed be Your Holy Name if you never fill it up again
If this is where my story ends, just give me one more breathe to say
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Written by Nichole Nordeman
Sung by Todd Smith

Operation Christmas Child 2013

Last year we participated in Operation Christmas Child for the first time, and we knew that we wanted to do it again this year! It is a wonderful way to give to a child in need and share the love of Christ.

Over the past several months I have kept my eyes out for clothes, toys, shoes, and personal hygiene items that were on sale or clearance. If I found something good, I snagged it up right away. Last Friday we had a family outing to finish shopping for our shoebox items.

These are the gifts for a girl age 2-4. 

I thought I wasn't going to be able to get all of these items into the shoebox. 

But it all fit!  It's amazing how much you can fit into a shoebox with careful packing!

I wish I could see the little girl's face when she opens the box to find a baby doll. 

We found a lot of great things for a boy age 5-9.

This one was trickier to pack, but once again, everything fit!

Last year I didn't buy any shoes or clothing items for the children because I was afraid that they wouldn't fit the child who received them. You don't know the exact age or size of the child who will receive the shoebox, so it is hard to know what size clothes to buy. However, after reading numerous stories on the Operation Christmas Child facebook page, I decided that those fears were pretty silly. There are so many stories about children who had a very specific need or want that was met through the items in his or her shoebox.

One such story tells about a child who was in need of orthopedic shoes, and in his shoebox he found orthopedic shoes in his size! God is sovereign over shoebox distribution, and He makes sure that the each shoebox goes to the child who needs it. At the end of this blog post I will share some stories of ways God has used shoebox gifts to meet particular needs and wants in the lives of precious children around the world.

This year we have put shoes and clothes in both shoeboxes. We are praying that these items will go to the children who need those specific sizes. We are also praying that God will use these gifts to show the love of Christ in a tangible way to these children and that they will come to know Jesus as their Savior.

Boxes are packed, labeled, and ready for drop off!

Here are a few stories from the Operation Christmas Child facebook page of ways that God has used shoebox gifts to make a difference in the lives of children around the world:

A teenage mother brought her 3-year-old son to an OCC shoebox distribution in Belize. She said that several days before the distribution, he had asked her for some marbles. When he opened his box, there was a bag of marbles in the box! His mother began to cry, and said she felt that God had given her child something he really desired. 

As a housepainter in India, Brion could not make enough money to buy his daughter, Fabeniana, a Christmas gift. Year after year, he would come home empty-handed. One Christmas, Brion had a very special surprise. For the first time, he was able to give his little girl a gift—an Operation Christmas Child shoebox full of goodies. When she opened her shoebox, she was amazed to find a pretty dress that was just her size. That Christmas, Brion was encouraged by a simple shoebox gift. He was reminded that God was there watching over his family, and was able to share the greatest Christmas gift imaginable with his young daughter: the gift of salvation and unconditional love. 

In a poor, countryside town in Uruguay, four brothers arrived barefoot at a shoe box gift distribution. They wore tattered handmade sandals to school, and went barefoot the rest of the time to preserve what little of the sandals remained. Volunteers asked the brothers what they hoped to receive in their boxes, and they replied that they just wanted shoes. They opened their boxes and each had a brand new pair of shoes inside. They ran home yelling, “Daddy, I have shoes to go to school!” The father came back to ask if he had to pay for the gifts, and the volunteers explained that the gifts were freely given as an example of the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The father cried when he learned the gifts were free, and accepted Christ. The family told the whole neighborhood what the Lord had done for them, and many people accepted Christ. 

When a boy received his OCC shoebox gift at a distribution in Brazil, he asked if he would have Hot Wheels in the box. Volunteers explained that they did not know which boxes contained which items, and handed him a box. When he opened it, more than half of the box was filled with Hot Wheels! "That was the most toy cars I've ever seen in a box," said a volunteer at the distribution. 

While distributing Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts in a village in Ghana, a member of the National Leadership Team noticed the thickly calloused feet of a young boy. “Please, God, let this boy receive a pair of shoes in his box,” the woman prayed. The boy had never owned a pair of shoes and walked a total of six miles just to get to school every day. When the child opened his box, he found not just one pair of shoes, but two, and both pairs were just his size. The volunteer rejoiced when she saw that God had placed the perfect gift into the hands, and onto the feet, of this child. 

In the Bahamas, a mother could not afford a Christmas gift for her son, so she told him to write a letter to God, asking Him for a gift. “Dear Jesus, please send me a black hat and a black shirt,” he wrote, and prayed for the gifts. Soon after, he was invited to an Operation Christmas Child event. He opened his box and was thrilled to find a black hat and a black shirt inside! He ran to show everyone the letter and the gifts, exclaiming that he didn't need anything else because God answered his prayer. 

