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31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 11- Kimberly Campbell

Both of my sons have now learned this little prayer:

God our Father

We thank You

For our many blesses (at least that’s how my older sings it)

For our many blesses

Amen

They sing it all the time. I mean ALL. THE. TIME.

As their Mommy, I love hearing them sing it. But, then I know that we have trouble with our hearts. Their hearts. My heart. We aren’t thankful all the time.

I think the trouble with gratitude is that we get so accustomed to saying grace, saying thank you, having stuff, that we forget the heart-work that is required with gratitude.

“The grateful heart that springs forth in joy is not acquired in a moment; it is the fruit of a thousand choices.” – Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (Choosing Gratitude)

The heart-work of gratitude is laying aside so many other things so that our hearts can be filled with Gratitude. It is letting go of pride. It is letting go of entitlement. It is letting go of some things we want. It is letting go of me and focusing on God’s love and perfectness for our every need. It is letting go of the world and grasping on to Him for everything we need. It is letting go of grumbling and complaining (and Facebook doesn’t need to be the place we “let go” of our complaining).

As a tired Mommy of two littles, I find it often hard to be grateful. Even this morning, I was complaining about too much noise right when I walked downstairs. One was singing – everything. One was running around helping with breakfast. Instead of choosing to be grateful, I was complaining about the noise.

Before I go downstairs, I usually read a Psalm. Psalm 106 has been most helpful in remembering to be grateful. Tim Keller, in his book The Songs of Jesus, says this about Psalm 106: “Every stanza of this poem makes the same point: Human beings fail at living as they should with God and their neighbors (my kids and my husband are my nearest neighbors). No matter how many things God does for them, it doesn’t change their hearts – their ingratitude, their endless craving, their sense of superiority to God, or their envy and selfishness. We need something to be done in us to save and transform us, because we can’t do it ourselves.”

I find myself here so often. I find my heart more in line with the grumbling Israelites than a redeemed daughter of the King. As you read these thoughts on thankfulness this month, ask God to make your heart more like His. He will do it!

About the Author: Kimberly Campbell is a wife and mama and lives in Augusta, Georgia. She is a creative, letterer, photographer, and writer (who blogs at https://kd316.com). She loves deep community and reading. She’s an introvert who can be found most nights curled up on the couch watching NCIS, West Wing, or the Cosby Show, or Bull. And eating homemade popcorn. With her husband, of course, after the boys are asleep.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 10 – Jenna Evans Welch

NOTE TO READER: I originally published this post May 3, 2012 which (coincidentally) was exactly four years before the day my first book Love & Gelato was published. When Amelia reached out to me about her “31 Days of Thanksgiving” this little piece of writing came to mind and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to share it. I decided to keep its rough bits unedited in order to remain true to who I was at that moment.
With love (and gratitude),
Jenna

THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD
Originally published May 3, 2012 on www.jennaevanswelch.com
For as long as I can remember I’ve considered myself the luckiest person I know. There are obvious reasons. I’ve had over-the-top life experiences that firmly place me in the lucky category. I am also obscenely lucky in love. When I go to see my favorite band in concert I get chosen to sit in the center of the state. Strangers are nice to me. My eyebrows don’t have to be plucked very often. You get the picture. I’m not saying I haven’t had problems–that would be ridiculous–but my life has been pretty darn rosy.

When I was in college I got cocky about my luck. One day I was sitting in an upper level rhetoric class at ASU and for the first time decided to bring someone in on my good fortune. I told the guy next to me that I was the luckiest person I knew and that if he wanted to do well in this class he should follow my lead. (He took this statement rather well.) For the next 12 weeks I proved my luck. If the teacher decided to cancel a test I had just had a weekend of fun that didn’t leave any space for studying. If I worked extra hard on an assignment she had decided to double its points. If I forgot an assignment at home she’d decided not to collect it.

It was actually kind of scary. And made a total and complete believer of guy next to me.

Then one day my luck ran out.

David and I had been married for about a year and things were going really wrong. We were living off a very small amount of money and had been confronted with a large and unexpected bill. Some family issues had gotten so severe that I was waking up in the middle of the night having panic attacks. Our little place was spider-infested. We still had not learned how to keep a house decently clean and many dishes hadn’t seen a cupboard in months. Some meds I was on were making me seriously sick. I had (but didn’t know then) chronic fatigue syndrome and I felt like I was walking around with a giant backpack of bricks. Things felt pretty bad and the harder we fought against the issues the worse they seemed to get. It just kept building and building.
We were sitting in our bed, trying our hardest to be brave adults, when I had a realization.

“I have something really sad to tell you,” I said. David looked at me expectantly. “I don’t think I’m the luckiest girl in the world anymore.” And then I crumpled over on our bed and started bawling.

