Month: November 2018

The last few day I have been awed by the senses God has given us to enjoy each thing he has created. The first day of thankfulness I was so grateful for the smells of fall. The second day I was thankful for the fact that I didn’t need technology to do things like speak for me. The third day I was thankful for being able to see the colors God created around me and in general the colors of fall. The 4th day I am thankful for the fact that I have food to eat but even further than that I can taste it. Yet another sense God gave to us to enjoy the things around me. The 5th day of thankfulness I was thankful for the sound of my children though sometimes extremely loud I am thankful that I can even hear them and listen to their squeals and screams.

Today my list asks me what in Nature I am thankful for?  This is hard to narrow down, because again I marvel in Gods creation. How even the deer grazing in the corn field stubble down the road brings God glory. The wind blowing and doing its wind thing is declaring Gods glory. All these things in nature point to God and his handy work when he created them. So just one thing I am thankful for is hard to narrow down. I am thankful for the forces of nature that God orchestrates each day. How his marvelous hands created the beauty that we see each day. He created the bird with his song, the tree with his dance. He created all of it. I just marvel in his marvelous creation today.  The smell of fall, the fact we even have the different seasons. The way the earth changes with the temperature changes. If I was in charge of the weather I would keep it about 65 or 70 degrees with a light breeze and zero humidity. But thank goodness I am not God, because there would be an outrageous amount of flies and mosquito’s all the time. There would be no time of killing off the leaves to produce new ones. The freshness of spring would not come. I am glad God gives us the seasons even though winter in so dreary.

So take a walk out side today and soak in the beauty of Gods creation, the way nature declares the Glory of the Lord, And hey declare His Glory yourself.

Today’s thankfulness scripture is Philemon 1:4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers.

So how can I pray for you this month as we go through this thankfulness journey? What things in your life do you need prayer for?

I could really use prayer in my consistency in my personal walk with the Lord. I want to pray in every situation like yesterdays verse talked about. I want to go to God first in my struggles with my marriage and family. The only way to receive wisdom is to seek it out in scripture.

I want to pray for you. Please email me if you have a specific prayer request I can add to my prayer wall. jthiessen1983@gmail.com

Lets pray for each other this month and thank God as we remember each other in prayer.

Signing off from one woman to another,

Jenny Wren

How is your gratefulness Journey coming? I would love to hear about what you are finding out as we go along through this month of thanksgiving.  How are you doing with remember some of these different kind of things to be thankful for? Is it hard to find just one food to be thankful for? Comment about what you are finding difficult or what your eyes have been open to.

5 days of thankfulness and it hasn’t become too hard yet. I really like this list, because these things are so different from the normal thankfulness lists people usually have.

I love the sound of my children playing nicely together. The sound of squeals and giggles, the sound of my oldest taking charge and leading in different games. I sometimes love to just sit and listen to their conversation, wondering to myself what they feel is important. I love to hear about them building Lego’s together or hear them playing a game of hide and seek even with their little sister. I love hearing little J playing babies or even counting to 10 as she waits for her brothers to hide. Today my gratefulness lists asks us what sound we are thankful for,  I would have to say I am thankful for the sound of my children. Even the times they are running through the halls chasing each other, or the times they are fighting and I have to step in. I love listening to them and figuring out their unique personalities. I love hearing stories from the different perspectives of my kids.  I actually like being in the car with them hearing all of them talking at the same time in excitement.

10 years ago this house was really quiet and it is so crazy to think about how loud it has become over the years. I love many sounds of children, I love chatting with them at night and discovering how their day went from their perspective. I love the sound of my baby cooing and starting to talk to me. I love the sound of the baby cry as they are born and take their first breath. Today I marvel in my children taking in each sound each of them gives off. Little J talking in her sweet voice telling me she loves me or that she wants a hug. W telling me about his day at school and how much he loves handwriting. D hollering down the hall, chasing a brother with a dart gun and screaming attack sounds. C playing quietly, making motor sounds with his loader and tractors. All of these sounds I marvel in and today I am grateful for the loud sounds my children give off.

Today’s thankfulness scripture is Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.

