Thanksgiving VII ~

23-29 August:  During the past week, I have been thankful for the marvelous, wonderful, matchless grace our heavenly Father bestows on His creatures - the good AND the not so good (Matthew 5:45); I was thankful for "enough" and more, to share; thankful for these words from Psalm 94:18-19 where we read: "When I said, 'My foot is slipping!' Your unfailing love, O Eternal One, held me up. When anxiety overtakes me and worries are many, Your comfort lightens my soul." (VOICE); thankful - SO'O'O thankful! - for a trip down to Riggins for a much needed visit with a dear friend (and former landlady) whose mom recently has lost a valiant battle with the Ca demon; thankful to see that much of the damage at Fiddle Creek Farms from last year's major flash-flood has been restored to use - all praise to God! I was thankful for the truth in this psalm, Psalm 116:1-2 where this is written: "I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live." (RSV); thankful for a home with heated water from the tap, for NOT needing to fetch and carry water in which to bathe (with prayers and contributions for wells where all are required to do that);  thankful for those who are praying with and for me; thankful to read this affirmation from Psalm 119:165 where it is written: "Those who love Your law have an abundance of peace, and nothing along their paths can cause them to stumble." (VOICE); thankful for the access to the many channels of 3ABN via my phone (and Hope TV as well!); thankful to be able to hear the upward call of Jesus, my Savior; thankful for the message in Romans 12:4-5 where it is written: "... In the same way that one body has so many different parts, each with different functions; we, too—the many—are different parts that form one body in the Anointed One. Each one of us is joined with one another, and we become together what we could not be alone." (VOICE); thankful for the measure of strength and wellness that remains in my life;  thankful for all those "exceeding great and precious promises" that are found in God's Word; thankful for this message from Isaiah 26:3-4 where it is written: "Lord, you will give perfect peace to those who commit themselves to be faithful to You. That’s because they trust in You.

'Trust in the Lord forever. The Lord Himself is the Rock. The Lord will keep us safe forever.' " (NIRV); thankful for the Preparation Day - as Friday is called in God's Word - the day to finish up the preparation for the Sabbath (which we are to "remember" every day according to His commandment!); thankful that I am able to ambulate to the local pharmacy to exchange the Med-pacs they provide for D.D. and me - and for the walker that provides a degree of security for the outing; thankful for this message from the Savior of our world as recorded in John 6:29 where it is written: "If you want to do God’s work, then believe in the One He sent." (VOICE);

thankful for the anticipation of meeting with my church family on the day the Creator chose "in the beginning" of earth's history (Genesis 2:2-3) and asked us to "Remember" (Exodus 20:8); thankful for the blessing we have in gathering - with careful distancing - in one place on the Sabbath; and thankful for this good news from Galatians 3:27-28 where it is written: "... When you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman." (CEV).