365 Days of Blessings, Day 76

Every Friday, 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 Brandon Barr at: Christian Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Suspense for his awesome edit of one page of my story, "Chameleon" in yesterday's edition of Edit Me Thursday. I appreciate Brandon's posts on writing, his reviews, and his interviews. He has a positive, helpful approach. Thanks Brandon!

Shared Blessings:
1. Sharon, Bible Voyage Drama Queen Extraordinaire, said earlier today, "hearing kids repeat the Bible stories and Bible points, and knowing that they really are getting them."

365 Days of Blessings, Day 76

1. God's Word is for Everyone! Let's Go!!! Bible Point for Day 5 of VBS.

2. VBS week has been fun, but I'm ready to get back to "regular" life.

3. VBS Sunday is in two days, the script is written, and I think we are ready to go.

4. We had two great helpers in the Bible Voyage area this week, and they are sweet kids/boys/young men at age 11. What do you call them at 11? Kids? Boys? Young men? Young guys?

5. Being asked if I can/am/want to go on the MS road trip . . . still thinking about it, but I like being asked.

6. Beautiful sunshine with a playful breeze!

7. Time to rest.

8. My Dad's voice, outside the door, just now.

9. My parents in their scooter gear.

10. My Uncle Lloyd, with his twinkling eyes, candy at the ready, and laughter closely tucked into his pockets.


Scripture for the Day: "Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the Earth you created." Psalm 119:90

365 Days of Blessings - Day 75

Shared Blessings are Awesome!

Shared Blessings for today:
1. Angie Lofthouse of Notes From the Writing Chair says, "going swimming with the kids, and enjoying the last few days of summer." Sounds wonderful Angie! I hope to swim with my kids today too.

2. Cathy Nelson, my first Sunday School teacher and mentor, is home from her mission trip and is thankful for her experiences. I'll probably be mentioning more stuff about her, and her trip in the days ahead. Cathy has an amazing heart for God, and God's children.

365 Days of Blessings, Day 75

1. God's Word is life changing! Let's Go! (VBS Bible Point, Day 4)

2. Having a talented, self-proclaimed "ham" actor join us for VBS Day 3, as Paul. He portrayed Paul's snake bite experience on the island of Malta with great enthusiasm, and had all the kids shrieking with laughter and excitement, and then he was able to slow them down and talk about God being the only true God, able to heal us.

3. Swimming into the Bible Voyage session with each crew of 25 gave my arms a good work out yesterday. We were only pretend swimming, but . . . I think swimming in air with great enthusiastic strokes is probably just as hard as actual swimming.

4. Planning to swim "for real" today after VBS.

5. Looking forward to VBS Sunday, when the whole congregation gets to experience some of the fun.

6. Reading Sunday School Curriculum ahead of time.

7. Resting in the afternoons during VBS week.

8. The VBS craft boat that really floats.

9. Reading the September line up for Every Day Poets, and seeing my poem in place for September 25th!

10. Looking forward to reading Brandon Barr's edit of one page of my story, "Chameleon" at Edit Me Thursday today, at his blog, Christian Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Suspense Thanks Brandon!!!

Website/Blog for the day: Christian Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Suspense

Scripture for the day: "Give me life through your word." Psalm 119:37 VBS Scripture for Day 4

365 Days of Blessings - Day 74

Blessings, when shared, seem to grow like the seeds that fall and grow into mighty cedar trees.

If you're feeling blessed today, please share those blessings! We often take time to complain, but today, let's take the time to praise, and say thanks!

Shared Blessings: Normally I make sure I have permission to share blessings, but because I love these ones so much, and because I'm going to share them anonymously, I hope it's ok.
A friend from church said: "Loving VBS! What a blessing!"
And another friend said: "A blessed morning at VBS. A nap with her husband. The sun peeking through the clouds. Dinner on the waterfront with her family."

365 Days of Blessings, Day 74
1. God's word is surprising! "Let's Go!" - VBS Daily Bible Point, Day 3.

2. Pretending to be in a storm at sea, and then preparing to jump overboard with big groups of kids.

3. Reading the real sailing adventures of Paul in Acts 27 out loud with big groups of kids.

4. Seeing two young men/older boys start stretching their wings as VBS leaders.

5. Making blue jello for today's snack, and finding out that my daughters aren't sure they like it . . . sounds like a non-blessing, but sometimes finding out that we don't like everything everyone else eats is a blessing for those of us with massive food intolerances. Gee, maybe we aren't so sad not to eat all that stuff we can't eat.

6. Having a night out with my husband, and talking about VBS, our kids, work, and our dreams for the future.

7. Dinner and a movie. That's what we did on our first date, and that's what we fall back on for many of our anniversary dates. It's casual, but we like it. Plus, we made sure we had lots of time to talk.

8. The dreams for the future conversation still continues . . .even in the midst of preparing for our day, finding our clothes - oops, haven't been keeping up with laundry - and doing all the regular stuff.

