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Thankful Thursday ~ Growing Through His Word

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV)

I have to admit, I do not use any reading plans. I have tried, tried, and tried again to stick to a yearly reading plan, but I have failed every time. I seem to loose steam by the time I get to the Old Testament book of Leviticus. However, I still am reading His Word. Sometimes I read an entire book, and find so many new nuggets that boggle my mind. Not so much that I do not understand, but that I find out something about God’s plan in the Old Testament that I had overlooked before.

Take the book of Daniel as an example. I read the book this past Summer again, and was I in for a ride. Although I have studied Daniel before, this time it really hit me that Darius and Nebuchadnezzar believed in the One True and Living God. How could I have missed this before. It is plain and simple written in Daniel 4 and 6.

Today I am thankful that the Protestant Reformation movement of the 16th century enabled the people to read and understand the Bible in their native tongue. Today we not only get the Bible in our native tongue, but even different translations that help us understand His Word better and grow.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below. Please remember that in the month of November, my friend Laurie will host TT at “Women Taking A Stand“.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: the Bible is available for you in different forms, read it and let God help you grow through it.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Mia / Courtroom of Darkness
2. Six Crucial Prayers To Pray for Your Children (Includes FREE Printable)
3. Scripture Jewelry From Israel – The Perfect Gift
4. LaughingLady		 5. No Separation
6. bp
7. Meal Prep- Save Time and Money while Eating Healthy
8. Donna Reidland		 9. Blended Families Part 1 the Losses & the Gains
10. Shelly

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Every Good Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV)

Some people think that I am too tight with money, but I believe that I just watch out what I purchase and not go after my wants. Trust me when I say that there are many wants, but they are not necessarily a need.

Over the past 4 months I have been looking for a new vehicle. As I have mentioned before, I really want to get out there with my portrait photography, and I needed something more comfortable to ride around in the Metro Phoenix area. Not that my Scion xB was a bad vehicle, but I have outgrown it. The Scion was a little tight in the suspension (more like for 20-something people), and it was not comfortable on my back, coming back from a long day at work or from a photo-session.

A couple weeks ago I went with my best friend Lori to the Nissan dealership just a few minutes from work. She is so fun to hang out with and she is always honest with me. I told her that I was interested in the Nissan Rogue, but the price was a little out of my budget. We still took a short test-drive, and I knew right then and there that this was the vehicle I was searching for. Not only was the ride smooth, but as Lori was playing with the radio, my favorite song by The Afters “Every Good Thing” came on. Lori and I just started laughing and she said “if that is not a sign from above”…

There was still the issue with the financial part, but it all worked out well. This past week, Nissan offered incentives for the 2013 Nissan Rogue, and a very low interest rate (.9%). With my trade-in of the Scion I have the payment that I was looking for, and my insurance only went up by $3/month. So, my sweet friend, the below beauty is sitting in my drive-way.

My Nissan Rogue
.

I finally am comfortable again riding around the big city. And my boys think that I made an awesome choice and gave the car two thumbs up. Lori – we did great (who says women can’t choose the right vehicle :)).

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

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: every good thing comes from above; and don’t let anyone tell you that you are too tight with money if you weigh you needs with your wants.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Mia / Heaven’s Launderer
2. How to Hear God Speak Through the Bible
3. 5 Minutes of Praise Thursdays
4. Scripture Jewelry From Israel – The Perfect Gift		 5. When God Intervenes In Your Marriage
6. bp
7. Healthy Things Grow
8. Natasha		 9. Dear Church, Our Kids Still Need Jesus
10. Praise Him in the Calm
11. Her Family Call Her Blessed
12. My One Month Old Grand-daughter

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Journal

Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
(Proverbs 4:26 ESV)

I have to admit, I am not good at keeping a journal. I started a new journal last week, and so far I have written in it every day. I know it seems not long, but believe me this is long for me. I usually I give up after a couple of days. Not that I don’t like to write, but I normally do not make time for it.

My friend Debbie from Heart Choices, has been keeping journals for a long time. Honestly, I wish I had been writing in journals over the past 50 years. So much has happened and it would have been great to look back. But I guess I have things written on my heart.

So I hope for my own sake, I keep up with this current journal. It really helps me to organize my scattered brain and helps me to get things accomplished. It also helps me to get rid of some thoughts that clog my brain and helps me sleep. Maybe I should keep the journal by my bed side, in case I wake up in the middle of the night with some earth-chattering ideas…

So, this week I am thankful for my journal and my friend Debbie giving me the idea to write thoughts down.

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

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: maybe a journal would be great to converse with God and write from your heart.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. How to be an Imitator of God
2. Jesz @ Us-Three-Girls
3. How to Connect With God… YOUR Way!
4. Walking in the Footprints of Jesus		 5. Learning To Embrace The In Between. A True Story.
6. Mia / Writing Stories
7. Mary
8. bp		 9. lorig
10. Are Christians Narrow-Minded?
11. Follow Me Bible Study {Week 1}

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Prayer

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV)

Trust me, I am not a true prayer-warrior. Don’t misunderstand that statement. I do pray, constantly throughout my day, but I do not schedule prayer-time each and ever day. My first prayer I whisper; before my feet actually hit the floor. The first prayer is in bed, face down, asking God to help me focus on Him.

I truly believe that there is no right or wrong way to pray. Some prayers are said laying on the floor, others close their eyes and fold their hands. For me prayer is more like a conversation throughout the day. Sometimes I even hold my breath. Do I ever hear God answer my prayer audible? No, but more often than not I feel His peace flood over me. What an awesome feeling that is.

The other morning, my beloved was not happy with me. Actually he was seriously upset because the alarm kept going off (from 4am on) and he does not get up until 5. I honestly forgot to turn it all the way off when I got up. I was devastated to say the least and I uttered a quick prayer for God to soften my beloved’s heart. And God did. When I got out of the shower, my hubby was in a much better mood. All I could say at that point “Thank you, sweet Jesus”.

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. ~ Martin Luther

So, this week, I am thankful that I am able to approach the throne of grace with all confidence knowing that my Heavenly Father will hear my prayer and answer in His time.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below. Please note that next week, in the month of September, my friend Laurie at “Women Taking a Stand” will be hosting Thankful Thursday.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: God’s throne of grace is just a prayer away.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Through Jesus I’m a Superwoman!
2. Understanding Your Teenage Daughter (There is Hope!)
3. FREE Printable: Kids Morning Routine Chart
4. FREE eBook for Moms!
5. Janis@Heart Filled Moments		 6. How God Turns Our Mourning Into Dancing
7. How to Have Peace and Joy in Hard Times
8. Mia / Dancing in the Rain
9. Peace That Doesn’t Make Sense
10. Tiff @ The Faery Inn		 11. the Songs on the Way
12. LaughingLady
13. bp
14. Triplets of Faith: Were Adam & Eve Saved?

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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