Go. Be. Do.

Life. Life in Christ. Eternal life through Christ. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,  where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life , appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-3

My goals for the month of November have been to... Go through boys' closet:  declutter, separate into keep/donate/sell piles, make a list of clothing to purchase to get through the winter months. Completed!   Begin sorting through "hot spots":  A move is in our future. I would like to get a good start on decluttering before crunch time. Found some time to sort through the miscellaneous items being housed in our desk.  It's load has lessened.  May get to some other hot spot areas this afternoon...and will carry this goal over to December.   Encourage intentionally:  As I am encouraged by others, I hope to extend that same encouragement to others. I have found that in encouraging others, I reminded myself of many times God strengthened me through encouragement in my life.  It's been a blessing to intentionally look for ways to encourage others...but, I know there are so many opportunities I missed, too.  It's a lifestyle change I hop...

The things that I am thankful for in my home are numerous. Here is the short list... the people who reside there with me ♥ central heating/air system running hot/cold water dishwasher washer & dryer stove/oven shared love & laughter pictures/photo albums family heirloom quilts windows that allow the sunshine in

...until the December Photo Project begins again! I so loved the challenge and joy of taking at least one photo each day of December last year that I have signed up for this year, too.  Hopefully, this will jumpstart me into taking more photos in 2013 than I have in 2012.

Outside of the gift of salvation from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I am most thankful for the gift of friendship extended to me by people who know me and still love me anyway. Truly I do not believe their could be a better gift to receive than that of friendship...life is better with friends to share it with. Thank you anyone who calls me friend!  I cherish you and your friendship.

I am thankful for any song that is all about giving praise to the One who is worthy of it in all circumstances of life. I am thankful for silly and fun songs that can be sung with my boys. I am thankful for songs that begin right after Thanksgiving and continue until Christmas Day!  Bring on the Christmas carols...Rudolph...Jingle Bells...Holly Jolly Christmas...Hippopotamusases...and all the others! It, indeed, is the most wonderful time of the year!

The charity that first comes to mind is Locks of Love .   I love the concept...I love that it costs nothing to grow your hair...I enjoy the joy I have seen in girls who are growing their hair out long enough to one day donate to this charity.   Maybe one day I will do it myself...maybe. :)

My smartphone and my laptop come in at a tie for top luxury items...things I could live without, most certainly, but things I would miss having around if they were no longer at my fingertips.

Just purchased my ticket to Anchorage, AK for June 2013! No matter how many times I click "confirm", the excitement remains the same. God has done great things, is doing great things, and will do great things again in the hearts of His children and those who need to hear the Gospel in Alaska. God is good!

Here are a few of my favorites...but I am thankful for every moment, place, and expression I have ever captured in a photograph!  

I am most thankful for the Bible!   Favorite words of wisdom... "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Dr.Suess

A favorite keepsake of my own is my "got moose?" T-shirt from my first trip to Alaska in 2008. A disappointment that turned into a blessing for me was when I gave up my window seat this past summer in exchange for an aisle one on my flight into Anchorage. My post, " a willing sacrifice ", tells of this disappointing moment turned blessing.

A few weeks ago I was stricken with an awful virus...while my body was weakened I picked up a bacterial infection which turned into a sinus infection and bronchitis.  It was a week of simple horribleness.  I laughed as I had prayed just a week prior that God would help me curb my appetite so that I would not want to snack as often or eat as much.  He answered that prayer of mine for my appetite was surely gone for awhile. Not quite what I had in mind, but....it's not my choice on how He chooses to answer.  :)  It has worked, however, and the snacking urge has not returned still to this day.  Praise God! Along with the answered prayer, I was reminded of how good healthy feels.  It reminded me to give thanks for each day that we go without major or even minor illnesses!  All three remaining family members were able to enjoy the benefits of being sick after me.  Each one, thankfully, was less ill as it was passed on.  That is opposite o...

Scripture... "The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him." Isaiah 61:1-3 Saying... If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything. Quote... "Wherever you go, go with all your heart." ~Confucius

Go through boys' closet:  declutter, separate into keep/donate/sell piles, make a list of clothing to purchase to get through the winter months. Completed!   Begin sorting through "hot spots":  A move is in our future. I would like to get a good start on decluttering before crunch time. Slow going, but going, nonetheless!  Began by going through Christmas decorations and the closet in which they are stored along with other not used everyday items.   Encourage intentionally:  As I am encouraged by others, I hope to extend that same encouragement to others. I am enjoying this one!  Notes, emails, fb messages, blog comments, phone calls, face to face conversations...the opportunities to do this are endless!

As a wife and mother, I am thankful for any store that offers great deals, everyday low prices, and one-stop-shopping opportunities because I would rather not spend all my time and money running around town for things.

