January 31, 2013: Snow Power

a gift on paper, in person, and in a picture:

• favorite recipes, providing me with delicious dinner choices
• a co-worker who brushed the snow off my car for me
• a picture of God's power in today's storm. God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ Job 37:5-6a

January 30, 2013: Showing No Partiality

3 old things seen new:

• this Scripture: For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.  He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.  And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:17-19
• a picture frame, re-purposed for Valentine decor
• the privilege of prayer

January 29, 2013: Seeing Light

a song heard, a soft word, a light seen:

• a song of joy heard in his voice as he shared news of tests passed
• a soft word of encouragement in my Bible study lesson tonight
• a light seen at the end of a tunnel that seemed overwhelmingly dark

January 28, 2013: Friendly Grace

3 graces found in friends:

• joy in a sweet phone message, in ever-improving English, from my littlest friend
• availability in an email from a long-time friend
• vulnerability over dinner with one of my newest friends

 

January 27, 2013: Kitchen Love

3 gifts in the kitchen:

• friends gathered 
• a warm giant chocolate chip cookie baked in my new cast iron skillet
• the glow and scent of a burning candle

January 26, 2013: The Gift of Time

A gift before dawn, at noon, after dark:

• a warm cozy bed
• a new recipe successfully made
• movie night with my husband
  

January 25, 2013: Borrowed Breath

a gift borrowed, found, inherited:

• my life. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. Acts 17:24-25
• salvation. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:11-12
• the riches of God's kingdom. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4

January 24, 2013: Satisifying Blue

3 gifts blue:

• the Bible that resides in my kitchen, ready for morning devotions
• laundry soap, producing clean clothes and a sense of satisfaction
• road salt, working to keep me safe at icy intersections

January 23, 2013: To Bring Him Praise

3 gifts in Christ:

• freedom from condemnation. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2
• the fellowship of believers. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5
• acceptance. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7

January 22, 2013: Gifts Unfolded

a gift wrinkled, smoothed, unfolded:

• her face, wrinkled with laughter at a joke understood
• misunderstanding, smoothed with patience and love
• a dollar bill unfolded, a small price to pay

January 21, 2013: Blue and Black

a gift in sky, water, memory:

• the contrast of sky and tree
• the sparkle of fresh fallen snow
• my memory is short, but His is long. He remembers his covenant forever,
      the promise he made, for a thousand generations. Psalm 105:8

January 20, 2013: Close Up Beauty

3 gifts only seen close up:

• the beauty of a snow covered tree stump
• the warmth of a crackling fire
• the intricacy of a pinecone

January 19, 2013: Gifts Unexpected

3 gifts that might never have been:

• joy from serving
• a long talk with my niece
• quiet time to read

January 18, 2013: The Word Was God

3 gifts from God's Word:

•  He was with God in the beginning. John 1:2
•  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3
• In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4

January 17, 2013: Best Laid Plans

 

a gift bringing laughter, prayer, quiet: 

• memories shared of a special loved one

• plans constructed to show love and care

• details accomplished at evening's end

 

 

 

January 16, 2013: Active and Living

3 witnessed blessings:

• the sisters in my Bible study group in prayer for each other
• the work of the Holy Spirit, same Scripture but different teaching to each woman
• the active and living Word, relevant yesterday, today and tomorrow

January 15, 2013: The Gift of Shared Memories

a gift worn, given away, shared:

• a cozy, warm sweater on a cold day
• time and a listening ear
  
• memories of a long-time friendship
  

 

January 14, 2013: Masterpiece of Grace

3 startling graces of God:

• I am his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
• He has a plan for all my days (Psalm 139:16)
• He has chosen me to be his (Psalm 33:12)
  

January 13, 2013: Counting with Humility

3 things about yourself for which you are grateful:

• my organizational skills
• my servant's heart
• my sense of humor

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

January 12, 2013: Simple Gifts

 

 a gift above, below, beside:

•  the sun shine above today

•  my slippers below my feet to keep me warm

• my husband beside me as we watch a DVD

 

 

February 11, 2013: Yellow Goodness

3 yellow gifts of fresh mercy:

• summer squash on the markdown table, just begging to be roasted with the lovely grape tomatoes on sale this week
• yellow potted flowers, a gift bringing sunshine to the giver until the birthday
• orange sauce on grilled chicken at one of my favorite restaurants

January 10, 2013: When I Am Weak

a gift sweet, sour, just right:

• words of love and appreciation, unexpected
• a sleepless night, weakening
• the fun of Christian fellowship, sisterhood

January 9, 2013: Gifts Passing By

 

A gift held, passed by, sat with:

• my Bible study book held, so good to dig back into the Word

• history passed by as I sketch out a family tree back to the 1600s

• the women in my Bible study group sat with, so blessed by their example and encouragement

 

January 8, 2013: Evening Shadow

 

Dusky light, surprising reflection, lovely shadow...

• the dusky light of the moon, still lingering at morning

• the day-ending reflection of a glorious sunset, colors surprising

• the lovely shadow of a relaxing dinner with my husband, evening quiet

January 7, 2013: Roots of Grace

3 graces from people you love:

• grace and good humor from my mom as I called her multiple times today, excited over the discoveries I am making as I research our ancestry
• grace and patience from my husband as we ate a very late dinner after I got  lost in family history
• grace and redemption from the One I love most. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

January 6, 2013: Joy with Fudge on Top

in my bag, my fridge, my heart:

• tickets to a college basketball game today, a great time
• homemade hot fudge sauce that I should not be eating, but like so much
• my husband, my best friend

January 5, 2013: Seeing Beauty

a gift reading, making, seeing:

• reading a book about Abraham Lincoln, loaned to me by a friend--very interesting
• making order in the basement, so long overdue--it feels great
• seeing the snow falling tonight, great big flakes--beautiful

January 4, 2013: New Year, New Life

a gift old, new, blue:

• old Christmas ornaments, a pleasure to remember as I take them off the tree until next year
• new plant for my house, new life for a new year
• blue skies and sunshine, a blessing after a dark day yesterday

January 3, 2013: Overhearing Joy

3 gifts overheard:

• a child's happiness over lunch with his grandfather
• a mother and daughter's laughter at a silly movie
• my son's plans to make his girlfriend's birthday special

January 2, 2013: Love Inside

a gift outside, inside, on a plate:

• a sprinkling of snow, making it seem more like Christmas for our celebration tonight
• the love of family, adopted by heart
• her first ever birthday cake, at age 58

January 1, 2013: The Sounds of Joy

3 gifts heard:

• the Happy Birthday song, in celebration of the day of my son's birthday
• acceptance of a dinner invitation, time to spend with our adopted family
• the piano retrospective (The Gathering Fields, David Nevue) that I never seem to tire of, after nearly a year come to symbolize gratitude

December 31, 2012: Fresh Start

3 gifts anticipated:

• celebrating my son's 25th birthday
• dinner with long time friends
• a fresh start

December 30, 2012: Hope Lives

3 gifts of hope:

• God is the I AM, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God said to Moses, “I am who I am. Exodus 3:14
  
• He is the faithful one. If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.  2 Timothy 2:13
• His word lives. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12