thankfulness

  • I Got a Thank You Card In The Mail!

    Here’s a Thanksgiving post all about getting a Thank You Card!

    “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.”

    Luke 17:15-16 NIV

    thank you card in the mailThere’s not a lot of mail we like to open.  Usually I get excited when I see an “It’s a GOOD mail day!” sticker on my #EllensPicks packages, but this week I was thrilled when I saw a small handwritten notecard addressed to little ole me.  I got a Thank You card in the mail!

    A Thank You Card From Patty

    Opening a handwritten note from Patty Scott; a blogger at Hearts Homeward made my day!  This sweet girl from California that I met online through blogging helped me with some ideas I was working on for online Bible study courses so, I sent her a copy of my books.  The first time she got my package it was torn and empty {Insert a big sigh}.

    Patty let me know what happened and thanked me for trying. Well…I wasn’t going to let the postal service block my gratitude, so I sent her another package covered in shipping tape!  Patty was writing this card to: thank me for the books, tell me how she was looking forward to ‘diving in’ and then wrote a prayer of blessing over my life…how encouraging is that!

    SHARING THE GRATITUDE

    You might think this is a common occurrence for me?  I’ve given away a ton of books, many have expressed their appreciation, but few have gone so far as to send me a thank you card in the mail.

    Although I didn’t do anything of similar magnitude, this reminded me of Jesus and the 10 lepers.  These guys went to Jesus and asked for a healing. Life was tough for them with such a severe skin disease.  They couldn’t work or even live in town.  When they received their healings it says that only one came back and thanked Jesus.

    Luke 17:15

    This lack of gratitude really didn’t sit well with Jesus and he responded saying, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”1 The writer of Hebrews reminds people that we need to show gratitude towards God by saying, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful.”

    So here’s my challenge to you this week…get busy writing so someone will be able to say,

    I Got a Thank You Card In The Mail!

    Prayer

    Father…my heart is full of gratitude for all You’ve done.  Forgive me for the times I didn’t let You or the others in my life know how much I appreciate them and all they do.  Fill my heart with gratitude and let it spill out in words of blessing and encouragement today.  In Jesus Name…Amen

    I’m sending out a thank you card in the mail this week…why not you? #shearethegratitude Click To Tweet

    Soul H2O bookIf you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.

     

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    Drawing from the well

    1. Luke 17:11-19 NIV

    Download Sherry’s Thank You Cheat Sheet for writing Thank You Cards. 

    thank you cheat sheet

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  • Defeating Anxiety By Counting Your Blessings

    Ruth ThorogoodThis #soulh2o devo is coming as a result of my recording with my adventerous friend Ruth Thorogood!

    I’m so thankful for this girl!  

    Recording the Thanksgiving episode with her got me thinking about my need to get back into the habit of Counting My Blessings in an effort to defeating anxiety in my life.

    I vaguely remembered writing a devo about that  and saw that I sent it out exactly 2 years ago today!  How crazy is that! As I read it, I felt so strongly that I needed to resend out this devotion instead of the one I had written for this week. I thought if I had a hard time remembering it and I wrote it, that it would be pretty-much new to you too!  I’m late getting it out again but hoping I have things regulated with all the new on my plate since starting the Soul H2O Radio show real soon 🙂  Girls, I’m loving it and hope you are too.

    Praying you have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!

    Defeating Anxiety By Counting My Blessings

    This post was featured on Crystal Twaddell’s FRESH MARKET FRIDAY Linkup. Crystal Twaddell

    This weekend, we Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving.  Our houses will be filled with the delicious aromas of turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato mash and pumpkin pie.  I’m responsible for bringing the Green Bean Casserole and my Thankfulness Journal.

    COLLECTING THANKFULNESS

    Years before I tried to get people to share what they were thankful for around the table and that never worked, so I bought the book and began collecting the gratitude of my family and friends at Thanksgiving dinner.  This year I’ve stepped it up a notch and again began Counting My Blessings each morning.  This practice always helps change my outlook on life.

    Philippians 4: 6-8In Philippians chapter four, Paul is writing to help people struggling with anxiety.  He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  He then teaches how to keep this kind of peace in verse 8 by keeping our thoughts fixed on things worthy of praise.

