End of October blessings!

I got to carve a pumpkin this past week.  This pumpkin has two sides to it and gives a message.  I didn't plan it that way, but realized it after I had done the carving.  So, I hope you enjoy my pumpkin telling you that Jesus is the Light of the World!

These past few weeks have been full of the Lord's blessings.  I have traveled and spent time with lots of friends and my listed gifts show it.  Enjoy!

932. A heron seen on the side of the busy highway.

933. A concert full of things to ponder.

Andrew Peterson in Louisville, KY

 934. Friends welcoming me in – Thanks Shauna & Kelsey!

935. A beautiful campus and tour of Team Expansion.

936. A great visit with my cousin!

937. A unexpected road

938. A hearty welcome from friends.

939. Cool cats Dusty & Harley

940. The beautiful fallen leaves.

941. Joyful JoAnn who shared her home and heart with me!

JoAnn and Abby who doesn't quite fit in the basket :)

942. A fun interview or two at Perry Christian Church

943. A good meeting with the missions team.

944. Faithful supporters through the years!

945. A nice drive from Ohio to Knoxville, TN.

946. Skyline Chili for lunch!

947. A visit with old friends and beautiful Johnson U. campus.

948. McKay’s books – a used book lover’s downfall!

949. Just being with friends.

950. Sleeping in!

951. A visit with Bill

952. Seeing several friends at ECS board meeting.

953. Pumpkipuncture

It had a head ache and needed pain relief :)

 954. Pumpkin carving fun with friends.

955. A kind person helping me with my non-starting car

956. Milligan’s homecoming

 957. Spending time with college friends

958. My car seems to be ok – a reprieve for my pocketbook!

959. Class reunion – small turn out, but big fun!

960. Lunch and old friends.

961. A great play with friends’ kids in the cast.

962. He breathed into the words and sermon done!

963. Fellowship at the pitch-in meal at Downtown CC.

964. Resting in Him.

965. Brunch with Jerry and Laura.

966. Brush with Sandy only brought rain and cold.

967. Planning & cleaning done.

968. Dinner with Tim & Beth.

969. The Coffee place with Eddie and Billye Joyce.

970. An appointment that fits my schedule for a hair cut.

971. Chatting fellowship in online group – such a blessing

Thanks for reading my blessings!  I hope you are counting yours in some way as well.  It really does help add joy to your everyday life and it cuts down on complaining too.

I'm linking up with Ann and friends

  

A poem prayer for the blah days

do you see the crow?

Thanks for the sound of crickets and crows

and the chattering rivers that flow.

Falling leaves and dying sun that dapples them as they go.

Time to ponder and time to drink

to swallow all you wish me to think.

Your love it flows just as the river goes

and fills my soul to the brink.

A soul that desperately needs to know

that your love can fill it deep.

Chattering and laughing it sings

of a joy so full it rings out deep and low.

The trees they move in the breeze

just as your spirit moves me to see

How great is my need for you.

My prayer is 'Come just like the dew,

Come to my soul and renew.

Awaken my joy for all that you give.

Awaken my soul and teach me to live. 

Isaiah 55:2b-3a

Weeks of Thanks!

As I wrote last week, my time has been full of travel and now settling in to my apartment in Tennessee. As I write this, I will be packing and getting ready for a weekend visit to Canton, Ohio.  So, I am by no means finished with my traveling to report to churches.  I am now, however, in a place that I can use as a base as I travel.

My past few weeks have been full of visiting old friends and making some new ones.  In the process, I have continued to count the gifts that the Lord has given to me each day.  It is my hope that these simple lists of thanks will encourage you to look for your blessings each day as you travel through your life.  They help me to recognize God's hand in my life each day.  It is so easy to miss the gifts if you don't make a choice to look for them each day and realize that they are gifts.  So, I continue to count.  I can't list them all.  There isn't enough space in the whole internet to contain all the blessings that the Lord gives just to me - let alone to you and everyone else in this world.  I just list a few and yet, in this year alone, I am already over 900.  God is very definitely good!  Enjoy the list!

883. A Visit with Aunt Margie.

884. Some wonderful food with Old friends.  Rick really is a great cook!

Me and Chet after a great meal.

885. A beautiful fall drive.

886. A nice apartment ready.

887. ECS visit

888. Milligan café lunch with friends.

889. Bible study with DCC friends.

890. Pondering life “in the air”

891. Dinner with Laura.

892. Laughing, crying and enjoying the Chonda Pierce Concert at Milligan. 

893. Blessed with National Storytelling Festival tickets – wow!  5 huge tents full of people and many wonderful storytellers were there.

really big tents and they were overflowing!

