ThanksGiving

This was last year's Thanksgiving, but you might get ideas for your own "Thanksgiving Tree" that we did.  It was great!  It will be here soon!  Are you thankful each and every day?  God is so good!!!

Our ThanksGiving Day dinner with Steve's family and my parents.  Steve's older brother, Gary, cutting the turkey. Wow!  Doesn't this look like a spread?  Talk about stuffed, we were be-yond stuffed!

My parents are on the left and Steve's parents on the right next to him.  They have been lifelong friends.  So very blessed.

As a family we read each verse and wrote what we were thankful for on the back of each leaf of The ThanksGiving Tree,  from Ann Voskamp, then hung the leaves on the beautiful branches to create our own thanks Giving tree.

Print out your own for next year, or make a ThanksGiving Tree every day and see how much you have to be grateful for at the end of the year.  Sarah has a quote from my mother on her blog that my mom loves, 

                    "What if, when we wake up in the morning, all we have was what we thanked God for today." 

(unknown) 

Think about that when making your ThanksGiving Tree...or writing your 1000 gifts.  Yes, I'm still writing and recording mine, there is so very much I am grateful for.

What are you thankful for this ThanksGiving?

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

What are You Thankful For?

(Photo by Jenny Dake)

Life on the farm is nothing short of AMAZING!!!  Is it work?  Oh, yes, it is...more so for my parents still than us, as they still farm wholeheartedly.  

                              I would not take anything for my upbringing and my children's raising and teaching from the farm.  The life lessons instilled, from a baby in a playpen in the dairy barn, (which I don't remember :) ) to learning to work together and loving it, are invaluable.  

             Priceless...

Give thanks for where you are today as we enter this Thanks-Giving season; it is the reason for joy, True joy, from our God and Creator.

On the farm, and out of doors, you get to really see God's handiwork ALL around. 

"You are my God, and I give thanks to You;

You are my God, I extol You.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Psalm 118:28-29

Do you live on a farm, in the city, America, other countries?

Where do you see Jesus at work today?

What are 3 things you are grateful for this day?

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Springing Forth!

Two sweet mallard couples are making their home at the spring near the barn.  The trees are sprouting forth their buds, with leaves getting bigger and bigger.  The flowers are shooting up from the ground and gorgeous blooms are taking shape, with some already come and gone. 

Fall is my absolutely favorite time of year, but Spring is a close second!  The vibrant colors and the cooler temperatures make for some wonderful days and cooler evenings. We are ever grateful for the beauty that surrounds us, and only a God as amazing as our great God could possibly paint the picturesque landscape we behold! 

Out walking, whether on the road, through fields, or hiking a new trail, we are exhilarated with the sights, smells and sounds which surround us.  How anyone could imagine or try to experience this life without the joy of Christ is beyond anything I see.  How one could go through the ups and downs of life we have on this land called earth, would be impossible without the loving grace of Jesus Christ our Savior.  

So, yeah, I'm still reading through Ann's book, One Thousand Gifts Devotional, and this paragraph from "Full-Bodied Grace, Devotion 48," jumps out and I read it over, and over, and over again...

                  "Jesus is about to let flesh be broken with nail, heart be broken with rejection, chains be broken with bleeding love.  And in His last hours before His earthly end, He doesn't run out to buy something or catch a flight to go see something, but He wraps a towel around His waist and kneels low to take the feet of His forsakers gently in hand and wash away the grime between their toes." 

I am afraid I would want to go see the mountains one last time, go sit under a large waterfall for a final moment, or view a place I have never been before.  But not Jesus, no, He is the embodiment of service, He gives in His final moments, gives of Himself as He always has, He is eucharisteo, He gives thanks.

And, I have seen this, seen this eucharisteo, "the eucharisteo that touches body and soul: hands and knees and feet awash in grace."  Our family has seen this type of service.  "Without the breaking and giving, without the washing of feet, eucharisteo isn't complete.  The Communion service is only complete in service.  Communion, by necessity, always leads us into community." 

We have been gifted and blessed by this Communion service from the receiving end, as we have been going through this journey with my dad and cancer.  There has been food, more than any of us could or even should desire, gifts of mowed yards or weedeating, gift cards, an entire barn-raising!  And, the love and giving up of continued intercessory prayers is unending.  Blessed, yes, we are blessed.  Thankful, grateful, full of this eucharisteo, this, "to give thanks," this "thanks-giving."  

Thank You!

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

Spring's Around the Corner!

As I write this, it is pouring rain down on us, but the past few days have been glorious!  We had been needing to see the sun, feel the warmth on our faces, and be reminded, spring is just around the corner!  God never allows us to get bored, and always knows just what we need! 

The kids have been wanting to get their hammocks out, and this was just the weather they've been waiting on.  

So, if you happened to drive by, which some did, you would've seen 4, yes, four, hammocks strung up across our creek!  What a sight!  It was perfect!  They took books, and bags, and enjoyed God's amazing creation on this beautiful afternoon!

The cousins stopped by and we gave them all a turn sitting with Sarah.  It was the easiest hammock I could help with.

I love this pic of all 4 across the creek!  We are so blessed to live where we do.  God has placed us right where He wants us, and we are very grateful for His provision.

