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To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee,
and not be silent. O Lord my God,
I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Dear Lord, thank you for these blessings:
~ For a missionary friend and her husband, who've spent 30 years in Brazil and still currently do ministry there. She is a faithful prayer partner and soul friend. What an encouragement to me! They visited us this summer while on furlough. It was a blessing to finally meet them in person. My first contact with them was through Christmas letters after I married in 1999. My husband's family had ties to them. So often her e-mails say just what my heart needs to hear, and it's a pleasure to pray for their ministry there. They've started two churches, do home Bible studies, and she does one-on-one discipling with Brazilian ladies.
~ For the wonderful wisdom penned by Ann Voskamp this week, here and here.
~ For AWANA, a 9-year scripture memorization program providing a structured, solid foundation in the Bible for ages preschool through sixth grade. It started up again last night. Click here to find an AWANA program near you. It's the best mid-week program you'll find for kids, including structured PE games, a Bible lesson, a craft for ages 3 - 8, and a one-on-one time with a trained volunteer to recite verses. There are three levels: Cubbies for ages 3-5 (turning age 3 by Sept. of the starting year), Sparks for grades K - 2, and Truth and Training for grades 3-6.
After graduating your child can build leadership skills by becoming a helper for Cubbies or Sparks. This is a brilliant investment in your child's present and future--one with an eternal perspective. The scaffolding and review that occurs in the program ensures comprehension and mastery of the foundational verses of the Christian faith. Just try it one year and see if it doesn't beat every other activity on your list.
~ For my younger ones, so excited as we drove to AWANA, chanting and cheering with all enthusiasm, A - W- A -N - A, and bolting out of the car as fast as they could upon arrival.
~ For starting the day in the easy chair rocking with two of my children, praying over their hearts.
~ For brilliant green, freshly cut grass
~ For volunteering in the Cubbie room; being the verse teacher for the year.
~ For my Beth, age 3.5, sitting nicely in the Cubbie room, listening to her teacher's every word and delighting in every moment...until she noticed the cute boy on the carpet square next to hers, who happened to be the preacher's kid with speech as garbled as hers. They were all so cute and precious...the time passed way too quickly.
~ For Paul taking over my practice session with Mary this morning, telling her he knows every verse in the first Sparks AWANA book and he would help her any time she wanted. Poor Mary has poison ivy, making her quite miserable, but she was a trooper as Paul had her say over and over: S is for Savior. 1 John 4:14: The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Then he asked her what we were saved from. When she answered: "From our sins" he gave her a huge, surprised smile, telling her what a good job she did.
~ For cooler weather on the horizon. It's been so humid the past week, you'd think we lived in Florida. I visited Florida a few times and as soon as I left the airplane, I wanted to turn around and get back on. "No, no, this was a mistake!" So you can imagine my joy at the impending cooler weather. Thank you, Lord, for the changing seasons!
~ For my Mary, who as I mentioned has poison ivy, telling me last night right before she fell asleep: "Mommy, no one in AWANA said anything about the poison ivy on my face. Wasn't that nice of them?" Oh, but that spoke volumes. We are not a family of mirrors. The only mirrors are small ones, in the bathrooms and entry way, and three of my children aren't tall enough to use them. The children rarely look at themselves, which could be good or bad, but it touched my heart that Mary was concerned about her face. She heard my husband wondering if it would leave a scar if she scratched it, and she remembered me noticing it and wincing, telling her how sorry I was that she was suffering. Both those things apparently made her self-conscious about it. I have to be so careful about drawing attention to appearances, in even minor ways, especially with girls. I'm most thankful, though, that I was there at her beside. Children often share very important things at bedtime. Lingering with them is always a blessing.
Friends, what are you thankful for today?
~ For the wonderful wisdom penned by Ann Voskamp this week, here and here.
~ For AWANA, a 9-year scripture memorization program providing a structured, solid foundation in the Bible for ages preschool through sixth grade. It started up again last night. Click here to find an AWANA program near you. It's the best mid-week program you'll find for kids, including structured PE games, a Bible lesson, a craft for ages 3 - 8, and a one-on-one time with a trained volunteer to recite verses. There are three levels: Cubbies for ages 3-5 (turning age 3 by Sept. of the starting year), Sparks for grades K - 2, and Truth and Training for grades 3-6.
After graduating your child can build leadership skills by becoming a helper for Cubbies or Sparks. This is a brilliant investment in your child's present and future--one with an eternal perspective. The scaffolding and review that occurs in the program ensures comprehension and mastery of the foundational verses of the Christian faith. Just try it one year and see if it doesn't beat every other activity on your list.
~ For my younger ones, so excited as we drove to AWANA, chanting and cheering with all enthusiasm, A - W- A -N - A, and bolting out of the car as fast as they could upon arrival.
~ For starting the day in the easy chair rocking with two of my children, praying over their hearts.
~ For brilliant green, freshly cut grass
~ For volunteering in the Cubbie room; being the verse teacher for the year.
~ For my Beth, age 3.5, sitting nicely in the Cubbie room, listening to her teacher's every word and delighting in every moment...until she noticed the cute boy on the carpet square next to hers, who happened to be the preacher's kid with speech as garbled as hers. They were all so cute and precious...the time passed way too quickly.
~ For Paul taking over my practice session with Mary this morning, telling her he knows every verse in the first Sparks AWANA book and he would help her any time she wanted. Poor Mary has poison ivy, making her quite miserable, but she was a trooper as Paul had her say over and over: S is for Savior. 1 John 4:14: The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Then he asked her what we were saved from. When she answered: "From our sins" he gave her a huge, surprised smile, telling her what a good job she did.
~ For cooler weather on the horizon. It's been so humid the past week, you'd think we lived in Florida. I visited Florida a few times and as soon as I left the airplane, I wanted to turn around and get back on. "No, no, this was a mistake!" So you can imagine my joy at the impending cooler weather. Thank you, Lord, for the changing seasons!
~ For my Mary, who as I mentioned has poison ivy, telling me last night right before she fell asleep: "Mommy, no one in AWANA said anything about the poison ivy on my face. Wasn't that nice of them?" Oh, but that spoke volumes. We are not a family of mirrors. The only mirrors are small ones, in the bathrooms and entry way, and three of my children aren't tall enough to use them. The children rarely look at themselves, which could be good or bad, but it touched my heart that Mary was concerned about her face. She heard my husband wondering if it would leave a scar if she scratched it, and she remembered me noticing it and wincing, telling her how sorry I was that she was suffering. Both those things apparently made her self-conscious about it. I have to be so careful about drawing attention to appearances, in even minor ways, especially with girls. I'm most thankful, though, that I was there at her beside. Children often share very important things at bedtime. Lingering with them is always a blessing.
Friends, what are you thankful for today?
4 comments:
Oh, AWANA! Praise God for AWANA. And what a wonderful big brother Mary has. What a precious moment between siblings. Thanks for sharing. <3 Our AWANA year starts next week and I am Sparks secretary for the first time. Thanks for the reminder of how important AWANA is. :)
Terri,
Always good to see your name in the comments! You'll have to let me know how the secretary job is. I'm so glad you have a club in your area. :)
What wonderful thanks. You are certainly so blessed. As for your daughters friends... how wonderfully kind. That's so hard at the age. It's getting cool here. I don't mind the cooler - but the cold can stay away for awhile longer. Have a wonderful day :)
Thank you for stopping by, Kathleen. Heading over to meet you. :)
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