(I know, attractive.)

I felt like some core of my identity was gone. Real life was…hard. Really hard. I missed the glitz and glamour of being the luckiest girl in the world. And I didn’t have any idea how any of our list of problems was going to get solved. I was just so tired.

We did the only thing we could think to do–we went to sleep.

Then something amazing happened. The next morning we got word that David had been granted a scholarship. Three days later a check came in the mail for some work David had done. The family issue simmered a while so we could catch our breaths. The spiders took a cue from Charlotte’s Web and started weaving encouraging messages for us (okay, that last part is made up).And then I learned how to be the luckiest woman in the world. Because it is pretty easy to feel lucky when everything is fantastic. When you’re riding your Vespa through Tuscany or strolling down Portobello Road in London. When your responsibility list is low and your enjoyment factor high. But it takes a little more effort to see your luck in regular, problem-ridden life. You have to look to see how lucky you are while you’re doing a stack of dishes or sitting in traffic or trying to make your marriage okay on an off-day.
But the luck is still there–every ounce–and it would be such a waste not to notice it.

About the Author:

Jenna Evans Welch was the kind of insatiable child reader who had no choice but to grow up to become a writer. Her first book, a YA novel called Love & Gelato, was a NY Times Bestseller, a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction, and was selected for the 2017 Texas Lone Star Reading List. It is currently being published in sixteen countries.

When she isn’t writing girl abroad stories, Jenna can be found chasing her babies or making elaborate messes in the kitchen. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and two young children. Her new novel, Love & Luck, will be out in May of 2018.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 9 – Renee Fisher

Breaking the Cycle of Ungratefulness

I remember Thanksgiving of 2013 like it was yesterday. I sat next to Marc at my parent’s dinning room table waiting for my turn to participate in a family tradition to say what I was thankful for. I remember that pit rising from my stomach to the back of my throat where it lodged itself as I tried to swallow.

“This year I’m not thankful for… anything,” I said choking back the tears.

Except for Marc of course.

And Jesus (as my mother pointed out making me feel guilty).

My book, Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me—the book I worked so hard on over the past ten years, four revisions, and two publishers had flopped. My literary career was over. My dreams were dead.

My unhappiness coupled with my husband’s unhappiness in his job was a wedge that drove us out of California.

Marc and I planned and prayed and visited Austin, TX. Marc got so violently ill on our weekend getaway to Austin, TX that we took it as a sign and postponed our move even though he had already gotten permission from his boss in California to move and work remotely.

Then Star’s skin got really bad.

It’s taken me three years to admit this. We took Star to the veterinary emergency hospital to put him down because we were at our wits end with how to deal with his health and skin issues. Thankfully, the vet refused to put him down because he was too young. We couldn’t afford to figure out what was wrong with him. The vet recommended we should take him back to the humane society where we adopted him and relinquish Star so he could get the medical care he needed, which we couldn’t afford.

So we did.

What started as the most ungrateful Thanksgiving turned into the worst Christmas ever!

Christmas week went by without Star.

Marc wept.

I wept.

We packed up our entire house and put it on the market. Our house sold in four days. The only home we knew as a married couple was about to become a distant memory.

While Marc took a nap in our almost empty house, I went back to the humane society–without telling him–to say goodbye to Star. I didn’t even know if they would let me, but I went anyway. The lady at the counter told me that I could see Star. She looked through his records and said they were unable to start any treatment on Star because he hadn’t eaten all week.

I broke down and wept in the middle of the humane society. I asked her if I could see Star, and she asked me I wanted him back. I didn’t even know that was an option.

Without hesitating I said, “YES!”

I literally ran out of there with Star and drove home as fast as I could to wake Marc up to surprise him that his best friend was back. It was that moment that we decided we were all in. We were moving to Texas with Star and couldn’t wait to start our new future together.

Interestingly enough, since that day in our care, Star has been fine.

We flew out to Texas again, but this time we looked at apartments for rent and houses to buy. We settled on an apartment for rent, signed a lease, and moved the next month. The first night in our apartment we couldn’t sleep because of the construction noise next door. We were so frightened that we went looking for houses to buy the next day and ended up buying a brand new house.

Two weeks after moving to Austin, I flew to NYC to see my amazing client, Maria Durso, release her first book From Your Head To Your Heart at Christ Tabernacle in Queens, New York. Then I was asked to ghostwrite my first book for their friend Willie Alfonso, the Chapel Leader to the Hispanic Players of the New York Yankees. Honestly, I was so distracted by the whole thing that I didn’t have a chance to bond with Austin–like at all.

Suddenly, Austin didn’t appeal to me anymore. I wanted to be in NYC where all the excitement was.

Then I got pregnant.

Then I had a miscarriage.

