Thankful for...

The work He has given me to do, and the strength He has given me to do it.


The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Gen 2:15

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 14:23

She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

Proverbs 31:17

It's right there in God's word - He has established that we all have some work to do.
My work for today? Cleaning up a dog mess (anybody want a cute little Poshie? that's a Pomeranian/Sheltie mix), working with Travis on the breakfast dishes, making laundry detergent (which is one of those noticed-when-you-haven't-done-it kind of things), getting supper ready now, since I'll be "wedding accoutrement" shopping with Lindsay later, school with the guys (spelling test, anybody?) and trying to get the family room a little more cleared out so that I can get the walls ready to paint. I need desperately to de-junk a good portion of my house. I did get at least two bags full of clothes ready to get out the door. Now to actually get them out of the door!Not an earth-shaking list of tasks, but they're mine. And they have to be done. What I personally need to pay attention to is my attitude about my work. Am I grumpy? (sometimes, definitely!) Can my children tell that I don't feel like doing some of the things I have to do? (sigh...yes.) So how am I supposed to teach them that we need to do cheerfully, even thankfully, the things that don't particularly appeal to us? I need to remember that "this is the day that the Lord has made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
He has created and ordained this day, and allowed or purposed the work therein. So I want my attitude today, while cleaning up the dog mess, disciplining the children (what, my perfect angels?!! Ha ha), tripping over the shoes left in front of not inside the closet and making a casserole that a certain 9-year old is probably not going to be thankful for, to glorify the One who will strengthen me, not only to do it, but to do it rejoicing and relying on His strength.

And whatever you do, do it heartily (read: enthusiastically, cheerfully, with all my heart) as for the Lord, rather than for men. Col 3:23
.......You are serving the Lord Christ. Col 3:24b

I'm off - smiling - to get that casserole ready!

Service

Today is Veterans Day. On this day in 1918, the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, the hostilities of the "Great War," now known as World War 1, ceased with the signing of the armistice earlier that morning. The official ending of the war would come in June of the next year with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

One year after the signing of the cease-fire, in 1919, President Wilson declared the day a holiday, Armistice Day. From his proclamation:

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

In 1954, in order to recognize veterans of all wars, President Eisenhower declared the day Veterans Day. It was also a federal holiday. Later, observances were moved to fourth Monday of October. More recently, it has been moved back to its original date, November 11th, in order to respect and remember an important date in American history.

History......

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines it thus:
An account of facts, particularly of facts respecting nations or states; a narration of events in the order in which they happened,with their causes and effects.

Many people aren't all that interested in history anymore. Others are determined to change it to suit the personal agenda. It happens to be my favorite subject, although I confess this time period is not one I'm particularly familiar with. But here are some facts to remember:

Our country became an independent nation by the efforts of men willing to fight to make it so.

Our country has been preserved through over two centuries by the efforts of men and women willing to fight to keep it so.

Our country still has people who believe in this effort.


Today, we honor those who have served our country as our defenders, our protectors.
I find it significant that we use the word "serve" when we speak of our military men and women, not "work for" our country, or "in the employ of" our country. They SERVE our country. The word indicates a deeper commitment than general employment. There is a sacrifice implicit in that service. Sometimes it is the ultimate sacrifice of a life given. Often, it is the sacrifice of a life lived away from family, from home, of placing self in danger in order to protect others. The sacrifice of doing things they would never just choose to do, but know that it is necessary to do. Of then living with those memories for the rest of their lives.

My father is a veteran, so is my stepfather. Both served over two decades in the Navy. I remember my father being away for months at a time. No internet or web cam at the time. We recorded cassette tapes for him! He is now fighting a different battle, this time with cancer. And he's giving it his all. We pray for him daily. I am proud of him, and my stepfather, for the service to our country. They did it for my family, they did it for yours. My new son-in-law (how different that sounds!!!! But a good different!) is presently serving in the Army. He expects to be deployed to the middle-east sometime again next year. We pray for him, too.

So, in gratitude to those of you who have SERVED your country, and to those of you who continue to do so

God bless you and your families!
I'm thankful today for you.

I'm back

Did you miss me?! I recently found out that some people are reading this! Thanks!

We're into the month of November (I almost typed December - let's not make this year any more than it already is!). So, this being the month of November, I'm going to go with a "thankful" theme in my posts!

Psalm 100

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.
(English Standard Version)

I have to start out my month of thanksgiving by doing as this Psalm says - giving thanks to Him and blessing His Name! And I'm also thankful for His Word, which tells us about Him and the lives He wants us to live, and how to be closer to Him. In a practical application of my thankfulness to Him, I'm committing to being more faithful in my devotions. I had been reading through the New Testament at a concentrated pace, but got sidetracked by .... well, by nothing all that important, I guess. So I'm getting back to that.

Another thing I've been thinking about is much "stuff" I have and how it much time it takes to take care of it. I spent part of this evening going through clothes with a couple of the boys, having them try on different sizes of cooler weather clothes. We've just got way too much. (Alex has about 4 pairs of khaki pants - really?! ) So I'm going to be "de-junking" as much as possible before the holidays. Maybe I can bless others who need what I've got too much of!

It's time to get off this thing and get to sleep. I was talking to my stepmother and she mentioned posting some of my recipes. If anyone is looking for anything in particular, just leave a comment. Right now we're looking at different appetizer recipes for a certain daughter's wedding reception. Any suggestions?

Off to bed (after I switch laundry loads - my hamper overfloweth!)
It's really neat knowing that some people are actually reading this! So, I'll close with this:

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen Romans 16:24