Gardening

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord" Psalm 40:3

I praise God for the ability to dig in the dirt and watch things grow. It is amazing!

Pens

"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." Revelation 4:11

I praise God for pens. I would be lost at work without them because I am always scribbling something down on a Post-It. I love the feeling of writing in a journal with a good pen. It is the means of making thoughts come alive!

A Warm House

"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." Revelation 4:8

I praise God for a warm house. Minnesota winters are freezing and it is nice to have a place to go, shelter from the cold. I can curl up in a warm blanket in my warm house. Thank you Lord!

Popcorn

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." Psalm 33:8-9

I praise God for popcorn. It tastes so good and is easy to make. It goes great with watching a movie.

Soap

"Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30: 4-5

I praise God for soap. I really like having something to get me clean and smelling good. There are so many kinds and so many scents. It is a good-smelling thing.

Cell Phones

"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul." Psalm 108: 1

I praise God for cell phones. It's just such a blessing to be able to keep in touch with my family; they're only ever a phone call away. Not to mention, it's a good feeling to know that (as long as I have signal) I can call for help if I'm stranded somewhere. The new phones are a lot of fun, too, with all the cool apps and features. We are a blessed nation.

Snow Days

"Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thoughts from afar."

I praise God for snow days. Okay, so I'm an adult now and don't ever hardly have a chance to experience these. I live 5 minutes away from work so even if the weather was bad, I have no excuse. So, when church was canceled because of a blizzard, I was kind of excited. It's an opportunity to stay inside and be thankful for a nice, warm house.

Laughter

"A broken heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

I praise God for laughter. It is a great way to relieve stress and I just appreciate the times where I can laugh so hard I cry.

My Job

"Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."

I praise God for my job. As much as I complain about it, there is still something to be said about having a place to go where I have a task to accomplish. It is nice to get paid for it as well. I have a good job and work with good people.

My Period

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I praise God for my period. Funny how any other time before my molar pregnancy I'm not sure I would have ever thought this, but I do now. It means my body is getting back to normal and I am healing. It's a reminder of how I am no longer bleeding every day like I had been a few months ago. Thank you, Lord.

Hot Showers

"The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:9-10

I praise God for hot showers. They are relaxing, cleansing, and soothing. There are many other places that have limited supply of heat for this and not to mention a limited supply of water as well, so it is quite a luxury to take a long, hot shower. Thank you Lord.

Sleep

"Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob." Psalm 81:1

I praise God for sleep. It is such a good feeling to got to bed at night and then to wake up fully rested. I love the feeling of being nice and warm underneath the covers and drifting into dreamland. Plus, it regenerates me for another busy day.

Washing Machines

"Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright." Psalm 33:1

I praise God for washing machines. I'm not the best at keeping up with the housework as it is, but this technology makes it easier to catch up once I've gotten behind. I've been on mission trips where I've had to wash my clothes by hand. They just don't get as clean as through the washer. So, I will be grateful for my washing machine, no matter how much I dislike doing laundry!

The Weekend

"You, O Lord, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation." Lamentations 5:19

I praise God for the weekend. Not that I wish away the rest of the week, but the weekend is just so nice because I have the chance to rest and relax. It's especially enjoyable when I don't have any other responsibilities or commitments. It is a blessing to not have to work on the weekends.

Pizza Hut

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders." Psalm 105:1-2

I praise God for Pizza Hut. Every once in awhile we treat ourselves to the joy of good pizza and not worrying about making dinner. I'm thankful that we can afford these little indulgences. It makes a Friday and long day at work so much more bearable, especially when my husband secretly ordered the stuffed crust.

Work Friends

"I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

I praise God for work friends. I am blessed to work with so many wonderful people with great personalities. Their senses of humor are refreshing at a time when the workload is very mentally straining. It is a privilege to know them and work with them every day.

My Mentor

"Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:4-5

I praise God for my mentor. She has been a great encouragement to me. I've learned so much from her. Even though I don't see her as much as I used to anymore, it is always a good time when we get together to talk.

Health Insurance

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting." Psalm 107:1

I praise God for health insurance. With all the bills that will be coming my way at some point, it is nice to know that I will not have to pay for all of it. It is a very big blessing. Thank you Lord!

Music

"...but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Ephesians 5:18-20

I praise God for the gift of music. It is such a blessing to listen to it, to play it, to sing it... It is a way to get in touch with the deep emotions of the soul, emotions that are sometimes hard to explain or tap into. It is a healing therapy and an expression of joy. I love music.

Fellow Believers

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now."

I praise God for fellow believers. Even when you don't know each other, it's like you already do because you both know Jesus. It's like you're family. In particular today, I'm thankful for the believers I work with. They are an encouragement and an accountability to live what I say and say what I live. We meet every Friday to pray for what's going on with folks on our teams and the work climate in general. It's because of these prayers that I we are all keeping above water!