Category: Blessings

November 25, 2010

Today I am Thankful…

…for YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for you,

my bloggy friend!

May God's richest blessing be poured out on you today,

Alesha

November 24, 2010

Today I am Thankful…

that even in the darkness, God is near!

II Samuel 22:10-12 – He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

 

II Samuel 22:29 – 31 – For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

 

 II Chronicles 5:13-II Chronicles 6:1 – It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

 

Psalm 97:1-2 – The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

 

"All-loving Father, sometimes we have walked under starless skies that dripped darkness like drenching rain.  We despaired of starshine or moonlight or sunrise.  The sullen blackness gloomed above us as if it would last forever.  And out of the dark there spoke no soothing voice to mend our broken hearts.  We would gladly have welcomed some wild thunder peal to break the torturing stillness of that over-brooding night.

"But Thy winsome whisper of eternal love spoke more sweetly to our bruised and bleeding souls than any winds that breathe to us.  We were listening and we heard.  We looked and saw Thy face radiant with the light of love.  And when we heard Thy voice and saw Thy face, new life came back to us as life comes back to withered blooms that drink the summer rain." ~Streams in the Desert

November 24, 2010

Today I am Thankful…

that even in the darkness, God is near!

II Samuel 22:10-12 – He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

 

II Samuel 22:29 – 31 – For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

 

 II Chronicles 5:13-II Chronicles 6:1 – It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

 

Psalm 97:1-2 – The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

 

"All-loving Father, sometimes we have walked under starless skies that dripped darkness like drenching rain.  We despaired of starshine or moonlight or sunrise.  The sullen blackness gloomed above us as if it would last forever.  And out of the dark there spoke no soothing voice to mend our broken hearts.  We would gladly have welcomed some wild thunder peal to break the torturing stillness of that over-brooding night.

"But Thy winsome whisper of eternal love spoke more sweetly to our bruised and bleeding souls than any winds that breathe to us.  We were listening and we heard.  We looked and saw Thy face radiant with the light of love.  And when we heard Thy voice and saw Thy face, new life came back to us as life comes back to withered blooms that drink the summer rain." ~Streams in the Desert

November 22 & 23, 2010

Yesterday and Today I am Thankful…

…for these two:

***

***

***

***

***

***

I thought it would be all right if I used two days for my two boys. 🙂

I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart, but aside from Him, I live my life for these two.  I love them both passionately and would give my life for either of them.

I cannot imagine my life without them, and I can honestly say that I chose them both. 😉

I thank God for the purpose that Doug and Isaac give to my life.

I am grateful that I am, as my email signature line says,

"Joyful wife to Doug and mommy to Isaac."

We have a saying in our house that expresses exactly how I feel about them:

"Love, love, love."

I think that says it all.

🙂

November 22 & 23, 2010

Yesterday and Today I am Thankful…

…for these two:

***

***

***

***

***

***

I thought it would be all right if I used two days for my two boys. 🙂

I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart, but aside from Him, I live my life for these two.  I love them both passionately and would give my life for either of them.

I cannot imagine my life without them, and I can honestly say that I chose them both. 😉

I thank God for the purpose that Doug and Isaac give to my life.

I am grateful that I am, as my email signature line says,

"Joyful wife to Doug and mommy to Isaac."

We have a saying in our house that expresses exactly how I feel about them:

"Love, love, love."

I think that says it all.

🙂

November 21, 2010

Yesterday I was Thankful…

…for the kindness of strangers.

 

Last night I had the privilege to interpret the sermon at church for the deaf ministry. 

Please don't be under the assumption that I am a great interpreter…or even an adequate one.  That is simply not the case.

I did do interpretting in my church for about 1 year, but that was over 10 years ago!

Now I am in a different church, and our regular interpreter, Christine IS a great interpreter.  In fact, she is absolutely brilliant, if you ask me!

About 2 months ago, I felt the Lord impressing me to begin sitting in the deaf section and brushing up on my sign language.  I couldn't believe how "rusty" I was at reading it, and even more "rusty" at signing it. 

It is amazing what you can forget in 10 years' time – particularly when you became a first-time adoptive parent to a special needs child during those years. 