After months of searching for a new job, Marc stumbled upon a job in Houston. We said yes before we even had a chance to go look at places to live. We sold our brand new house after only living in it for four months to move to Houston to live in an apartment that was literally falling apart.

Even after our apartment manager let us move from the apartment that was falling apart–no working toilet and noisy neighbors–to a town home, we still weren’t happy. We quickly found out the town home was double the trouble including Marc’s new job.

Would we ever find a place/job/church community we felt like we belonged? I knew choose the word belong as my one word for 2016 for a reason, but I was not prepared for just how hard it would be to learn.

I remember the day when Marc and I decided we regretted the decision of selling our brand new house to move to Houston. I got a text from my friend Caite in Austin, and she told me that if it weren’t for us selling our house that she might not have found her dream calling. She told us not to give up and to keep dreaming so others, like her, wouldn’t be afraid of the fear of failure. You can read more about her story on my blog here.

Every day in Houston felt like we were tumbling down a mountain that wouldn’t end (see funny video here).

We endured long days and nights including chain-smoking cigarette smoking neighbors, a rat infestation, cockroaches, no running water, no working toilets, leaking walls and ceilings, and a nasty sewer smell every time took a shower.

It’s no wonder my panic attacks returned.

It wasn’t until I sponsored my first event, The Declare Conference, that I realized my dreams were not dead. They were, in fact, bigger than ever. You can read more on my blog here. I was able to reconcile with my former editor at Harvest House Publishers. It was so freeing to be able to share from my heart with the Harvest House executives a month later. They told me that they didn’t hold any animosity towards me, and I told them I didn’t have any towards them either!

Sometimes books just don’t sell.

And it hurt them too.

God used that phone call to heal my heart for good. It didn’t matter that we still had a few months left of living in Houston. It didn’t matter if I didn’t write another book. None of it mattered. I was finally free! I did belong!

God broke the cycle of ungratefulness in my life. Instead of counting the days left we had in Houston–I made the days count thanks to a suggestion from my sister in law.

I began counting all of the ways God spoke to me. At first, it was painful. We had been counting down since 227 days. It wasn’t until I was in the 70’s that my list of things God was speaking to me outgrew the number of days we have left. It wasn’t until the end of September that God broke through to us both!

God provided a part time job out of nowhere that actually interested Marc. A job that he could work nights and weekends. A job that is now–praise the Lord–his full time job. He will travel back to Houston when he is needed, but we are now both working from home in Austin!

Before I share some of the sweet nuggets from God–I just want to say that I clearly had no idea what hard looked like. I am grateful that God replaced my stony heart of sin with a soft heart. I picked the word cultivate for my one word for 2017. I look forward to seeing how God prepares my heart for the growth of what He has for us in the New Year.

I wrote this on my Facebook Timeline as we made the drive to Austin with all of our things.

Dear Houston,

Thank you for being a city of Refuge, a place we could run to, to find hope. I know now why the Bible commanded cities of refuge for the weary-for rest, protection, and growth. I am grateful God provided the opportunity even if it almost broke us, because we found the freedom we so desperately craved-including God giving Marc the breakthrough he needed in his dreams and career.

Houston, I don’t hate you and I think you’re beautiful, parts of you anyway. Thanks for the memories.

I will never forget!

Sincerely,

Former Resident

God showed me that I am now living the truth of my book, Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me, that after death comes life. I live to tell another story. The past few months were the sweetest and richest days I have ever experienced in the past three years.

Here are some of the things I learned during my time of developing my own sacred rhythms:

