Posted on

Thankful Thursday ~ Believing

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
(Mark 9:23-24 ESV – emphasis mine)

Lately there has been true peace deep down in my heart. You know why? Because I just believe. I don’t question the things God is doing in my life, and I am thankful for that.

For years I have been spinning my wheels about my photography. I wanted to ‘find’ my style that people would enjoy seeing and actually booking sessions with me. You see, I have been trying to hard. From the beginning God had giving me a gift that I didn’t see until late last year when I took photographs of my best friends grandchildren.

You see, little Aubri was a little wild during the session. My friend said that she was afraid that I did not get any good pictures from her granddaughter. However, over the years I have learned one thing: be very patient with little ones. This pictures is one of my personal favorites from little Aubri:

Kristine_17

God has giving me my style of capturing moments that will reflect the personality of my clients and their children. I just had to see it.

Lord of heaven and earth. Thank you for the incredible gift You have given me. May I always glorify You in all the things I capture. You have made us all unique and wonderful. When I start doubting Your gift help me with my unbelief. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen

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: God has given us all gifts – use them to glorify Him.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Janis@Heart Filled Moments
2. Three Lifesavers For Busy Moms & MOVIE TICKETS GIVEAWAY!
3. Gluttony
4. Daily Journey		 5. LaughingLady
6. bp
7. Lorig
8. We Need Your Sparkler		 9. Natasha
10. The danger of excessive introspection

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Posted on

Thankful Thursday ~ Prayer Works

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:5-7 ESV)

My friend Lori at Lori’s Reflections, posted a great article about prayer. I have to say that sometimes I get discouraged when I pray. Do I pray like I really mean it? Are there days were I just go through the motions of prayer? Maybe sometimes my heart is not believing what my head is saying? Have you been there?

I know, I am throwing a lot of questions at you. I do know though deep in my heart that God answers our prayers. Sometimes it takes longer, or God even says no. Where I find comfort in though is that God knows the big picture. And if a prayer is not answered the way we hoped for, it may be better for us in the long run.

I do have to share with you about a prayer I prayed on Monday. It still gives me the goose-bumps just thinking about it. I have shared with you about my portrait business more than once. On Monday I asked God for two wedding photo opportunities for this year and thanked Him for it. I kid you not, about 20 minutes after I prayed the prayer, I had a request for a wedding on my inbox. I will meet the potential client on Friday afternoon. Will the client book me for her wedding? I do not know, but it gives me at least the opportunity to present my business 🙂 .

I am nervous about the appointment, but I am also confident because my God will be by my side. And with God at my side, I will step courageously out of my comfort zone. Even if this does not turn into a wedding shoot for my business, I am very thankful for the opportunity God is giving me.

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 this week. Remember: Prayer works and God’s timing is always perfect.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Mia / When Clowns Cry
2. jhunnelle
3. A Letter To The Mothers of All Babysitters
4. Putting the past behind us…FREE online journaling group for women		 5. Daily Journey
6. Lorig
7. Bp
8. He Will Wipe Away Every Tear		 9. Adena F- Finding the Silver Lining
10. Natasha

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Posted on

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.

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Posted on

Thankful Thursday ~ Great Books

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
(Colossians 3:15 ESV)

There are many good books out on the market, but there are only a few great books. Of course the Bible still ranks for me #1 when it comes to books. But then again, the Bible is not only a great book; it is our guide to live a Godly life. Even though I have had many Bibles in my life, the latest edition is a Woman’s Study Bible that was given to me for review. You can read more about it in this post. It is a little different than the other Bibles I have. It has a ton of references, especially the history part I enjoy the most.

Harvest of RubiesThat brings me to another great book that I just finished reading. Although it is a novel, it has a great deal of history in it. The book is called “Harvest of Rubies” and I honestly finished reading it in 2 days. The author, Tessa Afshar, is bringing the Old Testament to life. Her main character, Sarah, has so much in common with me and my walk with God. I read the book via my Kindle App on my laptop and I have highlighted so many parts of the book. Yes, it is a novel, but Tessa added a lot of Psalms.

I think that the last time I read a great novel like this, was Randy Alcorn’s book “Safely Home“. Have you read that book?

I love to read and I wish I had more time for it. It is funny that when our son was little, it seamed I had more time to read. But then again, I was only working part-time when Daniel was under 5 🙂 .

Have you read any great books lately? Please do share with me in the comment section. I am always hungry for great books that have a great story line and writing. By the way, currently I am reading “Harvest of Gold“, which is the second part of “Harvest of Rubies”. Sarah is still the main character, but she will be going with Nehemiah to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall…

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: Great books are out there, you just have to find them. Thanks for my friend Lori, I found these two great books.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. 4 Things Love Always Does–And Why It Matters
2. Your View of Parenting: Godly or Worldly?
3. Mia / The Shulamite and The Foxes
4. Uttley’s Take
5. Heather @ Becoming Titus 2 Women		 6. Feed A Family of 5 for $119
7. The Alarm
8. Sarah L — Heading Back to School Post Disaster Pt 3
9. An Impromptu Round Of Frisbee
10. Thankful Thursday		 11. The Glamorous French Housewife
12. Lorig / My Fragmented Journey
13. bp

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.