I am thankful for experiencing... Salvation. God moments. Marriage. Motherhood. Friendship. Family gatherings. Wow '08 Alaska...and '09, '10, '11, '12, and...  :) Walks on the beach. Deep sea fishing. Serving others. Hard times that stretch and grow my faith. Forgiveness. Hot summer days. Jumping in leaf piles. Sledding. Spring flowers. Road trips. South Africa. Holding hands. Sunsets. Life.

I am so thankful for Mom and Grandma who took the time to teach me the way around a kitchen!  They wrote down several of our family favorite recipes and I still use them today...and hope to for years to come.  They also taught me how to make do with what I have and make something good out of it. Grandma always made the best pies when I was growing up.  No one does it like Grandma...but I hope I am close to getting as good as she was!  (Although Grandma is still with us, she doesn't make pie anymore.) My favorite recipe that I have is for grape pie .  We had two different recipes growing up, but the one Grandma wrote down for me is the one I always use. It reminds me of several things to be thankful for when I make it... Grandma who wrote the recipe down for me when I went away to college. Mom who still gathers grapes for me when they are ripe and freezes them for me. My aunt, Lavone, who sprays and takes care of the grape vines so they produce wonderful,...

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. Genesis 8:1-5 There are times in life when the water rises...and continues to rise...in our circumstances called life. Like rain, there are certain things that are not in our control.  Not at all. Blindsided. Legs out from underneath us. Spiraling out of control. Bad. I was reminded of this passage and my heart is encouraged. Which part of this verse is my f...

Because of the L ORD ’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23

Apparently I'm the "something old"...I downloaded the photo and totally forgot to come back and compose the post to go along with it yesterday... There are a number of things that I am thankful for that fall into the category of "something old". The first three things that came to mind were... The Bible...God's Word, although written in ages past, is still alive and relevant today.  I do not know where I would be without it, honestly. The Earth...although I may not agree with the age some scientists say, I know it has been around a long time.  All the adventures of others before me has opened the world up to me to explore on my own and find treasure and make memories for years to come. My Grandparents...at 90 and 91 years of age, respectively, my Grandma and Grandpa are still two of my favorite people ever.  I have been blessed to have them in my life for so long!

I am amazed at all the gadgets available to us today.  When I think back to my first computer experience in high school and then the excitement of an email account in college, I laugh at the humor of it all.  I did not have a cell phone until a couple of years after college.  Portable music devices were boomboxes that people carried around on their shoulders. Oh, how the times have changed for the better! My boys do not remember a day of their lives without computer or cell phone access.  Alex knew how to turn on the computer and use a mouse to open his counting and colors games by the age of two.  Tim, the same.  They both know how to work my smartphone better than I do...and are counting down the years until they may get one.  Scott even got in on the smartphone fad and began using my first one that I gave up once the camera quit working after I dropped it in some water.  (oops!)  Alex has a ipod touch on his wishlist for Christmas...Ti...

My favorite memory...how can I possibly choose just one? My favorite memory is the one that makes me smile, laugh, and perhaps cry (from laughing so hard) while remembering when. It could also be said to be the one that makes me stand in awe of the awesome God I serve. Or, perhaps, it is the one that brings out the testimony of just how far God's forgiveness has been extended to me. My favorite family tradition it enjoying Thanksgiving in Indiana.  As many of us as possible get together and catch up while enjoying wonderful food....turkey, dressing, noodles, mashed potatoes, Grandma salad, and (my all time favorite holiday dessert) date pudding. Our immediate family favorite tradition is us being home together on Christmas morning. My personal favorite tradition is celebrating my best friend's birthday...twice!  One year in college, she and I were working on the summer housekeeping crew.  It was June and she noticed on my calendar that her name was on one of th...

The restaurant that comes to mind is Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant in my hometown. Owned and operated by Christians, it was a great first job! They gave me my first job in college and worked around my schedule for me. Made some good friends while working there. Aside from gas money, it gave me an eye opening experience on how to handle serving others...and the fact that some people appreciate the littlest of things, while others are not pleased with anything. You take them both and make the most out of what you are handed. The website I am most thankful for is my own. God has given me courage to begin blogging...not for money or followers, but for His glory alone. A place to express myself in order for God to use as He delights. I had signed up months before I ever typed a word for a post. I could not come up with a title. Apparently when the time was right it just all fell into place. Some 400+ posts later, I still am enjoying the blogosphere. I have blogs I visit, ...

My three goals for the week were on my mind everyday.  Had it not been for a crazy busy schedule that had us running in and out all day, every day, this week, I might have been able to get to more of my goals than I did.  It's not because I didn't want to get at my tasks, it was because I was never at home long enough to get at them after all the normal everyday things like meals, dishes, and laundry were attacked. Go through boys' closet: declutter, separate into keep/donate/sell piles, make a list of clothing to purchase to get through the winter months. Well, we took a moment inbetween appointments on Tuesday to go and get the boys some pants that they desperately needed for this fall/winter.  Poor guys grow so fast that they seem to always be in high waters.  Alex picked out a red pair of pants from Old Navy...and he looks good in them.  I never would have imagined... Next week we will work to make room for their new clothes in their closet. Begin so...

