Posted on

Thankful Thursday ~ His Word – My Strength

“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 – emphasis mine)

I truly am thankful for His Word; it gives me the strength that I need to get through the rough days. Sometimes we find ourselves challenged by what life throws at us. Last night I was a little unsettled about some things. You see, I like to please everyone, the people I work with especially.

But honestly, not everyone will like you, no matter how hard your try. As I was reading through a devotion, Luke 6:27-29 ‘jumped’ right at me.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
(Luke 6:27-29 ESV)

This has always been a very tough passage for me to follow. So, this morning I prayed for a particular person I have some ‘bumping-head’ issues with. To tell you the truth, this was the best thing I could have done. I was at ease with things at work and the day went better than expected.

You see, God knows what we need and He will guide us by His Word to take the right actions. So, I am more than thankful that we have instructions that will defuse hot topics!

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: if a situation needs defused, grab your Bible and He will guide you to take the right action.

Love and peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. LaughingLady
2. Judith C Evans
3. Stefanie @ UpLIFTing Words
4. Christmas Came Today
5. Slenderella Jenn
6. LeAnn Williams
7. Aisling Beatha
8. Denise
9. Mrs.B@Homekeepers Journey		 10. Good News Bad News
11. Julie’s Lifes a wheel
12. bp
13. Jess @ Homestead 4 Him
14. Reaching out…
15. Melanie @ M&M
16. becky aka theRAV
17. Servant, Wife, Mother
18. Kate @ Teaching What Is Good		 19. Ms. Kathleen
20. Inspirations from Phather Phil – Thankful Thursday: No End In Sight
21. Conchsaladesque
22. Mary
23. Laurie @ Women Taking a Stand
24. Gen@Simply Cornish
25. Jenny Anne@Royal Little Lambs
26. ~Melissa

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

Get The Code

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Posted on

God the Solid Rock

Superstition Mountain Nov 2011

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” ~ Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

To be perfectly honest with you, I do not like Arizona. Yes, I have been living here for the past 20 years, but I still don’t enjoy the summers. You see, I grew up by the sea and you cannot take the salt water out of my veins…

There is one particular place though that I continue to go back to: the Superstition Mountains. I have photographed the mountain range several times, but every time they look different.

I really cannot explain why this mountain draws me so often. It may has to do with God. Every time I see the mountain (actually every day), I am reminded of God – the SOLID rock in my life. No matter where my path takes me, I can count on God. He is the true constant in my life.

To some, a mountain can be something daunting, but for me it is sheer beauty. Massive, unmovable, solid, beautiful…just like our God.

Have you seen God’s beauty this week? Today, I am linking up with my friend Joan to share His Beauty. Click on the image below to read more of His Beauty…

Beauty in His Grip Button

Thank you for stopping by today…
Love & peace,
Iris

Posted on

Unexpected Blessings

Today, I am linking up with my friend Joan to share His Beauty. Click on the image below to read more of His Beauty…

Beauty in His Grip Button

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:37-39 ESV)

Last week I had shared with my readers that I had ‘A Perfect Day’. Let me share a little more with you how it came to pass and how it ended up a day of unexpected blessings.

You see, since I am not a US Citizen (by choice I keep my German citizenship), I have to renew my ‘green’ card every ten years. Honestly, I was a little nervous; much has changed over the past 10 years. Since 9/11/2001 (the year I renewed last) as you can imagine, applications to stay in this country as a foreigner have become more complicated.

The biggest changes were put in place last year with a new law on how you have to renew your ‘green’ card. You no longer can go to the local office; you have to fill out a form online to receive an appointment for the local office.

On my appointment day I was so nervous, I sent a couple of text messages to some very close friends to pray for me. On the way to Phoenix I thought my husband would have to pull over; I was sick to my stomach. My heart knew that everything would be fine, but I could not get my tummy to follow my heart.

When we got to the USCIS office in Phoenix, I was still nervous.  I noticed that I was not the only one how had butterflies in the tummy 🙂 …I have to say, the employees at the USCIS office were the nicest people. There were many people with appointments that morning, but I was done within 45 minutes (fingerprints, photo etc). I almost skipped out of the office.

Pancho's Enchiladas As I mentioned, my husband went with me and we took the opportunity to stay for almost 3 hours in Phoenix. We had a wonderful lunch and took a walk, photographing. I had a smile on my face all afternoon (the weather was perfect too). I told my husband at least a hundred times how much I enjoyed spending the day with him.

By the way, we even found a parking spot we didn’t have to pay for (long story for another day :))

You see, sometimes God blesses us unexpectedly. Even if a day does not start out to promising, God will give us something to remember. I sure will remember the day I had to renew my green card for years to come…and will be smiling.

Thanks for stopping by.

Love and peace,
Iris

Posted on

Laced with Grace – October 2011 Desktop

I am not sure why I am so excited about this month’s desktop wallpaper. I guess it is just the newness of the lens I used to photograph the water-bubble 🙂 …If you haven’t had a chance yet to check out this month’s downloadable desktop, please stop by our devotional blog Laced with Grace. Here is the sample:

This month I have chosen Psalm 51:10 as your inspiration. I hope you like it!

Thank you for stopping by and your continued support of Laced with Grace.

Love & peace,
Iris