August 2012 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS #JoyDare

AUGUST 2012

One Thousand Gifts (by Ann Voskamp)

#1000Gifts #JoyDare


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I've taken the 1,000 Gifts Dare for 2012... here we go for... 

AUGUST 2012

Today I find JOY in...

Wed 8/1
3 gifts white: the flower on my door sign; the wicker rocker handed down to me; the light at the end of this next tunnel
622. waiting for my walking partner & actually seeing a BIRD land

on this sign on my front door

623. an open floor for a... few moments

624. life-changing moment & claiming God's goodness in all

Thurs 8/2
3 gifts eaten: peach from the tree; pear tomatoes; cucumbers
625. Claiming... "For those who can see, the world’s beauty outweighs its burdens,

its grace greater than its grime." ~ Ann Voskamp

626. celebrating a new baby to Carly & Derrick

627. picking peaches & veggies w/the LOML next door

Fri 8/3
3 gifts: 10am 1pm 10pm - below... 
628. 10am Safety of my BFFHeiter - near miss in auto accident!!

629. 1pm Garrett showing Duchess at Indiana State Fair

630. 10pm thinking about getting out of "Dodge" tomorrow w/the LOML

Sat 8/4
3 gifts sitting: in a car for 5 hours; in the wedding of Amanda & Nick; at the table with friends at the reception
631. SiriusXM The Message all the way to Galesburg, IL :D

632. celebrating the lives, friendship & love of Amanda & Nick

633. date night after wedding reception
with the LOML... & best friend aka Bear 

Sun 8/5
3 gifts inside, outside, inside, upside down: below
634. leisurely start to the morning - inside

635. stops along the way... Sleepy Creek & The Beef House - outside

636. The chains that seem to bind you, serve only to remind you
that they drop POWERLESS behind you
when you PRAISE HIM! 

upside down

Mon 8/6
3 gifts in water: thirst quenched by everlasting water; my witness through baptism; life nourished by water
637. 'Missy' is the Indiana State Fair Champion Red Poll Heifer!!!

638. boys who treat hamburger gravy & rice like it's a gourmet meal :)

639. Seriously... I just pulled all the pieces of paper together & the pics together to complete & publish my July #JoyDare list

and a blog called Eat More Veggies...

Tues 8/7
3 gifts in His Word: abundant life (John 10:10b); hope as an anchor of my soul (Hebrews 6:19); peace like a river (Isaiah 48:18)
640. horribly groggy start to the day that allowed me to just WRITE :)

641. not feeling badly about taking an afternoon nap on a day when the night before held only 4+ hours of sleep

642. just one of my jobs

Wed 8/8
3 gifts in summer: babysitting neighbor's garden while she's gone; our little garden; bountiful fresh veggies & fruit!!!
643. a long drive to Cincinnati with only my thoughts & classical music

644. package of goodies i put together for my brother-in-law

645. acting like a kid with my sisters (we are a LONG WAY from being young)

Thurs 8/9
3 gifts hole, whole, half: missing the LOML through the night; 3 sisters reunited; small portion of Graeter's ice cream
646. waking up at 3am - but having my sister there to giggle with

647. showing CCM off to "Aunt Carol"

648. an empty Graeter's cup - 'cause I gobbled it down!

Fri, 8/10
3 gifts hard eucharisteo: could seriously name 100 lately!
When Your Story is Not Your Own
When Dreams Die
Where Can They Go?

649. temps in the low 60's for a morning walk

and dew on a spider's web :)

650. a counter FULL of tomatoes & more on the vine!

651. Friday family dinner - all 4 of us :)

Sat 8/11

3 gifts of metal: rusted patio furniture; mis-matched patio lights; silverware placement

652. putting a care package together for a sick friend

653. a total God thing regarding Dove Harbor

654. my husband's table setting skills...

my husband's grilling skills...

Sun 8/12

3 gifts half hidden: the rest of the story; the bottom of the pool; the bottom half of my garden plants

655. sleepless night - 100's of hymns memorized from childhood as a preacher's daughter :)

656. assisting the pool boy (aka the LOML)

657. left overs made into a great salad!

