It's November 5, and I'm Thankful For...

...my new deep freezer. Well, it's not actually new, just new to me (the picture above is not actually ours. It's a picture I got online. Ours looks a lot like it. I'm just too lazy to take a picture of it and upload it. Pathetic, I know).

God is just SO good. One morning a month or so ago, I was out walking, and I saw a neighbor with a deep freezer for sale. I thought to myself, "I sure wish I could buy that. I really need one, but now just isn't the best time." Sadly, I resigned myself to the fact that I was just going to have to wait...even if it was a good deal.
Later that afternoon, I saw my super sweet neighbor (different neighbor), and she asked me, "Annie, do you have any need for a deep freezer? We have one in our garage, but we need a new refrigerator, and we're going to move our old one to the garage, and we need to get rid of our deep freezer. Would you have any use for it?"
Oh my goodness! This sweet lady had NO idea that I was just wishing I'd had one. Is God great or what?!
I told her my story and that I would be thrilled to have it. She said, "Well praise the LORD! Someone needs it!"

So now, Channing and I are the proud owners of a stand up deep freezer, and it was totally and completely free. A gift from my super sweet neighbor and my God, who truly cares about every area of my life...even my food storage. What an incredible blessing!!!

During this uncertain time, it is so important to take notice our blessings. So what are you thankful for today?

It's November 4, and I'm Thankful For...

...living in a country where I have a right, a freedom, to vote for the person I believe should be the next leader of our country.

It's not small thing. Just ask those who don't have that freedom.
I am thankful that I, as a woman, have just as much say as my husband or as the next man in line. I am not discriminated against because I am a woman. My rights are not withheld.
I am thankful that no matter who gets elected, God is still in control.
Today, there is so much to be thankful for!!!

What are you thankful for today?

It's Good To Be a "K"

This morning, I spent time in tears and prayer for the future of our country. I fear that God will give this country what they've asked for. I fear that we're about to embark on an Obama presidency. It's just like the old adage..."Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it." Oh, LORD, have mercy. Until the polls have closed, I am going to continue to pray and have faith that morals and convictions will trump economic, racial, and healthcare issues.

An hour ago, Channing and I arrived at our election stop to see LOOOOOOOOOONG lines. We were prepared to wait. As we were walking up, a nice man came and asked us if he could help us. He asked our last names and politely and enthusiastically informed us that there was no line for last names that ranged from E through K. We are K's, so that was PERFECT!!! The other two lines were going down the highway. Channing and I were in and out in five minutes. On our way out, we ran into friends who had been waiting for a long time. I applaud them and the rest of you who will brave the lines to cast your ballots.

If you have not yet voted, please make sure you do. I encourage you to pray and seek God's will before you cast your ballot. And just for this one day, don't let a long line scare you off. Our future, our children's future, the future of unborn children is at stake.

May God bless America!

You've Gotta See This Guy

If you haven't already seen this video, you've gotta watch it...before you vote. I'm sure you'll find it as enlightening and entertaining as I and so many others have. It was quite the hot video to watch last night as it was making its way through facebook. Thanks for sharing, Ryan! I just keep watching it.

Check it out:

It's November 3, and I am Thankful For...

...living in a country which allows me to worship God freely.
I think this is one of those things that is so easy to take for granted. We live in a country that permits us the freedom to worship as we please, to possess a Bible (or Bibles) and to study them. I can pray wherever I want and can proudly and freely share the Word with others. Thing is, this is a rarity in the world. So many countries do not have this privilege. Their citizens are persecuted for their religious beliefs. There are people in other countries who are so hungry for God's Word that they would do just about anything to get it. Yet here in the U.S., so many of us have it and set it off to the side, just as we do God. We'll get to that later. We'll get to Him later.

We need to wake up! I often say that living in America is both a blessing and a curse. The reason I say that is because we have everything, everything we could possibly want. Our poor are nothing compared to the poor in some of the poverty-stricken countries around the world. Our choices are endless, whether it be with clothing, food, drink, books, television shows, cars, churches...the list goes on. Blessing indeed, however it can also be a curse. Because of all our luxuries and choices, we often put God on the back burner. Where these poverty-stricken countries have nothing, they have way more than many of us here. They have God. They cling to Him and to His faithfulness. They trust completely in Him and not in the stock market, not in their bank accounts. These people are willing to die for the gospel of Christ.

How many people in America truly feel that way? How many, when it comes right down to it, would be willing to give their lives for the sake of furthering Christ's kingdom? Why do we wonder why we don't see the miracles that people in India, in Africa, in other areas of the world are seeing? Why do we wonder the reasons we aren't seeing tumors fall off of people's faces? The blind having sight for the first time? The lame walking? Why.... because we don't have FAITH. We trust in what we see, in what the media tells us, what the doctor tells us.

