Drop and Give Me Ten, No Stop and Give Hundred

As my granddaughter and I sat chatting one evening she mentioned to me "those darn cats."  Suddenly after saying that she bolted off the couch and said she needed to do ten pushups for swearing. Evidently it was an agreement between her and someone in her local church. Every time they swore they were to drop and do ten pushups. 

As I sat and watched her I felt a huge sense of grandma pride. She was recognizing swearing in her life was wrong and her discipline was to drop and give God ten pushups in a type of "sorry" to the Lord. 

The next day as I struggled to deal with life, I might not have swore but my frustration was evident. Looking back to what my eleven year old granddaughter had done I felt I too needed to drop and give God ten in order to say I was sorry. 

Unlike my granddaughter who was able to get on the floor to do ten pushups I knew if I tried my bone cancer would object. I was certain the 911 operators would not appreciate my distress call for help off the floor after attempting pushups so I didn't even try. The wall would have done just as well to serve as my pushing off board. 

As I got ready, to maybe not drop to do my ten, I thought of my dad. After his pacemaker surgery he was using the wall to do his push-ups to try and quickly recover. Unfortunately for him doing so put him back in the hospital for irritating his surgery site. I wondered if I was willing to be that diligent to obtain my own spiritual healing, from allowing the world to get to me, by doing my own push-ups no matter what or how. 

Suddenly my plans changed again as I thought of something else. No, I didn't need to drop and give God ten, what was better was stopping long enough in life to give Him 100 praises and thanks to focus my attention to where it needed to be. The stress of the world had blocked my view of God.  My discipline was to move out of its range and do what needed to be done, focusing on the things I have been blessed with. 

So here we go. "God I am here to stop and give You 100 praises and thanks ." What a blessing it is to my heart to have such a thing to set before You today and every day. Love You Lord."

Karen

Praise and Thanks

1. Praise God for being all knowing

2. Thank you Lord for my friend Chrissy and the friendship we share

3. Praise God for being someone we can trust

4. Thank you Lord for the roof over my head

5. Praise God for lifting my head when it tends to hang low

6. Thank you Lord for my grand kids and the joy they give me

5. Praise God for being my shield of protection

6. Thank you Lord for Nycol and the gift she's been to me

7. Praise God for being the one who sustains me

8. Thank you Lord for Don and the potential he has for you God

9. Praise God for His salvation

10. Thank you Lord for my Coffee

11. Praise God His blessing is upon His people

12. Thank you Lord for my wonderful parents

13.  Praise God for relieving me in my distress

14. Thank you Lord life has its good moments we can use to strengthen us on our journey to stair step our way to heaven 

15. Praise God for Your mercy and grace

16. Thank you Lord I don't have to qualify to receive your mercy. It's free. 

17. Praise God for setting Yourself aside for the godly

18. Thank you Lord for the beauty of fresh fallen snow

19.  Praise God for hearing me when I call

20. Thank you Lord for keeping me safe when Jayleena and I did a 180 degree circle in the snow

21.  Praise God the light of Your favor falls on Your children

22. Thank you Lord for the four year extension on my life

23. Praise God for putting gladness in my life

24. Thank you Lord for my sisters

25. Praise God for being my king of kings

26. Thank you Lord I don't have to operate the throne in my life. I've tried and it never worked. 

27. Praise God who leads me

28. Thank you Lord that I am not alone. I have You always at my side 

29. Praise God for defending me

30. Thank you Lord for my church family

31. Praise God You test me to better me not to put me down

32. Thank you Lord I am allowed to fail as you pick me up to try again

33. Praise God who saves the upright in heart

34. Thank you Lord for modern medicine and indoor plumbing ;)

35. Praise God for being a just judge

36. Thank you Lord for raindrops on my eyelashes instead of tears

37. Praise God for the excellence of his name in the whole earth

38. Thank you Lord for your creations, including me

39. Praise God who ordains strength 

40. Thank you Lord I can use your strength instead of trying to find my own and fail

41. Praise God for all Your marvelous works

42. Thank you Lord I get to enjoy those works

43. Praise God you are someone I can be glad and rejoice in

44. Thank you Lord for sunny days even cloudy ones when I have you to go thru them with

45. Praise God that You will endure forever

46. Thank you Lord I can endure life because of You

47. Praise God for being a refuge for the oppressed

48. Thank you Lord for giving me a place of safety

49. Praise God you put a song in my heart

50. Thank you Lord although I can't sing well its the praises to You that counts

51. Praise God you don't forget the cry of the humble, You hear their desires

52. Thank you Lord for the memories of growing up on this ranch

53. Praise God You will not forsake those who seek You

54. Thank you Lord that when I seek you, You don't hide yourself from me. You can be found

55. Praise God the needy will not always be forgotten

56. Thank you Lord for cuddly furry friends

57. Praise God You are the helper of the fatherless 

58. Thank you Lord for being such a wonderful Father figure for us to look up to

59. Praise God You prepare our hearts

60. Thank you Lord for the quietness of the country side I am surrounded by

61. Praise God You are righteous and will always be unchanging

62. Thank you Lord with Your help I can change into the person You want me to be

63. Praise God Your words are pure and helpful to guide and teach me, You preserved them from generation to my generation

