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Thankful Thursday ~ Godly Women

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Colossians 3:17 ESV)

There are many women in my life that keep me on the narrow and straight path. One of my favorite group of ladies are the ladies of Laced with Grace. Our devotional site has been running since 2006. Although we have had some changes over the years, God always finds women that are willing to share their faith openly on the world-wide-web. The ladies write from their hearts, and share their struggles of everyday life. We are not perfect by any means, but we look to the One Who is perfect, Jesus Christ.

I am also thankful for my friend Lori in Florida, who always encourages me; no matter what is going on in my life. Oh, and my other friend Lori I have the honor to work with. Both know me on my good and not-so-good days. It is good to have women like that in my life.

I am thankful for godly authors. Especially I am thankful for Beth Moore. I think that she has had the biggest influence in my Christian walk. I pray that one day she will come back to Arizona for a conference. I remember at the first conference I went to; I wept like a baby. My favorite book by Beth Moore is “Believing God”. And I am very thankful that I was able to download the book to my Nook for free this week (cannot find the hard copy book I have somewhere around my house 🙁 )

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below. By the way, I will be your hostess for the entire year of 2014. I hope you do not mind that.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: surround yourself with godly women that will keep you on the narrow and straight path.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Memorizing Scripture Helps and Much More!
2. Ruth A Stiles
3. LaughingLady		 4. Daily Journey
5. Just the Invitation
6. Bp		 7. lorig: Reflecting and Dreaming
8. Mary

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Christmas with Family

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
(Psalm 7:17 ESV)

First I would like to apologize for the delay on posting Thankful Thursday with week. I had my computer shut down yesterday for Christmas with my family.

I am very thankful for the time I had with my little family. Our son was home to celebrate with us, which always make it for a great celebration.

Our son has been going through some rough times with his work right now. I can’t go into details, but one thing that made him very upset was that he was asked to work on Christmas day. And he said no, because the week before he already had worked 80 hours. He said he needed this break with his family. And I am proud of him that he stood up for himself.

It was really nice to have home! I made him his favorite food (Beef Rouladen) and that made him happy. And that is also why I was not online yesterday. I do hope you understand.

What are you thankful for this week. Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: sometimes we just need to take a break from everything to celebrate with family.

Love & Peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Debbie @ Heart Choices
2. LaughingLady
3. FAITH
4. Made Me a Watchman		 5. Daily Journey
6. How do you “see” God?
7. Consider your way!
8. One Word To Make Your Problems Seem Smaller		 9. Natasha
10. Colors of Christmas: White, Silver, Gold & Brown

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Almost Christmas

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
(Luke 2:4-7 ESV)

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. It always been since I was little. Although when I was a little girl, I may not have understood the entire reason of Christmas, but it has always been celebrated as Christ’s birthday. You see without Christmas, Easter is impossible. And without Easter, we have no way of reconciling with a Holy God. And that is why Christmas is my favorite of all Holidays.

I love the account of Christ’s birth in the Gospel of Luke. But I also love the account of the wise men in Matthew 2:1-12. I read the account of the visit of the wise men just today and once again I am taken by the three gifts the wise men brought to worship baby Jesus.

Have you ever noticed that the three gifts were are also part of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. This about that they brought:

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
(Matthew 2:11 ESV – emphasis mine)

Amazing, right?!? I am not a biblical scholar, but to me this is so awesome. So, yes, I am thankful this week that Christmas is in a few days, celebrating the birth of my Lord and Savior. And I pray that my heart will be completely focused on Him.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving the link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: without Christmas, Easter is impossible.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Mia / Boys and Their Toys
2. Janis@Heart Filled Moments
3. One Word To Make Your Problems Seems A Gazillion Times Smaller		 4. LaughingLady
5. Daily Journey
6. When Hallmark Hijacks Joy		 7. Dawn of Redeeming Grace
8. bp

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Joyful Living

You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.(Psalm 4:7 ESV)

I have to admit that my life is not perfect, but I rather look at the good things the Lord has blessed me with. We all have challenges in life; some are more severe than others. But if I focus on the negative aspects of life, it can get me really down. So, here are some positive notes in my life and that I am very, very thankful for.

  • Of course the love of my Lord, Jesus. I know that you have had those moments. One second you grin from ear-to-ear, and the next second you shed tears, because His LOVE powerful floods over you (or maybe it just me)
  • My marriage – it is by no means perfect, but it is awesome to be married to a man who takes me for who I am. He does not agree with me on everything, but that is okay.
  • Incredible friends who encourage and support you making your dreams a reality. The best part is when friends pray over you. It gives me peace.
  • Fantastic authors, like Tessa Afshar, Liz Curtis Higgs, and Joan Wolf. They bring His Word to life. All of them focus on the women in the Bible. And I enjoy that greatly.
  • And my portrait photography brings me great joy. I love seeing smiles on the faces of my clients when I drop off their orders.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: focus on the joyful things this side of heaven and be thankful for what God as blessed you with.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. It Feels Like Chaos
2. WestJet Christmas Miracle
3. Mia / Tribute to Madiba		 4. Kathleen
5. The ONE (Renewed Daily)
6. The Best People To Choose As Friends		 7. lorig
8. Natasha

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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