Thankful

Thanksgiving is the time when we are all reminded of what we have in our lives to be thankful for. In America, our list of what to be thankful for is often similar- family, friends, food. I love James 1:17 that says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...". This Bible verse tells me that every good thing I have in my life is from the Lord. EVERYTHING! This includes so much more than I am aware of on a daily basis.

It is easy for me to forget to thank God for some things in my life. When I miss my husband and feel lonely, I forget to be thankful that I even have a husband who loves me and that works hard for my family. When I feel overwhelmed by debt or bills, I forget to be thankful that we have a home and hundreds of other comforts that people in other countires do not have and may never have. When I feel bad about myself (too fat, etc), I forget to thank the Lord that I am healthy and my body is fearfully and wonderfully made.

I am the average, ordinary woman that often forgets just how blessed I am. I can be selfish, ungrateful, and even ugly at times. But this Thanksgiving, my heart is full of thanks to my God and my Savior. He loves me, Jessica, the apple of His eye, no matter what! And He wants to make something special of my life. I don't know why He put me on this earth, or what my purpose is. One thing I do know- God is real, He died to give me a hope and a future, and I thank Him for that. My goal is to thank Him every day by offering Him my life, not just during the holidays but every day year-round. Lord, I love You. Thank you. This Thanksgiving is for You. May my life be lived in a way that brings a smile to Your face.

Thank You

Thank You, Lord, for this life. It is not perfect, there is much evil and oppression here. But how can I focus on all of that when You've given me so much more?

Father, what is this life without You? You spoke the world into motion, created something out of nothing.You are the hope of the world, because You give us life beyond this wasted earth. You are love, Your Word says You are love. And with You, I am able to love others. Thank You for pregnancy, that I was able to get pregnant with my son and then carry and deliver Him. I know many women struggle with this. You made my heart, my mind, my soul. You gave me my family, my faith, my home and life. You have given me so many promises. Never will You leave me. You will come back for me, to take me to be with You where You are. And most importantly, you knew I was a desperate, sinful person in need of help, and You died on the cross for me, so that I could humbly accept Your sacrifice and then live with You forever someday. Forever is a long time! Thank You, Jesus, that I am assured of my salvation, that I don't do anything to make myself right or pure in Your eyes. It's all about Jesus, He is my righteousness.

Lord, You carried the cross for my shame. You gave up EVERYTHING for me and for anyone else that will accept You. What can I say? What can I do? I now offer my heart completely to You. I'll walk upon salvation, Your spirit alive in me. My soul now to stand! It is well with my soul. I'll stand with arms wide and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered. All I am is Yours. I love You, Lord. Thank you for this life.

October Fun

This morning, Phoenix and I are driving to Las Vegas to pick Daddy up from the airport. I am delighted, since it's been over a week since I saw Isaac. Then, as of now, he has 2 weeks until he has to leave again on a 10-day show.

Life has been fairly ordinary. Phoenix and I still spend our days outside in the beautiful Fall weather, going for walks and playing fetch with the dogs. Phoenix just recovered from 2 days of a feverish sickness; after extra sleep and snuggle time, he's feeling much better. Now he's back to his stubborn, aggressive self. Wonder where he got that from?

Last weekend we went up to St. George to Staheli Farm. There was a pumpkin patch, corn maze, and petting zoo. Phoenix really enjoyed the animals, particularly the baby goats. He would pull on their tails and giggle when they tried to run away from him. He also loved the corn maze; he would pick up a husk of the dried up corn, try to bite into it, and then throw it and move on to another corn husk. It was a fun day.

I recently got my hair cut and dyed to my natural brown. at first I wasn't used to the new hair, and despaired at how to style it. But now I have really grown into it, and it's a nice change. Bangs are fun and playful, and I love having my hair back to brown. I've had streaks in it since 5th grade! All in all, life is sweet. We're all healthy, provided for, and blessed. Lord, thank You for another day on this earthly home in which to enjoy all that You've given us...

Lord, use my earthen vessel

I had the great privelege of attending Mesquite's first Women's Conference this past weekend. Wow, was I blessed. We worshipped God through our songs, music, reading of His Word, fellowship, and prayer. I know the Lord was glorified. I was blessed to meet some new sisters in Christ who also have little children. Now I know people here! Not as many as my husband, but he grew up here, so he knows almost everyone.

The theme was from 2 Corinthians 4:7 in the Bible: "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, not of us." I learned a myriad of things. One of them is that I am God's precious workmanship, created by Him to know Him, love Him, and glorify Him. He has given me this treasure, the Good News about Jesus, in my earthen vessel (my body) to share with others. And the best part is that even though I am a weak sinner, and I stumble daily, God still chooses to use me in my weakness, so that He might remind me that it's by His strength I serve Him and through His mercy that I am any good at all.

We have been trying to find a place to rent in Mesquite. We had our eyes on a place, but we waited too long to put in our application and it was taken. My first reaction was to be angry that we had waited so long, but then I recognized the Lord's hand. He is in control of every detail in my life, and He would have given me that house if it was His plan for me. So now I wait on Him and continue looking for the place He wants to give us to live in.

And finally, family news. Phoenix is growing lots of teeth, very painfully and crankilly! Good thing I love him so much. :) Isaac left this morning for a work trip to California, and he gets back Sunday. Not bad, only a 6 day trip. I miss him already. Thank goodness the Lord has promised me "Never will I leave you," otherwise I might get too lonely!

Goodbye Summer, Fall is Here!

We have really enjoyed our summer. It's been the most exciting summer we've ever had, and included the following adventures:

1. We lived in four states- from Utah, to Missouri, to Texas, and now we are temporarily settled in Nevada. We enjoyed the chaos of moving and learned more things than I can tell. If you ever want to learn a lot about life and about yourself, then sell all your furniture and go on an adventure, trusting God as your leader!

2. Phoenix is not a baby, he is a toddler. A year old, not nearly as bald, starting to talk (his latest saying is "Uh-oh!" whenever he drops something). We wait on the Lord to see when He wants us to try for another baby.

3. Isaac has a new job, another sales job, that keeps him travelling. And he is considering becoming a fire fighter. I think it would be a perfect fit for him, since he loves a challenge and has never done well with traditional, 9-to-5 jobs.

I am seeking the Lord's will for our future. In the meantime, I enjoy the present moment and all that God gives us. Living with my in-laws has been such a blessing to my family. We've learned a lot and being with family helps to curb my lonliness when Isaac's gone for work. His latest trip was to Idaho, and it's a ten day trip- YIKES!- so I can look forward to seeing him around 3:00 AM this Monday. I can't wait to hug him and enjoy some time together before his next trip.

Summer has been great, full of change and growth. Fall is here, my favorite season, and the weather is perfect. 70 degrees, a slight Autumn breeze...ahh...the weather must feel like this in heaven!