Thank you! Thank you!

First thing this morning, I heard the sirens and I gave thanks for these wonderful people that respond when the call comes in!  Yes, thank you to the police, the firemen, the emt's, all of these wonderful people that run toward trouble and not away from it!

I will never forget one night when I was in college and Pam was in high school, we just had to go to the mall.  Our parents were really not in favor, but we went anyway...Well, on the way home a car ran a red light and ran right into us.  We were okay from the accident, but were a little afraid when the woman that hit us raised her trunk and got her tire jack out coming towards us.  Yes, needless to say we should have stayed home.  About this time a man came along and stopped with us and the police arrived.  We never knew for sure if she was going to repair her tire or hurt one of us...so thankful we didn't find out!

Yes, we give thanks for these wonderful people that show up at difficult times to help!

Thank you Lord for sending special people to help our hurts!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

So very thankful for my mom and dad...

Today, I am thankful for my awesome parents!

My parents were my parents not my buddies, as I was growing up and I believe this is so very important.  Discipline with love was a huge part of our family.  Oh I didn't like them at the moment of discipline, but it was so needed.

Today, they are still the best but along with being parents they are my friends.  We laugh together, we eat together, we travel together, we work together.  We are still family!

I give thanks that my parents made the 3 of us...Hal, Pam, and myself their priority!  We knew and we know still to this day that we are loved by two of the best!

Thank you Lord, for my parents, Mary and Howard!

What about your parents?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Thankful for my guilty pleasure

It's time to confess!

Yes, Please don't tell anybody else...but I'm obsessed with Dancing with the Stars!

Absolutely, love it!

Now I know some of the naysayers think what? how?  Well, that is what life is about we all have opinions and this is one of mine.  Love it!

Now let me share why with all of you.  I love to watch the pure joy that comes across these faces once they accomplish whatever goal it might be they had for themselves.  The growth and the joy are truly shown right on their faces.

I don't watch a lot of television anymore other than shows that try to build people up.  I also love The Voice and the same is true with this wonderful show.  We celebrate the God given talent of the voice not what's on the outside ~ what's coming from within!

Now, I also have to admit that I love that cute little young fella ~ Derek Hough.  I know many of you will say what...he's confident, he's the golden boy, he's won 4 times, but I love the fact that this young man takes the time to truly develop friendship with each partner and bring out the qualities from within each of these women.  He becomes their friend and brings out their best.  Yes, he is confident...BUT HE WORKS FOR WHAT HE GETS.  Maybe sometimes the judges or ABC like him, but he doesn't rest on his backside he works and enjoys making the absolute best out of each moment of life.  Listen to what he shares about his life and the people he shares it with...he is deeper inside than many young people today.

Now, I truly do give thanks for the shows that build people up and don't tear them down.  We celebrate the joy, the growth, the beauty of dancing!  Now this isn't a deep giving thanks moment, but yet again it is...we need to celebrate God given talents and treasure the smiles across the faces that accomplish their goals!  Hard work celebrated that is definitely something to give thanks about in this world we live in...

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Upcoming year will be about ????

About what?

Danke?

Really?

Yes, it will be all about giving thanks and saying thank you!

I've written often times about God's timing and just how special it truly is...if we allow Him the gift unfolds so beautifully.  If we don't, it still unfolds just with perhaps a few bumps and turns.

I ordered Ann Voskamps' book "One Thousand Gifts" right after it came out, which was in 2010, well I sat it down until I felt the nudge that it was time to pick it up and read it.  Well, it was just a few months ago and God's timing is amazing.  Recently, I've walked through some difficult situations, difficult relationships, difficult waiting times and God taught me through this book about "Giving thanks" always!  Yes, even those horrible things that go with the word difficult ~ taught me lessons I needed to learn!  Thank you Lord!

In the upcoming year, this blog will be mostly about thanks and whatever other message I feel lead by the Holy Spirit to share with you.  I am beginning this journey this week in celebration of our holiday of Thanksgiving.  Long ago people came here to America to be able to worship and indeed we should give thanks for the bravery of these people.  WE should all learn from them still today just how important our faith walk with God truly is and be willing to "be brave" all the time giving thanks at the same time!