#1: Movements are happening in difficult places. Be ready to go and willing to stay.
#3: Some things cannot be experience in community
#4: This time I will praise the Lord (See Genesis 29:35).
#5 My joy does not depend on others including my husband (See Luke 1).
#6: Replace The American Dream with The Jesus Dream (Ali Llewellyn).
#7: Forgiveness is not the end of my story. I live to tell another story.
#8: Dreams restore people to life in Jesus.
#9: God chooses how He blesses us.
#10: If obedience is not about winning or losing, then I no longer have to be afraid of the adventure of life. Faith takes fear out of the equation.
#12: Pain & discomfort is not an automatic closed door. An open door is not necessarily from God.
#13: I named my inner critic Unloved Leah (See my blog here).
#17: I am woman hear me war! (See my blog here).
#19: How dare I claim Houston as my inheritance (See my blog here).
#21: All I know is that You, Lord, are here now (See Here Now (Madness) by Hillsong).
#22: The wilderness shatters bad patterns (Pastor Ray Bentley).
#25: Am I investing in ways that help or hinder others including myself (See Mark 11:15-19).
#26 No one shall return the way he entered (See Ezekiel 46:9).
#28: There is hope in Houston.
#29: God answers prayer for His glory.
#30: God’s goal for shame is redemption.
#39-41: Our win is not to beat our neighbors… in success. Pilgrimage is a good thing. There is no need to fear or hate those who help us in our pilgrimage. My neighbor is not the enemy. The enemy is Satan (See Ephesians 6:12).
#45: No more running, distractions, or supressing.
#47: I will walk with integrity of heart in my own house (See Psalm 101:2).
#49: Wait for His counsel (See Psalm 106:13). There are no shortcuts. There is nowhere to run. Don’t test God and demand your cravings to be filled (See Psalm 78:18).
#50: Resurrection is the goal, not death.
#52: When I fall, I shall rise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.
#53: “A wise woman builds her house” (Lisa Spivey, See Proverbs 14:1).
#54: Peace does not come from a location or even a solution. It comes from Jesus.
#55; I don’t have to do anything.
#58: Houston hurts because I hurt.
#59: “What are you doing here, Renee?”
#60: I don’t know what I want.
#64: Sometimes the place you are most comfortable is not the place you belong (See The Queen of Katwe).
#76: “We are made to stand and fight. The armor of God only covers the front” (Jenn Hill).
#79: Don’t waste the solitude
#81: Fulfillment in life starts inside yourself.
#82: “I am resting for something (which I cannot see yet) not from something” (Monique York).
#84: My days of performance are over!
#89: “The miracle happens in the breaking. The seed breaks, joy is found” (Ann Voscamp, The Broken Way).
#93 & #96: Cultivate the garden of my soul. Cultivate seeds of hope. Cultivate will be my #oneword365 for 2017.

Questions: Have you ever counted the ways God speaks to you? What is one thing you can do starting today to make 2017 count?

About the Author:

Renee Fisher is a spirited speaker, coach, consultant and author, who published her first nine books in under eight years. A self-proclaimed “Dream Defender,” Renee is passionate about calling dreams to life in others. A graduate of Biola University, she lives in Austin, Texas with her handsome husband and their fur child named “Star.” https://reneefisher.com/

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 8 – Erin Stache

Thankful. Thankful. What am I thankful for? This would generally seem to be an easy question to answer. But truth be told I’ve known about this guest post for a little over a month, and I’ve been trying to think of the one thing I can concisely get in to a post that expresses the end all-be all of thankfulness. Deep breath. Here we go.

Over the last several months, I have been amazed – astounded even- at the Lord’s perfect timing. This is something we so regularly find ourselves praying for, but do we ever really take the time to notice how He works and brings things to be in our lives? I don’t think we do. And yet, because He is faithful and patient, He has opened my eyes just a little bit more to His perfect timing in the lives of many friends as well as my own.

I won’t share their stories, but I sit in amazement at how He brings things to pass that we would never otherwise see coming- career changes, houses selling, pregnancies, sicknesses, a small chat with a friend, a free meal, a letter in the mail. Our God does so in such a way that it leaves of breathless, hopeful and wanting more of His sovereign hand in our lives. And what I come to is this- He knows what we need. Oh, but I try to tell Him what I think I need in my laundry list of requests that I pray each day, but the Father knows our every ache and need.

My husband and I desired so badly to start a family over a year ago. We tried and tried. Some may understand this struggle. Yet, in the back of my head I knew a move to another state and job would be coming within months. We could possibly be moving with a newborn or be near the expected due date if my plans would have succeeded. Y’all. I fretted something serious over the timing of getting pregnant. Can we ever really plan that? No, No we can’t. But I worried. I did not want to have to move in either situation. God had greater plans and taught me more of Himself when I had to rely on His timing. It turned out that I actually did not find out I was pregnant until the move had to happen. We moved ourselves from New York to Mississippi with a nice little side of morning sickness. (Thankfully we had great help from Jeremy’s mom.) But the Lord orchestrated that timing, which turned out to be even greater as Jeremy would not start his new job for another 2 months. Talk about having a husband home during the ENTIRE first trimester when I was too sick to lift my head at times. This is just one small example of His timing. But I love it.

I love to see how He is working in our lives to produce true believers – dependent believers. I love to see how He has used Amelia’s life to teach me more about joy and surrender and thankfulness. I love to see Him build the faith of others through His ways – not our own. And for that, I am thankful.

About the Author:

Erin currently lives in Mississippi with her husband, Jeremy. They are anticipating the arrival of a bundle of sassiness in late January. Erin enjoys reading, writing, Cokes from Chickfila, and all the reality shows. Erin blogs at thislifethiswife.com.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 7 – Kerri Pomarolli

Today’s post comes from one of my dearest friends and favorite comedians — Kerri Pomarolli. It reminded me to enjoy the little things and I pray it brings joy to your day!