64. Thank you Lord I may be stubborn at times but I am not hopeless as long as I allow myself to be teachable

65. Praise God You deal with us bountifully 

66. Thank you Lord that all I have You have given me and blessed me

67. Praise God You take the time to look down upon us from heaven checking on us

68. Thank You Lord I am not invisible to You

69. Praise God my goodness is nothing apart from You

70. Thank you Lord for loving laughter and warm smiles

71. Praise God for being my inheritance and portion. All I need and want

72. Thank you Lord for my friends I have picked up along life's paths 

73. Praise God You maintain my lot

74. Thank you Lord for lessons learned and maturity grown

75. Praise God You instruct me in the night seasons

76. Thank you Lord I don't have to be afraid of the dark

77. Praise God You show me the path of life

78. Thank you Lord for hugs that help comfort me

79. Praise God for Your presence in my life

80. Thank you Lord for traveling thru life with me

81. Praise God for visiting me in the night and placing Your arms around me to tell me "be still Karen. I am with you"

82. Thank you Lord your light pierces the night

83. Praise God for upholding my footsteps

84. Thank you Lord that I may slip a time or two but I won't completely fall because You uphold me

85. Praise God You  show us your marvelous kindness thru Your son Jesus Christ

86. Thank you Lord for new beginnings and second chances

87. Praise God for keeping me as the apple of Your eye

88. Thank you Lord for the ability to see, hear, touch, smell and so much more

89. Praise God for the place You hide me in the shadow of Your wing

90. Thank you Lord I am able to function even in the pain of my bone cancer

91. Praise God for being my strength, refuge, fortress, deliverer and so much more I love you

92. Thank you Lord for Your companionship

93. Praise God You reward me according to my righteousness 

94. Thank you Lord for helping me obtain my righteousness thru Christ

95. Praise God You make it possible for me to leap over the walls the world puts up to try and stop me

96. Thank you Lord nothing is impossible to You

97. Praise God You light my lamp and keep it lit

98. Thank you Lord I can shine for you. That You can use a sinner such as I to help further Your kingdom

99. Praise God You make my way perfect enlarging my path so I won't slip

100. Thank you Lord for being the rock I need to stand upon to withstand life's storms. 

Oh, the list isn't complete. There is always more with God we can praise and thank Him for. 

Sent from my iPhone

Pity Party Invitation has been cancelled

Okay people I have had it!  I give up. I can't take it any more. I am sick of all this. I'm having a pity party and you are all invited. Refreshments will be served such as sorry for me soup, things are terrible tea, and down in the dumps,so I might as well stay there, dessert. 

Being the host of this party it's my duty to go first so let me begin by setting out the refreshments. 

1. I'm sick of taking all these medications. For someone who never "did drugs" I'm living off them now. 

It's those drugs that have extended your life four years and keep you going for whatever time frame God has in store for you ahead.  

2. I can't hike up a mountain trail, climb rocks, or walk any great distance, or sit too long in one place because of my bone cancer. 

Honestly I never did want to climb rocks. Riding a mountain trail on a horse sounds more appealing, although that would hurt too. Just the same the mountains still hold a beauty that sustains me. Everyone needs a balance between sitting too much and walking too far. 

3. I had to quit a job I loved and had for 17 years in order to go off and die because my cancer was getting the best of me making it difficult to work. 

I was blessed to find such a job and given such an opportunity after being out of the work force because of my epilepsy.  The memories and friendships I have picked up over the years will never die but only further blossom. 

4. Every time I've gone into the doctor it seems like my cancer has spread some place new. 

What is spreading more rapidly is your witness for Christ and how His strength, love, mercy and grace works. Modern technology is wonderful as its able to catch things early. 

5. My radiation treatment made me so sick I couldn't eat and lost forty pounds. 

You've never had such a successful diet. You look good and feel great. You learned you could survive without certain foods and you could learn to live on less of others. 

6. My epilepsy 25 years ago and now my cancer has robed me of my independence. I can't be a free woman. 

You're are blessed to be surrounded by such a fantastic support team. It's something you wouldn't give up for the world. In Christ you are free. Cancer can't bind you up or enslave you unless you allow it. You are a free woman thanks to God. 

7. Worry, worry, worry. I am tired of worrying all the time. I worry about my tumor markers going up, my cancer spreading, falling down and breaking my bone cancer stricken pelvis. I worry about my family being ok if I'm called home to Heaven early. 

If you're worrying too much that's your fault not your cancer's. God tells you not to worry for tomorrow has enough of its own. You need to trust God more and lean on His wisdom and strength not your own. Remember to just glance at your troubles yet stare towards Jesus. 

Suddenly after attempting to set up the refreshment table for my pity party something hit me. I was no longer feeling sorry for myself. Things weren't as terrible as I made them out to be. I may have visited the dumps but I didn't have to stay.

