A to Z Bible Verse Challenge Week #23

This week for the Truth from A to Z challenge over at The Happy Wonderer we have letter W.    

W is for wait.

Lots of people in the Bible waited for things, many for a very long time.  I think of Joseph, Hannah, and 

These verses remind me of the importance to wait for God and His plan and His timing.  

"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly." Psalm 5:3

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."  Psalm 37:7

Are you good at waiting?  

 

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

A to Z Bible Verse Challenge Week #19

This week for the Truth from A to Z challenge over at The Happy Wonderer we have letter S.

 

The word that came to mind for letter S is SING/SONG.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. I Chronicles 16:23

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Psalm 33:1

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:2

There are many instances of singing throughout the Bible.  I've always loved singing, and I have found that it can uplift my mood or change my attitude when I sing.  I sometimes will sing in the van as I'm driving home after I drop Titus off at school in the mornings.  I have found it is a nice way to start my day. 

Do you like to sing?  What types of songs do you sing?

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Another week has passed with our "new normal" continuing.  It seems many are excited to see states "opening" on May 1, even in a limited way.  I'm not sure how I feel about that and probably won't change anything we are doing for the time being.  We live in a small town and not many cases in our county; however, next to us the county count keeps rising by around 15 or more per day.  I'm not sure if this is just because of the testing is available or what reason.  We are staying safe and thankful for our home.

What do you feel thankful for today?  Here is my list:

~ getting to do an online marriage seminar at home with my husband.  We signed up to do a seminar hosted by Mark and Jill Savage.  What a blessing this has been!  I love learning new things to use in our marriage.

~ my big boy being helpful watching his brother while we do the seminar.  I came up with a list of options for them to do.  He has been creative in coming up with things for them to do for the hour we have the class.  It blesses my heart to see this.

~ my little guy having a good visit at the doctor for his 5 year old check up.  I felt safe being there with the precautions they have taken in the office.  And I'm super thankful for my healthy growing boy.

~ God showing me the same verse multiple times this week.  My friend gave me this song to share with Titus when he told me he felt scared on Sunday.  Then on Monday it was the verse of the day for the Faith over Fear challenge I've been doing.  On Tuesday I got a letter back from my pen pal (a girl from church) and we are also doing a coloring page back and forth.  The verse on the coloring page is the same verse, which didn't click with me until I saw it again.  And then Wednesday I saw it again in a random post on Facebook.

Here is the verse of Psalm 56:3, 4:

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
     In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.

~ As I mentioned above, I have a new pen pal.  I'm thankful to get letters from her and also from my niece this week.

~ God's protection.  I mentioned this yesterday but I wanted to remember it. I felt like it gave me the perfect opportunity to point out to Titus how God has protected us at that stop light.  I feel sure we would have been hit if I had started going as soon as the light turned green.  Caleb remembered that this had happened another time to me when I paused instead of going as soon as I got a green arrow.


Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

SSMT #6

I realized I have not posted my other verses I'm learning this year with the SSMT. I did verse #1 and haven't posted the others here.

Here is my new verse, it is #6.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."  Psalm 116:7

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Thankful Thursday

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations."  

Psalm 100:4, 5

We've had a quick week. My husband was off for the holiday on Monday.  Tuesday evening we went to an event at Caleb's school.  We've also gone to the library, two story times, played outside, went for a walk.

This week I am thankful for...
~ enjoying my husband on his day off.  It's been a while it seems since he's had a Monday off at home.  We didn't have anything planned and had a nice day together. Titus liked having Daddy home with us too.

~ enjoying the event at my big boy's school and hearing his presentation. He did a good job in his part, and we were glad to be able to attend.

~ my baby boy sleeping all night for several nights in a row.  He usually wakes up once but lately he's been sleeping all night.

~ the pretty spring-like weather!  We haven't had much of winter here.  I keep wondering if it is going to get cold again or if we are just headed for spring. I imagine I will have tulips in my flower bed soon. It's been great for being outside.  Also it is staying light out longer so that is a plus too.

~ birthday cards in the mail.  Titus likes to help me open them.

~ hearing from my neighbor from where we used to live.  I had sent her a family picture and she texted me when she got the letter.  She sent me a picture of her family.  It was nice to hear from her again.


Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Psalm on Sunday

Psalm 103:8--12
 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

This passage was on my scripture writings this week.  (I have been writing scriptures this year using plans from this site if you would like to check it out. A new one is posted each month.)

As I was writing this verse the attributes of the Lord in verses 8-10 stuck out to me.
compassionate
gracious
slow to anger
abounding in love

I got to thinking that since those qualities describe Him, shouldn't they also describe me since I am a Christian?  It made me think..... Am I compassionate to others?  Am I slow to anger?  Do I forgive others instead of holding grudges against them?

Something to think about as we begin a new week.  Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking this week with Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Healing after a miscarriage#1

I plan to write a few posts to share parts of my healing journey.  My heart still hurts, and I know that the feeling I have of missing two babies and all we missed with them will always be in my heart.  I would like to record these thoughts about things that have helped me through the pain of our miscarriage.  I hope by sharing them they will help someone else in their grief or help someone who loves someone going through a similar loss. 

One of the things I felt so strongly after the miscarriage was that I was broken.  This thought came to my  mind over and over again.  I felt like my body was just broken.  Why did I have a second miscarriage?  What is wrong with me?  Why can others just have babies without a problem and this is our second loss?  I told my husband it felt like something was wrong with me for this to happen again. 

At night before I go to bed I always check on our son and kiss him as he sleeps and whisper to him.  One of the things I've always said is "you're fearfully and wonderfully made" (from Psalm 139).  One night when I said this I thought how this applies to me too.  I AM fearfully and wonderfully made.  Now whenever the thought comes that "I'm just broken" I remind myself that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

I know that God made me and cares about my body and all its organs and parts and how they function.  I don't know why this happened again and probably never will have an answer to that.   It has really helped me as I deal with this though to remember this promise from Psalms that He has made me and to focus on that instead of just feeling broken and hopeless.   

Have a day of blessings!

A - Z Verse Challenge 2012

Here is the verse for letter M.
“May Your unfailing love be my comfort." - Psalm 119:76

Have a day of blessings!

A-Z Verse Challenge 2012

The new verse is for the letter K. 

Keep your tongue from evil and  your lips from speaking lies. 

Psalm 34:13

Have a day of blessings!

A-Z Verse Challenge 2012

What a wonderful verse for the letter H!  It is

How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! Psalm 47:2

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #21

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."  --Psalms 68:19

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #14

"O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."  Psalm 84:12

Are you trusting Him today?  Hope you have a great weekend!

Have a day of blessings!
 

SSMT #10

Verse #10 already?!

The verse I have chosen is Psalms 36:7--

"How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."

Have a day of blessings!
 

Prayers & Promises Week #33

This week's verse is Psalm 33:17, 18---
"A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love."


When I found this verse, it made me think about all the things we hope in everyday. In our society we don't rely on horses as in the time this passage was written, but we get the idea...it is silly to put our hope in _______ for deliverance. What do you use in your own life to fill in this blank? What are you putting your hope in? If it is not in the Lord, then it is vain, whatever it may be. The next verse goes on to say that the Lord wants us to fear Him and hope in His unfailing love. We don't have to hope in any thing or person. We can rely and lean on the Lord.

So many people around us don't have this hope. I cannot imagine how they can face the struggles and heartaches of life depending on their own strength. The Lord is the only Way!

There are so many prayer requests for people this week. I'll share a few.
~ Wills. I've asked for prayers for him before. He is a 22 year old young man who was undergoing treatments for cancer. His situation is serious; my childhood hometown is all praying for him and his family.

~ twins I mentioned last week. These newborn twins were born 14 weeks premature. This week they are both improving though! It was encouraging to hear the reports on them.

~ John and Elaine. John had a scan recently that showed tumor growth and a new tumor. He was one of my former buddies through Audrey's Umbrella and I've kept up with him on Facebook through his wife Elaine. She posted this week that they sent him home on hospice care and there is nothing left to do for him the doctors say.

~ those starting back to school. We have one more week here in Texas before the students start, but the teachers will be starting this week. Pray for them as they go back to the classroom and prepare for a new year with new children.

~ also those going to college and their families.

