30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING 2013
November 1
I am thankful for the power of prayer.
November 2
I am thankful for the WORD of God, Jesus in the flesh as
well as written pages of Scripture.
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
November 3
I am grateful that God's mercies are new every morning.
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness." Lam. 3:22-23
November 4
I am grateful for the gift of joy! It comes in thousands of
ways, big and small, and I long to more fully embrace this gift by embracing
the many forms in which it arrives.
"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are
filled with joy." Psalm 126:3
November 5
On the 4th I was thankful for God's JOY, so this day I am
thankful for His STRENGTH.
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Neh. 8:10b
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more
gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2
Corinthians 12:9
November 6
I am thankful for God's WISDOM and SOVEREIGNTY.
Personal Example 1: God removed my family from our familiar
home in Texas and moved us to Wisconsin, which had many various results--the
most important one for me was that because of this move (among other particular
circumstances), I met my amazing husband Ted Jacobson!
Personal Example 2: Left to our own devices, Ted and I would
have had 2, maybe 3 kids. Bwahahahaha!! Thank you, Father, for your sovereignty
that has graciously overcome our human plans and replaced them with your
perfect plans.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
November 7
Now that we've shared the news with the grandparents, I can
say here that I am thankful for THIS!
(Tobin's own words):
"On Saturday I had a talk with Mom. Arden was at Laser
tag for Noah Mack’s birthday party. I confessed that I felt like there was
something inside of me making me do bad things and making me a bully. We read
some Bible verses, talked for a little bit, and prayed. Then I accepted Jesus
into my heart, and immediately I could feel that the thing that was inside was
gone. I also felt a lot happier. That night, I told Dad about my choice. He was
very happy also. The next day we told Chaplain Keith. He was so excited!"
November 8
I am thankful for unconditional love. My parents showed me
this from the time I was a baby; they prepared me to know and understand God's
unconditional love for me. I am also blessed to be loved like this by my
wonderful hubby, and together we strive to pass it on to our children. May we
love those around us unconditionally as well, for who knows but the Lord what
burdens they may carry?
"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
November 9
This year I've been posting some of the more abstract things
I'm thankful for, but today I'll take a different tack and say I am so grateful
for the opportunity to live in Italy. Naples has its share of problems--just
ask anyone on the Living Abroad in Naples FB page, LOL. But we choose to love
wherever God puts us, praying that we can make it just a little bit better
before we leave! So grateful for the chance we have to experience a different
culture, to travel, to learn and get outside of our little American box.
And at this moment, I'm thankful for the sounds of our kids
and Italian neighbor kids playing together in the garden.
November 10
I'm thankful for sleep, more so when I don't get enough of
it.
Dear God, PLEASE let Seanin sleep better tonight! Amen.
Poor snarfling baby.
He went 8 hours Thursday night only to get a cold or something Friday.
It's been pretty miserable around here ever since...
November 11
I am thankful for the liberties we enjoy as Americans, but
even more, I am thankful that we can be free from sin because of what Jesus did
for us. THAT is a freedom that will NEVER be taken away...but it is also one
with a great responsibility.
"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.
But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another
humbly in love." Galatians 5:13
November 12
I'm thankful for the wonderful friends I've met through PWOC
during our time in Naples! There's nothing better than finding like-minded
sisters to journey along with.
"9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
November 13
I am thankful for what I too often take for granted...a full
pantry, fridge, and freezer. I can pull out what I need to make meals for my
family each day. And that's meals, plural, plus snacks and often dessert. Too
many people around the world don't have this luxury.
"The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing."
Psalm 145:14-16
November 14
I am thankful for our overall health. Some coughs and
sniffles notwithstanding, we are pretty hearty individuals!
"I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the
Lord has done." Psalm 118:17
November 15
I am so thankful for mornings...hang with me here! I'm not
naturally a morning person, but I've learned to appreciate the quiet early
hours. For one thing, it's the one time of day I can enjoy a cup of hot coffee
and quiet time with my husband. For another, I am guaranteed, thanks to the
grace of our Lord, a fresh start to a new day. It doesn't matter if yesterday I
blew my resolution to refrain from dessert...it's all right if I went to bed
cranky...and the spilled milk, overflowing trash, bickering siblings,
unfinished school lessons, and so on? Well, they just don't seem quite as
overwhelming in the light of a new day. Thank you, Jesus.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have
already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have
taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God
has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14
November 16
I am thankful for my sweet baby Seanin, with a dimpled smile
and gurgling noises that make me giggle no matter how badly my day is going. I
love my chunky monkey!
