Thankful Tuesday!

81. Pastor Mike
82. babies that are afraid of the rain
83. bread in the oven
84. washers and dryers
85. Chia pets!
86. wood floors
87. Aunt Rose
88. my Sunday school class (Jeff)!
89. a little break
90. Sonlight

Love you all! Hope you're warm and dry on this very wet day. Praying for you today and always.

Your sister in Christ,
Sandy

All is quiet in the Hensley household....

Believe it or not....all children are sleeping....???? you say??? Believe it! So what is the first thing that I need to do? Clean, laundry, homework???? No way Jose....Ima Bloggin'!! I don't know how you ladies make it through your day, if it is by listening to sermons or if you are listening to music or a mix like me. But, TODAY, I heard Chris Tomlin's new song called "Our God" and it was just awesome! Ariel sings it often in church and when I hear it I just get Jesus bumps from head to toe! LOVE IT!! Per Chris:
And if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us...
Did you hear that ladies?
Hell just trembled!!!!
Amen
Amen

God is asking me to do some things and I am scared outta my gourd!
Pray with me on it please...It is something that He has laid on my heart for
2 years and I just keep putting it off...but I will be on break starting the 17th so I am getting started! I will be calling you gals for input...I am putting you on speed dial! (Sandy..u ready?)
Back to work....Boo...

I love you my prayer warriors and I am praying for you today and always!

Your Sister in Christ,
Shana

A litte late....

61. MeMaw!!!
62. homeschool
63. mushrooms
64. Tara's email!
65. this blog
66. a godly husband
67. Ceily Jo
68. chocolate cookies
69.  books!
70. Mondays!


Love you all!
Your sister in Christ,
Sandy

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday Ladies! I hope that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving! I know that I did! I got to be with my family and friends over the last 4 days and it was so nice to have a little time off of work. Roy and I were able to go out with a few of our friends to the "Black Friday" shopathon. We are big people watchers so for us it is always entertaining to see others in their shopping mode, searching for that perfect gift with just the perfect price. Roy always uses these events as an opportunity to witness to others and I like to sit back and watch him in action. I can remember the first time that I took an Experiencing God Class, I had not been in relationship with Christ long and I wanted to skip the milk and go right on to the meat and potatoes course if you gals know what I mean. I was looking for God in all the wrong places and just treated Him kind of like a method or system instead of an actual person to be in relationship with. I've learned that we can sit back and watch the Holy Spirit move in others to initiate a relationship or fellowship with others and if we would be patient we just might see God working around us. So, I really enjoyed watching the Holy Spirit reach out to our fellow Wal-Mart shoppers! There were those that were very receptive to Him and there were those that were more interested in towels for $1.33 each. But, I must say Girls....Roy and I had some much needed fellowship with others and most of all with each other. It is always nice when we get out with each other with the kids in good hands and just "be together" working in His service, while that we search for gifts for our munchkins. Anyway...on to our devotion for today!
Read Luke 4:22-30
(Paraphrased)
So they all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. They said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" Jesus said to them,"You will surely say this proverb to Me, Physician heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in your country. Assuredly I say to you that no prophet is welcome in his own country. But I tell you many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up 3 years and 6 months and there was great famine throughout all the land. But, none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath,in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha and none of them was cleansed except for Naaman the Syrian.So, all those in the synagogue, after hearing these things were filled with wrath. They rose up to thrust Him out of the city and and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built that they might throw Him over a cliff, then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Why do people in the religious world make idols, start and celebrities out of Christian singers and speakers?
In what regular situations do you face the adult version of "peer pressure" having to make the choice between being yourself and being what others want you to be?

Girls, girls,girls....how many times I have been so "impressed" by the words of others, not the words themselves so much but the presentation of those words. They all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the words that He had spoken. They weren't listening to Him, they were hearing Him. I know as a mother you Gals know what I am talking about! They were impressed by Christ's delivery, not what He said but how He said it. They missed it! Are we missing it? I think we are sometimes. I think that we miss it in our Sunday School classes, our Wednesday night service and our Sunday morning services. We are so taken aback by the delivery of the message and not the message itself. I am guilty of that. Our Pastor has such a way of delivering the message that we will sometimes get caught up in the eloquence of the way the message is presented. Notice also, how the crowds mood went from intriqued to murderous. Luke described it as "wrath!" When a person can go from admiration to infuriation in a matter of moments then something is missing! We are missing something! This is happening in our churches today. We are just wrapping our arms around a Preacher/Pastor because he delivers the message with such grace and with the performance that intriques our hearts to want what they have and we want to sit on the edge of our pews just waiting for what he will say next.....as Beth Moore has put it...This is the same congregation that will roll out the red carpet and graciously bow at your presence and the same congregation that will roll you back out the door with it! Ladies let not miss the message...forget the way that it is presented, what is written?

Your Sister in Christ,
Shana (PW)

Thankful Thursday on Saturday

I meant to post on Thursday but I was just having too much fun with my family! I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Things that I am thankful for today:

51. Jacob's sight
52.Bissel 3 in 1 vacuum cleaners
53. Popcorn in the floor (for Jacob to sweep up with his "Bacuum")
54.Dr. Julia Stevens with UK Eye Clinic
55. Sherry with First Steps
56.Cindy with the Ky School of the Blind
57.Singing and Dancing Snowmen
58.Homemade Buttercream Icing
59.I am thankful that Tara is posting with us now!
60.Going to see Mike and Debbie in the morning!!

Praying for you girls tonight!

Your Sister in Christ,
Shana

Happy Thanksgiving and Thankful Thursday!

