365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 117

A little bit of finacial worrying go to me yesterday. It's one of those months with my upcoming workshops to prepare for, my daughter's birthday and my trip to visit with my sister and mom coming up next month, I was feeling a little worried about how I am I going to manage all these extra expenses. By bed time last night, I finally realized what I had been doing and said a prayer asking God to just take it away. He has always provided so I don't know why I worry about it. Yes, we may have to cut back on eating out and the little extras like a trip to Coldstone Creamery but 'tis just a season of less to help us appreciate the mores. So, thanks to God for helping take the worries from me. Is there something you are worrying about? Take it and put it in God's very faithful hands.
Phillipians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 35

The bible doesn't promise us an easy life or to not have challenges, difficulties, grief, fears and pain but God does promise to always be there. Today I am praising God for this promise that he will always be with me. Despite the extreme pain both my shoulders were in yesterday, I managed to tearfully make my way through the afternoon at my work desk. Focusing on my work and intermintent prayers when I was waiting for the computer program to do it's thing kept my mind from totally caving into the pain and just sobbing. I did a little research on surgery for shoulder bone spurs and found a lot of people wished they had done it sooner. So, my plans for things are a little up in the air until I go to the doctor on Jan 3rd and talk to him about surgery. It looks like a few days to a week out of work kind of thing and many months of physical therapy. My greatest concern at this point is that both my shoulders are hurting but I don't think that both can be done at the same time and that could create a lot of problems if I can't use my arms for any length of time. I am in God's hands at this point and we shall see where he leads me and this ministry.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 25

I think it's been the usual case that in hindsight when looking back over a situation that has happened, I can see God in it but yesterday as I went through my situation, I felt God with me the whole of it and I was able to bring praises to my lips despite the circumstances. In the bad things that happen, there is always some good that God uses for it. So, here's a recap of my not-so-great situation that turned out to be a blessing. I headed out to do some errands and stopped first at my bank ATM to deposit a check and than headed to Walmart to pick up some things for baking, etc and when I went to pay found I did not have my credit/atm card. OH NO! Thankfully, I had some checks and paid with that than headed right back over to the bank. The checker had said that in those cases he heard the atm machine eats the card and you don't get it back. Ugh. Yep, that is what happened but Cindi at the bank was so sweet and helpful in getting me set up with a temporary card and than the suprising thing happened. "Did you know your driver's license is expired." "What?!" Oh yeah, not expected but she knew about getting a renewal and told me it was a simple go in and hand over your license, take the eye test, picture and pay the fee and your done. I was hurting considerably with the pain in my shoulder and it was past lunch time at this point so I was hungry too but despite the negative circumstances I was given this positive person to help me deal with it and was thanking God because it could have been SO much worse. So, I am really thankful to God for placing this person in my path and helping with this situation that ended up being a blessing since I did not know my license had expired a month previous on my birthday. I never saw the notice in the mail and I went over to the DMV office after my daughter's class party and was in and out in 10 mintues! Praise God for helping me maintain a positive attitude throughout this experience.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.