So relaxing...Oh, the beauty of it all!  

Julia had cleaned off our table on the front porch from all the winter gunk that had gathered, and it was the perfect time to sit, read, study, and listen for God to speak through the view, the breeze, and most of all, His Word.

The joys and blessings of God are abundant, and I am ever thankful for all He does!  I cannot keep from counting His graces each and every day!  

"I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, 
I will not be shaken.

You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."
Psalm 16:8, 11

What did you do on these exceptionally gorgeous days?

Hike?  Work?  Gardening?  Simply enjoy God's beauty?

I'd love to hear!  Remember, to get these posts delivered to your email, just enter your email address on the right hand side of the blog and subscribe.  It's as simple, simple as that! :)

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Choosing Joy

I am thankful for many things.  Yes.  I am grateful for a tiny pine cone in the snow.  Surrounded by crystals of ice, this little pine cone would be passed up by many.  But, God desires us to enjoy even the tiniest of gifts, because when we are able to see those small glimpses of joy, that is when our eyes are truly opened. 

We have been giving many thanks these past few days.  Our Sarah had her first accident as she was heading into work this past Saturday.  She is perfectly fine, well, physically, and is giving praise and thanks to our great God!

The tire, bumper, and fender above, along with very few minor scratches, were the only noticeable damage to her little Nissan Xterra at all.  

She was heading South, in the right lane of the interstate, remember this, when she began to swerve a bit, then heard a loud "pop," and while swerving, somehow, ended up turning in a circle, slamming against the guardrail on the LEFT HAND side facing NORTH!!!  

Our Great God definitely had His mighty hand on her this day!  He always does, but it is in situations such as this where we can see His Hand at work.

She called, talked with Julia, and as she is still getting the details, we are rushing, grabbing shoes, keys, and running to the van.  Steve is one who does not go over the speed limit, but given the circumstances, yes, he did this day, as we rushed toward her.  We are normally a good 30 minutes away; but we were there before that :). 

I had called and she said she was fine, was out of the road, and after calling 911 as her dad asked her to, we were there shortly.  After talking with the wonderful State Trooper who helped her, he was shaking his head and said, "No, she was not out of the road. She was a good foot or so still facing the oncoming traffic!"  He was the nicest Trooper we have seen in awhile.  God definitely sent a great one to help Sarah.  When he first arrived, he parked and ran to help her, he showed me his dash cam and where she was, agh!  He was scared for her, and him!  Traffic still zipped right on by...of course, it's the interstate!

He told her she had to move the car to the other side and she said, "No, she couldn't," and he replied, "Honey, we have to move the car or we are both going to get killed!"  He moved it, had her get in, then drove to the right side, off of the shoulder.  Then, he went back to get his car and bring it over.  Her tire had blown the treads off, and it was leaking air, but we were able to very slowly hobble on down the last two miles to the exit, to a gas station and change it.  Steve drove her car, and the Trooper stayed behind us with his lights on til we got there.  As I said, a wonderful man he was!  We were blessed!

The state trooper finished his report, while Jamin changed the tire, and we watched, being ever grateful for her safety!  

Yes, we serve a Great God!  

And we give Him all praise and glory for keeping her safe!  

He gets all the glory!!!

We took her on to work, just around the corner to Lifeway, left her our van, and we brought her car back.  Check out her blog here, to read her account of the experience.

"Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

Eph. 5:20

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, 

call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples."

1 Chron. 16:8

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord

And to sing praises to Your name, 

O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning 

And Your faithfulness by night."

Psalm 92:1-2

Still and always giving thanks!

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

Winter Graces

Winter pics before our actual "big" snow.  Snows like this are mesmeric falling from above, but when it "just doesn't cover" everything, it is a reminder of how our sinful, fallen natures lie right below the surface.  How we must stay close to His Word and to Him alone for that "old nature" to stay hidden.  God is faithful to His promises, and He will do what He says.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,

for He who promised is faithful."

Heb. 10:23

He will help in times of trouble and distress, 

"Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield." 

Psalm 33:20

He will help when we call out to Him; He knows what we need, when we need it.  We must keep our trust in Him, and in Him alone.

As I sit here typing, I am sick with the nasty old head cold stuff, that everyone either had or has.  It makes me feel awful.  I don't have much energy anyway and this takes the rest away.  

My family has gone to church for our evening Bible study, so I thought I would get another post off, and then rest and read a bit.  It is so quiet with everyone gone, and yet it reminds me that someday my house will be like this all the time.  I love the sounds of my children's laughter, and their discussions.  So, I really try not to complain when it is all noisy, or have late-night nerf gun fights (yes, they do!), and try not to be too excited when they are all out.  I love the house full!

Sorry about the pink calf; I am not sure what happened, but I did see I had my camera on video while snapping some pics, so maybe that was it.  It isn't really pink. :)

I love the snow pics, so there may be another post and possibly one more with snow, because I love the crystal covered land!  It doesn't take us long to get tired of it, but it is so beautiful!

Take time today, this Lord's Day, to revel in His glory, to be grateful for all those around you, and to thank Him for His special graces He has given.

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody