3 Gifts Astonishing - 30DaysThankful - 30

That God would not only rescue me, weak and wounded sinner, lost and left to die, but uses me for His glory.

 

 

That I can claim the Victory Christ accomplished on the cross as my own.
 

 

That I can stand blameless before the throne of the One True God.

 

 

That all I am is only because of All He Gave.  

 

Christ is the Gift Astonishing.

 

 

All For Him

 

-Kerry-

 

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PS - YAY! I completed the JoyDare... only 7 days late! :^) Thanks for reading.

3 Gifts Red - 30DaysThankful - 29

 

#1 - The Blood of Christ that cleanses me.

 

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

Ephesians 1:6-7

 

#2 - We who are 'called according to His purposes' [Romans 8:28] are 'clothed in His righteousness' [Isaiah 61:10] by the shedding of His blood.

 

 

#3 - Even though, to the human eye, we are all in different stages of our 'spiritual journey', or our 'walk with the Lord' and perhaps in different 'shades of red'; if we are in Christ, we are all righteous by His blood. We are all forgiven. We are all granted union to the body of Christ. We are all made perfect in our weakness. Not because of what we have done, but what Christ did for us.

 

May He be glorified

-Kerry-

3 Gifts In Community - 30DaysThankful - 28

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Galatians 6:2

 

com·mu·ni·ty

noun

a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

 

The interesting thing about community is, it doesn't just happen. It is a "result of sharing". You can't expect another to bear your burdens if you don't share that you have a burden in the first place.

 

And when we share, we can bear. And then we fulfill the law of Christ.

 

3 Gifts Community;

#1 - Fellowship

#2 - Sharing

#3 - Bearing

 

 

Fellowshipping with you,

Kerry

A Gift Handmade, Held, Happy - 30DaysThankful - 27

A baby sweater... handmade, to be held, and happy.

3 Gifts Prepared - 30DaysThankful - 26

 

Preparing for music is tough sometime. But I'm always glad when we can put in the time to prepare for a performance.

 

There's not much that can prepare me for waking up to skies this color... :^)

 

I'm always excited to procure new craft supplies and know I'm prepared for a new order.

3 Gifts Ugly Beautiful - 30DaysThankful - 25

 

#1 - Stormy Skies.

 

#2 - That time you went and finally got to meet the 'famous' authors/speakers and get your picture with them and you forgot you left the camera on manual focus when you were trying something artsy-fartsy the night before [that didn't even work, just sayin'].

 

#3 - Arguments. Disagreements. Misunderstandings. Failings. Disappointments.

 

God uses it all.

 

Being used with you,

Kerry

3 Gifts Humble - 30DaysThankful - 24

These three make me humble...

 

3 Gifts Only In Christ - 30DaysThankful - 23

 

Only in Christ do we have the gift of knowing that no matter how cloudy and stormy the skies of life may get, we are secure in the One who commands the clouds, the Voice that even the winds and waves obey.

 

Only in Christ are the sins that try to clog the true Light of our life banished. They are swept away, to reveal the glorious life beyond past failings, living in the light of peace and joy.

 

Only in Christ can we find True peace, True calm, True Joy and lasting contentment.

 

Seeking Him with you,

Kerry

A Gift Grateful - 30DaysThankful - 22

 

I'm grateful for the gift of travel. And all the opportunities to travel to awesome places this year. With even awesomer people. 

3 Gifts of Tradition - 30DaysThankful - 20

#1 - Pie #2 - Pie #3 - Pie

 

 

....need I say more?

 

 

-Kerry-

3 Gifts of Autumn - 30DaysThankful - 19

Three things I'm grateful to get to do in autumn

 

#1 - Prepare the garden for winter. [= cuts spring work in half]

 

#2 - Harvesting the last of the crops.

 

#3 - Packing Christmas boxes for children around the world.

 

-Blessed-

Kerry

A gift made, shared, passed on - 30DaysThankful - 18

 

A Hobbit Hole

 

This cake represents a vision an author created. A story and an idea that readers have loved. It has been recreated in many forms and shared with others and passed on to new generations.

 

I'm thankful for that kind of gift.

 

-Tidings from Middle Earth-

Kerry

3 Gifts Laughter - 30DaysThankful - 17

"A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

 

#1 - Pets. They make me laugh, daily. Look at this country pup. She's a mess...

  

 

#2 - This girl. Her face can do amazing things... :^D

 

 

 

#3 - Family and friends. We can always find a reason to laugh. Even in through the tears. I'm grateful for that.

 

-laughing with you-

Kerry

3 Gifts Hard Eucharisteo - 30DaysThankful - 16

*To help define Eucharisteo, if you haven't read Ann Voskamp's book, "One Thousand Gifts"; I've included below a portion of an interview of Ann explaining Eucharisteo as the crux of Christianity.

 

Giving thanks when it's hard...

 

#1 - I don't always feel thankful. I'm counting that as gift. To recognize that I don't always have it all together, but God does.

 

#2 - Being just one of the crowd. Unnoticed. Not as special as my 'self' wishes. I'm thankful God doesn't let me have my way. Even when it's hard.

 

#3 - Waiting. Waiting is something we as humans do a lot of. And it's hard. I mean, really hard. No matter what it may be today, I will be thankful in the waiting.

 

-waiting with you-

Kerry

 

*Quote from Ann Voskamp*It's all Greek to me, but this is the word that can change everything: eucharisteo—it comes right out of the Gospel of Luke: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them…” (Luke 22:19 NIV). In the original language, “he gave thanks” reads “eucharisteo.”

