365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 36

Saturday evening we will be with some of my husband’s family sharing and celebrating Christmas. I consider times like this so joyful. We enjoy the food and have lots of laughs with each other as we play Apples to Apples which has become a tradition. I will bring our new Bible version of Apples to Apples to play. We also have lots of laughs doing a gag gift exchange game which I introduced to my husband’s family because it was done with my dad’s side of the family for many years. This year I introduced the idea of doing a mini bible study with each other to connect with each other with our faith and learn more about each other that way. I am anticipating the joy and will report back how it all came to pass on Monday.

Psalm 133:1-3 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 344

You really never know what kinds of blessing a day will bring. I love the unexpected. Yesterday at 12:30 my co-workers and I heard a loud pop and than the lights went out. However, our computers were still on but programs weren’t happy and so seeing how it was lunch-time we all choose to just go ahead and take our lunch. So, I took an hour long lunch at my desk reading a book and was able to get my programs up and working so started back to work. That didn’t last long… Another bigger pop and everything went out. This time the entire building was out. Okay, so now what?! The utility company was already outside working on fixing things and they had originally predicted 2-3 hours from the time of our first phone call to them. Well, now we have no phone, computer, lights and one co-worker who brought soup for lunch couldn’t heat up her soup. We had laughs about going to the dark bathroom using a cell phone that accidentally would be blinking a red light taking a video and we crumbled about the waste of time and the controlling aspects of our boss who told us to wait another hour. The experience was two-fold. It was a blessing to not have to work the afternoon and deal with frustrated alarm companies. Our boss did finally say we could go at 3:45 so we got off early on a Friday! The second aspect made me think of how we rely on electricity and the effects when we don’t have it. For us, it wasn’t a big deal but for those out on the East Coast who are without it for days now because of Superstorm Sandy, it’s not a laughing matter. Thanks be to God for blessings in disguise and for the reminder of being blessed everyday to have light, heat and all that electricity brings us. Sending prayers heavenward for those struggling without electricity.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 217

Praising God for my co-worker friendships. Our company has changed a lot since the new owners took over. Unfortunately, although a small part has been good the people aspect part has become terrible. We've lost benefits and are being micro-managed to the point that people are making comments about just walking out. In the breadth of those same negative comments, however, are the comments that its the people we work with that make it worthwhile. Its good to focus on the good aspects like this and let the others go since there isn't anything we can do about how the company is run. I am thankful to God for the friendships with my co-workers, the laughs we share, the listening ears for our venting and for making going to work a good thing. The situations we find ourselves in may not be to our liking but in the midst you will always discover that its the relationships with others that makes it all worth it. Here's a good quote from CS Lewis on friendship: 

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 140

My day yesterday started off with a phone call I needed to make to an angry alarm company. Thanks to God I was able to keep my own cool and not say what I really wanted to say which was more like quit your bitching so I can help you! But instead the words came out, I can only help you when you calm down. It probably was about 10 minutes into it that he finally either got enough of his anger out or finally heard me that he stopped spouting off his frustrations and threats. I was able to get the problem figured out and the conversation ended with some laughs about going to get coffee although he had to throw out one more subtle threat of 'it's only 45 minutes to Colorado Springs'. I ended up with a few frustrated alarm companies yesterday and still have more to make return calls to so who knows what my day will bring today. I am just thankful to God for helping me keep my focus on trying to help and solve the issue and keep my own calm. It was very helpful to hear my co-workers praise of my efforts afterwards but I still wonder if I could have done any better. So, I will pray today that my words will come out as God would like.
Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 95

My first thought to praise for today was on laughter. I have been so angry and frustrated because of work that it's been seeping into every aspect of my life but I am choosing to not let that happen. Surround yourself with positive things was the advise in a book I read recently that I have taken to heart. I have been in devotionals, in the bible and praying and do feel a sense of peace for a time. But what I really needed was a good laugh. So, here I was sitting on the toliet and I pulled down a Reader's Digest with the title "Oh, Cheer Up!" Okay, top 10 jokes in America is what they had for me. I can't say I would have voted for all of them but this one tickled my funny bone and helped at least again for a time let go of the anger and frustrations I have been dealing with. Here's my #1 from the top ten:
A priest, a minister and a rabbi want to see who's best at his job. So they each go into the woods, find a bear, and attempt to convert it. Later they get together. The priest begins:"When I found the bear, I read to him from the Catechism and sprinkled him with h oldy water. Next week is his First Communion." "I found a bear by the stream," sasy the minister,"and preached God's holy word. The bear was so mespermized that he let me baptize him." They both look down at the rabbi, who is lying on a gurney in a body cast. "Looking back," he says,"maybe I shouldn't have started with the circumcision." So, I was thinking of this joke when I got on my email this morning and heard that a friend from my MOPS days who attended my church unexpectedly passed away. Wow, I am still reeling from that piece of news. Her husband is an anathesiologist who did a surgery of mine way back before Faith was born and they have 3 kids the youngest at 11. That's always been one of my greatest fears; dying when my children are still young. Thankfully I know my friend is with Jesus right now and that God will bring good out of this tragedy but it's still a tough thing to even contemplate. I thought this scripture was appropriate because things can happen on a dime at any time. So today I am thankful to God for being alive so I can lavish love on my family and share another day with them. Who can you love and laugh with today?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 34

What a wonderful weekend it was! And back to work I go... But let me just say I am praising God for all the great memories that occurred this weekend starting with the fabulous and unique version of worship service we had on Christmas Eve with a re-enactment of the birth of Jesus in which any child that wished could dress up as an angel, sheperd, sheep or wise man and come forward to where Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus were at the appropriate part of the story. It was quite the sight to see them all surrounding baby Jesus and all of us singing Joy to the World. Christmas eve dinner was super fabulous thanks to my brother's special taco shell preparations and reading the Christmas story to the kids was a very special moment for me taking me back to my teaching days and pulling at my heart strings to maybe get back to teaching Sunday school sometime and than there are the Christmas morning memories: Faith's reaction when she opened her American Girl doll she wanted, Tristan being taught how to make bacon for breakfast by Nathan and staying in pajamas all day. The weekend ended with a game night with our new Uno Attack game in which there was a lot of laughs and "your mean" by Faith. So, I am praising God for all these memories of my family just being together and sharing in the celebration of Jesus. Now, it's time to get my photos uploaded into Studio J and creating my scrapbook pages before these memories fade.
Luke 2: 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.