But I don’t think I can leave it at just this verse because the next verse completes it. Verse 7 And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Oh how I love these verse. It tells me that in every situation I should pray and Gods peace will come upon me. I have experience this so many times. So many times my life has been in a complete upheaval and I didn’t stop praying and God didn’t stop giving me peace. I am not saying that instant peace comes because it did not come right away but there was some kind of power that came within me so I could handle the difficult situation I was facing at the time. The only way I can explain it was the peace and power of God coming upon me so I could get through the rough moments in my life.

Thank you Jesus for the sense of hearing that you have given to me. That I can sit back and listen to my kids giggling together or even wrestling with daddy when he becomes a bucking bull or a wresting opponent. Thank you Lord for bringing peace through those difficult times in my life. That I may trust you more as the times are difficult and even though the not so hard times in my life. Lord help me to present my requests to you with prayer and petition. Thank you Lord for each one of my noisy healthy happy children and even when they are not so happy thank you. In Jesus Name Amen.

Signing off from one woman to another,

Jenny Wren

In America we have access to anything we want or need.  Even if you can’t afford something you can buy it on credit or even pay for it in food stamps . This really can be good or it can be bad. So much of the world doesn’t have as much as Americans do and I think so often we take it for granted.  We become complacent and whine because we have to wait in a long line for the fast food.  Or we complain because we can’t afford those designer boots for our new outfit.  Those are what I like to call rich people problems.  I really have no idea what it’s like to not have a need met. I always have more than enough money to buy the food I need to feed my family.  I have freezers full of food and a fridge that needs cleaned out from the rotting food that we have so much of.

That’s why this next day of thankfulness, I want to use the day to think of food. It asks what food are you most thankful for.  But today I want to marvel in the fact that I have food to lift to my mouth and fill my stomach, I have food to place in front of my children and watch them enjoy.  Not only is it food,  its health whole food that I can feel satisfied in serving them.  It will nourish their growing bodies.  Today I just want to be thankful for food alone.

The thankfulness scripture for today is Psalm 95:2-3 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the king above all gods.

So as the psalm says, let us come before him with thanksgiving for the food that we can afford to put on our tables to feed our bodies and our families. Let us take time to remember how fortunate we are in America to have that food readily available for us. Let us remember that our next meal comes from the greatest provider and giver of all.

Thank you Lord for the food I put on our table and into my mouth. thank you Lord for providing all my needs physically, spiritually and emotionally. Lord Jesus help me not become greedy and ungrateful for the way that all my needs are provided and not loose sight of He who provides them for me. In Jesus name, Amen

Signing off from one woman to another,

Jenny Wren

I really like being made aware of my senses. The sense of smell with the leaves around me and the district smell of fall. The sense of hearing as I listen to my kids playing with cousins they don’t see often.  Today we are asked what color we are thankful for.  I am thankful for more than one color.  In the east the fall colors are spectacular.  Like nothing native kansans (unless they travel) have ever seen.  Fall is my favorite time of year.

Over the years as I have returned home to PA, I remember driving back to my mom’s house for the two hour trip. On that highway there are many turns that rise up the hills and the views are spectacular. When fall is fully set on there are vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and greens painting the mountainside. It is a sight to be seen.

As a child I traveled further north plenty of times. Vermont and Massachusetts are two of the most spectacular places to travel in the fall. If you have never been there you must go. Even the colors in PA are not anything compared to the New England states.

My favorite color is red. Its so bright and vibrant. It used to not be my favorite. I used to like blue. But something changed. My house is adorned with red curtains and walls. I like wearing bright reds yellows and oranges shades of fall of course.

What a wonderful thing to be able to see. See the colors of the bright blue sky and spectacular oranges and pinks and sometimes purples of the sunset. God paints the skies almost daily in Kansas. Now something about the East might be the spectacular colors of fall , but something in Kansas is the spectacular sky line that God paints each day. There is nothing like a Kansas sunset. You wouldn’t know it until you stay here long enough but if you look far into the west during sunset the colors are so vibrant and beautiful. Little J almost daily draws m,y attention to the sunrise as we are driving the boys to school. She says “Mommy, wook buful sunset! Mommy! Wook!” Oh, to see the world from the eyes of a child. It would be so full of awe and newness. What a blessing to be reminded of.

