Happy Monday!

Happy Monday to YOU! It's Christmas time and a new week filled with opportunities and laced with God's amazing love and mercy! 

As we begin this new week, let's encourage one another, pray for one another and serve one another all while we sing praises to our God! He is worthy of our worship and our praise! Let's immerse ourselves in His Word and be mighty warriors of prayer and make this Christmas season one we will never forget!

Blessings to YOU this day! 🎄😊

Advent Week 1

Celebrating the first Sunday of Advent! We use this time to prepare our hearts for this Christmas season and reflect on all Christ has done for us. This first Sunday we look at Christ as our hope and praise His name! Together we read, pray and celebrate our Hope and know that no gift under our tree could compare to the greatest Gift of all...Jesus Christ...our Hope! We look expectantly for His glorious return! 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Great news on this "Black Friday"!

The day after Thanksgiving, what is typically known as "Black Friday", is usually laden with lots of shopping and the official kick off to the Christmas season. I've had many a fun time in the craziness over the years and I'm sure I'll be out some time today, but first this morning, I want to take a closer look at this last verse of our passage this week.

“For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Psalms 100:5 (KJV)

There is nothing on this earth, no "Black Friday" special that could ever compare to the magnitude of the gift God continually gives His child....His great love and mercy and truth everlasting!

One thing I know in my life is just how good my God is! This life is hard and sometimes our troubles seem overwhelming but God is good and in Him we have this amazing hope! Day after day he showers is with His perfect love and offers us mercies anew! His truth will stand and is secure! Hallelujah!

Today, you may be in the hustle and bustle of shopping or you may just be coming off your turkey coma. Ha! But let's remember our God and praise Him for this great and unmatchable gift He gives each day! He deserves our praise and He deserves our honor!

Be Thankful!

One of my favorite weeks of the year begins today! (But so much to be thankful for all year long!)

God is good and I praise HIM today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a beautiful day to reflect on all God has done and will continue to do!

This morning my heart is overflowing in gratitude for the beautiful souls in my life. God blessed me with an amazing husband and three wonderful children and doing life with them is such an honor...a treasure I hold dear! I love them all so much!

Today, I will spend precious time with family (missing you, Ben) and praise God for each and every second with them. I will thank my God for each dear soul around our tables and remember that time is precious.

As I sit here with my Bible & cup of coffee I pray over this verse today,

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Psalms 100:4 (KJV)

May my heart reflect your goodness, Lord, and may praise be always on my lips. You, Father, are the reason I live and have hope eternal. My gratitude for your great love is beyond comprehension. Your sacrifice, your promises, your continued guidance is my joy and I praise YOU! Thank you for loving me!

Today, as I look around our family tables, I will give thanks for those here, for those not here, and for those that have gone on to glory before me. Each person is dear and holds a special place in my heart!

So today, let's enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Let's overflow with thankful hearts to a God who is worthy of all praise and honor! Let's celebrate our God and lift His name on high!

Thanksgiving blessings to YOU this day!

Thanksgiving Wednesday!

On this Wednesday before Thanksgiving, let's take a closer look at verse three of our focal passage,

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Psalms 100:3 (KJV)

Today, as we prepare for our big Thanksgiving feast let's not forget to pause and give God praise for His authority in our lives. Our Great Creator! The One who breathed life into our lungs deserves our utmost respect and thanks! He loves us. He loves YOU! You matter to Him precious soul!

He is also our Great Shepherd who watches over us and guides through this life on earth. May we praise Him today and follow His guidance with quick obedience and complete trust because He knows what's best for His sheep.

I pray your day is filled with joy! Maybe you are traveling today or finishing up a day of work before the festivities or spending the day in the kitchen (like me) or maybe you are wondering how you will get through a day of thanksgiving with a heart not quite full of thanks. Wherever you are today, pause, and sit at Jesus feet and real aloud this passage of Psalm 100 to Him. Let His Word permeate your heart and fill you with peace. Let it be the salve to soothe those cracks of your heart and may it encourage your soul this day! May your heart overflow with thanks for who God is and all He will do in your life!

Blessings to you today!

Thanksgiving Tuesday!

Happy ThanksgivingTuesday!

Today let's look at verse two of our passage on gratitude,

“Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”


Psalms 100:2 (KJV)

What a great verse as we head to work/school today! Let's remember who we are really serving and do so with a joyful heart. Take time today to show service to a coworker or friend and put a smile on your face as you work! Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus today to someone in need!

And of course, sing praises to our God because He is worthy! Don't worry about whether you think you can sing or not, just make a joyful noise to Him and give Him praise! All is beautiful to the ears of our Savior when our hearts are focused on His praise!

Have a blessed and wonderful day! Serve and sing for HIM this day!

Thanksgiving Week!

The week of Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful time to reflect on all that God has done. Though our hearts should overflow in gratitude all year, this week we reflect on all His goodness and prepare our hearts to enter the season of Christ's birth.

This week, I want to take this passage of thanksgiving in Psalm 100 and break it down verse by verse. All five verses of praise and gratitude to our mighty God!

Today we look at the first verse,

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”

Psalms 100:1 (KJV)

On this Monday morning, let's shout joyfully to our God and sing His praises! Yes it's cold and it's Monday but it's also a day of new mercies and blessings awaiting to unfold! Let's spend our day focusing on giving praise to the One who is worthy! Put on that praise music on the ride to work/school and sing to the Lord! Tell Him what He means to you today! What a beautiful day it will be!