Things I am Thankful For – October 2017

1. Waking up with two kids to cuddle with and neither of them peed in my bed.

2. Waking up in general. Some people didn’t get that luxury today.

3. Time with my kids laying in their bunk beds taking about life and waterslides in Heaven.

4. Chocolate Brownies/Chocolate Cake from Costco/Chocolate Candy..you get the picture.

5. Old friends that know my “stuff.” I can see them and they just “Get it!”

6. Apple Cider and Doughnuts from Michigan in the Fall.

7. Driving down a street in LA seeing Fall colors knowing it will not get below 70 degrees today.

8.Having a job I truly love and wouldn’t trade for the world. I prayed years ago for a “Make me Happy Job!” It was either doing comedy or being a massage therapist. Both them of them have a very low complaint ratio.

9. Advil..God invented Advil because sometimes my body gets mad at me for abusing it. I realize there are things I don’t need to do over the age of 35…Ride A Horse..Roller Skate…Zip line!

10. Friends like Amelia who not only asked me to write this blog but will correct my grammar and spelling. Because Youe Cant bee Prettie and a Goud Spellar!

About the Author:

Kerri Pomarolli-Hollywood Actress, Comedian, Writer of “Moms Night Out Devotional”( came out with the movie), Kerri is a clean comedian who tours all over the world doing clean comedy shows and being an out of the closet Christian. She does Churches, Corporate events, film and TV. Mostly she enjoys watching kid inappropriate shows with her 6 and 9 year old like Poldark on PBS and Gilmore Girls.

www.kerripom.com

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 6 – Sara Koshy

Our baby was supposed to be almost 16 weeks along when we went for our third ultrasound appointment. My husband and I had returned home a few days before, having been overseas on a work trip (for him)/ tag-along vacation (for me). We had been in Israel for the first time, walking along the beach of the Mediterranean Sea each evening, and strolling thru Old Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during the days. I was able to place my hand on the spot that maybe, possibly was the birthplace of Jesus. We walked slowly along the Via Delarosa. Then we flew thousands of miles in the sky back to our own bed and our own bathroom and all those other familiar comforts of home.

It was a Friday afternoon and the skies were grey and rainy. We saw her little profile for the first time and she truly looked like her own little person in there. I asked, “Shouldn’t we be able to hear the heartbeat?” It was several more minutes and another midwife brought in to check and double check. And then the words I’ll never forget, “I’m so sorry, Sara. There’s no heartbeat or bloodflow. Your baby is already gone.”

Two days prior, the song “Even If,” by the group MercyMe, had played on the radio and I sang along to the words I had only recently heard when a friend shared the music video on Facebook. “It’s easy to sing when there’s nothing to bring me down. What will I say when I’m held to the flame like I am right now? I know You’re able and I know You can save through the fire with Your mighty hand. Even if You don’t, my Hope is You alone. I know the sorrow and I know the hurt would all go away if You’d just say the word. Even if You don’t, my Hope is You alone.” I don’t know if that was premonition, or if it was the Holy Spirit gently preparing my heart. Because in that moment, laying on that table at the midwives office, I had a choice. And for the next two weeks–especially–I had a choice. At first going through labor and delivery, giving birth to my first tiny baby girl who’s soul had already gone home to Jesus, having emergency surgery and then going home with empty arms…preparing for a funeral in which my husband and I, not yet married a full 9 months, would be burying our baby…having my milk come in, crying in pain and weeping in sorrow…in all this, I had a choice.

As Elisabeth Elliot asks in her writings, “Would I shake my fist at God, or would I run to Him?” Would I blame God for taking my baby, or would I thank Him for the gift of life, the gift of knowing I could be pregnant, the gift of knowing that this nearly flat-chested, self-conscious girl could produce quite a lot of milk actually? (Many moms who give birth even at full term never have much milk. But here, God was giving me hope for future babies in the midst of my loss and sadness.) Would I thank my Heavenly Father, who himself had lost His only Son for a time, for what would become one of the most precious experiences of my life thus far, something that would bind my gentle and loving hubby and I together like nothing else in this world ever could?

[clickToTweet tweet=”As Elisabeth Elliot asks in her writings, ‘Would I shake my fist at God, or would I run to Him?'” quote=”As Elisabeth Elliot asks in her writings, ‘Would I shake my fist at God, or would I run to Him?'” theme=”style1″]

By God’s mighty grace and through the prayers and encouragement of many saints, I clung tightly to God and His hope and peace. As a woman with a super sensitive personality, one who fights near daily with anxious, negative thought cycles, who feels things so keenly…I had to choose to look to God, choose to not rely on my feelings, choose to trust and hope and even to keep praying. To paraphrase again from Elisabeth Elliot, “So much of this life is the daily choosing to trust and obey, letting the warm fuzzy feelings follow after, if they come at all.” I can’t wait till I have no doubts before I trust fully in my Heavenly Father.

