Thankful

 Every day is a blessing and a gift from God. I try to remember this and thank God for the blessings He gives me each day, however, some days, He just steps in and blesses my socks off and gives me a little reminder of how truly blessed I am! Today was one of those days!

Brent has just started preaching a marriage and family series at church that will last into the beginning of next year.Last week, he preached a sermon for wives on the importance of showing respect to their husbands.Wives should respect their husbands because God's Word commands it (Ephesians 5: 33), because respecting their husband is the same as showing respect to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22), because her husband is given the head role in the family by the Lord (Ephesians 5: 23). A wife should also give her respect to her husband because the marriage relationship reflects the relationship between Jesus and His church (Ephesians 5:23) and because showing respect to our husbands must be done through God's Spirit helping us to do so (Ephesians 5:18)
Today he preached about how Christ loves the church and as a result how husbands should love their wives. He talked about how a husband loves:
                                                              By being a leader (Ephesians 5:25)
                                                              By Pastoring in his home (Ephesians 5:26)
                                                              By Taking Care of his Family (Ephesians 5:28)
                                                              By Being Committed to his wife (Ephesians 5: 31)
What a blessing has been these past two weeks to see God working in the wives and husbands in our church.  What a blessing it was to see my husband and other men in our church gather around the altar praying for their wives, marriages and families today.
I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and his willingness to not only faithfully preach God's Word, but his willingness to live it with God's help too.
  

I also thank God for my pastor husband, who not only leads God's people while at church but also pastors his girls ( me included) at home as well. He is faithful in leading us closer to Jesus and spending time in God's Word with us.

I thank God that He has blessed our family by allowing us to be a part of ministering His people. I am thankful for my husband being faithful to God's call on his and our family's life! We have served in God's church over 7 years now and we have been blessed to minister as a family in both places we have served.

Brent blesses each of us by taking such good care of us. We are blessed by being able to play together as a family too. I am so thankful he is willing to take of on his many adventures and make these family events! What awesome memories our girls will have of being in God's creation with their dad. Of course, I may take a few (or a few hundred) pictures of all we do together!

 I am blessed beyond measure by Brent's faithful commitment to me. I know he loves me and our family unconditionally and faithfully.

 Praising God for the blessing of my wonderful husband! How thankful I am that God, even before time began, had in His plan to place us together!

So after being reminded of how blessed I am during worship service today, I walk out into the foyer to another blessing. This is the table in the church foyer. Thank you so much to our loving and giving church family for your blessing of our family today. Thank you for each of your sweet cards, thoughts, and prayers for our family. Thank you also for the yummy food, jellies, chocolates, plants and other gifts of appreciation. We appreciate YOU too!

 Several times today as I have thought of all God's blessings in my life, I have caught myself singing this little song:            
                                                  "Count your blessings,
                                                  Name them one by one
                                                  Count your blessings,
                                                 See what God has done!"

In reflecting on God's blessings, I can say it no better than God does in His Word. This is actually the Scripture reference Brent and I chose to have engraved in our wedding rings.

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."                                                                                              Ephesians 3:14-21