The thankfulness scripture for the day is. Daniel 2:23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.

So as we take in the beautiful sights today, lets sit in awe of Gods creation. The fact that we can actually see it all and enjoy the vibrant colors he paints, for no other reason but to bring Him Glory.

Signing off from one woman to another.

Jenny Wren

 

Today I realized that this is already helping me to stop and really take in those things I am thankful for. I walk outside and sniff a little deeper it fills me with gratefulness to even be able to enjoy the smells around me.  Visiting with my sister in law and watching my children play with their cousins. I hear the laughter and see their smiles. What a blessing to have senses. A sense of smell, sight, touch, hearing, and taste. I can’t imagine living without one of those.

Sometime technology can really be a blessing.  I know of someone who can not talk or communicate well and he uses a tablet to type out what he wants to say and then it does the talking for him.  For me technology often interferes with my family and the things that bring me joy. I  heard it actually is addictive,  producing dopamine like a drug each time the sound goes off for a notification.  Sometimes I try to find satisfaction in going on Facebook and looking at other peoples lives. No wonder my brain thinks it brings satisfaction but, this often brings more discouragement than encouragement.

Day number two says, What technology are you thankful for?  I would have to say I am thankful for the App Audible. I can listen to different books while I am doing my house chores and it really helps the time go by quickly. I also enjoy it to relax and I really am in love with Jeanette Oaks Canadian West series. I love these books and I can not wait to pick it up again and listen when I have a quiet moment. Sometimes I don’t get a quiet moment so I put in my ear buds and drown out the ciaos that often fills my house. I imagine being right there in the Indian village in the far north with Elizabeth. Without Audible I don’t think I would pick up a book and read it. I simply don’t have that privileged and when I do have quiet moments I tend to not be able to concentrate. It you haven’t tried Audible I highly recommend it and if you want some fun books listen to Jeanette Oaks Canadian West series. I also have plenty of other suggestions I have already completed.

Today’s scripture verse for thankfulness is 1 Chronicle 29:13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

Lord Jesus, Thank you so much for technology and the way it can bless so many people . I pray that I would utilize it as a blessing. I also pray that I would have self control and use it only for the times I am not to have my attention elsewhere and not as a distraction to “get away” from the struggles of life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Signing off from one woman to another.

Jenny Wren

Today as I was listening to the radio doing my daily drive to town to pick up kids from school, I heard a lady talk about doing a thankfulness challenge for November.  As I listened to it I thought that might be a great way to keep me out of my depressed funk I’ve been in the last few weeks.  I thought maybe it would challenge me even more to post my blog daily about the thing I’m thankful for.  To have a better guide going about this, I searched pinterest for a thankfulness challenge.  This list will help me do more than the general thankful for my kids, family, or weather. The normal easy things to find to be thankful for.  Here is what I found:

.So today being November 1st,  I am to say a smell I am thankful for. I love the smell of fall. Fresh fallen leaves along with the cooler air is so refreshing for my lungs and nose to smell. I also love the smell of wood burning stoves in the air from our neighbors. There is such a unique smell to fall and I absolutely love to walk outside and take a long sniff and enjoy that fresh cool smell.

What about you? What smell are you thankful for? Do you also like the smell of fall and fallen leaves?

Tomorrow I am looking forward to having my sister in law from out of town over for a campfire and we will thoroughly be enjoying all those smells which roasting our hot dogs and s’mores.

Thank you Lord for the fresh smell of fall, for the beautiful colors and the lovely slow falling leaves from the trees surrounding me. Thank you for the smell of wood burning stoves that bring back memories of my childhood and the stove my dad always had blazing in the fall and winter.

Thankfulness scripture

Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

I would love to know if you are reading this and going to join me on my thankfulness journey through November. Please comment below if you are going to join me. I will post this thankfulness challenge list daily so we can follow along together!

Signing off from one woman to another.

Jenny Wren