Get Your Encouragement Here! Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T.!

Mondays are G.R.E.A.T.!

(Glad Rejoicing Encouraged And Thankful!)

Where did you find a little God-sent encouragement this week?

  Write a post (or comment) including a link back here to
"Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T!" Then link up and 
Get Your Encouragement Here!

Link up Below!

 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God:
yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Psalm 68:3

It's encouraging to realize that God has helped us through another week, sometimes in little ways.  What did God use to keep you going?  Did He let you know He was there? Speak to you through the Word? Send someone to help at just the right moment?  Here are 3 things which encouraged me this week:

• One of my daughter's friends spent the night and spread sunshine through our home with her pleasant and cheerful ways.
• A real-life friend who also blogs showed genuine pleasure in just being with me, sharing conversation over lunch.  When she got home, she remembered something I'd said and sent a follow-up email with information she thought might help me.
• A radio broadcast was exactly what I needed to hear.  God used the Scriptures shared in the radio Bible Study to speak directly to my heart.  I rarely have the radio on, and almost never at that time of day, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to be in that place at that time so I could hear that message.

The quiet everyday promptings and interventions of the Holy Spirit often go unnoticed or unrecognized.  What "little" encouragements did God send your way this past week?


Post a word, a Bible verse, or about any little thing which the Lord did this past week to strengthen, encourage and keep you hangin' in there, pressing on and looking up, and then link up below! No blog? No problem! Just post a comment!

Have you ever noticed how many times in His Word God says something like, "Let the righteous be glad!"  Glad is a word which has lost much of its meaning, so I looked up the definition:

Here's what I found "Glad" means:

a : experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight : made happy

b : made pleased, satisfied, or grateful —often used with "of" (e.g. "glad of your help")

c : very willing

Gladness isn't something we can conjure up, but we're "made" glad in the Lord. So, God is saying:

• Be "experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight" in Me.
• Be "made happy" in Me.
• Be "made pleased" in Me.  Be "satisfied" with Me.  Be "grateful" to Me.
• (See Ps. 32:11)

Are you glad? Are you great? Or are you "fine"?

Often when asked how we are, we automatically answer, "Fine." 

But fine may mean "Feeling In Need of Encouragement"!

Change your

F.I.N.E.

To
G.R.E.A.T.!
Glad Rejoicing Encouraged And Thankful!

God always enables us to do what His Word says.  He often sends people to help us!  That's what I've found in you:  a great-big-wonderful Encouragement with a capital "E"!

Join me, and spread the word! 

Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T.!

Where did you find a little God-sent encouragement this week?

Write a post (or comment) including a link back here to
"Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T.! 
Then link up, and let's all be glad in the Lord and Rejoice!

Read This and Be Encouraged!

Mondays are G.R.E.A.T.!

 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalm 32:11

Are you glad? Are you great? Or are you "fine"?  Often we answer automatically when asked how we are:  fine.  But fine may mean "Feeling In Need of Encouragement"!  Are you needing encouragement, especially at the beginning of the week? In my continuing effort to encourage you (and me), I'm starting a meme, or carnival, or whatever you want to call it, beginning next Monday. This is my first time at this, so I hope you'll encourage me by joining in! (I'm working on a button, and that will be coming eventually!)

It's encouraging to realize that God has helped us through the week, sometimes in little ways.  What did God use to keep you going this week?  Post a word, a Bible verse, or any little thing which the Lord did this past week to strengthen, encourage and keep you hangin' in there, pressing on and looking up, and then link up!


Don't Overlook the Little Things!
Let's be looking for little "God-sightings"--and not miss the little ways He's helped us through the week--and then share them!  The most encouraging thing sometimes is sharing my own discouragement and how God helped me through it by some very little thing.  Don't think it has to be "big"--just share it!  

FINE or GREAT?

Time to replace your

FINE: F(eeling) I(n) N(eed) of E(ncouragement)

With GREAT:

G(lad) R(ejoicing) E(ncouraged) A(nd) T(hankful)!

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!

