I Am Thankful For...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! (Even though it is a few days late :)

Thanksgiving is, and always will be, my favorite holiday. I just love that there is a holiday not centered around gifts or something momentous like a war or Independence day, not that those are bad things to celebrate but the stress sometimes is too much and takes away the joy the holiday should bring to someone's day. Thanksgiving is just a day where we as a nation can celebrate the simple act of being grateful for all that we have in life already, praise God for how far we have made it over the past year, and maybe even give of ourselves to someone else in need.

At Seacoast Grace, where I go to church, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving our Pastor encouraged us to think of what we are grateful and thankful for the most. In my opinion it was one of the best services I have ever been to in a LONG TIME! It was down to earth, practical, and applicable. I suggest you listen to the sermon, or any of the sermons, because they are quite good. Here is the link to the Thanksgiving sermon in case you are interested: http://seacoastgrace.org/messages/tips_for_thanksgiving/ One of the things he did was have us take time in church to list the top 20 things that came to mind that we are thankful for in our life today. So, listed below in no specific order are my 20 things that I am thankful for the most this year:

1.  My Husband, who gives me more chances than I deserve
2. My Baby, Princess, My Cat, My Best Friend
3. Having a job, even though it is just a Seasonal Position
4. Second, Third, Fourth Chances in life I do not deserve
5. A Loving, Forgiving God who never gave up on me even when I gave up on Him
6. A roof over my head
7. My Daddy, who has inspired & driven me, even in death, to be a better, godly person that this world desperately needs
8. My Crazy, Messed Up, Loving, Caring Family, especially My Mother who does not give herself enough credit & My Brother who I has saved my life countless times without knowing it
9. A Reliable Car
10. Amazing friends that love me even when I have betrayed & used them
11. My Small Group at Seacoast Grace, they are my life ring that God threw my way when I could swim no farther on my own
12. No Serious Health Issues that require a Doctor
13. My $10,000 CD that helped my husband & I make it through a year of marraige
14. My Professor Dr. Lister & his wife
15. Seacoast Grace Women's Events, never before have I felt so at home in a room full of strangers
16. Hot Water
17. Living in CA, I may not like it but I am blessed to be here
18. A Free Country where I can express my thoughts, vote, read my Bible, & pray
19. Having enough money to pay off my tuition & thus only having Ben's loans for Biola
20. My Boots that keep my feet warm

We as humans are by nature negative people. It took me writing down what I was thankful for, not an easy task at first by the way, for me to think of all I have to be grateful for in my life. I was amazed at how just the act of writing down what I was grateful for turned my negative attitude into a positive one. I guess there is hope for me after all, and if there is hope for me in all the bad things I have done, there is definitely hope for you as well in whatever struggle or walk of life you are going through as well. What are you thankful for in your life? It is amazing how just writing down a few things can change your perspective on what before seemed like a bleary, hopeless day, year, life.

Hope Heals!

Today I went to a Women's Breakfast at Seacoast Grace, the church I am currently going to, and what a wonderful time of fellowship with a new friend of mine and a chance to hear Katherine Wolf speak of her victory over a brain stem stroke that could alone be contributed to God. I encourage you to check out her website! www.hope-heals.com

She gave us 4 things to think about, her new motto for life after the tragedy in her life that she now sees as a blessing:

1. Hope While You Cope

    -My hope & my faith are not dependent on my circumstances

2. Heal in Your Home

    -Create an atmosphere at home that encourages you to work toward a better future

3. Don't Wait to Celebrate!

     -Tomorrow is Uncertain, so Celebrate Today!
     -Find a reason to celebrate even what you may consider "the little achievements"
4. Too Blessed to be Bitter
     -Bad things happen and life is full of suffering, but find the ways you are blessed in those struggles
     -Thank God for blessing you with the chance to help someone else who is going through similar struggles
     -See this as your chance to turn your hurt into someone else's help

I see these four points as a new challenge for my life. It is so true that we never know how much time we have on this earth. We need to spend that time rejoicing in the blessings God has given in our lives and embrace the moment to share those blessings with those around us. Life is too short to waste it. I want to Live Life! And I can rest assured that with God there will be "a blessing in every storm" because "for some reason God wanted these trials to happen, and He is working them for His good." And to discover that reason, my friends, is something to live for!

2 Job Interviews

I had basically given up on getting a job, really I had. It has been 5 months since Biola globally terminated me, and every job I applied to never got back to me. I was so relieved, and overwhelmed, when I got 2 calls for 2 different interviews on, of course, the same day. At least all the stress was at once not over a period of a week. Now that I have had the interviews, most nerve wracking thing ever!!!, I just have to wait to hear back from the employers. I just hope I get one of the jobs. It is so difficult to survive on basically nothing and wonder each month if we will be able to pay rent or not. So the next couple of days are all up to God and whether he wants me to have these jobs or not. Update later! :)