The beauty in all of this for me is that when I’m thankful in spite of it all, God shows me good gifts and little mercies in the midst of it all. I have found the mercy of knowing I’m not alone in my journey…that there are countless other moms who have also lost their babies too soon; a club of sorts that we find ourselves in most reluctantly. We live in a broken world, waiting for redemption. Life is going to be painful and messy and traumatic; there’s no doubt about that. But I can choose to link arms with those around me, sharing my story, listening to theirs, crying together, walking together, and growing and healing together. I have also seen the gift I’ve been given of being able to not only sympathize but truly empathize with my fellow mamas suffering through postpartum depression. Due to the trauma I went through, as well as hormones being quite out of whack, my journey has led through some very dark days of depression. I now know the most wonderful help of a wise and skilled professional counselor. A therapist that one meshes well with and can open up to so vulnerably is a mercy and grace and gift all rolled into one.

My husband and I have seen the treasure that is friendship lived out as dear ones near and far have held out their hands to hold us up and offered their shoulders for us to cry on. When we first shared the news at Easter of a Koshy baby on the way, there was shock and awe and so much rejoicing. I wanted to tell our family and friends sooner rather than later, because I always figured that that would mean more people praying for a healthy mama and baby. There was the temptation to regret this decision a few months later. But what is the use of true friends if they are only there to rejoice in the happy times? To have someone to share in our sorrows is the glue and reassurance we all desperately need in this life. To be able to write to a friend and say, “Hey, today is a really bad day, and I miss my baby and I miss carrying her in my tummy and being able to place my hand there and tell her ‘Good Morning! Mommy loves you.’ Would you please pray for me?” This is what I give thanks to God for. For friends and for family and for my husband, especially, who has proved himself over and over as my steadying anchor and calming embrace. When we said our vows, committing ourselves to each other, “In sickness and in health, in joys and in sorrow…” I would bet quite a lot of money neither one of us thought the sorrow part would come so soon. But this is life. This is living. This is what we all must walk on this pilgrim journey.

And so God’s grace has been sufficient in all of this. He has been faithful and He will always be faithful. I give thanks that I can trust Him, I can lean into Him, knowing that “all I have needed, [His] hand hath provided.” In my trusting, I must know and believe that what He gives to me is for my best. It obviously won’t always be what I want, or when I want it. But I will always be able to look back and see my Heavenly Father’s hand and that hidden thread of God weaving His story in my life. For all of this, I give thanks.

[clickToTweet tweet=”And so God’s grace has been sufficient in all of this. He has been faithful and He will always be faithful. ” quote=”And so God’s grace has been sufficient in all of this. He has been faithful and He will always be faithful. ” theme=”style1″]

To read more of our 31 days of Thanksgiving posts, you can visit here.

About the Author: I’m a newlywed-ish housewife to my bearded teddy bear of a husband, living in Fort Worth, Texas. After many years of being a nanny and doing volunteer work with a Christian ministry in Ireland, I met my husband thanks to a chocolate pecan pie I had baked. I love to visit new places and meet new people and re-read old books.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 5 – Brittany Wagner

I saw a sign today in a nail salon that read, “In consideration of others, please silence your cell phones.” Despite the sign, phones rang, people answered, and had conversations with girlfriends for the entire salon to hear. Others watched videos on Facebook with the volume turned all the way up.

I watched for two hours as there was absolutely no consideration for others. I pondered as I sat there why that was and what (if any) correlation that had to the events of our world today.

I concluded we are a self-absorbed, self-seeking, instant gratification society, and we have no time for gratitude. In order to be grateful, don’t you have to look up? Is it necessary to connect and listen to others to feel a true sense of thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude?

Ironically enough, the artwork that hung on my office wall for most of season two of “Last Chance U” was a whitewashed board with the word “Gratitude” written in script, and now it hangs over my bed.

I was doomed to work in the second poorest county in the poorest state in our country working with athletes who some might have labeled with just as negative adjectives. I had plenty to complain about and sometimes I did. My complaints came from being entirely too focused on myself. However, when I connected with the athletes around me, and listened to their stories and experiences, I became grateful. Not because I realized how blessed I was in comparison, but because I opened myself up and allowed the people I came in contact with to bless me.

It was a choice. I could have complained about the tiny office I sat in being packed with sweaty athletes all morning, every morning, leading to a packed afternoon of just trying to get my to-do list accomplished. Or I could see the joy that of all the places they could hang out, they chose my office. I got to hear stories, laughter, see smiles, get hugs, and connect with individuals who were nothing like me. In looking up and opening the door, I became blessed. I started counting those blessings. And when I started thinking negatively I would stop myself and consider the alternative that my office could be empty.