The word glad makes me think of the movie "Pollyanna." Do you remember it?  Great family movie.  Hayley Mills, in the title role, played the "glad game." When life handed her something unpleasant, she would think of something in the situation for which she could be glad! Her wise father taught her the "glad game" when, on the mission field, she received crutches, instead of a doll which she'd been longing for, in the missionary barrel.  Seeing her deep disappointment, her father made up this game and encouraged her to find something she could be glad for in the crutches.  After much thought, she realized she could be glad because she didn't need them!  Pollyanna possessed an even and consistently cheerful disposition.

The dictionary definition of the word disposition "implies customary moods and attitude toward the life around one."

So, I asked myself, "What is my customary mood?"  Pained, I had to admit that it is far from evenly and consistently cheerful, like Pollyanna's.


That's when I started thinking:  I need a jump start on Mondays.  I need to be glad.  Maybe you do, too.  Add to the normal struggle to keep one's customary mood and attitude even and consistently cheerful the fact that everybody goes around saying how miserable Mondays are, and well, it's time for a change! 


How God Kept Me Going This Week
There were two things the Lord did this week that greatly encouraged me.  I was sitting on my sofa in the Family Room having some extended time of prayer, actually two different times (kind of unusual, lately) and the presence of the Lord moved in so real and so close.  So real. So close.  You know.  Like you could actually reach out and touch Him.  You feel like if you open your eyes you're going to see Him. I knew that He was there and I knew that He'd heard me!  It was awesome.  And I really, really needed that.


And, the second thing was that you sent me comments on my blog and notes in the mail that were so warm and loving and specifically appreciative and encouraging, and you didn't know that I needed encouragement right then, but they came at just the right time.


I don't tell you often enough, but I am glad for you, for what you write on your blogs, and what you say in your comments to me.  Your continued desire to live your life for the Lord, and your not growing weary in well-doing, even when you suffer for doing right, and even when you're going through trials. That is such a huge and ongoing encouragement to me.


So, be glad in the Lord and rejoice with me! And look for the little ways that God is helping you--and then post, comment, and link up next Monday!
Because "Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T.!"

Thankful Thursday: My Top 10 Thanks Today!

Ungrateful.  J. C. Ryle's "Do You Pray?" pricked my conscience.  I don't thank God sufficiently for the multitude of mundane manifestations of His goodness which He pours out upon my life daily.  Do I suppose these everyday events are not spectacular enough to mention?  Yes. And I have become blasé about His blessings.
I've attempted these last few days since discovering my ingratitude, to open my eyes and heart to the Love of the Lord lavished upon me in ordinary ways.


My Top 10 Thanks Today:

1. A Husband of Integrity and industry. He rarely, if ever, misses a day of work, plows and shovels immediately after a snowfall, never complains about having to work hard, rises early, fixes things that break.
2. A Home to keep me warm and dry.
3. 8 years cancer-free.  I'm alive! And healthy. (Why me, Lord? Thank You.)
4. 14 pounds lost in the last 3 weeks.
5. A God Who hears my prayers and answers.
6. The freedom and privilege to be a Keeper at Home.
7. Returned energy after illness.
8. Appliances which still run after 17 years, and a furnace which still works after 25.
9. No major trials. (Maybe I should be praying for some.)
10. Sunshine and warmer weather this week.

Today is Thankful Thursday!  Visit Laurie at Women Taking a Stand to participate and read other thankful hearts.  Thanks, Laurie, for hosting this month!


What Everyday Blessings Are You Taking For Granted?  Join me in Thanking God Today!

Thankful Thursday: Drink It Up!

I  recently heard it suggested that, for better health, you should drink a liter of water the first thing in the morning, before you do anything else.   (1 liter = 33.8140226 US fluid ounces!)

For many a moon, I've been a water-drinking fanatic, I guess you could say.  My family simply rolls their eyes when I suggest drinking water as the cure for seemingly every complaint!  But, it does seem to affect every area of our physical lives!

Here are some of the things drinking water does for me!

Drinking water:

• Regulates my body temperature
• Cleanses my system of impurities
• Helps my digestion and keeps me regular
• Helps me lose weight by making me feel full
• Keeps me from getting sick (and if I add lemon to my water, it becomes a natural antibiotic when I am sick!)
• Gives me energy
• Keeps me from getting headaches
• Is a natural moisturizer for my skin

So, after hearing this advice, I naturally pulled out my 32 oz. water bottle, and have been  trying to drink at least half a gallon of water before lunch everyday, starting with downing my 32 oz. water-bottlefull first thing in the morning (or as close to it as possible).  Lately, I've even drunk more than a gallon during the day.  But, I have to think about it, or I forget!  That's because I haven't really established this good habit yet.

