365 Days of Blessings - Day 84

Every week, I'll be giving out a Blessed Blog Award! If you receive this award, know that you have blessed my writing and my life by inspiring me with your words, and your insights. Please feel free to pass it on.

Today this award goes to Tamika at The Write Worship
for inspiring me to write with faith, and for blessing me with her beautiful writing about the writing life. Tamika creates beautiful word pictures that stick with me for weeks after reading her posts. Thanks for being a blessing, Tamika!

Shared Blessings:
Angie from Notes From the Writing Chair says, "Some of my blessings today: the county fair--so much fun, and our last trip to the pool before school starts next week."
Thanks for sharing Angie! I agree, the fair, and swimming are wonderful summer blessings!

365 Days of Blessings, Day 84

1. God loves us so much that he doesn't just want us to feel good, he wants us to feel good about being good. Not that we are capable of being good on our own, but with salvation through Christ and God's Holy Spirit, we can step onto the right path.

2. The book of Amos in the Bible gives a prophesy of God's righteous justice that is clear, and loving. God doesn't want his people pillaging, looting, engaged in prostitution (both physical and spiritual), trampling on the poor, raping, engaging in incest, sacrificing our children (again both physically and spiritually), and commiting other acts of violence and injustice. God loves us enough to give us forgiveness, but he also loves us enough to expect us to repent.

3. Conviction, repentence, God's forgiveness, and peace.

4. Working through a problem/disagreement with someone, and finding not only peace, but friendship as the outcome.

5. Forgiving.

6. Being forgiven.

7. Letting go of past bitterness, so the joy of the present can fill me.

8. Writing about all of the above, and keeping that focus first in my writing.

9. Writing for fun, at the same time. Is it possible? Yes.

10. Today's technology that allows me to write, think, pray, connect . . . all in in just a short moment.


Whew! All those blessings I wrote about today were a surprise to me this morning. I planned to write about my birthday blessings from yesterday, but then I read my Bible, and conviction happened.

So here are some other, extra, birthday blessings . . . like I planned to write before God's word grabbed me.

Extra/Completely different/Birthday Blessings:
1. A restful, relaxed morning.
2. Baking a cake with my daughters. Everyone helped, and we had fun.
3. 4 colors of neon icing used to make a very colorful butterfly cake.
4. Gluten-free, egg-free, corn-free, rice-free cake that tastes really good!!! Most people who are brave enough to try it, like it.
5. All the wonderful presents given to me. I can't help it . . . I like getting stuff, especially beautiful, good, thoughtful stuff.
6. All the amazing birthday wishes that came to me yesterday - in person, on the phone, here on my blog, and on facebook. Thank you everyone!
7. Dinner with family.
8. A movie with family and friends.
9. Laughter in the movie theatre, and laughter afterwards.
10. Enjoying the sweetness of a day well spent.

Scripture Blessings:
"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants and the prophets.

The lion has raored -
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken -
who can but prophesy?

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
'Assemble yourselves on the mountains
of Samaria;
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her
people.

They do not know how to do right,'
declares the Lord,
'who hoard plunder and loot in
their fortresses.'"

Amos 3:8-10