I believe that connection with others is where our true blessings lie, and in counting those blessings we become grateful. When we stop being selfish and concerned only with our needs, wants, and desires and start focusing on the needs, desires, and blessings of others do we experience gratitude. I challenge us all to “silence ourselves” and practice acceptance, consideration, tolerance, and love for others. Maybe, just maybe, this is where true gratitude lies.

About the Author:

Brittany Wagner is a nationally respected athletic academic counselor and life coach. She was the “mother” to the most dominant junior college football program in the United States – the East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) Lions.

With more than a decade’s worth of combined experience at the NCAA and NJCAA levels, Brittany spent eight years on the EMCC athletic administrative staff where she was responsible for monitoring the academic well-being of the school’s 200 student-athletes. EMCC’s athletic teams achieved tremendous classroom success during Wagner’s association with the college.

During her time in the junior college ranks, she helped over 200 football players and over 50 men’s basketball athletes reach the next level – many of whom are now playing professionally, including Quinton Dial – Green Bay Packers; Denico Autry – Oakland Raiders; Za’darius Smith – Baltimore Ravens; Jarran Reed – Seattle Seahawks; Chad Kelly – Denver Broncos and DJ Jones – San Francisco 49ers.

Ms. Wagner has recently garnered world-wide fame as the television star of the hit Netflix documentary series, “Last Chance U” – which follows the three-time NJCAA national champions during their 2015 and 2016 football seasons. Known for giving “troublemakers” their last chance at making it to the NFL, Ms. Wagner is the vivacious, mentor and mother-figure to the these men – often times the driving factor behind their future successes. Wagner’s recent stardom has landed her interviews with ABC’s Nightline, The Dan Patrick Show, GQ Online, New York Times, New York Daily News, and several ESPN affiliates. Her common question, “Do you have a pencil?” has become a phenomena across the world since the show’s debut.

For the past year, Ms. Wagner has traveled over the United States as a motivational speaker. Most recently she launched her own company, 10 Thousand Pencils. Through 10KP, Brittany is able to work individually with high school and college athletes, administrators, counselors and teachers on academic success and life skills. She earned her undergraduate degree in sport communication from Mississippi State University, followed by her master’s degree in sport administration. Wagner is a native of Clinton, Mississippi, and a single-mom to one daughter, Kennedy.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 4 – DiAnn Mills

Happy Wednesday my friends. I’ve been so encouraged by the posts that have been shared over the past few days. The posts written have been the reminder and comfort my soul has needed and today post does the same. Below is a post by one of my favorite authors – DiAnn Mills. Be encouraged!

Life is filled with interruptions, and while some people term these intrusions into their day as frustrating, I consider them grace-filled opportunities.

Nothing happens in our lives without God’s knowledge or approval. His love bathes our every breath and reassures the disruptions to our plans are designed for our spiritual growth.

We were created for relationship with God as a form of worship. We were also created for relationship with others to glorify God’s name. How wonderful to view an interruption as a blessing and means of worshipping God.

The following are three truths about God to remember when an interruption threatens to steal our joy:

God loves me beyond my imagination.

John 3:16 ESV “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 8:31 ESV “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

God has allowed this situation for my good.

Psalm 111:10 ESV “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

Proverbs 3:5 ESV “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

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Psalm 34:1 ESV “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalm 150:6 ESV “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

The next time you are interrupted and are prompted to respond in anger or dismay, remember our God allowed this moment for your good. How will you respond?

About the Author:

DiAnn Mills bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian Fiction books of 2014.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on Facebook: www.facebook.com/diannmills, Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannmills or any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Dana Mentink – Day 3

“Whatever it is – you are not to give thanks FOR the difficulties, but rather IN the difficulties. That is a very important distinction, and one I think we often miss. Giving thanks IN everything shows a heart of faith that God is bigger than the difficulties and that He can use them, if you approach Him with the right heart and spirit, for your good and His glory.” –Tony Evans

Oh I’m just not feeling so very thankful about some circumstances, dear readers. Do you have moments like that when life comes at you with both barrels and the joys seem few and far between? I’ve wondered long and hard about what is to be learned from unsolvable problems. I’m talking about the truly hard stuff, like parents taken from their children by disease, hurricanes that devastate the lives of good, good people, dreams deferred until it is too late to realize them. While I trust that God is for me, I struggle to discern what I am to learn from these terrible situations. Am I to grow more patient? (Sadly, I do not see signs of this.) To become somehow wiser and more gentle with others? Oh that it would be so! To learn better the ways of God? Still a great mystery to me, I’m afraid. But what if, as Tony Evans says, I am to give thanks to my Father IN the difficulties instead of FOR them? I decide to give it a try.