The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.” Charis. Grace. Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Chara. Joy.
Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo; the table of thanksgiving. The holy grail of joy, God set it in the very center of Christianity. The Eucharist is the central symbol of Christianity. Glynn, doesn’t the continual repetition of beginning our week at the table of the Eucharist clearly place the whole of our lives into the context of thanksgiving?
 
One of Christ’s very last directives He offers to His disciples is to take the bread, the wine, and to remember. Do this in remembrance of Me. Remember and give thanks.

This is the crux of Christianity: to remember and give thanks, eucharisteo.

Why? Why is remembering and giving thanks the core of the Christ-faith? Because remembering with thanks is what causes us to trust; to really believe. Re-membering, giving thanks, is what makes us a member again of the body of Christ. Re-membering, giving thanks is what puts us back together again in this hurried, broken, fragmented world.

3 Gifts Golden - 30DaysThankful - 15

"Worth it's weight in gold"

Something golden, must be valuable, right?

 

 

#1 - This smile. Pure Gold.

 

#2 - Of knights and chivalry. A golden age. Thankful there are still parents instilling in their young men to be courageous and protect the fair maidens.

 

#3 - My Momma. Our friendship means more than any amount of gold. [Isn't she so cute with golden rod in her hair?]

 

Have a golden day,

Kerry

3 Gifts Silent - 30DaysThankful - 14

 

#1 - I love the peace and quiet that I find during my craft times. Especially in my sewing room.

 

#2 - Change. It can be silent, and gradual, but change always comes.

 

#3 - Growth. Like change, you often don't notice the growth. But before you know it, it's time to harvest.

 

Have a great day, and enjoy the silent.

 

-Kerry

3 Gifts Behind a Door - 30DaysThankful - 13

When I think of this one, '3 Gifts Behind a Door', I think of, game show host style... 'What's behind door number 1??'

 

#1 - Gifts unknown. Held too with hope.

 

#2 - The gift of anticipation.

 

#3 - The people I love behind the doors of their homes. That is gift when I can go behind those doors with them. :^)

 

 

Blessings - Kerry

3 Gifts at Noon - 30DaysThankful - 12

At noon, yesterday, [cause I'm behind on my gift posting] I was practicing Christmas Carols on my Guitar!

2010

#1 - Breaking rules. [I NEVER listen to Christmas Music before Thanksgiving... oops]

#2 - The deep theological truths in Christmas Hymns. It speaks to my soul.

2013

#3 - Anticipation of practicing with the children at church! They sing so joyously!


Blessings!
Kerry

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3 Gifts of Rememberance - 30DaysThankful - 11

Thankful for Veterans Day that was on the 11th, and the opportunity to remember those who have fought and died for #1 - my country #2 my freedoms #3 - my family



3 Gifts found in Bible reading - 30DaysThankful - 10

1 - "The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:24

"Thanksgiving proceeds the miracle" - Ann Voskamp

He 'gave thanks' and then was broken. For me. May I partake of the miracle with thanksgiving.

2 - "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13

Christ took the most ugly and shameful way to die, and transfixed it.

It was well known in those days [2000 years ago] that to be crucified on a tree was the worst possible death, physically, prolonging death, and culturally, as in, it was reserved for only the most wicked criminals.

Christ Jesus was perfect! He was beautiful! He became sin. He bore all the wicked evil and took on the name 'criminal'. Then He changed it all. He turned the ugly, beautiful. The curse to blessing. The cross as an emblem of shame and repulsion, now is a symbol of ultimate love and true hope.

"I will cling to the old rugged Cross, and exchange it some day for a crown"

 

3 - "Then the same day at evening, ...the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.." John 20: 19


"What would a disciple have said, thought, and done during the time between Jesus’ burial and his resurrection from the grave? The Bible doesn’t provide much information. John 20:19 includes the most detail: Jesus’ disciples were hiding behind locked doors in fear of further reprisal.
"I suppose I would have done the same. Jesus was brutally murdered by an angry mob. The Roman establishment did nothing to provide security; they carried out his shameful execution. As a disciple, I could have been next. I would have felt duped by all of Jesus’ kingdom talk. 
"On that day, I suppose I would have been cynical about his claims of deity. How is it possible for God to die? He had been clear about going to Jerusalem to do just that, but I would have considered that a metaphor. And surely any talk about him rising from the dead would have been lost in the fog of my grief. So there’s no doubt: I, too, would have been very scared for my own life, hiding in the dark, hurting over the loss of my leader, and hoping not to be the next martyr."
- Pastor Dave Bruskas, Mars Hill Church, 'The Day After Jesus Died'

Those who were there did not know the ultimate outcome of the cross. They had been told. Yes. But they had forgotten.  They relied on there past experience ["when people die, that's the end"], they relied on the natural world ["if the Romans/Jews can kill Him, then none of us are safe"]. They did not fully trust in the words of the Lord, believing that He is NOT restrained by past experience and He is not limited by the natural world. The believers who mourned Christ's death could not see the glory to come.

We too, enduring ugly trials, cannot see the beautiful plan Christ is working in us, we cannot see the ultimate outcome. Instead of looking forward to Truth with faith, we look behind to experience and flesh/natural. We forget. We are cast down.

BUT! We have Christ power living within us, as born again children of God. And we too, like Christ, can transfigure the ugly to beautiful, turn the curse into blessing through giving thanks!


Thankful for the Ugly/Beautiful - Kerry

 
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