Learning to live for HIS glory

I want my Life's song to be one of praise and adoration to God most high... Not just Thursday's, but every day.   But that happens one moment, one day, one word, one prayer at a time. So for these moments, I praise Jesus for... Beautiful music. A hard task accomplished. The pleasant surprise of a friend's face. His character--that never changes, and so is rock on which I can place my hope. Cool breezes. Hay fields in the sunshine. Storms.  Rain. Answered prayer. His early morning wake-up calls. Truth. Friends who faithfully point my eyes back to Christ. Hard, breath-taking laughter. Google Hangouts. Seeing faces far away. His Joy.

Sometimes (or oftentimes) it's the simple things in life I thank and praise God for... He truly is the Giver of EVERY good and perfect gift. And somehow I don't think He tires of me thanking him for the same things over and over again... So I'll keep doing it...because it's good for my soul! Today, I praise You, Jesus, for... Bird songs, Life and breath, Surprise connections, Technology, Water, Tea:) Music...particularly this line: "May the passion and the purpose of my life, be summarized in glorifying Christ," Energy. Sleep. "We're going to be best friends," Dreaming, My sure foundation: a God who never changes. Confidence in His plan. Sweet goodnight's, Flowers... okay 5 minutes is up! ;) What would your 5 minutes of praise include today?

Oh hey...it's Thursday! :)  So here's a list of some things I'd like to praise my great God for today: Surprise packages and phone calls. Ben Zornes music. Irises. Nehemiah 4:14. Gentlemen. Bird songs. Galatians 2:20. The gospel...the truth that I am a sinner, but Jesus has saved me by grace. That grace...unmerited favor. Truth spoken clearly. A life hidden with Christ in God. Words of blessing. Iced coffee. Clean things. Purposeful work. Guests stopping by to visit my office. Water. Peace that surpasses understanding. My God's great and awesome nature...that never changes!

What makes your heart break? What makes you shed real tears? What makes you fall on your knees and beg God to intervene? What makes your heart beat? What makes you persevere despite any cost? What would you give your life for? What Gets Your Heart? Do those questions resonate?  Cause they do for me. I guess another way to ask would be: what is your passion?  But...I think it goes deeper than that.  So what gets your heart? What does your heart beat for?  Yes, what IS your passion?  But why?  What's it worth to you? There are days I feel like I'm drifting through life without a purpose.  Days it all feels meaningless.  Until something hits me between the eyes to remind me . . . Duh. That's what I'm here for. I end up in a room with a bunch of kiddos.  Kiddos who weren't raised in a family like mine.  And I hear terms come out of their mouths that I cringe to think an eight or three year old would even un...

It's a Thursday!  So guess what?  For 5 minutes today I'm going to write out things I am thankful to God for.  He is worthy of praise for all this and so much more! Smell of lilacs. Allergy medications. Couples in love at all stages of life. Precious babies with cute button noses. Farm wives. Shared wisdom. Prayers of blessing. God's guidance. Country drives. Exciting news. Countdowns. God's living and active Word. Mary's example of praise. Birds singing. Seeing God faithfully answer prayer. Trees turning green. My community group. Phones. Peace. Beauty. My favorite guests being at the inn this week (or one of them anyways)!! :)

Great and mighty God, I praise You for being.... My all-sufficient One. The Great I AM. Holy. Loving. Just. Kind and good. Gracious, slow to anger. The Giver of all good gifts. Perfect. The Sacrifice that set me free. Ancient of Days. Glorious. All-powerful. Full of light and truth. All that is good. My hope. My salvation. My righteousness. My purity. Jehovah Jireh...God who provides. The One with power to shut the mouths of lions... Power to raise the dead. You are goodness and grace. You offer abundant grace! Life. You are abundant life. You're the Maker of life, The Sustainer of life. Thank You for all that You are! For being King over everything. For holding the universe in Your hand, Keeping the planets spinning, And my lungs breathing. You are SO great and greatly to be praised! Thank You for choosing and loving me as Your daughter. I adore You.

This week's ramblings on how I'm seeing God's blessings in my daily life: Hmm...where to start.... Daffodils on my desk. Home. Watching the world from an airplane. The joy of talking to a random 7 year old on my late night journey. Window seats. Running through downpours. Honest conversations. Seeing God clearly answer prayers: In big ways and little ways. The fact that God's Word never returns void. Joyful new beginnings. God's sense of humor. Scholarship news. Good friends who pray and give sound advice. Nurse friends to call on for medical help. My family, and time spent with ALL of them! And 5 minutes is up... :)