In His Presence is Joy

"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

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, 

For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8

"The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart exults, 

And with my song I shall thank Him."

Psalm 28:7

Let God's word speak to your heart, let it permeate your substance, and dwell on His goodness, grace, and His everlasting mercy.  Allow Him to fill your life with His love, and the joy of living in His ever-loving presence!

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Turkey w/ Cornbread Dressing

My grandmother, oh, how I loved her and how much I still miss her terribly! 

She was the only one in our family to make dressing, no one else would attempt it, so I decided, I CAN DO IT!  And I did!  It is so very good, and mom even gave me grandma's own recipe written by her as well.  Love it and cherish it...

So, I decided to share it with you.  I may make a couple little changes, such as, add more broth because we like it a bit more moist, and sometimes we saute the onions and celery, and other times, I simply chop and throw them in.  It's up to you.

I had a very sweet friend take Grandmother's recipe and put it on a plate for me!  Love it!!!

I hope you will try it and then make it your own.  It is so good!  Enjoy!!!

What is a favorite Thanksgiving recipe of yours?

Are you hosting or going somewhere for your Thanksgiving?

Be grateful in all things...

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

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

In the Valley

In the Valley

                 When You lead me to the valley of vision

I can see You in the heights

And though my humbling wouldn’t be my decision

It’s here Your glory shines so bright

So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown

To be low is to be high

That the valley’s where You make me more like Christ

 Let me find Your grace in the valley

Let me find Your life in my death

Let me find Your joy in my sorrow

Your wealth in my need

That You’re near with every breath

In the valley

 In the daytime there are stars in the heavens

But they only shine at night

And the deeper that I go into darkness

The more I see their radiant light

So let me learn that my losses are my gain

To be broken is to heal

That the valley’s where Your power is revealed

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody