2013 JANUARY JOY DARE

Another year following the JOY DARE offered by
Ann Voskamp  aholyexperience.com

With well over 1000 THANKS, I continue gathering another 1000 of God's graces throughout this year.  And so I begin at the beginning . . . 2013 . . . praising God and giving  thanks for oh so many blessings.

#1096 - 1098  Gifts Heard:: Whistling of the chill wind; crackling of the fire in the fireplace; tic-toc-tic-toc as time beats forward.


#1099  Gift Outside:: A bit of sunshine
#1100  Gift Inside:: Gas heat
 #1101 Gift on a Plate:: Leftovers from the pork and sauerkraut dinner we shared with our community on January 1.

#1102-1104  Graces overheard:: THANKS from my hubby for just being ME; Scripture affirming God's continued grace in my life; Hearing my own voice rejoice in God's grace.

#1105-1107 Gift OLD:: My father who is almost 98 and my aunt who is 100; NEW:: Affirmation that returning to scripture memorization is possible at my age; BLUE:: Early morning sky before gray clouds linger throughout still-short days.

My partial shadow as I take a picture.

#1108-1110 Something I am Reading:: Thomas Merton's Meditations on the Psalms; Making:: Scripture memorization booklet for 2013; Seeing:: Affirming BLOG words.

#1111-1113 One thing in a BAG:: Apple chips I dehydrated, yum! in the FRIDGE:: Cranberry/orange relish we put on everything; in my HEART:: Endless assurance from God in Christ.

#1114-1116 GRACES from people I love:: "I love you" from a phone-chat with dad; Hugs throughout the day from Hubby; Sweet email-words from friends.

#1117-1119 Gifts Dusky Light:: Street lights that pop on as the light changes from dusk to dark; Surprising Reflection:: Bright sun bouncing off our neighbor's window; Lovely Shadow:: My own last summer.

#1120-1122  A gift Held:: My Bible; Passed by:: A beautiful frost-filled meadow; Sat with:: Friends at Bible Study.

#1123-1125 Gifts Sour:: Dried apples that sat in lemon juice too long; Sweet:: A delicious piece of cake a friend gave to me;  Just Right:: A hot cup of tea after a long day.

I was guided through the creation of this
icon in a class several years ago.  It still
amazes me how God held my hand as I 'wrote'.

#1126-1128 Yellow gifts of fresh mercy:: The yellow-gold of the halo on the icon I 'wrote' of the Angel Gabrielle; Sweet, yellow, butter saved for my special cookies; Pages of my legal pad, filled with reflections for my study on the Woman of Valor in Proverbs 31:10-31.

#1129-1131 Something Above:: God, the Father Almighty;  Below:: Solid earth upon which I stand as a mortal human being; Beside:: The Lord Jesus Christ as He walks with me daily.

#1132-1134 Things about MYSELF I am grateful for:: Faith in Christ Jesus as Lord; Focus on God's precepts in scripture; Hope-filled as I walk daily with the Lord, thy God.

#1135-1137 Startling graces of God:: He WILL never leave me nor forsake me; He is my precious present, the I AM, always present at this present time; He loves me unconditionally.

#1138-1140 Gifts Worn:: The full armor of God (Eph. 6)  Given away:: My gifts and talents where the Lord has directed  Shared:: The Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus.

#1141-1143 Witnessed Blessings:: A baptism last Sunday; My hubby's daily encouragement; Grace shining through our community leaders in difficult circumstances.

#1144-1146 Gifts bringing Laughter:: My husband's stories; Prayer:: Dear friends who need healing  prayer in the midst of challenges;  Quiet:: Hours of meditation on a cold, dark day . . . nice.

Join us in memorizing Romans 1, 8, 12
For more information visit Ann Voskamp's blog:
A Holy Experience.com

#1147-1149 Gifts from God's Word:: Memorizing Romans 1; "... regarding his son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, ... Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake."; Four verses memorized so far.

#1150-1152 Gifts that might never have been:: My salvation had I said, "no" to God; My husband had I not trusted my friends who set me up on a date with him; My incredible occupations had I not been unbelievably curious.

That little white block  on
the small butter pad is
hand moisturizer.
 Wonderful!

#1153-1155 Gifts only seen close-up:: Most everything written in small font since I can barely see with trifocals; tiny bugs in dirt; A painted scene on the head of a pin.

#1156-1158  Gifts in The Sky:: Clouds and Stars; Water:: Healthy refreshment; Memory::Ability to memorize Roman 1 at my late age since  I have memorized six verses so far!

#1159-1161  Gifts Wrinkled:: My aging skin; Smoothed:: My life by the working of the Holy Spirit; Unfolded:: My vocation in, for, and through Christ Jesus.

#1162-1164 Gifts found in Christ:: Abundant life; Spiritual Gifts; Grace to give thanks in all circumstances.
#1165-1167 Things Blue:: My spirit if I have not said, "thank you" to the Lord each day; My kitchen counter; Huge splotches of sky on a semi-sunny day.


#1168-1170 Graces Borrowed:: My life, which actually belongs to God;  Found::My resurrected life given to me by grace through faith in Christ Jesus;  Inherited:: ALL the treasures of heaven and earth that belong to God are mine to use according to His will for me.

Why not display veges on a pretty platter!

#1171-1173  A Gift Before Dawn:: Sleep, cozy under warm covers; at Noon:: Bean soup I made yesterday; After Dark:: A huge full moon floating in dark gray-blue sky.

#1174-1176  Gifts in the Kitchen:: Nuts ready to eat, a yam for dinner, hot-house tomatoes

#1177-1179  Graces found in Friends:: Laughter, fun conversation, prayer partners.

#1180-1182  A Song Heard:: My husband humming a song from the 50s;  A Soft Word:: Scripture speaking to me daily;  Light Seen:: A rising red sun before it is blocked by winter clouds.

This is my ugly-beautiful
treasure that looks so much
better with a red shade.

#1183-1184  Old Things Seen New:: Mason jars used to store fresh cookies and dried apple chips; A glass canister lamp from a parent given a fresh look with a red shade; An old cup with fresh, steaming tea;

I love all my teapots and cups, most given to
me by my sister.  Mary Englebreight created
this one years ago and I still love it.

#1185-1187  A gift In Person:: My girlfriend with a spring flower in the middle of COLD weather; On Paper::This blog of THANKS to God; In a Picture:: Memories I can share with others.