Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving
Friday, October 16, 2015
Full on Friday 10/16
You know what, it felt like Friday three times this week: Wednesday, yesterday, and today! But, at least, it is Friday now, finally!
Awesome Moments
1) Subbing at an awesome, technology driven college-prep high school chater. Now I want to teach there!
2) Having a date night with Justin in the middle of the week and going to the Temple, while mom watched Rhys all night.
3) Being able to go to the gym three times this week, and having two successful workouts while Rhys actually had fun at the daycare!
4) Watching my baby sister kick butt with her high school's marching band at the regional invitational at BYU. Their music was different songs about flying and air, including some excerpts from Wicked's "Defying Gravity." So, they had Newton's apple, clouds, flying capes, Da Vinci's flying machine, and in the last picture, you can't really tell, but the band is in the shape of an airplane, and the color guard in front is spinning propellers and the color guard in the back is waving cloud flags. They moved down the field like that and it was AWESOME! (My sister is the super short one.)
5) Watching all the Chopped episodes on Netflix with Justin, and "playing along". Once the basket ingredients are shown, we would pause and tell each other what we would do with them, then watch to see if our ideas were similar to any of the chefs'. We also thought this would make such a fun theme for a double-date, but where would we get a kitchen big enough for two couples cooking at the same time?
Grateful List
1) Being able to go to the temple and listen and pay attention to the words of the Initiatory. It was a nice boost and reminder to my testimony.
2) Rhys starting to get used to the daycare at Vasa Gym!
3) The opportunities I am getting for earning a little pocket change.
Awkward Moments
1) Rhys having a 2.5 hour nap and sleeping almost 13 hours at my mom's house whereas he only has an hour nap and sleeps 11 hours at night with us.
2) Getting behind on blogging and all that comes with it.
In Case You Missed It
Fried Zucchini Sticks
5 Tips for Having Toddlers Do Chores
Brazilian Style Fish Stew
Check Out My Lovely Sponsors
Sharlee changes the perspective of exercise
Rachel remembers breaking into her own home in a foreign country
Britt writes a heart-felt letter to her first-born as she gets closer to having her second child
Looking Forward To
- Many cool projects coming to a blog near you!
- Blogger Sleepover Soiree next weekend!
Awesome Moments
1) Subbing at an awesome, technology driven college-prep high school chater. Now I want to teach there!
2) Having a date night with Justin in the middle of the week and going to the Temple, while mom watched Rhys all night.
3) Being able to go to the gym three times this week, and having two successful workouts while Rhys actually had fun at the daycare!
4) Watching my baby sister kick butt with her high school's marching band at the regional invitational at BYU. Their music was different songs about flying and air, including some excerpts from Wicked's "Defying Gravity." So, they had Newton's apple, clouds, flying capes, Da Vinci's flying machine, and in the last picture, you can't really tell, but the band is in the shape of an airplane, and the color guard in front is spinning propellers and the color guard in the back is waving cloud flags. They moved down the field like that and it was AWESOME! (My sister is the super short one.)
5) Watching all the Chopped episodes on Netflix with Justin, and "playing along". Once the basket ingredients are shown, we would pause and tell each other what we would do with them, then watch to see if our ideas were similar to any of the chefs'. We also thought this would make such a fun theme for a double-date, but where would we get a kitchen big enough for two couples cooking at the same time?
Grateful List
1) Being able to go to the temple and listen and pay attention to the words of the Initiatory. It was a nice boost and reminder to my testimony.
2) Rhys starting to get used to the daycare at Vasa Gym!
3) The opportunities I am getting for earning a little pocket change.
Awkward Moments
1) Rhys having a 2.5 hour nap and sleeping almost 13 hours at my mom's house whereas he only has an hour nap and sleeps 11 hours at night with us.
2) Getting behind on blogging and all that comes with it.
In Case You Missed It
Fried Zucchini Sticks
5 Tips for Having Toddlers Do Chores
Brazilian Style Fish Stew
Check Out My Lovely Sponsors
Sharlee changes the perspective of exercise
Rachel remembers breaking into her own home in a foreign country
Britt writes a heart-felt letter to her first-born as she gets closer to having her second child
Looking Forward To
- Many cool projects coming to a blog near you!
- Blogger Sleepover Soiree next weekend!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
A Thankful Heart and Giveaway
** I received a free copy of the book from Cedar Fort Publishing in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As I've recently mentioned, I am focusing on gratitude to help bring myself closer to Christ. So I was very excited to be able to read this book.
This book is set up with 31 teachings or devotionals to focus on gratitude. It has a quote from a general authority in the LDS Church, a small parable or lesson, scripture references, and an ending thought. Christensen says that you can read these one of two ways--straight through, or take one teaching a day. That is what I've decided to do--one a day. Every day, when I wake up, I read two chapters of scriptures (right now I just finished 2 Kings), and then I'll read one teaching from this book. So, to be honest, I'm not finished with it, but it has done wonders to help me begin each day with gratitude. I am also highlighting all the references in my scriptures as they have to do with gratitude. But, even in my personal scripture study, I'm noticing more and more verses of gratitude and thanksgiving. It truly is what Christ wants us to do. I've seen myself kneel and say morning prayers more often, and my evening prayers are more full of gratitude. It has really helped improve my mental and emotional health, as well as strengthen my testimony and faith in Christ and His Church. Whether you are Mormon or not, I strongly suggest this book to help in your study of gratitude and recognizing all of God's blessings in your life!
And, because Christensen (and I) want you to focus more on the blessings in your life, we are offering a free e-copy of this book. It will be a digital copy, not a hard or soft cover tangible book. But, that way, you can put it on your smart phone or tablet and take it to church with you or on the road!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What are you doing to be more grateful in your life and see His blessings?
