Category Archives: Thanksgiving

In All Things…Love

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#31dbc! Only one more day of the October Blogging Challenge! The month has gone by fast, fall will soon turn to winter, Christmas shopping is in full swing for most by now. We are turning to a season of love and thankfulness...

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Simple thought? Sure. We were created in His image. To worship the God of the universe and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:31)

But so many times “THINGS” get in the way and we get this all turned around. We love our THINGS so much so that we take them everywhere we go. We can’t live without them.

A good example is the cell phone. There really was a time in life we lived without this small electronic gadget…and survived! Today is an entirely different story. We rise in the morning and it is either the first thing we unplug from the charger or the first we plug into, if the iPad was charging through the night! We carry it with us all throughout the day, take it with us to lunch and dinner, carry it in our pocket or purse and then back to bed with us at night.

Is the cell phone sinful? Of course not. But we sure do love it! We cannot do without it!

Do we use people for our personal gain? If we know that they can help get us a raise or promotion? Yes, we all do it even if it is subtle, we are guilty.

But Jesus said to do unto others as you would have them treat you…

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!  And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.” Luke 6:31-34 NLT.

Let us be careful today to get these in the right order:

Love People and Use Things, according to His Word!

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 NIV.

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Wisdom…From Old People??

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In honor of my middle riddle’s birthday I am sharing this post he wrote about his grandmother.  He has his own blog, is still single and available. Kris is my middle son, and if you have followed my blog for very long, you know him as the adventurous and daring of My Three Sons. There are not too many things he won’t do from trespassing on the greens at St. Andrews prestigious golf club in Scotland,

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to jumping out of airplanes,

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competing in the crazy Spartan obstacle races…

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or bicycling across the Golden Gate Bridge,

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Kristopher is anything but boring. I love him dearly. In all of that craziness lies a heart of compassion that is hard to beat. I hope you enjoy his post today.

 

“Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose.” -Lloyd Christmas

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Just last week I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with my parents in Bloomington. I had just returned from a dentist appointment (no cavities FYI) so I decided to spend some time with my grandmother, or as she is better known as just “Mamaw”. We chatted, or I talked and she pretended to listen… She may have a slight hearing disability and could benefit from the technology of hearing aids.

If anyone reading this ever shares the whole concept of blogging, in particular this blog post, then I will kill you. If she doesn’t kill me first.

While we were talking, I was admiring some of the pictures on her wall. I don’t think I need to tell you, but my picture displays the LEAST on this wall. I am okay with it. Some people just aren’t fully appreciated until they are dead (meaning myself, not my Mamaw). However,  I digress… In the entryway in my Mamaw’s house she has about 30 framed pictures that detail the aging process of our family. It is rather daunting, while impressive.

I was admiring the pictures and talking to her (she pretended to hear what I was saying) and then she brought another ten pictures that she wanted hung up on the wall. I grabbed a ladder and started nailing studs and frames. When we were finished we both stepped back to admire my work. It was at that point when she said something that I hope will stay with me for many years…

“Whenever I feel down and depressed, that there is nothing worth living for, I look at these pictures and realize all of God’s blessings in my life.”

Now this is a lady who has lost her siblings, husband, is a cancer survivor, has multiple disabilities and now practically deaf. She knows pain, heartache and disappointment. Yet in all of these things, she is able to look to the good in her life and be thankful for the blessings in the little things. Whether those blessings include a new day to be alive, family, friends, the birds and the bees, and her favorite grandson, myself, she is thankful.

Little did I know, that just a few days later, my employer would wipe out almost 300 full-time positions.

As I watched co-workers receive this horrible news, I couldn’t help but fear for my own future while grieving alongside them. Yet in that exact moment I had to be thankful for all of the blessings and opportunities that present themselves on a daily basis.

So I made a short list of things that I am thankful for.
  • The best family and friends that a man could ask for.
  • Real stability and community.
  • Long runs on a hot day.
  • Woods and natural wildlife.
  • Home. Heat. Unlimited supplies of beverages and food.
  • Education.
  • Fishing.
  • Daily opportunities to invest in others.
  • Pretty women who can also carry on an intelligent conversation.
  • Mexican food.
  • Passion.
  • Farmer’s Markets.
  • Live music.
  • Spotify.
  • Books.