Blessings to you on this Thanksgiving Monday!

YOU are amazing God!

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.”

Psalms 19:1 (NLT)

YOU are amazing God and, today, I praise YOU!

Home Sweet Home!

Back in ILM! First stop to see my big kiddo at Chick-fil-a and then to pick up my other kiddos from Granny's! Mama missed her sweeties! 

Dinner with my man at the Tower of Americas!

Romantic dinner with my amazing husband overlooking San Antonio! 

Prayer walk at the River!

Today's adventure really wasn't much of an adventure as it was more of a prayer walk. I donned my tennis shoes and headed down to the Riverwalk for a much needed walk & talk with Jesus! I had no desire for shopping and no desire to do anything but spend some time with Jesus in these new, beautiful surroundings! As I boarded the plane on Sunday, my dear and very wise mother texted me to take a deep breath and clear my mind as it will fill up very quickly when I return home. Ha!

So I walked and prayed and walked and prayed some more. Thankful that God hears and such comfort in knowing that even though I am waiting on Him with some things in my life, I know He is working all things together for my good because I love Him so deeply and because I'm called according to HIS purpose for my life! Hallelujah! (Romans 8:28)

Then after about an hour into my walk I looked down and noticed the stars embedded into the walkway. His sweet reminder that He will always give me just enough light for the step I'm on. Every step I commit to Him and know He will prepare the way! So I keep walking...I keep trusting...I keep praying...I keep believing...and I also keep praising!

“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.”

Isaiah 42:16 (NKJV)

I'm so thankful for this journey of life! Though sometimes hard and difficult to maneuver with things that don't always make sense, the joy of the Lord is my strength through it all! He is AMAZING God!

A morning with Jesus in Texas!

My view during my morning quiet time!

“And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

John 6:35 (NKJV)

Alamo Tour and Dinner on the Terrace!

Private tour of the Alamo and dinner party on the terrace!

Adventure through the streets of San Antonio!

I set off on an adventure today through the streets of San Antonio! It was a journey to see the sights and enjoy some new surroundings! I met a lot of great people! I love to talk with people and, hopefully, shine the light of Jesus. Today I was blessed by a sweet girl who just moved here from Michigan learning her way around and I met a wonderful San Antonio police officer who was kind enough to chat for a bit and then stop all traffic for me to cross the busy street.

But then my journey brought me to this cathedral. Absolutely beautiful! So many people coming in and stopping for a time of prayer. I took a seat and spent some time in prayer as well, thanking God for the freedom to enter this place and openly pray & worship Him. Then I opened my Bible and read this passage of scripture in John as Jesus was speaking to his disciples right before his arrest. He was teaching them and preparing them for what was to come. Those words jumped off those blessed pages today! Everywhere we turn there is trouble and chaos. A world turning further away from God. Here in this passage, Jesus reminded them of the troubles to come but that He would be with them just as He is with us! He is our peace! In a world that has lost its way, I am reminded of the ONLY way and it is JESUS! Victory is His! All hope...all confidence is in HIM!

“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:31-33 (NIV)

Thank you, precious Jesus! Oh, how I love YOU!

Dinner with my man!

Enjoying a romantic dinner on the Riverwalk with my love and was serenaded by a wonderful mariachi band!

Headed to Texas!

Matt was headed out of town on business again so I tagged along. 😍 

Next stop...San Antonio, TX! 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving...

Happy November 1^st! I hope you all enjoyed an extra hour of sleep! I cannot sleep late, as much as I try, so I was able to enjoy another beautiful sunrise with my Jesus!

I am so excited to begin my favorite season of the year! A season of thanksgiving has begun!

I am not, nor have I ever been, a big fan of Halloween so I, for one, am glad to see it over. Lol! I love seeing the cute little costumes, seeing the children’s happy candy-filled faces and seeing families spend time together but the dark side, gruesome costumes and focus on zombies and death creep me out. Ha! Too much of the dark world is not something I like to joke around about or make light of so I stick to the Light because in HIM there is life and no darkness at all! Light dispels darkness. Hallelujah!

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

John 1:4-5 (NIV)

But here we are on the beginning of a season of thanksgiving and then going into the celebration of our Savior’s birth. I can’t think of anything that I would rather put my focus on than on what my God has done for me. The blessings of His love and redemption make my heart explode in thanksgiving and I could never truly express my gratitude to Him. But….I would like to try!

So today, November 1, 2015, on this Lord’s Day as I stood on my back porch watching the sun wake up, I began to give praise to God for all He is to me.  I pray we experience a great awakening throughout these next couple of months as we focus on our great and mighty God and all He has done for us. This world is getting darker by the day but when we put our focus on the Light and let His light shine through us, we will see darkness dispelled. Let us carry the light and shine brightly for all the world to see!

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

I begin this month of thanksgiving with one of my favorite passages and I pray that we all keep this on our hearts and minds throughout the season. May you be blessed today!

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Psalm 100 (KJV)

Precious Father, in YOU I trust and in YOU I give my praise! Today, I enter this season with a heart of thanksgiving because YOU are GOD! YOU are LIGHT and YOU are TRUTH and I lift YOUR name on high this day! YOU are worthy of all glory and honor and, today, may others see YOU in me. It’s ALL about YOU my Savior, my Redeemer, my LORD! YOU are good and YOUR mercy endures forever! Amen and amen!