Choosing Gratitude {and a GIVEAWAY}

It's been a busy day here, but I want to quickly share about something that you may wish to hop on board with.

I have been reading through the Psalms, along with the lovely Candace Crabtree,  from His Mercy is New. We read a Psalm a day and find ways we can pray those words for ourselves. It's a wonderful exercise in making God's Word our own, and making it applicable to the situation we are in right now. The relevancy of so many of the Psalms is staggering!  It's been such a blessing to go through the Psalms in this way, and find the truths that are contained in them.

Well, Candace is starting a 30 days of Gratitude challenge. She will be posting videos on her FB page and sharing about it on her IG account +Candace Crabtree  It's all about cultivating an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude -  and which one of us doesn't need that in our lives? We don't just need it in an accidental sort of way, we need to be intentional about CHOOSING to be grateful, no matter our circumstances.

Candace will be using Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book, "Choosing Gratitude". It's not essential to have it, but I am sure it will be a book that you will be glad you purchased. It's available in print and on Kindle, as well as an Audiobook! There are other books she will be referring to, but she shares about them on her videos. Hop over to her post today for more information.

I have some new journals all ready to start recording the things I am grateful for.  I plan to also use Ann Voskamp's "Joy Dare" resources to journal my gratitude journey. She has OODLES of beautiful printables, which you can have free access to by subscribing. (Details on the post here) I've always intended to take part in her "Joy Dare", so this seems like the perfect time to jump in. She gives three prompts for each day, to help you think of things to give thanks for. Some will come to mind quickly, others may require some thought, but all will result in gratitude.

We all have SO much to be thankful for. SO much. As we have been learning about so many countries around the world where they face persecution, poverty and illness on a regular basis, I have reminded the children JUST how blessed we are, and we take it for granted.

Also, I am going to be starting back with Heidi St John's scripture writing challenge. She shares a few verses every day for you to read, meditate upon, then write out. The act of writing something out will aid you in remembering it, and we can all benefit from having scripture engraved on our hearts in any way we can. You can find out more about that on Heidi's IG account, her FB page, or on her website.

Whatever you do, make sure you try and get into God's Word when you can!

I can't wait to get started on my "Choosing Gratitude", and also hope to have my 13 year old daughter, Beth, joining me on this journey. I may get her to do a guest post on the way through, to share about what she is learning.

I will share what I have been journaling, as I go along - on IG, FB and on here. I can tell this is going to be just wonderful, and my heart if filled with joy just thinking about it.

We have our Harvest Supper at Church tonight, so I hope to spend some time this evening on these challenges. I can't wait!

BUUUUUUUUTTTT....


To kick start this season of gratitude, what better way than to give someone another reason to BE grateful?? I haven't had a give-away for ages, so I would love to share some joy with others!

I am going to give-away a couple of things! There are two items, and you can enter to win either of them.

Firstly, I have a large Moleskine Journal that I have hand lettered and painted. These journals are ruled, with 80 pages (16 detachable), so just a nice size for a month of journaling gratitude. I have hand lettered it with silver sharpie, and used shimmering paints for the flowers. It's really pretty, and it was going to be for myself, but I thought it would be much nicer to give it away (and fits right in with studying the trait of "generosity" with my children this week). I can always decorate another for myself, which would be such a chore... aherm.

 I am also going to give away a copy of the book that we are using during the challenge - Choosing Gratitude, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

You can enter to win either of these below. This is open to anyone, as I am happy to send the journal abroad. I'm all for sharing the love as far and wide as need be.

The give-away is only until Monday evening, so if this is a book you would like to have to join in with the challenge, you can get it as soon as possible! So, you have until midnight GMT on the third of October to enter (remember that is FIVE hours ahead of EST, and 8 ahead of Pacific). Share, share, share so people know, and maybe you will be the winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Portion control {satisfied with Christ}

I have children who are food watchers.  Have you got any like that? They do this sneaky look out of the "corner" of their eye, to see what everyone else has on their plate.  Trying to decide whether they think that I have dished up their dinner fairly.  Seeing if they have the right portion size.

Similarly, you hear talk, in the world of food and dieting, about "portion control" - not having too much or too little of certain foods.  Thankfully, the "diet" I am following has not got strict portion sizes, other than "don't eat too little"!!!

What exactly IS a "portion"?

Well, it can be "a part of a whole" - your portion of a pie, or portion of a lasagne.

It can also be your "lot" in life, or your "destiny".

You can also think of it in terms of what you NEED, in order to satisfy you.  If a portion size that was too little, was given to you to eat, you would not feel satisfied, and would perhaps feel hungry.  If a portion that was too LARGE was given, you would struggle to eat it and feel too full!  The person serving it up would need to know you quite well, to give you the right portion.

I know my children, and their needs.  I know which children have a faster metabolism, and the ones who have a more sluggish one.  I know which ones can take higher quantities, and which ones are better with less and more often.  I'm their parent. I KNOW them.  Better than they know themselves. Sometimes I give them MORE of something than they would choose! I KNOW they need more veg than they would perhaps choose for themselves.... it's good for them, even though they don't like it, and don't like how it tastes.  They endure it, because I have put it on their plate.

In the Psalms we find several references as to the Lord being our "portion".

The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. 

Psalm 16:5

"  Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

Psalm 73:25 &26

Spiritually speaking, what does this mean?