In Colombia, Carlos and his mother heard of an event for children and walked for two days to get there. Because the boy was limping upon their arrival, the pastor was concerned that he had injured himself. The mother shared that he had a childhood defect in his feet that didn't allow him to walk normally. She said they had no money for the special shoes needed to help him. The event began, and when the Gospel was shared both mother and son gave their lives to Christ. Afterwards, the children were each given a shoe box gift and a countdown took place … ‘3-2-1’!! When the little boy opened his box, there was a pair of orthopedic shoes in his size sitting on top! He left the event with new hope spiritually and physically. 

 “I got what I badly needed, a box with shoes and socks! My shoes have worn out and I have no socks. The box was so meaningful to me. I cannot say how much I thank you...” - Shoebox recipient in Indonesia 

“One young girl really wanted to have someone that she could exchange letters with, and had been praying for a pen pal. When she opened her shoebox gift, there was a letter from a girl about her age. With tears in her eyes, she excitedly told me that God had answered her prayers.” - Elementary school teacher in Latvia 

 "We recently went on a mission trip to Ukraine where a pastor showed us a stack of OCC boxes in his church that he would be distributing in an upcoming kids camp. We later found out that he had received a box when he was younger. That box was what got him going to church regularly. He is now the pastor of two little churches." - Jessica, OCC fan

A boy in a slum area of Venezuela arrived at an OCC gift distribution with an old baseball glove tucked under his arm. He told a volunteer, “I wish there was a new glove in my box.” He opened his gift to find a new glove! It was the first time the national OCC team had seen a baseball glove in a box. At the same distribution, a little girl who was a dancer got ballet shoes, a tutu, tights and a tiara in her box.

It brings tears to my eyes to read stories of how God has used these small gifts to change the lives of children. You can find even more stories like these by scrolling through the Operation Chirstmas Child facebook page.

Do you want to participate in Operation Christmas Child this year? There is still time! Collection week is November 18-25, so you still have a week to do your shopping and packing. Go here to find a drop-off location near you. Here are instructions for how to pack a shoebox. Or you can build a box online.

If you print up a tracking label online Operation Christmas Child will even tell you what country your shoeboxes are going to! Last year our shoeboxes went to Togo. I look forward to learning the country that the shoeboxes are going to this year.

Busy Hands: Baby Hats

This summer my hands were busy making newsgirl and newsboy hats to use for baby gifts. It is a fun and relatively quick project. My arms need to rest a lot, so I like small projects that I can complete in just a couple of weeks.

All of these hats have been given away now, so I'm working on building up my stash of baby hats again!

Hello Mornings!

 

In January 2013 I joined a HelloMornings group. HelloMornings is an online community that provides free Bible studies and accountability groups for women. I learned about HelloMornings while reading on the Flourish.me blog. They were going to have their very own HelloMornings group for ministry wives. Having a small online community of pastor's wives seemed like such a refreshing and encouraging thing to me. Because I am mostly homebound, the internet is often my connection to the outside world. I keep in touch with friends through facebook, blogging, and email. Going to a conference for ministry wives would be difficult to impossible, but joining a community of pastor's wives online? Now that was a possibility!

 

At first I wasn't sure how well I would fit in being disabled and having a much different schedule than everyone else. I don't exactly fit the typical HelloMornings mold! The goal with HelloMornings is to get up early (often before the children awake) and spend time in God's Word before starting the day. Getting up early isn't something I can do well, nor is it something I should attempt to do on a regular basis. I emailed Katie and told her that I really wanted to be a part of the Flourish HelloMorings group, but that I couldn't get up early. I could commit to reading God's Word every day, but that "early" for me was actually late morning. I would have to check in with my group several hours later than everyone else. Katie assured me that was just fine; HelloMornings works differently for everyone, and I could tailor the challenge to fit my needs.

 

Some women in HelloMornings want accountability for getting up early, having daily Bible study, and getting daily exercise. My goal is just for daily Bible study before I start my day. It takes me a while to wake up, so my morning Bible study is usually around 11:00am or a little later. I check in with my group each day Monday-Friday. I have appreciated the friendship and encouragement of other pastor's wives in my group. HelloMornings has been a blessing to me this year.

 

Today I am being interviewed on the HelloMornings blog. You are invited to come on over for a visit! I will be in the comment section today answering any questions that you have. Join me there?

 

 

 

Would you like to learn more about Hello Mornings and how it all began?  Watch this video!

(Email subscribers, you will need to click over to my blog to view the video.)