    Science & Scripture

    I love when science backs up Scripture.  Recent studies have given fact to Paul’s theory on defeating anxiety with thanksgiving.

    In a Psychology Today magazine article called The Grateful Brain; The neuroscience of giving thanks”, Alex Korb, PhD tells how practicing thankfulness

    “has the power to reshape your  neural pathways….
    help you exercise more, sleep better and be happier…
    So gratitude had a direct effect on depression symptoms
    (the more gratitude, the less depression)
    and an indirect effect on anxiety
    (increased gratitude led to improved sleep, which led to lower anxiety).
    Either way, with gratitude you’re better off, and you get a good night’s sleep.”1

    In a scientific study of 293 adults with mental health issues, people were put into three groups. The first group received counselling. The second group went to counselling, but also had to journal about

    “their deepest thoughts and feelings about stressful experiences”.

    The third group

    “wrote letters expressing gratitude to others”

    along with counselling sessions. This last group incorporated gratitude writing in their health regimen

    “reported significantly better mental health“ by four weeks and still at twelve weeks.2

    God’s ways make sense.  He knows what works.
    So, start defeating anxiety in your life by daily Counting Your Blessings.

    Prayer

    Father…I’m thankful for Your Word.  It speaks right into my life with the same relevance to me as the people in Paul’s day. Defeat anxiety in my life as I express Thanksgiving to You and those around me. Let me experience Your peace when I focus my thoughts on Counting My Blessings and not my losses. In Jesus Name…Amen

    Start defeating anxiety in your life by daily Counting Your Blessings Click To Tweet

    If you think you may be struggling with clinical depression or anxiety, check out my MENTAL HEALTH page for some guidance and links to great resources.

    Soul H2O bookIf you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women. 

    1.  

    Drawing from the well

    1. 1. Philippians 4:6-8
    2. 2. Psalm 103:2
    3. 3. Ephesians 5:20
    4. 4. Psalm 118:1
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    ENDNOTES

    1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201211/the-grateful-brain Website Accessed: 2017-10-09

    2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10503307.2016.1169332?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=tpsr20 Website Accessed: 2017-10-09

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  • Amazing People

    “I thank my God every time I remember you.”
     Philippians 1:3 NIV

    amazing peopleOn this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, I was blessed to spend time with so many people I love.  I know that Thanksgiving was started by the early settlers to thank God for the abundant harvest of food He provided for them. Although, I LOVE food, this year my heart is overwhelmed in thankfulness for all of the amazing people in my life.  Friends and family are what makes my heart full this year.

    Amazing Bestfriends

    I realized just how blessed I am when I was able to spend time with two of my closest friends Lise and Wendy.  There’s four of us #fabfour in this friendship group and we missed having Rachelle there, but it’s hard for us to coordinate everyone getting together since we don’t all live in the same country anymore.

    These girls have been my prayer partners for the past few decades (Oh how I wish I could say we met in preschool right now).  We’ve been there for each other through thick and thin. We are praying, fasting, eating, laughing…lots of laughing, parenting, challenging, encouraging and cheering each other on to follow hard after God.

    I never would have made it through my desert times without these girls... Click To Tweet

    If it wasn’t for these beautiful women, I wouldn’t strive so much to reach for my dreams .

    philippians 1:3I feel a real affinity with Paul’s words in this verse. I thank my god every time I remember these girls. Paul wrote the verse while in prison.  When Paul was at the lowest point in his life he recognized and thanked so many people from the church in Philippi.  Just like Paul experienced, it’s the amazing people in our lives that are God’s greatest blessings.

    Let thankfulness fill your heart as you take the time to think about how friends and family have blessed your life.  Be like Paul and write something to let the amazing people you love know how thankful you are for them.

    Prayer

    Father…I thank You for putting amazing people in my life.  I’m a better person because of their influence.  Help me not to take them for granted.  Please give me the words and courage to express to them in writing how grateful I am, thanking God for them today.  In Jesus Name…Amen

    Soul H2O bookIf you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.

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    Write something down to tell how your friends and family have helped you get through the hard times in the  Comment box below.

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