The Lord *IS* everything we need. Just by having Him in our heart and life, He IS our portion.  No matter what life throws at us - no matter where our path leads us - if we are trusting in Him as our Saviour, we HAVE the Lord, and that is everything we need.

Also, BECAUSE He is our portion, He GIVES us everything we need.

As the verses in Psalm 73 say, other things around us will fail us - the things of our heart, and the things of the flesh - temporal things.

Sadly, we are often like my children. We can look around, subtly, so often, at others, and look at what THEY have and think "Why I can't have as much as they have?"

Maybe it's our husband - we look at our "portion", and wonder why it can't be like someone else's. Why can't we have more? Why can't our husband BE more? Different?  Better?  More skilled in some area?

Perhaps it's our children?  Why can't they behave as well as another person's child?  Why can't they look prettier?  Why can't they be as gifted in some area, or do better in the school life?  Why can't their personality be more like another child's, who we perceive to be "better"?

Our homes... bigger, smaller, more modern, better location, better equipped?

How about the circumstances that we experience in our lives? Too many trials, too much illness, too much heartache, too many trying relationships, not enough contact with others, not enough money, not enough holidays, not enough possessions?

If we have the truth of God imprinted on our hearts, that HE is our portion - that we HAVE everything ALREADY - all these other things will take on an entirely different perspective.  He IS our portion, and He DIRECTS our portion - our circumstances and provisions.  It's perfect.  All of it.

Think about Job.  It says he was "perfect" - that can be translated as "complete".  How could he be complete? By understanding that God was His everything, and NOT all the amazing possessions he owned.  And, he owned MUCH.  The true test of his understanding of the Lord alone being everything he needed is clearly shown in the circumstances of his life.  Children - gone; health - poor; belongings - obliterated; unsupportive wife - still there; unhelpful friends - still hanging around.  We can relate to SO much there - imperfect marriage, a lack of "things", friends who just aren't there when we need them.  Yet, where did his hope lie, through it all - where was his focus?  Upon the LORD - His portion.  ALL that He needed.  His body was decaying before his very eyes, and he had little left, in a temporal sense - but His focus was upon His Redeemer - His portion.

I KNOW there are friends of mine out there - right NOW - and the portion of their lives are not what they would have meted out for themselves.  They wouldn't have picked the trials and struggles they are enduring. They would have put their hand over their plate and said "enough", before now.  I wouldn't have chosen many of the experiences I have had to experience, either.

But God, who is merciful, loving, just, PERFECT, knows our portion, and sets it out perfectly.  He simply knows what we need, when we need it, how we need it, even if we can't see it for ourselves.

What are our desires?  Do we desire the things of this life, more than we desire God? Fulfilment in our marriage?  Children who are "perfect"?  All the temporal things we could desire?

Or, is there NOTHING we desire more than the Lord Himself?

If he is our portion, our heart will be strong.  Strong enough to see us through any trial we can face, humanly speaking, because our spiritual strength is in our portion - the Lord - alone.

Marriages, family, circumstances - all important, all God-given, all precious - but HE alone is our portion, FOREVER.

EVERYTHING we have, precious as it is, will one day be gone.  If our portion is Christ alone, and we are resting in Him, we have all we need.

My God, my Portion, and my Love,

My everlasting All,

I’ve none but Thee in heav’n above,

Or on this earthly ball.

What empty things are all the skies,

And this inferior clod!

There’s nothing here deserves my joys,

There’s nothing like my God.

To Thee I owe my wealth, and friends,

And health, and safe abode;

Thanks to Thy name for meaner things,

But they are not my God.

How vain a toy is glittering wealth,

If once compared to Thee!

Or what’s my safety, or my health,

Or all my friends to me.

Were I possessor of the earth,

And called the stars my own,

Without Thy graces and Thyself,

I were a wretch undone.

Let others stretch their arms like seas,

And grasp in all the shore;

Grant me the visits of Thy grace,

And I desire no more.

Isaac Watts

A bunch of sweet peas

(taken in the garden at Shugborough Hall)

I love sweet peas.  I must make sure I find a space in my garden for some this year!

However, I am not really referring to the flower!  More accurately, it should be...

...a bunch of sweet "P's".

I saw this in a little publication that we get, called "Cheering Words".  It's a collections of short articles and anecdotes, with spiritual encouragement and application.

This one is from the issue brought out last November.  The author and source are unknown, but it was punchy, and a clever way of looking at the 23rd Psalm.

P's, by the way, are the Preacher's best friend, if he likes to alliterate, as there are always plenty of them to use!  Well, so I have been told, and observed, not being one myself! ;-)

A Bunch of Sweet P's

Gathered from Psalm 23

Possession - The Lord is MY Shepherd

Provision - I shall not want

Position - He maketh me to lie down

Privilege - In green pastures

Preservation - He restoreth my soul

Progress - He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

Peace - I will fear NO evil

Presence - Thou ART with me

Preparation - Thou preparest a table before me

Plenty - My cup runneth over

Pursuit - Goodness and mercy shall follow me

Prospect - I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

I think I will PONDER these things today! Much to dwell upon, and be thankful for.  And, something for everyone - no matter what your circumstances are today, I am sure that one of these "Sweet P's", will speak to your heart.

(not taken by me at all, but I like both the flowers and the GORGEOUS looking journals in the background!)