Really I had a lot to be thankful for. A lot to praise God for. God hadn't left me. I was the one who moved away from Him in my attitude and choices.

Therefore my "invitees" I am pleased to announce the pity party has been cancelled. Instead come and bring your own thankful tea, praise God always punch, and don't forget what God is doing and has done for you dessert.

We will celebrate being blessed.

Love

Sent from my iPhone

Apply it to my Hip ~~~~~~~~ Karen's Crossing

What is it about the morning that makes you think of donuts and coffee? This morning as I woke up to the rising of the "Don." Don as my husband. Ha ha. The smell of the sausage and eggs he was cooking took my nose elsewhere as I thought of a maple bar to go with my coffee.

Probably the biggest reason maple bars were on my mind was the fact that last night I found a scripture in Romans 5 that left me thinking as I went to sleep. This morning the thinking process continued and I added the maple bar to the thought.

Often the joke or chuckle is when someone is offered a donut to eat they immediately say, "Well I might as well as apply it to my hip right now because that is where its going." Ha ha and then they continue to eat the donut.

The scripture last night I read as I tried to fall asleep in the midst of my cancer pain told me," Moreover let us be full of joy now let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance and endurance develops maturity of character and character of this sort produces the habit of joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5.

Last night the scripture helped me fall asleep to my pain, this morning it got me thinking about how I needed to apply this to my hip. That's where the maple bar donut thought came in. In the midst of my trouble and suffering with my hip pain I need to apply this scripture to my right hip and exult and triumph.

In order to properly apply I looked up the meaning of the word "exult." According to Webster it means to leap for joy, to feel or show great happiness, to say something in a very excited and happy way. The word 'triumph' means to obtain victory, to receive honor of a triumph, to celebrate victory or success boastfully or exultingly.

Wow! How in the world could I leap for joy when I can barely walk and stand upright on that hip. How can I feel any kind of happiness when the pain I have brings so many tears to my eyes. How can I say anything in a very excited and happy way when I have to bite my hand occasionally to keep from screaming out loud in pain. No, this was one maple bar donut of a scripture that was going to have to be applied somewhere else.

Wrong! The scripture said, "in our troubles and sufferings" and my right hip marks that very spot in my life right now. I can leap for joy that I am still able to walk no matter how painful. I can find happiness in the support I have around me from those who are there drying my tears and holding my hand. I can say a lot of things in an excited and happy way, things such as "I love you" to my love ones. Telling them daily how much I appreciate them, talking to my parents and sharing my life with them in a positive way.

Yes, this is one maple bar donut of a scripture that can be applied directly to that right hip and to the spot in my heart as well where it needs to be forever and ever. A spot where victory will be obtained in eternity and honor received as my choice of a right attitude overcomes my trouble and my sufferings. To God be the glory for ever and ever.

Karen

Worship--the center of all we do

No matter what we are doing or what is going on worship of God needs to be in the center of all we do. As my dad goes in for a second pacemaker procedure I stopped by the chapel at the hospital to take this picture to remind me if that. Forming a circle with my index finger and thumb I centered it on the cross hanging in the chapel.

This was my way of reminding me that no matter what is going on in the center of all I do must be worship. The praising of God, thanking Him for all He has done, and giving adoration to my Lord and Savior needs to be a top priority in all I do. It doesn't matter if we like the situation we are in or not we still need to worship the Lord to pay our respects to our Lord and Savior.

Worship isn't reserved for only the good times in our lives, anyone can do that. It is not based on how good things turn out for us. Worshipping God during the tough times puts our focus where it needs to be and it shows God no matter what we love and adore Him.

I am thankful. Karen's Crossing

I am thankful. On this day three years ago I was diagnosed with breast and bone cancer at this very hospital my mom is in right now. As I watch her sleep and rest from the internal bleeding she is dealing with I can't help but say, I am thankful."

I am thankful:
•To be alive today because it didn't have to be me. For mom that she is alive and survived her major stroke ten years ago and will survive this as well.
•I didn't require any surgeries
•I still have my hair
•My body hasn't rejected my treatment
I still have lots of options for treatments left if I do reject my meds
•God created the pain in my side that brought me to the ER that drew attention to my cancer
•Mom was blessed with the same that brought out attention to her GI bleed
•I am able to work and that I have been given such great and supporting co-workers
•for my family. For the time, love, and support they have given me. Who have been willing to slow down their steps just so I can keep up. Who have given me lifts out of chairs, a hand to squeeze when I am in pain, gentle smiles, loving hearts and so much more.
•For my sister being here right now to help with mom and dad as mom is in the hospital. I am thankful for the chance I have had over the last ten years to be mom and dads caregivers and for the memories I will cherish always
•The fact I can still walk. That my cancerous hip hasn't give out on me to the point of it breaking where the cancer is
•Having God to lean on and draw strength from and cuddle in His love, grace and mercy
•I am thankful for the medical staff who cares for me in Bend Oregon. My doctor who has been my rock. Thankful to Stephanie and Juli for helping me find the cancer treatment center in Arizona.
•Friends I have picked up along the way and old ones who remain at my side

I am thankful....... and the list goes on. Praise The Lord.