I hope you will join me in this journey and let's give thanks together!

Some days the thanks might be something simple...some days it might be one of those difficult situations, but it will be about me learning to give thanks for all of it!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Doubt?

Ever experience a faith crisis?  A moment of uncertainty?

If I'm being real I must say yes, if I were to hide behind the image of having it all together I would say no, but I'm not hiding!  I have had a moment...or two...

Our faith walk is not easy.  We will all face situations that call on us to really search what we believe and once we search we realize where we truly stand...Every time the Lord allowed a situation to happen in my life that causes me to ask questions, HE brings me through! (notice I say allowed, not caused)  He shows me that HE is exactly who HE says HE is...

In preparation for Sunday school, I have been studying John 9 the story of Jesus healing the man born blind.  The neighbors that saw him everyday questioned if it was really him or not...His own parents were ask the question ~ "Is this your son who was born blind?"  They know it is him, yet they reply "they don't know how he sees."  Do they not believe their own son that Jesus healed him?  Were they so afraid to speak truth?  Are we afraid to speak truth?  Are we afraid to show no doubt?

Do you know that doubt is defined as uncertain, or to consider questionable, or to hesitate to believe?  Are we fearful like these parents to admit we believe or perhaps we truly are uncertain exactly what we believe?

Are we like this man that is able to share that indeed he believes who Jesus is?

I believe!  I know Jesus and I'm certain, because He shows up in the most unbelievable ways!  

Do you know that Jesus told this man to go to Siloam to wash.  The name Siloam means "sent".  Jesus was sent from God.  God doesn't do anything by chance.  Isn't this cool?  Jesus was sent and He sent this man to a place that means sent?  God connects all the dots, it's whether we pay attention or not!  The author of this lesson (Explore the Bible) brought up another important lesson the Greek verb that means "to receive sight" can also mean "to look up" .  Don't we all really begin to see once we realize and look up to who Jesus truly is?

Everything that was once blurry is now clear because of Jesus?  The uncertainty is cleared up once we walk through the doubts with Jesus showing us the way!

Believing in Jesus,

Debbie

Writing in the margins

Do you write in your Bible?

I do.

Okay, for those of you that just cringed it's okay.  Take a deep breath and calm down.

I've grown my relationship with Christ through this process and that is what it's all about, isn't it?

If someone were to pick up my bible, you might see a few drawings like above or perhaps a date with a thought beside it, because God really spoke to me through the process and I don't want to forget it.  I'm human time goes by and I forget.  I might need that reminder of God showing up in my life, but my brain might not remember, but it's  in my Bible.

Recently, I came upon a book written by Lisa Nichols Hickman that is entitled, "Writing in the Margins" and it is just about what I'm talking about and it is super!  Her thoughts on this topic are about connecting with God on the Pages of the Bible.  I'm loving it.  She encourages us to read certain scriptures and then to write, draw, or something else in our bibles.  I'm loving it.  I know it might not be for you, but it might...Do you know that a lot of people have written in their Bibles?  Florence Nightingale for instance wrote beside Genesis 45:5, "God did send me to preserve life."  Also, Francis of Assisi, wrote "Deus Meus, Mea Omnia, My God and My All)" near Psalm 86:12.  Powerful, thoughts and imagine the touching moments of those that found them and how God may have used them in the moment to help them.

Lisa in one of her exercises had anyone that reads her book to write the alphabet at the front of your bible and write something that matches each letter that you are thankful for...

November is about giving thanks, so perhaps you might try this new way of giving thanks for fabulous things in your life.

I encourage you to write in your margins and grow your relationship with God.  Also, if you need some encouragement you might consider ordering Lisa's book!  It's a good one and I'll share with you that God is taking me on a journey about being creative.  Creative and me aren't not words I would put together, but I'm realizing that we are all creative because we are created in His Image!  Through the process of creativity this book was brought to my attention.  God's ways are special!

Drawing and writing in the margins,

Debbie