I first must give thanks for the fact that I have an amazing Creator who gave me a nose with which I can enjoy the aromas of my favorite things in life, such as... Apple pie baking in the oven. A perfectly pink rose. Fresh sheets just in off the clothesline. Pot roast and veggies in the crockpot for Sunday lunch. Midnight Pomegranate lotion which takes me right back to Alaska every. single. time. Fresh cut hay. Apple cider and popcorn in the fall. Brownies cooling on the counter. Salty sea breezes on a warm summer's day. Thank you, Lord, for all the small things in life that make it so wonderful to be alive!

My tried and true, way too big, rough around the edges, giver of warmth, but most comfortable thing I own...Taylor University sweatshirt. I remember purchasing it in our little bookstore on campus.  I should not have splurged on it, but I did.  My guess is that it has paid for itself by now with all of the wearings I have gotten out of it. Maybe why this sweatshirt holds a special place in my heart is because it represents the most amazing college years a person could have in life.  There is little left to represent those years for me and numerous others due to circumstances out of our control, but that's a long story for another day. Only God in His infinite wisdom could have put this gal in just the right place at the right time in her life in order to learn, grow, experience, and enjoy all that my years at TUFW had in store for me. Thank God for providing for me in the way of tuition, a job, friends, and the best of the best in Bible professors!

Now I know most everyone who knows me would guess that a place that I am most thankful for is Alaska.  With good reason, too.  I do thank God for opening my heart up to His work being done in such a marvelously, wonderfully, amazingly beautiful, yet unchurched state. Honestly, I am thankful for a place...any place...God calls me to be at work doing His work. My own backyard...a place to play, explore, rest, enjoy God's handiwork displayed for me in nature, and raise my boys. My church...a place I worship, pray, hear God's Word taught faithfully, fellowship with believers, and serve others. Bible Memory Camp...a place I learn the truth about God by reading and memorizing His Word, see living examples on how to live out my salvation, worship, have a blast, all the while making disciples. These United States of America...a land full of beauty that tells of a magnificent Creator...all of them with their own history and stories just waiting to be heard and explored. Far o...

Being thankful for a snack seems kind of funny.  It works out, however, that with every snack that I have considered giving the title of "favorite" to I also hold fond memories with special people, for which, I am indeed very thankful to have in my life! For example, take " Puppy Chow ".  It could easily qualify as my favorite snack these days.  I do not make it very often and never just for myself because I cannot quit snacking on it.  Having it in the freezer does not help, either, because it is even better when frozen.  One of my best friends in youth group, back in the day, introduced me to Puppy Chow.  With every batch of it that I make, she comes to mind...and I still love her bunches to this day. Another in the race for favorite snack is chips and dip.  Before you correct my grammar, I do not think of chips and dip as plural, but as one food item, therefore, "is" is correct. :)  I do not buy said snack often at all for the same reason ...

I am very thankful for our home...but if I had to choose the cozy spot I am most thankful for it is in front of our living room fireplace.  Nothing soothes my soul more than having a roaring fire going to combat the cold temperatures.  Add pink fuzzy slippers and a mug of hot cocoa and you have perfection! The crackling wood, the dancing yellow flames, the glowing embers as it dies down...it's therapy for me and I love it! So thankful that back a few years ago we found a home with a large fireplace for me to sit in front of and dream of summer!

It has been more than a few months since I have last linked up with 3 in 30...no specific reason why, just life, I'd say.  We'll see how it goes again now.  There are a few things that have been on my mind to begin accomplishing in the next few weeks, so some wonderful, encouraging accountability just might be the ticket to getting my to-do list a little shorter. November goals... Go through boys' closet :  declutter, separate into keep/donate/sell piles, make a list of clothing to purchase to get through the winter months Begin sorting through "hot spots" :  A move is in our future.  I would like to get a good start on decluttering before crunch time. Encourage intentionally :  As I am encouraged by others, I hope to extend that same encouragement to others.

Moose... This may sound crazy, but the first animal that came to mind that I am most thankful for this year is a moose. Not just any moose, but the first one that my NBC family saw while in Alaska.   Trust me when I say that there is nothing sweeter than seeing a moose in the "wild" (even if it is in the city limits) for the very first time. I have been there myself back in 2008...the first moose sighting is simply something I will never forget.   Each time one is sighted it is just as exciting for me. Since 2008, I have had the joy of leading other teams on their moose hunts. God has granted favor and always provided at least one, and usually more, moose for my teams to see and squeal with delight over. This summer, I caught our second moose sighting on video.  It still makes me laugh out loud.  Enjoy!   

Jesus, the Son of God, my Savior! This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God-God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us.  1 John 4:13-19