This whole water thing got me to thinking of spiritual analogies.  I started thinking of ways that drinking water is similar to reading my Bible and I actually thought of quite a few!

• We must drink water, but not just any water.  We not only need to drink pure drinking water, but spiritually, we must have Jesus Christ, the Living Water.  We find Him throughout the Word of God.  Anything else is tainted and will cause us to be soul-sick or diseased.
•  Water must be available.  If you don't have your Bible, you can't read it, no matter how "thirsty" you are!
• Water must be of good quality.  Just any old translation won't do.
• Water must be pure.  We are not to tolerate any adding or subtracting to the Scriptures.
• I need a water filter to filter out what's bad for me, so that the water is able to help me.  The Holy Spirit is like a filter, allowing me to understand the Word so that it can be applied to my heart and life.
• Water must be actually swallowed to do any good.  God, in the book of James, says we must be doers of the Word, not just hearers only. It's no good to just hear it, you have to believe it and do it.
• Drinking water is always advised, but seldom taken in the quantities suggested.  You always hear people say, "Yes, I should drink more water." And, "Yes, I should read my Bible more."

For physical and spiritual health, it's "just what the doctor," and Our Great Physician, "ordered."

I'm very, very grateful for good quality water to drink everyday but, also, more so, for the Living Water, Jesus Christ, and my Bible--I should never take them for granted.

To participate and read other thankful hearts, visit Laurie at Women Taking a Stand.  Thanks, Laurie, for hosting this month!

Hospitality Week: The Ultimate Example of Hospitality

It's Hospitality Week here at Faith's Firm Foundation and it's also Thankful Thursday! To participate and/or read other thankful posts, visit Iris at Grace Alone (Thank you, Iris, for hosting this month!)

This has been an amazing week so far!  After posting about the super cute Pies in a Jar (from Our Best Bites), my friend Phyllis Sather posted on them and linked back and then her friend, Molly, from Econobusters posted with a link back after that.....and the number of you who've visited since then has been so amazing and I hope you've all felt a WARM WELCOME and read a few posts while you were here and have been inspired, challenged and encouraged!

So, picture me standing at my blog's Front Door with arms open wide, a big smile on my face, and saying, "Come on in!!  I'm sooooo glad you stopped by.  Please make yourself at home, let's be friends. Stay as long as you can, and when you have to leave,

don't stay away long!"

And that leads me perfectly into this Thankful Thursday post because I'm so thankful for God's opening His Home in heaven to you and me. He even made it possible for us to come! He gave The Gift:  Salvation through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son.  Talk about sparing no expense! He doesn't wait for us to come to Him.  He invites.  He pursues with relentless love!  He prepares everything so it's perfect, and gives and gives and gives.


Jesus' life on earth was the Ultimate Example of Hospitality, remarkable and challenging, demonstrating His Father's heart.  I was thinking about that and the ways Jesus showed a heart of hospitality while on earth, and it led me to ask some questions:

• Is there someone I know who others have shunned, and maybe God is leading me to reach out to them?  (Jesus was not afraid to touch a leper, Matthew 8:1-3, or talk to a Samaritan woman, John 4.)

• Is there someone whose past life and sin makes them think it is impossible for Jesus to forgive them, much less love them?  Could you be the one God wants to use to tell them of His love and forgiveness?  (Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee--Go, and sin no more," to the adulterous woman. John 8:1-11)

• Is there a child, or children, who God would have you lift up on your knee to share the joy that "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so"?  (Jesus' example was, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not:  for of such is the kingdom of God." Mark 10:13-16)

Jesus never sacrificed truth (He said, I am the Truth*), but no price was too great for Him to pay, either in His life or in His death, to invite us to share all that He is and has. He is the Ultimate Example of Hospitality. "Come eat and drink"--Come enjoy my Home with unbroken fellowship with Me......forever.


John 14:6--"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."