Praying that each of you has a blessed Thanksgiving.

Some things I'm thankful for:

31. a pink sky
32. apple bread
33. portable nebulizers and friends that let you borrow them!
34. Charles Spurgeon
35. baby toes
36. IGA
37 .warm socks
38. prunes
39. Fiddler on the Roof
40. chickens

Love you all!

Your sister in Christ,
Sandy

Wordless Wednesday...

(photo credit to Neil)

Mulititude Monday on Tuesday....

 

 Oops...I forgot to post this yesterday - sorry. So, this is basically a challenge to give thanks. We're trying to reach 1,000. I don't think that will be a problem! Post in the comment section if you like and keep them numbered. Ready?

1.The blood of Jesus!
2.Shana's post from yesterday
3.the oppotunity to know each of you better
4.the gift of prayer
5.the power of prayer
6.a slower pace this week
7.a quiet morning to read
8.rain
9.ice cream
10.puppy breath :)

OK, so a few of those might seem silly but I'm still thankful for them! So, 10 down, 990 to go!

As always, I'm praying for each of you today. Have a blessed day and remember if you need prayer PLEASE let someone in your prayer group know.

Your sister in Christ,
Sandy

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday Gals! I have a new love now, BLOGGING...I must tell you girls, I get on here daily to see if anyone has posted, just like a child on Christmas morning,I am full of excitement and glee when I see that we have a new post! My weekend flew by too fast, leaving me feeling like it was just a daydream, I so much enjoy seeing my husband behind a pulpit preaching the Word of God...if you ladies just knew where God has brought us from you would understand the thankfulness,unworthiness, and humbleness that brings to my heart. We are so blessed to be a part of Grace Baptist Church! I can't ever stop telling you girls how thankful that I am to be a part of this group, if I say it once I will likely say it a thousand and one times. Anyway, on with our devotional for today: Bible Verses: Luke 4:14-21 (Paraphrased) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him had spread all about to the surrounding regions.He taught in their synagogues being glorified by all. So, He came to Nazareth and as custom was, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day to stand and read. As He was given the book of Isaiah to read He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has annointed Me,to preach the Gospel to the poor,brokenhearted,proclaim liberty to the captives,recover sight to the blind,set free the oppressed,to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. He then closed the book and sat down. All eyes were on Him and He said,"Today these scriptures have been fullfilled." OK... When Christ said,"The Poor", he wasn't talking about finances, he was talking about my helplessness,my afflictions,my distress. I am ALL of these things, I need Christ to heal my brokenheart! I don't know if I want to be set free though...If I am no longer dealing with "something" I may not "Need" Him like I do now..so I don't know that I want to be set free just yet...I want to always be in a state of "suffering" so that I am always on my face in prayer and have the honor of looking back at answered prayers. I think that we all just want a "quick fix" for our problems and we totally miss the good stuff..you know what I am sayin' gals? The middle of a trial is the best part...I just came out of a trial a few years back probably the hardest in my life and I can look back on it now and vision myself in a muddy lake of misery..just barely able to put one foot in front of the other, my legs are so heavy that I can feel my muscles quiver with the weight of my affliction, but then I call on Jesus...He doesn't take it away though girls, He holds my hand and lets me know that the battle is His, not mine, I need to just follow Him and instead of deliverance I have something so much more precious,He walked me through it, somedays I trudged through the mud, and other days I walked on top of the mud, but it all depended on my reliance on Him. I know you gals have to be going through something. We all are right? I am praying for you girls today! I am with you on the banks of your mudpit, cheering you on! I see Jesus with you, holding your hands, He is right beside of you,not watching you pull your self through the mud one shaky leg at a time but whispering in your ear,"The battle is not yours, it's mine, lean on me." I haven't walked on water my lady friends, but I have walked on top of mud, and sometimes I think, what's the difference. One takes just as much faith as the other. Don't forget to enjoy your mudpits they are where you see Him. It's where we get to show Jesus just how much we need Him. I am thankful today for my mudpits, and as long as I have Jesus, I say,"Bring it on!!" Those hardtimes don't know how powerful that our God is. Hang in there girls, I am living life right along with you! I love you my prayer warriors! Your Sister in Christ, Shana

November 22, 2010 4:04 AM

Thankful Thursday

Good morning! Let's start our day off with a thankful heart! List 5 things you're thankful for (you can do that in the comment section our simply on your own). I'll go 1st!

1. clean water - see here for why
2. a warm house on this cold morning
3. crumbs on the floor (it means my kids have had breakfast)
4. my Bible
5. my prayer group


Wow! How easy was that! Praying that each of you has a blessed day filled with thanksgiving!

With much love and prayer your sister in Christ,
Sandy

Care to join me?

Are you up for a challenge? I recently found this and it really hit home. I don't give thanks nearly enough. I could spend a lifetime thanking God for all of His blessings on my life but far too often I get trapped into a mindset of thinking of all the things that I have to do instead of praising God for all that He has already done.Here's a link to One Thousand Gifts. Now, #2 kinda got me, I don't want to do something to make my life better, it should be about praising God. Period. But obviously if we live out a life of thanksgiving then the things listed in #2 will come about. Anyway... check it out and see what you think. Praying for each of you today. Let's take time to Thank God for everything most importantly His Son, our Savior!

Your sister in Christ,
Sandy

Happy Monday!

I just felt like this was the perfect name! I've posted some links over on the side - let me know if you'd like to add anything else. Looking forward to learning and growing in Christ with each of you! Praying for each of you today and always.

Your Sister in Christ,
Sandy