Mon 8/13

3 gifts in green: grass still wet from the night's rain; new growth on vines outside my window; sea glass & lobster floats on deck

658. getting rained in from morning devotions outside

659. new growth on the clematis & a GREEN lawn!

660. nightfall w/the LOML & beautiful colors

Tues 8/14

3 gifts in a ring, curve, sphere: Heiter's ringtone; the stream through the corn field; old blown glass lobster trap floats

661. fresh tomatoes on an egg sandwich

662. old blown glass left handed pitcher

663. memories of the cabin on Yellow Creek Lake

Wed 8/15

3 gifts ugly beautiful: 1. Being Stuck  2. facing a mountain in my life  3. my "gravel" driveway - grrrrrrr!

664. hearing the heart cry of a dear friend

665. devotions outside on a cool morning

(Seriously-is the SAME LOUD CRICKET who sang to me last night singing this a.m. as I finish my devotions out on the deck? Sing to the Lord...)

666. friends with whom I can share my soul

Thurs 8/16

3 gifts of family: 1. friends who FEEL like family  2. gifts for WoF weekend  3. Zumba girlfriends 
667. a WONDERFUL answer to prayer!

So blessed to be able to encourage a few friends who are battling LIFE these days!

668. crazy clouds

669. being sneaky & being able to honor a few Godly women!

Fri 8/17

3 gifts in the morning: 1. Walking w/Ruthanne at 8am. 2. Coffee with Shari at 10am. 3. Chris over for lunch on the deck at noon :) 

670. Walking w/Ruthanne at 8am

671. Coffee with Shari at 10am

672. Chris over for lunch on the deck at noon :)

Sat 8/18

3 gifts: red, read, written: 1. accent colors in my house  2. morning devotions  3. Life is for Sharing

673. BLT's - with garden tomatoes!

674. believing in child labor

675. touched by a friends shared picture - life is for sharing

Sun 8/19

3 gifts in church: 1. son's last Sunday w/us before college  2. niece from FL with us  3. sermon by @RevRoll 

676. reminder that God redeems us & uses us - no matter our past

677. lunch on the deck to celebrate Heather & Tyler

678. too many candles on the cake

Mon 8/20
3 gifts of serving: 1. Women's Ministries  2. Worship Arts  3. making meals

679. memories of when my 2 were starting elementary school after summer

"Mothers hold their children's hands for just a little while, and their hearts forever." ~ Irish proverb

680. walking twice - enjoying a treat

681. pizza party in front of the TV w/my boys
(last night before Tyler heads back to UC-CCM)

Tues 8/21
3 gifts: straight, turn, curve  1. One Way - to heaven  2. mistakes I've learned from  3. 8th street road & deer

682. Tyler's full head of hair - just like his daddy's

683. crammed in a Dodge Dakota w/my 2 favorite guys for 3 hours

684. setting Tyler up in his apartment & meeting his friends

Wed 8/22
3 gifts in light:  1. devotion light up my thought process  2. sun shining thru trellis  3. feet propped up as I gaze at the stars

685. great devotional reminder:
"If you can't change the circumstances, change your attitude—that will make all the difference in the world." ~ Jim Burns  www.HomeWord.com

Philippians 4:11-13

686. iPod on shuffle:

Song1 "Lord Have Mercy" @cbh4hope quartet. Song2 "Steamroller" @JamesTaylor_com Song3 Oboe Concerto 3 in G Minor @GFHandel

687. legs sore & throbbing from a day on them helping a friend!