Join us for Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #23

For this week's verse we have Psalm 20:7:
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

There are many things in which we can place our trust. These things won't last though. Money will run out. We could lose our health. Our vehicle may quit running. Our friends may disappoint us. In all the things we can choose to put our trust, the Lord is the only One that will not ever fail. The people around us may be trusting their bank accounts, power, or possessions, but we must still make the choice to put our trust in the Lord.

Let me know if I can pray for you this week.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #4

I have enjoyed the weekly verses on thankfulness. Thinking about thankfulness this week, I'm wondering if you ever write thank you notes. We got two in the mail this past week. This is one of the things mentioned in the book I read recently Choosing Gratitude. Many times we do not take the time to write thank yous. Saying thank you is nice when you receive something but going an extra step and jotting a thank you note to acknowledge a gift is especially meaningful. I must say this is something my Mom taught me to do and something I want to teach Caleb to do. It is such a simple thing really and just takes a little time. Think of someone this week that you need to thank and take the time to do that! It will probably make their day!

This week's verse is Psalm 28:7--

"The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

Do you have any prayer requests to share this week? I realized last week I forgot to post prayer requests. It seems I'm forgetting one right now for this week, but please remember the following in your prayers:

~ Denise and Eddie. Continue to pray for healing as well as their financial needs.

~ Charlotte. She shared about her upcoming surgery and asked for prayers.

~ Steve--recently diagnosed with kidney cancer.

~ continue to remember Haiti and the efforts going on there to help the people.

~ my boys! My son woke up sick Thursday morning. I thought it was allergies but in the afternoon he was running fever. I thankfully was able to get an appointment with his doctor Friday afternoon and he felt he had the flu. He started on Tamiflu and was so much better on Saturday. My husband though woke up in the night with a major ear ache. He went to the clinic and has an ear infection.

Thank you for visiting today on Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

Blog Hop: Encouragement

I posted the entire Psalm on August 1 here on my blog. This is a particularly encouraging Psalm to me right now. I know the Lord is my Helper, Maker, and Protector. I'm so thankful He is watching over me all the time.

Psalm 121:1, 2--"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."

You can read the entire Psalm here.

I hope you are encouraged today!

August is here!

I have shared previously that August is often a hard month for me, filled with mixed emotions. I would appreciate your prayers this month. Add to the other things listed our boy will be starting school this month. I'll be sharing more feelings on that in the future as it is a time full of many emotions for me as well.

Last night I was reminded of a song and a verse that fits so I'll share it today. I've posted the song before here when I was doing "Friday Favorites." It is "I Will Lift My Eyes" by Bebo Norman.

Psalm 121:
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

This is my prayer. I will look to the Lord, He is my Helper and Comfort in the coming days.

2009 Book #6: The Gift of Psalms

I have received and finished The Gift of Psalms from Thomas Nelson to review. This book includes fifty Psalms with devotional thoughts for each one. Three CD’s are included to provide an audio version of 30 of the Psalms and devotions.

The book is beautiful in appearance and layout. The 50 Psalms are well-chosen and the devotional thoughts stir the heart and encourage the reader.

There were several things about this book that I did not like though that would prevent me from buying it myself. First, the CD’s only include 30 of the Psalms. At first I thought every other Psalm from the book would be on the audio but this wasn’t the case. Second, only a portion of the Psalm is printed while the audio included a reading of the Psalm in its entirety. This was confusing to me as well to be following along with the book and have some of the verses left out. Another distraction to me was how the readers changed for each Psalm. Some of the readers were better readers than others. I would have preferred one voice for the reading of the Psalm and one for the reading of the devotional thought. Finally, I heard some repetitions of sentences on the audio as well as some typographical errors in the book.

The Psalm’s on praise blessed me and reminded me to always praise the Lord. Another Psalm that was encouraging was Psalm 96, which talks about singing a new song to the Lord. Many of these Psalms were great reminders to me of God’s love and faithfulness.

Memory Verse Week 52

We have one more memory verse for the year 2008. Here is last week's verse.


I have a new plan for 2009 so check back next Sunday for that! If you want to memorize with me, get a ringed pack of index cards. (I don't know what they're called really...they are index cards with a spiral across the top!) I used this for my verses in 2008, and it was very helpful to have them all in one place.


This week's verse is:
"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3