9. My husbands hair. Ok, sounds odd, but I like his curls, and I like the fact that he thinks its fun to put it up into a "faux hawk" now and again.

10. 14 years and one day of marriage with the man I love.

Extra blessing: My husband's sense of humor . . . he's joking about "old man socks that need straps to hold them up" this morning.

Website for the day: The Humane Society
All of our animals have either been rescue animals, or given to us as "extras" from people who couldn't keep them. They are loveable, wonderful additions to our family.


Scripture for the Day (from VBS): "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths of your instructions." Psalm 119:18

365 Days of Blessings - Day 73

Shared Blessings are Awesome! Please feel free to share some with your friends, your family, and everyone you meet. Plus, if you share them here, they'll be posted here.

Shared Blessings:
1. Louise, a friend of mine, said, "fishing, fishing, fishing!" She's on a fishing trip, and having a great time!
2. Angie, a sweet blog friend, said, "Everyone had a good time at the Mother/Daughter camp and no one got sick, lost or hurt while she was in charge! Plus, her oldest son is a senior and is all set to go on big things!" Both of those are awesome blessings, Angie! Check out her cool writing blog at Notes From the Writing Chair

Thank you for sharing Louise and Angie!!!

365 Days of Blessings, Day 723(from me)
1. God's Word is Comforting!!! Let's Go! (VBS Bible Point, Day 2)

2. Having fun while sharing God's word in an interactive way with groups of 20+ kids and leaders for four rotations yesterday morning.

3. Having a great partner for Bible Voyages - interactive drama storytelling of the Bible.

4. Having extra time in the script so we can actually open up the Bible and read the "real" story from the source.

5. Having two enthusiastic helpers for Bible Voyages this year. This is a first! We have helpers who want to run the sound cues, help with special affects, and even take a few lines!!!

6. 120 kids plus adult and teen helpers, singing praises to God on a Monday morning . . . and later today too!

7. My oldest daughter had a great time as a pre-school crew leader!

8. My youngest daughter had fun being a camper.

9. My husband took lots of pictures and got to make kids laugh . . . one of his favorite past-times.

10. My mom, whom everyone calls "so cute and energetic" helped lead a crew yesterday and had a great time too.

Extra Blessing: Today we get to tell the story of one of Paul's shipwreck experiences. Yesterday, if you wanted to know the answer to my hints: I played Rhoda, and the story was from Acts 12, when Peter escaped from Prison.

Website for the day: Adam-rado on Youtube
This is a video from youtube, of the "Adam-rado" song, written for our church softball coach and team, and performed by two softball players.

VBS Scripture Verse for the day: "Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles." Psalm 119:50

365 Days of Blessings - Day 72, and Sharing!

Shared Blessings are wonderful! When we share blessings, we multiply them into an infinite number that can't be counted.

So do you have blessings to share? If you do, please share them in the comment section and I'll post them the next day in Shared Blessings.

Shared Blessings:
1. Shannon said she is thankful for healthy children, a good dog, an occassional cool day during a hot summer, coffee, and the world's greatest mother-in-law! Thank you for sharing, Shannon! Shannon has a blog called Book Dreaming - check it out!

365 Days of Blessings, Day 72

1. God's Word is a treasure!

2. God's Word is true!

3. "Adam-rado" - a song written by Mickey, dedicated to Coach Adam from PLC's God Squad 2 softball team, sung to the tune of Desperado, and heard by everyone after church on Sunday. Laughter, fun, and great fellowship . . . perfect.

4. The Wednesday night prayer group at our church . . . sure, I know it's not Wednesday, but this particular group of people has blessed our congregation with constant prayer during a financial and congregational crisis this summer. They are wonderful.

5. The dedicated organizational skills of Jordan, the director of VBS at our church. I've probably mentioned them before, but his skills and his love for the Lord impress me, would be impressive for anyone of any age, and he's 22. 22, with a better handle on stuff than some of us who are much older. Of course, he has a super mom and super dad encouraging him every step of the way.

6. Being a part of a small group of people gathered around someone hurting in our church last night. I wish she wasn't hurting, but I'm glad we can be there to tell her that she is loved.

7. Giving my husband big, squeezy hugs because I am so thankful that he is who he is, and he's mine. (well, he belongs to God first, and then he's mine)

8. Waking up early to write!!! I'm only getting in around 250 words a day on my WIP at this moment, but I'm getting a little done eacy day.

9. Getting ready to wear Bible times clothes today, and carry a heavy chain. Do you know which Bible story I'll be re-telling today?

10. The many blessings of facebook friends.

Scripture for the day: "But you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true." Psalm 119:151 VBS Scripture for thd day.

Website for the day: Peninsula Lutheran Church - where VBS starts today, at 9a.m.

365 Days of Blessings - Day 69

Every Friday, 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 Karen Lange of Write Now. Karen's posts reflect an attitude of gratitude, and an acknowledgement of blessing in her life. She also inspires me with great writing tips, encouraging words, and links to sites with help for writers. Thank you for being a blessing Karen!