Karen


**Mom is out of the hospital and doing well, no more bleeding. Praise the Lord

The Night I wore Pink

As I lay awake at midnight the clock striking twelve reminded me of the night I learned about my cancer. Two years ago this midnight I was seen in the emergency room where the news was revealed. Who would have thought a simple trip into the local hospital would have turned into this.

I praise the Lord I made the trip that night. My cancer had already taken over my breast, bones, and lungs and it wouldn't have stopped there had I not went.

I'll never forget the sound of Don's cry from the corner of the room nor Nycol's from the echo of the phone. It was time for a group hug as we met at the bed where I laid. Life had put up a detour sign and we were only beginning to see where it would lead us.

There would never be too many hugs nor would the tears ever completely run dry. We were in this together and it was best we walked in harmony with each other. Little did we know there would be times I couldn't walk on my own I would need help. A shoulder not only to lean upon but one to cry upon as well.

 Our journey has been rough and tough at times but thanks to God we have survived. The grand kids have been wonderful through all of this. My support group continues to grow. This certainly wasn't my choice of adventures but I am thankful for what I have learned during it, the love I have been given, the blessings God has bestowed upon me.

Yes it has done us well to walk in harmony for when one of us is weak the others can be strong and we can travel ahead leaning and supporting one another.

"Thank you Lord once again for seeing me through and walking me out of life's difficulties one step at a time. I may walk in physical pain but I don't in spiritual pain thanks to You, Lord. So for now it's time to close my eyes and count my blessings. "

 1. My relationship with Jesus
2. Don and Nycol and my grand kids
3. My family and friends
4. My work and those I work with
5. My church and the strength I receive from them
6. I can walk on my own no matter how slow
7. My cancer remains in control
8. I get to see my grand kids grow up
9. I grow stronger spiritually day by day
10. I get the opportunity to write God's blessings for others to read
11. Pink isn't a bad color after all
12. For tonight as it is 12-12-12 still, oops I forgot it struck midnight already. Anyway my twelfth blessing is the blessing that I am not alone in my journey.

Praise the Lord the blessings will continue to flow. Thanks everyone for the parts you each play. Stay focused on God and together we will walk in harmony one step at a time, no matter how slow or wobbly that step may be. To God be the glory.

God's Eyes Are Upon Us

De 11:12 It is a land the Lord your God cares for, the eyes of the lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end




The Israelites were making their way to the promise land when God made this promise to them. He told them He cared for the land He was giving them and that His eyes were going to be upon it from the beginning of the year to its end. To some that made a difference but to most of the Israelites they continued to grumble all the way to the promise land.



We are so much like our ancestors that it shouldn’t be any surprise we haven’t seen a behavior improvement after all these years. It doesn’t matter if we live in the city or out in the country God still cares for the land He has given us to live upon and so should we. Unfortunately our problem today is the fact we have gone from worshipping the Creator of the land to worshipping the land itself.



We have taken our eyes off the Creator yet expect His eyes to be still watching over us when it’s convenient for us. Yet when we want to do something He doesn’t approve of we act as if we expect Him to turn His back and not pay attention.



God never turned His back on the Israelites and He won’t with us either. He may give us over to our sins if we don’t behave ourselves but that isn’t turning His back on us. He may punish us for bad behavior but that isn’t turning His back on us either. We are the ones who have turned our back on Him and like the Israelites we can be heard grumbling all the way to the Promise Land.



The fact that God cares shouldn’t be taken advantage of. It should be a treasure or a treat to take with us into the Promise Land of Heaven as we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His presence with praise.



Drop the grumbling, pick up the praise! God’s eyes are upon us.

© 2012 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Truly Thankful

This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. Psalm 91:2 NLT



I love how this scripture starts out, “This I declare about the Lord!” It gives that firm finger wagging opening approach we use to get from the preachers at the pulpit. Penny Penhollow the preacher I grew up with in Powell Butte Oregon was good at that. He really got into his sermons and how he presented them served as a funnel suction that drew the congregation into what he felt, believed, and lived out in his life. It would do us well to be like those who are willing to stand up and declare to all those around us what we feel about the Lord and what He is to us. To be thankful for and appreciate all He has done whether we understand what is going on or not.


Whenever I read in the Bible a scripture that talks about God is my refuge, my place of safety, my God, my rock, my redeemer, my Savior, etc. I circle the word MY. I claim those as MY own as we all should. 1 Samuel 22 has a whole list of MY’s that would do us well to look at them and claim them for ourselves. We need to do so by putting out our voices or finger and state in words and action “This I declare about the Lord, He alone, alone, unaccompanied, single-handedly, without help, no one else, by Himself is MY ……. and let the list begin.


In today’s society we are guilty as charged of not telling our love ones enough what we think about them in the positive manner. We are quick to criticize and slow to praise. We have gotten that way with our worship and praise of God. We are quick to criticize what He has or hasn’t done in our lives but we are slow to praise Him and declare, announce, speak out, affirm what He truly means to us.


