Shoes, Scripture verses and God's Manifold Provision

At our ministry's prayer meeting last night, the brother who was sharing encouraged and challenged us to write in a journal or notebook something for each day that God had done that we were thankful for. I thought, Wow, what a wonderful idea! And ... how fitting, too, with Thanksgiving almost here!

I thought I would include just a few things I'm grateful for over these past few days ... God has been doing much! :)

A few "snapshots":

*I had a wonderful time after church on Sunday, just taking a walk and enjoying God's creation at the nature preserve. I reflected on how I love being outside in nice weather, and wondered why I loved it so much. I realized that everything in creation points to Jesus ... The wind blowing, the sound of the leaves rustling ... the beautiful sky ... it has His fingerprint all over it! No wonder it's so exhilerating! :)

*Loved getting to chat with a friend from my Bible fellowship class last night ... and we decided to each pick a Scripture verse for both of us to memorize weekly, and keep each other accountable! I'm so excited! Last night the verse she picked really encouraged me, and a little while ago I received a message from her that she was able to use my verse to encourage several people God put in her path who needed it! Such a reminder that His Word is living and powerful ... It speaks to every area of our lives, and I know it wasn't by accident that those verses were picked for this week!

*Then, on "my way out" from the Cowboys watching party (it had been a long day ... in a good way, though!) I ran into another friend and we had a wonderful time as well, getting to catch up and pray for one another. We also enjoyed some great laughs ... because inevitably as we were talking there were moments where our voices sounded really loud. In our defense, the game on the big screen was pretty loud, so we were having to talk above it, and then there were suddenly these random moments where everything was quiet ... so our voices really stood out in the room! :-D We were laughging so hard over that ... and of course we'd kind of look around ... but people seemed pretty absorbed in the game, which was good. We figured no one even noticed ... until later when we told a friend who was walking out with us, and he grinned and was like, "Yeah, I heard y'all yelling over there!" :oD Good times! :o)


*Finally I have a shoe story! (Guys ... lest you think this is a girl story ... just give it a chance ... you might like it and learn something from it ... :))about the mysterious world of girls :) of course, even more, about God's provision and care in our lives!) So I was at the mall last week ... I had a coupon for two FREE truffles (who can resist that) at the Godiva store. I also had to make a return. As I walked by the DSW shoe store, I thought, I know I'd probably find a cute pair of shoes. But I have more than enough pairs of shoes and the last thing I need is to spend my money on a pair of shoes today! So I went on ... bypassing the DSW shoe store of course! :) Well, the following morning I found out about some shoes a volunteer was getting rid of and donating to whoever could use them at our ministry. Two pairs of the shoes fit me perfectly, and I liked them both and couldn't have picked better myself! :-) It may seem like such a small thing, but it reminded me in an incredible way of God's provision ... a provision I never would have seen if I had rushed ahead and impatiently tried to buy a pair of shoes myself! It's really amazing how He cares about even the "little" things ... and, in this case, an "extra" blessing because not something I absolutely needed ... and how HIS provision in every area of our lives is always perfect and best.

*Had such a good time of prayer with a friend this evening. She and I were both full of praises!

I have been thinking a lot today about how God is always working our lives and the lives of those around us ... how nothing is coincidence. I love seeing His hand at work ... I love how each day is a new day with Him, how He is always doing something. Isn't that cool?! :)

This Great Fall Season

So I haven't updated for a bit ... as I sit here listening to the David Crowder band and enjoying a nice Thursday evening, I thought it would be fun to write a bit in my blog. :)

Some highlights of the last few weeks since I've posted ...

* Continuing to enjoying the wonderful teaching and fellowship God has provided for me both at church and at the ministry where I work!

* Good times of laughter with friends

* Trying out fun new recipes in my crockpot. (I love cooking with my crockpot! I love that you can put something in there, turn it on low, come back hours later and have your meal ready. :)) It's probably one of my favorite methods of cooking.)

* A wonderful time of fellowship with a girl from my Sunday school class. I was so blessed by things the Lord had been doing in her life and showing her!

* Going to a scary movie night where, thankfully, the movie itself wasn't too scary and it was fun being with friends!

* Great weather, and long walks at the nature preserve, sometimes with friends, sometimes with my audio Bible ... a gift from a conference that I've enjoyed so much!

* Fun at Sonic last weekend with my Bible study group. (I even went home with a cool and educational toy from the kids meal! ;-D You can't beat that!)

* Being so refreshed, challenged and encouraged by my Philippians Bible study last night.

* Playing volleyball with friends in the church gym on Wednesday nights! :)

* Marveling at God's goodness and patience toward me. I love Him so much and am so grateful to know Him!

And now? I am getting excited about tomorrow ... It's Friday, and I'm looking forward to lunch with a good friend, and then we all get off a little early since it's prayer night. And I'm thinking about making oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chunk cookies to bring! It may depend on how much energy I have tomorrow after I get off work ... :)