And now, the list of some of my other blessings:
365 Days of Blessings, Day 69
1. "God's Word is For Everyone!" - "Let's Go!!!" (from VBS script)

2. Finished typing up the VBS script for Day 5. The format we get it in is hard to read on the go, so we re-type it up, put it in big print, and try to memorize it as we type, read, practice, and then . . . we're into the week and running around with big print scripts in our hand, hoping we don't forget anything.

3. Our church has an awesome VBS leader, who also happens to be our MS youth leader.

4. Being able to be a part of the Bible Voyage section of VBS. I get to work with a fun partner, and I get to tell Bible stories in an active, adventure format. Fun stuff.

5. My oldest daughter gets to be a helper for VBS this year. She is excited, and yet is missing being one of the "campers."

6. Singing VBS songs.

7. Having the "insider" knowledge of VBS beforehand - knowing what crafts will be made, snacks eaten, Bible Verses and Bible points, and even seeing the costume our VBS leader will be wearing.

8. Being able to go with something a little less elaborate than our VBS leader for a costume. I'll be going on a High Seas VBS Voyage in Gilligan style - red shirt, white pants, sailor hat.

9. My husband gets to take mornings off of his work to help with VBS. He'll be taking pictures and putting them into a picture presentation, as well as helping leaders understand how to run the "Chadder's Theatre" video presentation.

10. Our whole household, and my parents who live next door, will be either helping with VBS, or going to VBS as a camper.

Shared Blessings: Louise, a friend of mine, says she feels blessed by my posts, and looks forward to reading them every morning. Wow. Thanks Louise!!!

Please feel free to share your own blessings from life, either here or everywhere you go! Sharing blessings is fun!

Scripture for the day: "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer." Acts 2:42

365 Days of Blessings - Day 66

365 Days of Blessings, Day 66

1. The Lord is righteous and merciful.

2. A picture of deer in our yard, eating the apples that have fallen to the ground.

3. My cat's tail playfully flicked into my face . . . she feels that petting her is more important than petting a computer keyboard.

4. Having time to write in the morning.

5. Having one of my daughters' friends sleep over.

6. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the influence I've had on my daughters and their friend. They've started a writing club.

7. Knowing that my kids still need me around for guidance . . . like how to have a positive writing club that doesn't falter under weighty criticism, or crumble under perceived ideas that two people are sharing story ideas without telling anyone else.

8. Knowing that the chill of the morning will be replaced by the heat of the afternoon. (Some mornings I love the chill, but today I want my slippers and a quilt)

9. Running into friends while running errands.

10. "Tweaking" scripts for Vacation Bible School Bible Voyages.

Shared Blessings:
1. One of my nieces is thankful for her days off.
2. Karen Lange wrote yesterday that she counts me as one of her treasured blog friend blessings. Thank you Karen!!!

Website for the Day: Group's High Seas VBS


Scripture for the Day:
"Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make request of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Daniel 9:17-19

365 Days of Blessings - Day 64(LATE)

365 Days of Blessings, Day 64 - A Day Late!

1. God saves us . . . from our sin, from our selfishness, and from a life of loneliness and pain.

2. Our bathroom linoleum is all gone! And my husband has realized that the entire upstairs bathroom needs to be gutted and re-done by professionals thanks to the smell of the underflooring, and the state of the 60 year old pipes. It's going to cost, but we have some savings and we're tired of that musty, "what is that?" smell.

3. We have savings. I know I mentioned that earlier, but I'm still thankful.

4. We have good doctors just minutes away, and my husband went in to see about his back after church today. He lifted something wrong for the first time in his life, and has muscle spasms, but he is resting (some) and will be taking muscle relaxer later. It's good to have such quick and easy access to medical care.

5. After worship today, setting up some decor for VBS a whole week early, and enjoying great fellowship.

6. The Decorating Vision of two young adults who are making the Bible Adventure area perfect . . . so I could help my daughters with some of the pre-school decor.

7. Our beloved visitation Pastor gave his last sermon as our Pastor yesterday, and we gave him a standing ovation. In light of his amazing, lifelong ministry, I think he deserves even more. Pastor Art gave the sermon that started this blessings project, so I think I will be putting up something on the side bar to highlight that. Our Lead Pastor also inspired me to have an attitude of gratitude, but Pastor Art specifically said, "If we truly took the time to count our blessings, we would be counting for all eternity."

8. Our team won our first game in the church softball play-offs! That means we get to play again next weekend.

9. An amazing thing happened at the game yesterday: I made the last out. Me, the catcher with few ball handling skills! I picked up the ball, stood on home plate while the runner came toward me, and then I tagged her to make certain I had the out.

10. Hearing my daughters yell: "Go Mommy!" from behind the backstop while I was up at bat.

Shared Blessing: My husband told me yesterday morning that he is thankful for me, his wife. (Isn't he a sweet guy? Definitely a keeper.)

Website for the day: One of my favorite websites for short, Christian fantasy fiction and poetry - Mindflights

Scripture for the Day: "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7