How is anyone ever going to know what we feel about the Lord or others if it’s never stated? One of our biggest problems I think we have with this is we assume too much. We assume our love ones should know we love them and God should know it too. What more do they expect, we don’t have time to stop and say it. ‘Good gravy,’ we’re busy people! A quick text should do. We don’t have time to call, we don’t have time to write, and we don’t have time to declare. They should know this stuff anyway. Can’t they tell? A simple pushing of the “like” button on Facebook should be enough to let them know we care.


WRONG! Without proper declaration with affirmation the message gets lost, smothered and totally distorted. The “I love you” in a text is that short, “I love you” and often it becomes even shorter sometimes, “I luv u.” or “I heart (symbol) u.” I love you in a face-to-face conversation can go on for hours. We need to stop using the shorter versions and begin those face-to-face conversations that can go on for hours. Not only with our love ones but with God as well as we stop assuming and start declaring what those around us mean to us, especially God.


Therefore, this day I would like to go first and declare what my family and God means to me. “God is my refuge and strength. He is my hero, my friend, and my stronghold. He has been the post I have been able to lean upon, the nourishment I needed to grow in, and the guide I needed to see me through dark and roughened roads. To Him I am truly thankful. He was the whisper in the night I needed to make me feel secure, the bright light in the day that gave out not only brightness but warmth as well. He was the hug I required when I felt lonely, the smile I needed when I couldn’t. My provider of all my spiritual wants and needs who gave me the family I have today. To Him I am truly thankful.

They are the family who has walked me through not only my epilepsy but now my cancer. To them I am truly thankful. They are the crutches I needed to walk across soft sandy beaches when my bone cancer prohibited me from doing it on my own. The lift up long stairs, the giggle I love to hear, the blessing that brings Sunshine to my day. To them I am truly thankful. They are the encouragement I require, the joy and happiness I need. I declare! I declare! I declare between God and my family and all they have done for me. I am truly thankful. Thank you for being all that I require and all that I need. To all of you, I am truly thankful.




Our hostess for this mini-series through Psalm 91 is Twinkle Mom who will be sharing on her blog, SunflowerFaith. It’s a must to go over there and see what she declares and the many others who participate.

Spoiling the Design

“Non-eucharisteo, ingratitude, was the fall–humanity’s discontent with all that God freelygives. That is what has scraped me raw: ungratefulness.” ~~ Ann Voskamp




One of the biggest problems we face today is the problem of ungratefulnes. It started in the garden with Adam and Eve and it continues on. We’ve had it too good for so long that we expect everything for nothing. We have come to the point where we don’t appreciate anything until we lose it and even then we aren’t very grateful. Things such as the job we have, our love ones near by, our good health, and so much more.


We often think that in order to be thankful for anything we need to get exactly what we want when we want it. If we don’t, if there’s any kind of delay or tweaking in the answer we expected then all need for gratefulness is cancelled.


Boy, what a bunch of spoiled kids God created. No, what God created was His children, we are the ones who added the “spoiled” to the formula. We are the ones who have damaged seriously the disposition God intended for us by pampering with His design. We are the ones guilty of injuring, harming, and hurting His design to raise children with grateful appreciative hearts.


For years I struggled with the scripture that told me, “In everything…..with thanksgiving….make your requests known to God.” The “In everything” seemed to be impossible. I was weak enough in my Christian walk that I couldn’t see how I could possibly be grateful for what I was enduring in life. Over time I convinced myself the “in everything” surely didn’t pertain to me because of the degree of my pain and suffering.


There was no doubt about it I was living my life like the Psalmnist that said, “If you do this for me God, I’ll be forever grateful, I’ll praise you Lord. I promise.” I wanted God to go first then I would follow. After all isn’t that the way we were taught. God go first. We only follow that formula when its for our convience to shove God out in front. There we go again spoiling the design. Tampering with something that had purpose.


God doesn’t tell us to be thankful our husband was killed, or we are dieing of cancer, or that our child has turned on us, or we are both job and homeless. The thankfulness comes from being thankful we have a God to turn to, salvation, air to breath, other love ones to love, memories to share, others to make.


Life goes on and how we approach that determines the length of our journey. We can either grumble the whole journey or look out to find ways to be thankful. One makes the journey seem long, the other makes it go by quicker in preparation for the next adventure life has for us travel.


Stop spoiling the design and start using God’s formula. One where thankfulness is found in the first, middle and last in a heart prepared to travel through life’s journeys no matter what they may be.

© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Blessings Galore

God can pour on the blessingsin astonishing ways. 2 Corinthians 9:9 (MSG)

Whether we believe it or not, God is able to pour on His blessings in astonishing ways far more than we could ever imagine. The part we play in this is learning to recognize what those blessings are. Instead of looking for God’s blessings in every nook and cranny we spend our time either complaining about what we didn’t get or why the gal in the next pew got more than us.

There was a time in my life, as I suppose is true for most people, I thought I was at the short end of God’s stick. By the looks of my life and the things going on it appeared to me by the time God got around to me He was all “blessing’d out.” He was either out of blessings to give or I was doing something wrong to not receive them.