[clickToTweet tweet=”While I trust that God is for me, I struggle to discern what I am to learn from these terrible situations. ” quote=”While I trust that God is for me, I struggle to discern what I am to learn from these terrible situations. ” theme=”style1″]

1. Lord, I do not understand why there should be such a thing as Multiple Sclerosis that strips away a parent, a father, a husband, a brother, one painful inch at a time. I am not thankful for this affliction, but in the midst of it, I am deeply grateful that you are close, that you have provided loving hands and loving hearts to minister to those left behind. Tender mercies brought about in the midst of a tragic situation.

2. And what of those hurricanes, Father? Oh I most certainly do not feel thankful for storms that hurl one hundred fifty mile per hour winds and drown families, pets, homes. But in the howling winds, oh Father we have seen the ordinary people rise up in Your power, linking arms and hearts to save, to feed, to clothe, to shelter. You are certainly there, in the midst of the storm.

3. Lord, I feel very small in a very big and broken world. My talents are thin and weak, hardly a flicker of light that too often I want to shine to glorify myself instead of You. I do not remember to give thanks when my plans, my ambitions, my eager undertakings fall flat and fail. Let me always remember that I am here not for me, but for You. Thank You for your faithfulness when I forget that most important fact. In giving thanks I remember that You are bigger than my difficulties, my sin and the brokenness of this world.

Thank you, Father.

To read more of our 31 days of Thanksgiving posts, you can visit here.

About the Author: Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Harvest House. Dana was thrilled to be a semi finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition this year. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, Yogi, Boo Boo, their nutty terrier, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. Visit her on the web at danamentink.com, her Facebook page or Instagram at Dana_Mentink.

31 Days of Thanksgiving, Articles

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Tracie Peterson – Day 2

Day 2

As a writer of historical fiction I do a lot of research. I want each book to come alive with the history of the times and while I do make mistakes, I do my best to share history and events as accurately as possible. I read a lot diaries and journals from people who lived through the time period that I’m writing about and so often I’m amazed at the heart of gratitude and thanksgiving even when the author was faced with tragedy and trials. These men and women give amazing examples of looking beyond their bleakest moments to see the hope of something better–to be thankful for the blessings God has given. I think back over my own life and see how often God brought me through my own ordeals, not by focusing on the problem, but rather looking to Him and the good things that had come my way.

The bad is always out there and troubles are always with us. It’s so easy to pick up the newspaper or turn on the tv and hear the negative. People are angry, hurting and striking out against each other. I can’t help but believe that such negativity breeds even more negativity and that creates a cloud of darkness that engulfs everything and everyone. However, I think that we can change that with a heart of thanksgiving. All it takes is one person facing adversity and ugliness with thankfulness instead of hate and despair. You might think that’s not true. One person can’t do anything. But they can! One tiny candle lit, can put off a lot off light in a pitch black room. One tiny act of gratitude can influence the hearts of countless people.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, I challenge you to keep a list of blessings for one month – for these 31 days of thanksgiving. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. Dwell on the positive–the beauty–the blessings. You’ll be amazed at how it changes your heart.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

To read more of our 31 days of Thanksgiving posts, you can visit here.

About the Author:

Tracie Peterson gave her life to Jesus at the age of six. Tracie knew at an early age that God was calling her to ministry, and writing for Him has allowed her to offer the Gospel message and encourage people to hope in the Lord. Her motto in writing, as well as all other aspects of life is, Soli Deo Gloria – For God Alone the Glory.

Often called the “Queen of Historical Christian fiction”, Tracie Peterson is an ECPA, CBA and USA Today best-selling author of over 110 books, most of those historical. Her work in historical fiction earned her the Best Western Romance Author of 2013 by True West Magazine and USA “Best Books 2011” Award for best Religious Fiction for Embers of Love. She was given the Life Time Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers in 2011 and the Career Achievement Award in 2007 from Romantic Times, as well as multiple best book awards.

Tracie received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings’ Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership’s vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row. Eventually, Tracie also managed Barbour Publishing’s Heartsong Presents book line – overseeing the production of 52 books a year.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers/Baker Publishing Group. She has co-written with a variety of authors including Judith Pella, Judith Miller, James Scott Bell, Kimberley Woodhouse and her daughter Jennifer.

Tracie, a Kansas native, now makes her home with husband Jim in the mountains of Montana.

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 11- Kimberly Campbell

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 10 – Jenna Evans Welch

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 9 – Renee Fisher

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 8 – Erin Stache

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 7 – Kerri Pomarolli

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 6 – Sara Koshy

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 5 – Brittany Wagner

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 4 – DiAnn Mills

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Dana Mentink – Day 3

31 Days of Thanksgiving – Tracie Peterson – Day 2

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