Thurs 8/23
3 gifts old:  1. my memory (see #688)  2. friendships that last for years  3. a restaurant in a bldg over 100 year old

688. locking myself out of the house after walking

(gave me an opportunity to spend more time w/neighbor friend, Ruthanne)

Our walking partner - Koko

689. packing beside a sweet friend

690. Bonge's w/friends

Fri 8/24
3 gifts moving:  1. my friends from one house to another  2. the Holy Spirit constantly moving!  3. the traffic (NOT) on the way to WoF - but fun w/my friend as we sat in the traffic jam

691. frenzied morning getting ready for WoF & knowing that I would be blessed immensely

692. my hubby bringing me supper & walking me to the arena for WoF

693. fun girl time in Indy for WoF - Women of Faith

Sat 8/25
3 gifts fragile:  1. emotions - but not our resilience  2. relationships - but not when God is the center  3. the shells out on my patio & deck - beautiful, but fragile

694. fun picture taken at WOFcelebrate w/MPC WomMin tweet

695. crying tears of thanksgiving - knowing that God bring beauty from the ruble

696. grilled dolphin dinner after a busy weekend

Sun 8/26
3 gifts cut, sewn, buttoned - 1. salad bar stuff YUMMY  2. my mended BearBear (20+ year old present from the LOML)  3. my hubby's button up shirt at the meeting

697. lots of SALAD at Ruby Tuesday's :)

698. power nap that left pillow marks on my face

699. business mtg w/cute hubby (the LOML) on the platform

Mon 8/27

700. rain... but NO lightning on morning walk

701. a DIFFERENT type of shopping

702. friends who open their hearts wide to others

Tues 8/28 Tyler's 20th Birthday :D
3 gifts long awaited: 1. once again regular times w/a long lost friend  2. joy over something which broke my heart  3. status change - embracing what I've been given

Star Wars presents equaled a huge smile!

703. God's perfect timing in a 5 minute devotional

704. my one & only son

705. dinner w/the LOML - talking about our son on his birthday :)

Wed 8/29
3 gifts - one, two, three:  1. the way i feel w/the LOML  2. the children we love  3. the trinity - how perplexing, how divine!!

706. His Grace is Greater than all my fears & all my tears!
707. the tango - always makes me smile
708. Date night

Thurs 8/30
3 gifts small: 1. a dollar store gift that brings a BIG smile  2. a flask of anointing oil  3. a smile can convey a thousand good feelings
709. Anointing & praying for a sweet young lady seeking God's hand upon her year with @MissionYear

710. giving a "happy" to my daughter

711. great quotes

"Acceptance says: True, this is my situation at the moment. I'll look unblinkingly at the reality of it. But, I'll also open my hands to accept willingly whatever a loving Father sends me." ~ Catherine Marshall

Fri 8/31
3 miracles - 1. perfect timing that just can't be humanly explained  2. my hubby & daughter traveling together 3. new life in Him
712. Absolutely awesome post by Ann Voskamp - so perfectly suited to my hubby & our marriage

713. new friendships in the making

714. road trips & renewed relationships

shared with the Ann Voskamp One Thousand Gifts community

AND THUS CONCLUDES AUGUST 2012 #1000Gifts #JoyDare 

I've taken the 1,000 Gifts Dare for 2012... click on the name of each month below for each one...

January 2012... I find joy

February 2012... I find joy

March 2012... I find joy

April 2012... I find joy

May 2012... I find joy

June 2012... I find joy

July 2012... I find joy

As A Child... I Come!

Throw cares away & come to Him as a child

A scripture caught my eye today... "You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive salvation that comes by trusting Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15

The first words "you have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood" really grabbed my attention. I was born into the home of parents serving in full-time Christian ministry. I was a "PK" - a preacher's kid. I was taught the Word from childhood through my entire lifetime at home. 

As I entered young adulthood, did I remain faithful to what I'd been taught? Unfortunately… NO. I too frequently exercised my "free will" to question all the wonderful things that I had learned & seen lived out in my home as I was growing up. God allows that for all of us. We are given the choice to CHOOSE what we want to do. Often lessons are learned in the process. Many of our choices come with consequences - regardless of the lesson learned. 

I've returned to walking daily with God & am so blessed to be in His loving care. However, some of the consequences of past choices can be seen & felt in my life from time to time even now. "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." is told in Mark 10:15. I'm so glad that God suggests for us to have "child-like faith". Sometimes I just need that. Sometimes I just need to let go of past hurts & foolish decisions... and run to Him as a child would! I can come to Him freely, as a little child with no history of rebellion. 

And TODAY, I come to Him as a child. 

"The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and He saved me." Psalm 116:6 NLT