This list is not extensive by any means. But my Mamaw, no matter how old she is, was able to put things into perspective. You know, sometimes we can get so bent out of shape about our car not working, a higher heating bill, your spouse showing up twenty minutes late, or the other inconveniences in life but it’s not worth it to let those things consume us. There is way too much good and positive things out there to focus on.

I challenge you, as I will daily challenge myself to try and focus on the blessings of life. Find something you are passionate about, that makes you happy and knock that sucker out of the park!

My Mamaw may not be perceived as cool as the likes of Betty White or Doris Roberts, but she’s my Mamaw and I wouldn’t change a thing.

(Note from Nannette: Mamaw Tava is currently in the hospital and needs your prayers!)

 

Kris3Kris Elkins is a 28 year-old Christ follower. Always looking to make headlines, he is constantly looking for ways to bring laughter into lives as well as those “hand to face” moments, in which the audience sits stunned in disbelief. When not caring for patients as a RN, or helping to create hospitalized computer programs and saving hospitals millions of dollars, he can be found running, cycling, or even refurnishing antique furniture. He states that he can’t take all of the credit for being absolutely awesome, crediting his parents and brothers for some of these awesome qualities. He blogs at mereKristianity, when he feels like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Order My Steps…

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31 days of HopeDay 23 of the #31dbc!

“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.” Psalms 119:133-135.

When I go out to eat with The Sweetheart, we will walk into a restaurant and say, “Table for two, please.” Then inevitably, one of us will head to the restroom to wash our hands. That leaves the other one at the table, alone, when the server comes to ask what we would like to drink.

I trust him to order for me when it comes to a Dr. Pepper or a Strawberry Lemonade.

But if I am not back when she comes asking about the main course….hold on Big Boy!

I don’t want him to order what I am going to eat. I might not feel like spaghetti that night. I might have preferred a steak and baked potato!

“Order my steps in your word…” Guide me, direct me, and put me on the right path.

Lord, you can go ahead and order for me!

You can order whatever you think is best for my life. I will take it and accept it and run with it God as your will for my life. 

Do we trust Him enough to truly let Him have full control? To really let Him ORDER our steps? To say, “Okay, Lord, it’s in Your hands, do with it as you wish. I am just the clay, You are the Potter.” Then step back and let Him do the work. Wow.

Just imagine if we actually LIVED that way!

But to do that, a change will have to take place.

He isn’t going to order and guide our footsteps if we refuse to move our feet! WE have to be willing to get up off of our seat of do-nothing-and-do-little!

Guide your footsteps hopeinthehealing

If you ask Him to order your steps, to truly place the “menu” of your life in His hands and let Him decide what is best for you, then you had better be prepared to MOVE!

“Guide my path, Lord…but I will just sit right here and hope everything turns out alright. Let me know when You’re done.”

It doesn’t work that way. You have to be a vital part of the equation. He wants you to be involved in the process. You have to be out in the trenches! He does the choosing, but you are the recipient, so once He hands those items off the menu to you, then you must get up on your feet and run with it!

What has He given you? What has He chosen for you? Every one of us has a mission, every one of us has a chosen path, and our steps have been “ordered” by God. But we have to get up off of our FEET.

He doesn’t want us to just sit there when the order comes through.

You have to be ready to move your feet!
As we enter this season of thankfulness, I thought it would be good to hear from you, from your corner of the globe and right here close by too. Some of you I hear from regularly, some read but have never commented. What I would love to know is three things:
  1. Something God has done for you in 2013, what you are most thankful for.
  2. What you want to see accomplished in your spiritual walk in 2014.
  3. How you and your family will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday if at all.

Mention what state or country you are from. You can email me your response to ynannette@gmail.com . I would like to use the information in my Thanksgiving post and show what God has been doing around the world! I will only use first names so you don’t have to worry about confidentiality. But if you do not even want me to use your name at all, please say so in your post and I will respect your wishes.

This will be a great blessing! I hope you will take a couple of minutes and answer the questions for me. I love and appreciate every one of you. These last eight months have been some of the most rewarding of my life and I thank you for being a part of the journey.