15. Thankful for God's steadfastness and presence in the midst of my self-created chaos.
16. Thankful for how God reflects His love through the earthly vessels of His people.
17. Thankful for a God who knows and understands our temptations and our weaknesses, who has overcome them, and who loves us still.

14. Thankful that I am not alone in my struggles and even my successes.

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD God is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:4-5

10.  God's quiet strength in my frenzied and flailing weakness.
11.  God's whispering words of comfort and encouragement into my ear this morning as He wrestles control from my fists shut tight.
12.  God's proving over and over that yes, He is so worthy of all of my trust. He has never disappointed me.
13.  God's holding the infinite and the finite in the palm of His hand and He knows each hair on my head and He knows my name and He loves me and I am reeling at the thought.

9. So thankful for answered prayer in the form of new friendships.

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can we keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken." Ecc. 4:10-12

Blessed by the beautiful (inside and out) women who love Jesus with all their hearts, that God has brought into my life. Who, I can already tell, are going to encourage me, challenge me, teach me, and help me up.

8. Natalie Christine Graves. God's rescuing grace and plan for her life and the beautiful ways that she reflects Christ.

7. Thankful for a really good, calming conversation and prayer with my mom last night.

6. I am grateful for being able to rest in God's constant faithfulness and the peace He can give us during life's storms. Even when I have no idea what's going to happen in the future (ever, really...but sometimes that big 'question mark' seems bigger and scarier than others), I can be certain that God knows and that God is going to take care of me--whatever the future might be.

Isiah 41: 10 and 13

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

For I am the Lord, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

5. Thankful for our discussion last night through which God convicted me of how sadly self-centered my life is. Related to that, also thankful for the encouragement I got from Philippians 3:12-14. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

4. Getting hopelessly lost in Hartford... and being found by a friend.  Thankful for God's interesting and creative sense of humor!

3. Thankful for the comfort and love God gives me through my personal relationship with Him and through His children when I am being a child. I am so blessed that God loves me lavishly even when I worry about things needlessly. He is trustworthy, always.

Sisters in Christ,
Let us gather here with joy in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips.  
Let us use this space to record our witnessing of God's overwhelming love gifts in the fleeting moments of our days. 
Let us be challenged to number these blessings to 1000 (and beyond?) because His whispers of love to His Beloved outnumber the stars in the sky.


Thank you Abba for:

1. Loving Mom-mom passed away last week. The blessed assurance of her salvation and the joy in knowing that she is finally home.
2. The season of Advent, the waiting and watching for the Messiah babe, the rescuer and redeemer of our hearts.

Let's keep counting!