November 17
I am thankful for my silly ham of a two-year-old Zaden, with
his big eyes and entertaining expressions, both facial and verbal. Though he is
a one-child wrecking crew, I love him!
November 18
I am thankful for my lovable, happy-go-lucky Lucan, who
lives in a world of imagination and adventure and tries to pull me in with him
when I'm tied to the mundane. "Mommy, I love you 100 times!" Love
this kid!
November 19
I am thankful for my independent, imaginative Kenna, who
doesn't know the meaning of "can't" (nor how to ask permission ahead
of time, seemingly, lol). I love this loyal, affectionate, all-out little girl!
November 20
I am thankful for my sweet and silly Arden, whose energy and
easygoing personality entertains and inspires family and friends alike. I love
this tender, huggable, non-stop growing boy!
November 21
I am thankful for my (rather mischievous) jokester Tobin,
whose love for words and knowledge helps him spin fantastic puns and
single-handedly keeps the library in business. I love this silly, huggable,
non-stop learning boy!
November 22
I am thankful for my creative, tenderhearted Charis, whose broad
range of talents and interests gives her unique opportunities for enriching the
lives of all those around her. I love this helpful, generous, loving girl!
November 23
I'm grateful for our home. Despite power outages and sewer
issues, among other minor inconveniences, we DO have power most of the time; we
have plumbing; we have heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
We have plenty of space to do life. What a blessing.
November 24
I'm thankful my husband has a job to support his family, and
I'm thankful I can be a stay-at-home mom. Really, I am grateful.
But next year when the NATO exercise rolls around? I'd like
to be alone on an island somewhere. Please?
November 25
I posted a few pics of our homeschool Thanksgiving
celebration on Monday but neglected to actually write this out: I am extremely
thankful God has blessed us with such a wonderful, supportive community of
homeschooling friends here in Naples. Through this group our kids have formed
their closest friendships, and I as a mom have a lifeline of encouragement,
support, and ever-flowing blessings from the other women we meet up with
regularly.
November 26
I am so grateful for my dear parents John and Irene Keist and
for the way they raised my brother John Keist IV and me. We are blessed with a
godly heritage.
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and
have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and
how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you
wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:14-15
November 27
I am so very, very grateful for my husband Ted and the
marriage God has blessed us with. He excels at so much and deserves many accolades
for the amazing job he does in his career—but because of the nature of his
work, he gets to make his bosses shine in the limelight instead of having the
spotlight on himself. This is a reflection of who he is all the time, not just
at his job. As a husband and daddy, he quietly does things that are hardly
glamorous—folding mountains of laundry, changing diapers, fixing the random
weird things that go wrong in our house, and much, much more. After 16.5 years
of marriage, he knows me better than anyone else on earth and somehow still
loves me! He is my rock who builds his life on The Rock; he is the best friend
and lover I could have ever dreamed of; he knows how to make me laugh and
gently dries my tears when I cry. He encourages and blesses me every day, and I
am so thankful God brought us together.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church
and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:25
November 28
I am thankful for family traditions and memories! The past 2
Thanksgivings we have broken with tradition to create some different memories—we
have traveled to another place in Italy and eaten Italian food! Last year it
was Capri; this year it was a tiny mountain town, Atri, along the Adriatic
coastline. We stayed in a 3-bedroom apartment (freezing cold the first night
but finally warm by our last day there) and enjoyed having NO agenda other than
spending time together.
November 29
I am thankful for the beauty of God’s creation: sunshine, snow
on mountains, frost-covered branches, and the misty sea, a few of the sights we
enjoyed in Atri.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible
qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans
1:20
November 30
I am thankful that the season of THANKSGIVING comes first—it
is a perfect lead-in to the season of GIVING as we remember our Savior’s birth!
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