 

(You know, I'm a firm believer that after a certain age, when I learn something "new", it pushes out something "old"!!!)

So after a few weeks of waking my brain up, and reminding it that it did indeed know an entirely different language at another point in time, I am "reading" the signs a bit easier and "seeing" the signs in my brain as I hear the words spoken.  (If you've ever learned a second language, you know what I mean.)

Recently, our main interpreter informed me that she needed to be gone for a service and so she needed to see me sign a sermon.  That was 2 weeks ago, and believe me, it was not pretty.  She had to repeatedly give me a sign that I couldn't remember, and to periodically take over the signing to get me "caught up" with our preacher (who preaches at the speed of a machine gun, God bless him!!! 😉

Yesterday, I learned that I needed to interpret for the evening service and that Christine would not be there at all.

I determined not to panic, and prayed (really! a lot!) as the time approached for the service to start.

Then, just before the service,  it was pointed out to me that we had a visitor in the deaf section.  Good heavens!!!  I felt my stomach hit the floor and my blood pressure hit the ceiling.

As I sat down to sign, I made eye contact with our the 2 young deaf men, cried out to God for help, and began to interpret.

Imagine my delight when, as I spelled out the word for which I did not know a sign, this visitor signed the word to me!!!  Then he gave me a smile and a nod as I repeated the sign back to him!

The three of us (our regularly-attending deaf member included) worked in tandem throughout the sermon.  If I didn't know the sign, I spelled it, and they signed it back to me.

Wasn't that kind?  A perfect stranger went out of his way to help me, to encourage me, to allow me to use his language properly.  It was wonderful!

It is so often overlooked, but so often a tremendous blessing, when we are the recipients of a stranger's kindness.

November 21, 2010

Yesterday I was Thankful…

…for the kindness of strangers.

 

Last night I had the privilege to interpret the sermon at church for the deaf ministry. 

Please don't be under the assumption that I am a great interpreter…or even an adequate one.  That is simply not the case.

I did do interpretting in my church for about 1 year, but that was over 10 years ago!

Now I am in a different church, and our regular interpreter, Christine IS a great interpreter.  In fact, she is absolutely brilliant, if you ask me!

About 2 months ago, I felt the Lord impressing me to begin sitting in the deaf section and brushing up on my sign language.  I couldn't believe how "rusty" I was at reading it, and even more "rusty" at signing it. 

It is amazing what you can forget in 10 years' time – particularly when you became a first-time adoptive parent to a special needs child during those years. 

 

(You know, I'm a firm believer that after a certain age, when I learn something "new", it pushes out something "old"!!!)

So after a few weeks of waking my brain up, and reminding it that it did indeed know an entirely different language at another point in time, I am "reading" the signs a bit easier and "seeing" the signs in my brain as I hear the words spoken.  (If you've ever learned a second language, you know what I mean.)

Recently, our main interpreter informed me that she needed to be gone for a service and so she needed to see me sign a sermon.  That was 2 weeks ago, and believe me, it was not pretty.  She had to repeatedly give me a sign that I couldn't remember, and to periodically take over the signing to get me "caught up" with our preacher (who preaches at the speed of a machine gun, God bless him!!! 😉

Yesterday, I learned that I needed to interpret for the evening service and that Christine would not be there at all.

I determined not to panic, and prayed (really! a lot!) as the time approached for the service to start.

Then, just before the service,  it was pointed out to me that we had a visitor in the deaf section.  Good heavens!!!  I felt my stomach hit the floor and my blood pressure hit the ceiling.

As I sat down to sign, I made eye contact with our the 2 young deaf men, cried out to God for help, and began to interpret.

Imagine my delight when, as I spelled out the word for which I did not know a sign, this visitor signed the word to me!!!  Then he gave me a smile and a nod as I repeated the sign back to him!

The three of us (our regularly-attending deaf member included) worked in tandem throughout the sermon.  If I didn't know the sign, I spelled it, and they signed it back to me.

Wasn't that kind?  A perfect stranger went out of his way to help me, to encourage me, to allow me to use his language properly.  It was wonderful!

It is so often overlooked, but so often a tremendous blessing, when we are the recipients of a stranger's kindness.