1,000 gifts

During my new nightly ritual, reading until I fall asleep, I started a book titled One Thousand Gifts.  In search of something good and easy to read, I pulled it from the shelf and began reading.  My sister could have never known how this book would influence me.

Ann Voscamp, the author, creates a list of daily gifts over the course of a year.  Her list encourages her to grow a heart of thankfulness and gratitude.  Throughout the book, Ann's desires to know what eucharisteo truly means and she desires to live a life displaying eucharisteo.  The book is filled with reflections of how through the Cross of Christ, she has so much to be thankful for.  Ann's list it's the beauty of gratitude. She promotes a life of eucharisteo.

May we live a life of eucharisteo and a life full of thankfulness and gratitude!
Blessings,
Carolyn

Luke 22:19 "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

New Year's Resolutions

If I resolved to days without failure in the New Year, it won't last very long....I have failed lots this year. Remember The 5:30 am Club??? Yep, that didn't last for very long.  Less than 2 weeks later it stopped.  What about days with a list like this... or days with lizards.  What a year!!! There have been plenty of days with failure yet alongside days of failure there was an abundance of grace.

I think Paul David Tripp has the right idea in his post Ringing in the New Year, none of us completely resolve to transform our lives in one day but the daily tiny changes are the ones that matter most, the changes that transform us the most.  He suggests that it is the 10,000 little moments that change us. Ten thousand little moments of personal insight and conviction, humble submission, foolishness exposed and wisdom gained, sin confessed and sin forsaken, courageous faith, obedience, and "forsaking the kingdom of self and running towards the kingdom of God."

To encourage these 10,000 moments, I want to read the following books this New Year.

1. Love to Eat Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick
2.  Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick
3. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp
4. Broken Down House by Paul David Tripp

So here is to "10,000 moments where we abandon worship of the creation and give ourselves to worship of the Creator" this year!
Blessings,
Carolyn

23 before 23

I found a list titled: 23 before 23 on my computer today....

Well, let's just say that is it more like a grand list of 5 before 23 that didn't happen.....

And it was created over 2 years ago!  I really don't know what I was thinking...

My 23 before 23 list :D

1. Learn to dance to The Civil Wars – Dance Me to the End of Love
2. Go sky diving 
3. Visit Portland, Oregon
4. Go hiking in Washington State
5. See Chris Thile in concert

A few, okay 2, of the items on the list would be cool to do but as for the rest....

Christmas favorite songs...

Christmas time with the Turbeville's is lots of fun, I assure you.  I will post pictures later but for now, here are a few of our favorite songs....

Favorite Drive Time Song:
Lifehouse- Between the Raindrops

Dancing in the Kitchen Favorite:
Brenda Lee- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Favorite Song to Sing in the Kitchen:
George Strait- Christmas Cookies

Christmas Season Song:
Joy Williams- Here with Us

And of Course what Christmas would be complete without:
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

I hope you enjoy this season of life and take time to celebrate the Saviors' birth.  Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Merry Christmas!!!
Blessings,
Carolyn

December Weddings

December weddings are my favorite.  They are elegantly filled with white dresses, flowers in an assortment of red, white and green, handsome young men in suites, faces filled smiles and tears, parents of delight and friends of excitement.  They are a symbolic and gorgeous gift.

They remind me of the most wonderful gift of all: Jesus Christ.  Luke 2:11-12: “11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

All weddings are a gift, a gift unity.   

A promise “to be a faithful and true, to “love, comfort and keep,” “forsaking all others,” “remaining true”  “as long as you both shall live,” wedding and endowing “all my worldly goods, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, 'til death do us part.”

They are a beautiful union of three: the bride, the groom and God.  They are a lifelong commitment.  They are committing to be faithful, to remain true and pure to one another before friends and family.  They are allowing those dear to them to keep them accountable during sickness and health, poverty and wealth, until they die. They are giving each other their time, affections, wealth and lack thereof.

Wow. That doesn’t leave any room for giving or living erroneously! And then to follow the command in Ephesians 5:22-33:

Wife: love your husband and submit lovingly to him because he is called to love you with a Christ-like love.

Husband: love your wife like Christ sacrificially loves his children.  Love her better than you love yourself.  You would never want your body to go without anything, so don’t let her go without that which you wouldn’t go without. Love her so that she maybe holy and blameless then she will be loved and nurtured like Christ loves the Church.

To love each other and live together for the rest of their lives like that is huge!  This charge is ginormous, yes ginormous. What kind of true and pure love most compel such actions!

Many of my dear friends have married in December, Lizbet, Julianna, and Lindsey.  I am thankful for their weddings and more so for their marriages.  Thankful they accepted the challenge to love like Christ and display his love to the World.  For these sweet friends, and all of my married friends, I pray blessings and a deepening of their love.

Ephesians 6:24 “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”

Here's to days...

Here's to days of...

1. Failing and requiring lots of grace
2. Days when I get up late and the rest is lost
3. Intentional lies that need forgiveness
4.  And glory in the small victories

Thankful: Lizards, clothes and the Gospel

Funny things happen growing up as an American.  For example, I have to fight the culture and the lies that daily bombard me.  I have to learn to be thankful the lizard  I found in my house is not a snake.  I have to learn to be thankful for the 30+ outfits I have in my closet instead of the 20 million cute ones I don't currently own but am obsessing over on Pinterest. (Don't get me wrong, I do LOVE Pinterest, I just need to use it as a tool for my creative juices.)  I have to learn to be thankful for running water and toilets instead of complaining about how the shower sounds when I don't have the water combination.  I have to learn to be thankful for the time spent with my parents instead of wishing we had taken a grander vacation this year.  I have to preach to myself daily of all I can be grateful for. I have been given many earthly things yet I take them for granted daily. 

Not only I have been given many earthly blessing, I have been given heavenly blessings.  Least I never forget the Gospel and the Ultimate blessing that comes through Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection.  The Ultimate gift I could ever receive the free gifts of mercy and grace that flow abundantly and lavishly from the Cross.

Colossians 3:15-17 reminds me to "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

Now that the Word would richly dwell in me in order that I may overflow with thankfulness.

Here are a few blogs that also remind me to be thankful. 

1. Bekah's blog post on the Peruvian dump
2. http://gracefullmama.com/mama-never-said-thered-be-days-like-this/
3. http://gobolivia2013.blogspot.com/