You see, God has given us an awesome blessing by allowing us to live in the U.S. Yet it does not come without a test. Will you pass the test? Will I?

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it". Matthew 7:13

So today, I am thankful for the freedom to worship. What a gift it is. I pray I will make the most of it. I can honestly say that I don't always take the time to truly appreciate this gift. I pray that God will constantly remind me of His faithfulness, love, and patience. For those things, I am so thankful!

What are you thankful for today?

A Month of Thanks

Earlier, on a break from one of Tristan's shows, the network said that we are in the month of November and that this month is a month of thanks; a month to think about what we're thankful for. At first, I didn't think much about it. "Oh, that is really nice. I'm glad they're pointing that out to the kids." As the night has gone on, though, I have really evaluated my life and just really thought about how incredibly blessed I am. I am, I am so incredibly blessed.

Each day this month, I am going to share something I am thankful for. Today, I'm going to kick it off with a blanket list. So here goes:

I am so thankful for God's grace, love, and mercy. He doesn't treat me as my sin deserves, but rather he loves me with agape love. He loves me despite my faults and sees the good in me. How awesome is that!

I am thankful for my family. I can't say enough about my husband and my boys. They are my life. I look forward to sharing ways that they enrich my days. When it comes to them, I could go on and on.

I am thankful for my amazing friends. God has truly blessed me with some of the greatest friends this planet has to offer. I have friends from every stage of my life who have stood the test of time and are always there for me. Oh how I love them!

I am thankful for this wonderful country I live in. Despite economical problems and election craziness, this is the still the greatest country on the planet. I am proud to be an American!

I am thankful for fall weather. What a FABULOUS time of year! The changing leaves, the cool weather, the football...

I am thankful for college football. Yes, I said it. That's right. I'm a southern girl, and I love me some college football, y'all!

I am thankful for electricity, air conditioning, heating, the refrigerator...things people in other countries don't have; things I take for granted every day.

I am thankful for God's testing. Oh, man! It's ROUGH! I'm not going to lie. However, I know that if I make it through these tests, I will grow in character and wisdom and will be blessed. Can't beat that! Thank you, LORD!

I am thankful for great writers who offer their insight, their wisdom, their creativity. Where would I be without my books?

Ok, this is just a warm up. I look forward to sharing more about what I am thankful for, each day as I work my way through November. I would love to hear some things you're thankful for! Take this time to reflect on all that you've been given. I think it will brighten your day just like it has mine!

A Fun Night

My three boys and I had so much fun last night. We met up with some of our closest friends for some trick-or-treating. This is the first time Tristan has been trick-or-treating since he was seven months old (when we basically just carted him around to show how cute he was in his costume). Every year, we've stuck with fall festivals, but this year, we decided to do something different. We decided to see what it was like to trick-or-treat, so we went walking around the neighborhood behind us, where many of our friends live...the neighborhood is HUGE and is Halloween central. Seriously, some houses we had to avoid! I mean, chainsaws? SO uneccessary. Tristan knows we don't participate with the evil stuff. Ok, back to the subject...

Here are some shots from last night. Thanks, Rachel, for sharing the pictures you took!!!

Asher's new costume was too small, so we had to go with last year's chicken costume. It was a little small but did the job. And yes, I know chickens are girls. Let's pretend he was a rooster.
Tristan was Iron Man. He wore the mask for about 30 minutes, then it was gone. It's just too hard to see (and breathe) through it.
And then there's sweet baby Noah. He is the adorable little monkey. What a doll!I love these girls! Rachel is here visiting from Aman, Jordan, where she and her husband are missionaries. I am enjoying all the time I am able to spend with her, her sweet baby, Noah, and her husband, Nathan.
And of course, my sweet friend, Karen. She didn't get to navigate the neighborhood with us because she had a sore throat and is pregnant. She didn't want to make it worse, so she stayed home until we were done. Isn't she adorable?! If only we could all be blessed with such a tiny belly when expecting. Yeah, she's halfway through her pregnancy and looks the way I look at nine weeks!This is Karen's husband, Jon. He's wearing his "costume", some random glasses he found in his pocket. He was quite proud of them. :) Jon, you're not the best at costumes, but we love you anyway!
Jon was so helpful last night, and despite not having a child yet, he trick-or-treated like a pro!Another shot of Channing, Jon, and the boys, minus Jon's fabulous costume. :)Our family shot of the night. I am SO incredibly blessed!At the end of the night, we returned to Jon and Karen's house to meet up with some more friends and to head out for some yummy Mexican food. Before we left, Rachel got this super sweet shot of Asher with Noah. Asher was so enamored with the "babia". He's a little "babia" crazy right now.We missed Ashley, David, and the boys but were all impressed that Timothy only wanted to spend time with family. How sweet is that?!

Thanks, guys, for a super fun night! I love ya'll!!!