As I've recently mentioned, I am focusing on gratitude to help bring myself closer to Christ. So I was very excited to be able to read this book.
 |
| Via |
And, because Christensen (and I) want you to focus more on the blessings in your life, we are offering a free e-copy of this book. It will be a digital copy, not a hard or soft cover tangible book. But, that way, you can put it on your smart phone or tablet and take it to church with you or on the road!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You can purchase the book here:
Find out more about the author here:
What are you doing to be more grateful in your life and see His blessings?
Friday, September 18, 2015
One Thousand Gifts
This summer, after struggling with both anxiety/depression, and a trial of faith, my mom suggested reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.
This book is kind of a spiritual awakening memoir of Voskamp, who grew up in the Mennonite farming community of southwestern Ontario. She isn't Mennonite, but deeply Christian and had a personal conversion once she realized the true meaning of eucharisteo .
Rather than do a normal book review, I want to just share some of my favorite quotes:
"Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other."
"Now in the Bible, a name...reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God's gift...To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know its place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it and in it."
"I yearn for the stuff of saints, the hard language...I want the every fullest life...it is hard to think that the insulting ordinariness of this truly teaches the full mystery of all most important, eucharisteo."
"In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christian run out of time--wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ-followers?"
"Time to breath deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done--yesterday."
"All God makes is good. Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God."
"The parent must always self-parent first, self-preach before child-teach, because who can bring peace unless they've held their own peace? Christ incarnated in the parents is the only hope of incarnating Christ in the child."
"Feel thanks and it's absolutely impossible to feel angry. We can only experience one emotion at a time. And we get to choose--which emotion do we want to feel."
"Anxiety has been my natural posture, my default stillness. The way I curl my toes up, tight retreat. How I angle my jaw, braced, chisel the brown with the lines of distrust. How I don't fold my hands in prayer...weld them into tight fists of control. Always control--pseudo power from the pit. How I refuse to relinquish worry, babe a mother won't won't forsake, an identity. Do I hold worry close as this ruse of control, this pretense that I'm the one who will determine the course of events as I stir and church and ruminate? Worry is the facade of taking action when prayer really is. And stressed, this pitched word that punctuates every conversation, its it really my attempt to prove how indispensable I am? Or is it more? Maybe disguising my deep fears as stress seems braver somehow."
"I want that kind of crazy, happy joy, God...How have I lost it in the growing older, duller? How to see the world again thorugh those eyes? To live in the wide-eyed wonder of a world that unwraps itself grandiose and larger-than-life, so other wordly?"
"Only self can kill joy. I'm the one doing this to me."
"Grace is alive , living waters. If I dam up the grace, hold the blessing tight, joy, within dies...waters that have no life."
"Eucharisteo is, yes, more: it is giving grace away."
"The communion service is only complete in service. Communion, by necessity, always leads us into community."
"The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action, writes Mother Teresa. If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus...that's what makes us content...the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ--in whatever skin He comes to us in."
Even though Voskamp's style of writing is very abstract, it was still a great read and allowed me to slow down my life and be thankful for the small things. I would recommend it to any Christian in any denomination. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone!
This book is kind of a spiritual awakening memoir of Voskamp, who grew up in the Mennonite farming community of southwestern Ontario. She isn't Mennonite, but deeply Christian and had a personal conversion once she realized the true meaning of eucharisteo .
 |
| Via |
Rather than do a normal book review, I want to just share some of my favorite quotes:
"Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other."
"Now in the Bible, a name...reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God's gift...To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know its place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it and in it."
"I yearn for the stuff of saints, the hard language...I want the every fullest life...it is hard to think that the insulting ordinariness of this truly teaches the full mystery of all most important, eucharisteo."
"In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christian run out of time--wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ-followers?"
"Time to breath deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done--yesterday."
"All God makes is good. Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God."
"The parent must always self-parent first, self-preach before child-teach, because who can bring peace unless they've held their own peace? Christ incarnated in the parents is the only hope of incarnating Christ in the child."
"Feel thanks and it's absolutely impossible to feel angry. We can only experience one emotion at a time. And we get to choose--which emotion do we want to feel."
"Anxiety has been my natural posture, my default stillness. The way I curl my toes up, tight retreat. How I angle my jaw, braced, chisel the brown with the lines of distrust. How I don't fold my hands in prayer...weld them into tight fists of control. Always control--pseudo power from the pit. How I refuse to relinquish worry, babe a mother won't won't forsake, an identity. Do I hold worry close as this ruse of control, this pretense that I'm the one who will determine the course of events as I stir and church and ruminate? Worry is the facade of taking action when prayer really is. And stressed, this pitched word that punctuates every conversation, its it really my attempt to prove how indispensable I am? Or is it more? Maybe disguising my deep fears as stress seems braver somehow."
"I want that kind of crazy, happy joy, God...How have I lost it in the growing older, duller? How to see the world again thorugh those eyes? To live in the wide-eyed wonder of a world that unwraps itself grandiose and larger-than-life, so other wordly?"
"Only self can kill joy. I'm the one doing this to me."
"Grace is alive , living waters. If I dam up the grace, hold the blessing tight, joy, within dies...waters that have no life."
"Eucharisteo is, yes, more: it is giving grace away."
"The communion service is only complete in service. Communion, by necessity, always leads us into community."
"The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action, writes Mother Teresa. If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus...that's what makes us content...the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ--in whatever skin He comes to us in."
Even though Voskamp's style of writing is very abstract, it was still a great read and allowed me to slow down my life and be thankful for the small things. I would recommend it to any Christian in any denomination. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone!
Which quote did you enjoy the most?
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