894. A God orchestrated meeting at the festival.

895. Great stories.

896. Dinner with the Dewitts at Babylonia – yum!

897. Barbara McBride Smith’s story of Samson & Delilah.

898. Stories and music with Laura – such fun.

899. Hammer Dulcimer – so cool to hear and see it played!

900.  God’s inspiration – a parachute.

901. Great times at LOCC.

902. That parachute preached!  Go God!

903. Mexican with friends and feeling at home.

904. Cool weather to enjoy.

905. Lunch with an MK “niece.”

906. Printer given and cartridges found.

907. Things unpacked and sorted.

908. A life celebrated.

909. Fall vibrancy

910. Stores close by so I can get what I need easily.

911. A good phone conversation.

912. Food, fellowship and Bible study – a great combination.

913. Life sized Tabernacle.

The burnt altar for sacrifices 

914. Jesus makes us Holy - he is our great high priest.

garments of the high priest

915. We can enter the Holy of Holies everyday because of Jesus.

916. The opportunity to vote.

917. Getting good news.

Gifts read

918. Isaiah 55:2-3

919. Sanctuary Of The Soul by Richard Foster.

920. A walk by a stream.

921. The beauty of fall in the mountains.

922. Worship with loved ones around me.

923. Broccoli cheddar soup – yum!

924. Letter written.

925. Bible study with LOCC friends.

926. Broncos win!! {:-}

927. Japanese food and fun with a friend.

928. Shoes found.

929. Saw and talked with old profs.

930. A place to work.

931. Travels arranged.

Are you keeping your own joy list?  I'd love to know if you are!  Have a blessed week and look for His gifts to you each day.

I'm linking up with Ann and others.

Behind, but bursting with thanks!

The past month has been very full of travel for me.  I have reported about the ministry in Turkana in a different church every Sunday.  That has kept me very busy with travel and spending time with my hosts.  It has made it hard for me to find time to sit down and write in my blog.  I logged 3900 miles on my car for the month of September and that is just the long trips, not the local travel once I got to a place.  I have kept up with writing my thanks though, so I will post my thanks list for September 11 - 30th on this post.  Sorry, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but I hope you still enjoy the list and are encouraged to keep your own!

828. Newsletter done!  Thanks to the one who gave me the challenge to finish it. :)

829.  Hard memories of a bad day.

830. Taco time with family and friends.

831. Books on CD for long drives.

832. Friends at the end of a long drive

833. Kansas City Barbecue - with an onion ring on top! :)

834. A good long walk and talk.

835. Persian food - a new taste sensation.

836. Fun fellowship with friends.

837. Praying for students and teachers.

838. Pizza with the Owens

839. A fun used bookstore.

840. Blue Springs Fun Fest - laughing and picking up trash.

841. Kettle Korn and a person's thanks gift.

842. I survived being 'miked' to speak at BSCC.

843. 3 services, 3 minutes - whew!

844. A great meeting with the missions team.

845. Bacon :)

2 Gifts ugly- beautiful

846. A long drive, but good books on CD.

847. Long Kansas ended with beautiful Colorful Colorado.

848. Sleeping in.

849. Seeing old friends at a meeting.

850. Sloppy Joes and pickles.

851. A good book finished.

852. Indy arrived safe and sound with 3 cats.

853. Dinner with treasured friends.

854. Eggs in a basket - yum, thanks Mom!

855. Cracked windshield replaced for my upcoming drives.

856. Sorting and giving and selling.

857. Staying with the Mangels = fun times.

picture taken in July

858. Beautiful mountains even with a haze.

859. German food- tasty!

860. Sequences/ connections that God has used in mine and others lives.

861. A great mission fair at ACC.

862. Mongolian BarBQ - strange, but delicious.

863. More sorting, giving and selling.

864. More space to pack!

865. Clothes washed and packed.

866. Vacuum bags so it all fits.

867. Car full, but all ready to move to TN.

868. A long drive done - Wind generator farms seen on the drive.

869. Wonderful Owens with smiles, chatting and a place to rest.

870. An odd audio book finished and pondered on the drive.

871. A journey done for now.

872. Beginner Bible Bowl fun.  :)

873. Cords found to connect my computer to a TV for all to see.

874. A great visit with so many friends and family at an open house.

875. Gifts/ Blessings for His work in Turkana!

876. Thanks Ladonna & Kathy for all your hard work!

877. A bridge blessing for the 'Bridge to Nowhere.'

878. A campfire with friends, hot dogs, and smores.

879. Majesty in petals and wood!  flowers & old barns.

880. A display of His love in words spoken to me.

881. Broncos win!  :)

882. Mark laughing at me yelling at the TV - family togetherness. :)

Well, there is a short list of the many blessings from the Lord that I enjoyed in September.  I hope you are also counting your blessings.  It really does bring more real Joy into your everyday life when you give thanks to the Lord for the many ways He has blessed you!

I'm linking up with Ann