Being at a spiritual weakness unfortunately I didn’t do what I should have done and that was to stand up in Satan’s face and say, “Get ye behind me Satan you’re a jerk and a stumbling block to me.” Blinded by his lies I needed to get him out of the way in order to see God was blessing my life in unbelievable ways. They were the kind of blessings that often require the use of hindsight in order to be able to recognize then for what they are.

How foolish we are to think that God operates like Isaac did with his two boys Esau and Jacob. It’s not who gets there first gets the best blessing or if we don’t get there soon enough He will run out. God will never run out of blessings for us. Some of them are continuous in length. Others may only be a flash in a fraction of time. The thing is we need to go out on a blessing hunt and look for the things God is doing for us moment by moment. The blessing of the air we breathe the gravity that keeps us from floating off into air, the brightness of the sun, the awesome feeling of His love, and so much more.

The blessing Paul was talking to the Corinthians about was because of the generous gift they promised to give to his cause. As Paul told the Corinthians God loves a cheerful giver and that is what we need to be. A cheerful giver of all we have to offer whether it be our money, time, comfort, love, talent, or anything else.

We shouldn’t always think we belong on the receiving end of blessings when often we belong on the giving part as well. Blessing our children, church, family, co-workers, country simply by the attitude we carry, the joy we have to give, the witness we have to share as the spill over of Christ’s love works in our lives.

What the Corinthians was going to give not only would supply the needs of the saints but Paul said it was abounding in thanksgiving to God as well. Evidently already blessed by God they were willing to give back what they themselves had received. We too have already been blessed in many ways and what we do with those blessings will demonstrate the abundance of our thanksgiving towards God and what He has done for us.

Instead of getting behind Satan’s lies we need to get out in the open and go on that “blessing hunt” and look for all that God is doing. Often it requires looking forward, looking back, looking all around to catch them in their abundance. Don’t leave a nook or cranny unexplored because God’s blessings galore are there if only we would look. Don’t wait for the UPS man to come knocking on your door to deliver a box marked “Blessings from God,” go looking yourself, you’d be surprised.

© 2010 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Living Out Our Thanks

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” by ~ John F. Kennedy


As I sit here and read what John F. Kennedy had to say I also hear the phrase, “words are cheap.” We can talk all we want but unless we live by the words we speak they are worthless. God didn’t create us to be a source of hot air with no actions to back what we are saying. He wants us to put action behind our words instead of words of excuses behind our actions.

John F. Kennedy wasn’t the first person who recognized the fact that we need to put what we say into motion. Many people expressed it before and after him as well. Actions are the meat that gives substance to our words. We can have actions without words but words without actions just don’t seem to work.

With Thanksgiving two days away we need to not only take a look at our thankful list but our list of actions as well. Is our thankfulness showing up in our lives? Would anyone know we were thankful people by looking at what we do or say? Is our thankfulness seasonal or situational?

Years ago when life was at its worse for me I had myself convinced that 1 Thes 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” did not pertain to me. Paraphrased to fit my actions it came out looking like this, “In everything give thanks if things are going well for you, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for everyone but Karen. She’s excused because her situation is unique.” Yeah right! Satan had me wearing blindfolds and I helped tie them on. My thankfulness was seasonal and definitely situational.

I’m amazed looking back at the time and energy I wasted in being “unthankful” or not putting what I was thankful for into action. “In everything” means just that. There are no exceptions to the rules. If we look long and hard enough behind every mundane thing there is we can find a reason to be thankful. Once we get to looking we can see God at work as hidden blessings pop into view from behind the scenes.

Thankfulness is something that often needs to be taught. Instead of showering Heaven with our complaints we need to start flooding it with our thanks. Thanks with substances behind them showing our thanks instead of living off the “utter only” method we so often adopt.

Sadly enough it seems like we often fight against being thankful, I know that was what I was doing. After all if we are thankful for the situation of a spouse being without a job, a friend with cancer, prodigal children then we are “accepting” the situation as being okay with us, therefore, we think God is going to freeze us in it since we are thankful for it. Good gravy! Get ye behind us Satan!!! Remove those silly blindfolds!

Being thankful, and turning to God with our thanks for all the things He does for us and what He is, is the energy that gets us through situations not frozen in them. Being thankful tells Satan to buzz off that our focus remains on God no matter what. It becomes our responsibility to show that appreciation for God’s behind the scenes work and that which He does full-stage by living out our thanks in our actions, attitudes, and attributes in our day to day lives.

Thank you Lord, Thank you!


© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

It starts with Thankfulness

Peace of Christ guards our heart when we pray with thanksgiving. A thankful heart is a guarded heart. Wayne Cordeiro

Last week for “In Other Words Tuesday” we covered the very same topic, the topic of peace. Two different hosts, miles apart yet connected at the heart with the matching subject matter on peace. As our quotes were chosen not for the sake of a monthly theme, or because we thought the subject needed covered two weeks in a row they came from our individual hearts. Spiritual hearts connected in spirit to Jesus, the true source of our peace.

