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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
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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 ~ I lift up my eyes to the Hills

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
(Psalm 121:1-4 ESV)

When a day does not go so well, we tend to look only at the things that went wrong. The bad stuff seems to stick. But in reality, I am blessed, even on the not so smooth days. I have what I need; God and His Word in my life. I love to listen to the Bible when I feel stress coming on. Yesterday was one of those really hectic days at work (it seem every day is a hectic day at work 😆 ). Last night when I got off work, I plugged myself into His Word; it helped me to calm down and relax me from the day’s events. You see – totally blessed!!!

I love reading, listing, digging into God’s Word; there I can find the strength and peace that I need. There I can find thankfulness. If you ever read/listened to the Psalms, you can see that almost all Psalms are written with a a thankful heart. I am also glad that some of the Psalms have been put to music over the past couple of decades. Like Psalm 121 has been set to music by several bands, SONICFLOOd or Kutless.

Lord of mercy and grace. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your strength that You give us freely when we lift our eyes up to the hills. You alone give us help in the not so smooth days. I love You with all my heart, body and mind. 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: when things don’t go smooth, lift up your eyes to the Lord.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Perfection?
2. Blessings Poured Out
3. Our Heart and Home – God’s Healing
4. Homestead For Him
5. Wendy @ Daily Dose of Del Signore
6. LaughingLady		 7. Sarah @ The Fontenot Four
8. Encouraging Masculinity in Marriage
9. Say to the Mountain, MOVE!
10. Journaling Gina
11. Our God is Mighty to Save!
12. How God Miraculously Protected Me		 13. Water and Oil: Healing of Body and Spirit: Water
14. Raindrops & Rainbows
15. Kari @ the part of everything
16. Inspirations from Phather Phil – Thankful Thursday: Missing the Point

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Relationships

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
~ 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV emphasis mine)

Over the last couple of weeks I reflected about relationships…My relationship with my Lord and Savior, with family and friends. The one thing that became clear is that if you speak out, share your heart, be honest with each other, things can be resolved…

So this week, my focus is on relationships…

  • Thank You Lord that I can share my heart with You. No matter what happens in my life, You always find a way to comfort me…

  • I am thankful for the relationship I have with my beloved. Although we sometimes do not agree on all things, I can talk with him about everything. I am thankful that he listens to me and I have an ear for his concerns. I think that makes our marriage work…

  • I am thankful that I have a good relationship with our son. Although we don’t see him often, we do talk on the phone often. I guess we did something right 😛 …

  • I am thankful for the relationships I have with some gals across the country. Although I have not been on the ‘net’ the past couple of weeks too often, I know that I can count on them when I am in need…

  • I am thankful for the relationship I have with my mom. Although 6,000 miles away, we have still a strong friendship…

  • And I am thankful for the relationships that are not friendships, but that help me grow and stand firm in what I believe in. I think that our Lord puts some people in our lives to make us stronger – stronger in faith and reliance on Him (does that make sense?

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us. I want to thank all 113 women who participated last week – God is so AWESOME bringing us together here on the ‘net’. Just imagine all the people that are searching for hope and come across your blog. God is using you ladies to reach out to the hopeless 😛 …

Thank you for stopping by today…remember – YOU are HIS people – made holy through your relationship with Christ Jesus…

christ-is-life_red.gif

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Stacy
2. Tammy
3. Melanie
4. the cookntchermom
5. Felicity
6. Tracy @ Seed Thoughts
7. Cheryl@Hope
8. Denise
9. Gina’s Public Diary
10. flmom
11. Ann/mom2HandH
12. Peggy@3Ms…aMazingGrace
13. Angie
14. Paula @ Refined By Him
15. toknowhim
16. Kathy
17. Tracy @ Thirsty for Him
18. SharonB
19. BP @ Raindrops & Rainbows
20. Karen – Thankful for God’s Work in My Life
21. Millie
22. Susan @ Forever His
23. Lynn (Spiritually Unequal Marriage)
24. Willnette
25. Serendipity Park
26. Twinkle Mom
27. Colleen
28. Beth@The Accidental Pharisee
29. Mamasmurf (Chrissy)
30. Nancie
31. Pia @ My Life’s Journey
32. ari_1965
33. sharon
34. Lisa@blessedwithgrace
35. Kristi @ Kikis Corner
36. Janera – My Garden Hat
37. Colored Heart
38. Miriam Pauline
39. candyQ		 40. Kim aka GoofyMamma(hubby)
41. Tere {Blessings in Life}
42. Liza’s Eyeview
43. Renee @ In Christ Alone
44. Linda
45. sherry
46. Beverly (by Grace)
47. Heather @ Not a DIY Life
48. Aisha @ The Holley Herald
49. Nichole (Heart 4 My Home)
50. Heather@mommymonk
51. Beth/Mom2TwoVikings
52. Mary
53. Dawn’s Daily Life
54. Sarah @ Burgeon
55. Darlene
56. Peculiar
57. Laurie Ann
58. Mommy Magee
59. Prairie Chick
60. Bright Sunshiny Day!
61. Mary
62. Erica
63. Kim @ Scattered Stones
64. Chelsey at Joyfully Living
65. Bird Poop & Relationships
66. genny
67. in the masters hands
68. Kim @ cowhumor
69. Katy Lin
70. Tania
71. Nancy @ Homemade Blessings
72. Tiffany @ The Faery Inn
73. Carrie – Oak Rise Cottage
74. Susan (A Happy Heart at Home)
75. It’s All About Him!
76. Lea
77. Lalaine@Day to Day Miracles
78. Rosheeda		 79. Tami @ The Next Step
80. LaDonna
81. Tracey @ Cheese and Whine
82. Susanne
83. Nichole @ A Call to Higher Places
84. Linda aka Yellowroseli
85. Tara @ Feels like home
86. Irene *The GreenGreek*
87. Julie
88. Cara Lynn
89. Michele
90. Rabia
91. Pat
92. Tea with Tiffany
93. Donetta at a life uncommon 🙂
94. Dorothy Bowen Klass
95. Amanda Bowers
96. Kim @ An Artful Life
97. Chandy @ Out Standing in My Field
98. bvoylesal@aol.com
99. Cheryl
100. Janet @ Daily Provision
101. Nessa @ Ramblings of a TX Housewife
102. alihsee
103. HisFireFly
104. godschild
105. Edie
106. In Light of the Truth
107. Rocks
108. Abby
109. Heather
110. Tessa @ Jesus-Filled Hope
111. Bella Mama
112. Stacy
113. Laurie @ womentakingastand
114. Trish @ Venturesome Sojourners
115. Jen–Scraps & Snippets

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