Thanksgiving Day- so much to be thankful for!

I pray that everyone is having a marvelous Thanksgiving day!
I have had a wonderful day full of family, food, and fun!
The Word of God instructs us to Count our Blessings, and to name them one by one.

This month, the Lord provided that opportunity for me! A dear friend invited me to join an online forum of Christian young ladies who had taken up a challenge to follow Psalm 119:164- 

"Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgements". 

Everyday of the month of November, we were to write out seven different things that we were thankful for.  

At first it was a little difficult to find seven things, but then, as the month continued, it became HARDER to STOP at seven, than to FIND seven things to be thankful for!

For Thanksgiving several of us decided to list 50 things, and I tell you in all honesty, I didn't want to stop at 50! :) The Lord has been SO good to me this year! 

Here are the 50 things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving Day!

1. That my family was able to get together today
2. The new faces that were around our table today (my uncle got married back in July, and my new aunt brings two new cousins to the family as well!)
3. The developing relationships with the new family members
4. The love of cooking that my Pawpaw Ed instilled in me while he was alive
5. The food to cook today
6. The joy in my heart as I was washing dishes last night and today (this is a testament to what the Lord has done in my heart this past year! Dishes are my least favorite thing to do in the kitchen, but I actually had a smile on my face, a genuine smile!)
7. The work that the Lord has done in my heart and life!
8. The new friends that Christ has brought into my life this year to encourage and strengthen me in my walk with Him
9. Old friendships renewed and strengthened this year
10. God's blessing of a large donation to our church's Christmas program to help needy children
11. Electricity! (Imagine having to cook all your Thanksgiving Dinner without an electric stove and oven!)
12. A very fun family photo shoot today after lunch!
13. Hearing my family praising God for the blessings in our life, it is such a sweet sound!
14. Encouraging blogs!
15. Ron Hamilton and the Patch the Pirate Ministry! I so enjoyed the stories and songs when I was little, and I still get a kick out of them!
16. Stephen and Alex Kendrick and their films!
17. A beautiful set of porcelain dishes for my hope chest! (8 place settings!)
18. A wonderful Thanksgiving service at church last night!
19. Backdrops and lights to use for my photography
20. LOVE! It was so nice to feel the love crammed into my grandma's house today as my family sat around laughing and enjoying time together!
21. Joy!
22. Peace! I have never experienced as much peace in my life as I have in the past 6 months! It is the greatest feeling in the world!
23. Patience- Thank the Lord He is working on me in this area! I couldn't do it without Him!
24. Gentleness
25. Goodness
26. Faith
27. Meekness
28. Self-control- Christ has been faithful to help me in this area!
29. My camera
30. Beautiful Sunshine this morning!
31. A very fun Thanksgiving Day parade
32. Cheesecake
33. Memories!
34. The Power of Prayer!
35. Inspirational quotes
36. Laughter!!!
37. Tears, for they cleanse the soul
Some of my favorite books of the Bible and scripture passages-
38. Psalm 100
39. Isaiah 41:10
40. 1 Corinthians 13
41. Hebrews 11
42. 1 Peter
43. Ruth- Both the book of the Bible and the lady as an inspiration
44. Esther- Same as Ruth! :)
45. Proverbs 31:10-31 and Titus 2:3-5
46. Ron Hamilton's song- Rejoice in the Lord (I have been singing it and playing it on the piano for the last few days!)
47. Ellerslie Ministries (the ministry founded by Eric and Leslie Ludy)
48. Joshua Harris and his books- I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl
49. Modest clothing
50. My new 'Gratitude Attitude'!
 

I thoroughly LOVED this challenge! It has really helped to change my whole outlook on life, and help me find something to be thankful for, whether it be good or bad! 

I challenge you to count your blessings this year, and continue counting all year long! :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Remind Me, Dear Lord

Remind Me, Dear Lord- Words by Dottie Rambo

The things that I love and hold dear to my heart

Are just borrowed, they're not mine at all;

Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life,

so remind me, remind me dear Lord.

Roll back the curtain, of memory now and then,

Show me where you brought me from

and where I could have been:

Remember I'm human, and humans forget-

So remind me, remind me, dear Lord.

Nothing good have I done to deserve God's own Son,

I'm not worthy of the scars in His hands;

Yet He chose the road to Calvary to die in my stead-

Why He loved me, I can't understand.

Roll back the curtain of memory now and then,

Show me where you brought me from

and where I could've been;

Remember I'm human, and humans forget-

So remind me, remind me dear Lord.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This song has been on my heart a lot lately, because of some things that the

Lord has been teaching me.

Mainly, He has been reminding me that the things that I have now, and the

things to come later on in life are for me to use to bring more glory to His

Name!  What a challenge!

May I continue to be a moldable vessel fit for the Master's use!

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"-Philippians 1:21