It was a subject that touched each of as we wrote about the difficult times we often go through that makes it hard not to worry. After all how can we possibly send a child off to war without it interrupting our tranquility? Or watch a daughter struggle with choices she made in her life without shattering our peace? Nor think about where the mortgage is going to come from when jobs are being lost greater than they are found and so much more.

We can all probably testify to the fact that we often are too swift to hand over our peace to Satan. Much quicker than we ought to be and when we do we wonder how are we ever going to get it back? Sitting at my desk over Halloween a co-worker brought in her glowing ghost to decorate with. The gal next to her recognized the ghost as the one she gave to her years ago. “I wish I wouldn’t have given that away. I’ve kicked myself ever since thinking I should have kept that.” Totally unaffected by the regret of the original owner the lady who owned it now proudly displayed it for all to see.

When I think of handing our peace over the Satan I think of that incident in the office with the glowing ghost. Things happen in life and we look around and we find Satan dangling the remains of our peace in front of our face only for us to say, “I wish I wouldn’t have given that away. I could kick myself.”

The best way to guard our hearts with the peace of Christ is to pray with thanksgiving as indeed a thankful heart is a guarded heart. Just look at our Bible Buddy Daniel. In Daniel 6 the king had just signed into law a decree that “whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except King Darius would be cast into the den of lions.” After hearing this was signed into law Daniel went home heading straight to his favorite prayer room. There Daniel “…knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Daniel 6:10.

Daniel could have cried and complained to God. Got angry about what the goofy King was trying to do but he didn’t. He prayed and gave thanks. Thanks for what, “Healthy lions with big appetites?” No, his thankfulness was probably centered on the fact that he had a God he could count on. He had a God that was trustworthy. He had a God that was watching over his every move, one worthy of dieing for. Daniel truly was a model of what Philippians 4:6 is all about, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, WITH thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (NKJV) No matter what the news we need to go to God in prayers of thanksgiving in order for His peace to be allowed to come even close to our hearts.

1 Thes 5:18 is not a typo in the Bible or a verse that only pertains to people in “lesser” stressful situations than our own. It says, “Thank God in everything (no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks), for this is the will of God for you (who are) in Christ Jesus (the Revealer and Mediator of that will).” (Amplified)

I looked at several different translations of the verse from 1 Thessalonians and they all say “IN” everything. They don’t say we have to be thankful “For” everything. Long before the situation even happened with Daniel he had his heart already guarded with the peace of God because he was in the custom of praying regularly WITH thanksgiving.

As it does no good to let a crook into our house to steal our possessions or drive off with our car then wonder why we didn’t lock up or prepare ahead of time for these situations it doesn’t make sense to allow Satan that same privilege. Long before Satan even comes close to our peace we need to be in the custom of praying to God with thanksgiving, setting up a guard too powerful for even Satan to be able to break, borrow, or steal.

“I wish I wouldn’t have given that away” will get us no where especially as the new owner is unaffected by our regrets of giving our peace away. We serve the same God Daniel did, the same one who was trustworthy to pray to, to be thankful towards, and to lean on and to supply the necessary guard for his heart.

Being truly thankful tells Satan to go take a hike, that no matter what, we are going to be thankful to God simply because of who He is not because of what we are experiencing. It’s an attitude that will need to be installed in our hearts daily to be used not abused. Our actions will let us know which we have chosen to do.

Adopt Daniel’s custom and guard your hearts as you pray daily with thanksgiving to God. Our job is to wait for God, not for the perfect situation to come along to then be thankful! Do it today as tomorrow may be too late to catch the “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Satan’s out there on the prowl. It’s our choice whether we are going to allow him to steal that peace we could have if we would only customize our lives to fit it instead of trying to make it fit our lives. It starts with thankfulness.


© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Stop to Start

What would happen if we stopped lamenting about the fifty things we can’t control and focused our attention on the fifty thousand things we can control? What would happen if we stopped whining about things we have the power to change and finally took charge of our lives and changed them? What would happen if we stopped borrowing sorrow from tomorrow? If we got in the habit of asking ourselves, “What’s on my plate today?”~Chocolatherapy: Satisfying the Deepest Cravings of Your Inner Chick by Karen Scalf Linamen


What would happen? Hummmm….what would happen???? I know what happened once when I had a licensed marriage counselor tell me that I needed to work on….ME! What kind of a quack did I find in the yellow pages??? Work on me? I wasn’t the problem, HE was! Needless to say I didn’t go back to the counselor for two years. It took me that long to realize that it was me that I needed to work on.

I was the one guilty of trying to control what I couldn’t control. I was the one fighting to change someone else instead of working on myself. I was the one stocking up sorrow from tomorrow and the next day and the next day in order to justify my behavior this day. I was the one alright.

It didn’t work. Fancy that. Those were probably the words that Eve mumbled to Adam outside the garden gate, “it didn’t work Adam dearest.” What about Jonah sitting in the belly of the whale, “my, my, my, my plan didn’t work.” Peter as he plucked the sea weed out of his wet hair, “burrrrrr, that sure didn’t work.”

We are a strange species that’s for sure. We like to live life on the edge. It keeps us from looking at our own lives when we think we have a clear view of everyone else’s. Satan has us believing it’s easier to change someone else than ourselves as if it was our patriotic duty to do so.

It’s time to readjust the camera lens and get focused on the right things. Such as the things we can control and have the power to change. We definitely need to stop. Stop the lamenting, stop the whining, stop the borrowing and start instead. Start the process of change within our power to do so through Jesus Christ. Starting instead of stopping to gaze our eyes and hearts on the blessings we have instead of mourning over the ones we feel are missing.

As we would never go through a garden and pick the weeds out and put them in a vase on the table to show off we shouldn’t be doing this in our spiritual lives either. Why go through life picking the sorrows to display and leave the flowers of God’s blessings behind. It doesn’t make sense.

Unfortunately we get our stop and start’s backwards. We figure in our hearts as soon as God stops the hard stuff then we can start praising. We’ll stop lamenting only after He starts to bless us, giving us what we want. I can’t tell you how much Kleenex I have wasted over the years lamenting and whining because I didn’t think I had anything to rejoice and praise God over. How in the world could I be thankful for anything? One glance at my life and you could see why I was excused from having to obey the scripture about, “being thankful in all circumstances.” Shhhhhhhh…..I hear something…….quietly in the background I can hear a record player playing….”My heart bleeds for you!”……… Yep I am one of those strange species.

God has never promised us a life free from trials, hard times, and struggles. What He gives us is the ability to travel through these moments in our lives. It shouldn’t have to include a life time supply of Kleenex too because we choose to lament and whine along the way. We need to use our tears to seek God, the one that counts each tear, who will one day wipe them all away. Praise the Lord.

As Capital One asks in their commercial “What’s in your wallet?” We need to ask ourselves, “What’s on our plate today?” If it’s not filled with Jesus we need to scrap off in the garbage disposal what doesn’t belong and make room for what belongs. Things such as praise, trust, faith, peace, and joy thanks to the dryer of our tears not the source of them.

I love you Jesus!


Our host today is Patricia over at Typing One-Handed get on over there and share with the gang. If you stub your toe along the way don’t cry over it, you still have 9 other ones that aren’t hurting. Unless you’re one of those people who look like you have two toes coming out of the same hole then maybe you only have 7 others not hurting. Just teasing!

No More Excused Absences

November 25, 2008 In Other Words Tuesday

Thanks giving begins with thanks living. Life is God’s gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to God. Anonymous

If you read through the scriptures about thanksgiving or being thankful you read action words such as give, give, give. Oh, did I mention GIVE! In other words it is something that is supposed to be given away in the form of an act from our heart through our actions and attitude.

The best way to be thanks giving is through the art of thanks living. Living it daily as Paul did. The example he set for us to follow was the fact that every time he opened his mouth praise and thanks seemed to come out. He lived and breathed it in his life. It came in the midst of good times. It showed up even from the prison walls when things didn’t appear to be so well. What he taught was that it needed to be done abundantly without ceasing. That it was necessary to do at all times for every circumstance.

Years ago I looked upon Paul’s teachings as something that pertained only to those who had something to be thankful for. Since that didn’t pertain to me then I had every excuse to grumble and be unhappy with the situations I found myself in. I was a long ways from thanks living with an excused absence.

Problem was the excused absence I carried in my heart wasn’t signed by my Heavenly Father. It was forged by the father of lies, Satan himself. I had plenty to be thankful for but I was blocking my own view from seeing that. I was too content to hang out in the hall and not enter the room of thankfulness to join others in the praising God.

We don’t need all the worlds finest to praise the Lord. God has given us the gift of life both physically as well as spiritually and we need to steward that gift well. Instead of trying to send it back marked, “manufacture error” on it we should be rejoicing in what we have instead of dwelling on what we don’t have. That is what we are suppose to be sending back, praises to God demonstrated in the way we live, the stewardship of our life. We were not a manufacture error and we don’t need to live our life that way. We have been chosen and picked by God himself, if we have nothing more to be thankful for that right there should be enough.

However we do have a lot to be thankful for. As Paul didn’t waste any time inside his prison cell or out of it to thank and praise the Lord and we shouldn’t either. No more excused absences. We need to be learning how to look past the epilepsy, cancer, marital problems, and finance issues in order to see the blessings of God. The blessings of His presence, joy, strength, love, salvation, and so much more than is never ending. It’s a choice we need to make to match that as our thankfulness should be never ending as well. A continuation forever of finding new ways to praise and thank the Lord whether its with singing, writing, shouting from the mountain tops, echoing from the canyons, or from the walls of our prison cells. It’s a must that we don’t leave home without it. The thankfulness of what God has done and doing in our lives.

On my kids blogspot karenskidskorner.blospot.com this week I put a picture of the students sending off their thanks to God. What a precious sight it was to see, I learned a lesson that day and I hope they did too.

Happy Thanks…..GIVING…………everyone! UP, UP AND AWAY, Thank you Jesus

Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing