Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling, Bible Journaling Camp, Encouragements, Miscellaneous, YouTube Videos

When It’s Hard To Be Grateful On Thanksgiving

DaySpring Cards

DaySpring.com

When It’s Hard to be Grateful on Thanksgiving

It’s a story of sacrifice and survival; partnership and progress.

It was our country’s very first Thanksgiving.

Imagine the challenges the first settlers endured in 1620. They left everyone they knew and everything that was familiar. The Mayflower carried 102 voyagers across the Atlantic on a 66-day journey full of sickness and storms. That winter, nearly half of the voyagers died from disease and lack of shelter.

Yet, when the harvest season arrived, they set aside three full days to give thanks. In spite of the hardships, there was still much to be grateful for. They were alive. They were welcomed as strangers into a new land. The natives taught them how to grow their own crops. They had food to eat and friends to share it with. And…they had religious freedom, which is the very reason they came.

The settlers’ simple decision to be intentionally grateful led to centuries of Americans doing the same every November.

Let’s be real though. In some seasons of life, being grateful is just plain hard. We find ourselves overwhelmed with circumstances and underwhelmed with relationships. With preoccupied minds and aching hearts, it goes against our nature to give thanks anyway. But that’s exactly what the Lord asks of us.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

But…

How can we give thanks if we lost our job?

How can we give thanks if we’ve been diagnosed with a disease?

How can we give thanks if we can’t conceive?

How can we give thanks if our friend refuses to talk to us?

How can we give thanks if we are spending the holidays alone…again?

How can we give thanks if our marriage is falling apart?

How can we give thanks if our child is suffering?

How can we give thanks if we lost a loved one?

How can we give thanks if we don’t know what the future holds?

Because even though we are struggling, our God is still sacred.

In each difficult situation, our Creator gives us glimpses of hope in a sacred silver lining. It’s the place where God is working all things together for good. It’s where the hidden blessings are stored. They aren’t always easy to find, but they’re always there.

The secret to giving thanks in all circumstances is to find His sacred lining.

We will find His sacred lining when we give thanks for what we do have, instead of complaining about what we don’t have.
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 NLT

We will find His sacred lining when we give thanks for what is right instead of worrying about what is wrong.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

We will find His sacred lining when we give thanks for the process instead of grumbling about the problem.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5 NLT

We will find His sacred lining when we give thanks to God first.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 NIV

Before we gather around the table this year, gobbling up turkey and a slice of pumpkin pie, let’s be intentional about giving thanks no matter what. We can be personal about it by starting a gratitude journal, or we can share it with others in a prayer before dinner. Yes, circumstances can be challenging. Yes, relationships can be broken. But we serve a God who is for us, not against us. There is a holy gift waiting for us amidst the hardship. Let’s look hard for His sacred lining and give thanks to God when we find it, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.


Know someone who is having a difficult holiday? Send them 
a handwritten greeting cardencouraging Ecard or check out our Difficult Times section to find just the right gift to lift their spirits this season.  

Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling Camp, Encouragements, Miscellaneous, YouTube Videos

Be Thankful People

Crosswalk.com

Be Thankful for People
This devotional was written by Robin Dugall

I thank my God every time I remember you. 
—Philippians 1:3 

Thanksgiving Sunday is here, and across our country, pastors are preaching sermons pointing out the need for Christ-followers to be thankful people. As a pastor, I’ve made impassioned pleas for Christ-followers to rise above our culture… to resist the temptation for the holiday season to be simply another opportunity for us to be self-focused and self-indulgent. Thanksgiving isn’t just about eating to the brink of explosion; shopping to the brink of bankruptcy; watching television to the brink of insanity. I’ve tried to make the point that Thanksgiving for a person who loves God can be so much more.

Even so, I discovered in my own life that despite what I’ve preached, I have missed a crucial element in the process of being a thankful follower of Jesus in my own life. I found that over the years I have been mostly thankful for the THINGS in my life; for food, finances, the house I have lived in, the clothes I have worn, and so on. While there’s nothing wrong with being thankful for these things, I have missed the boat on giving thanks for the biggest blessings of God in my life… PEOPLE.

Consider how empty, purposeless, and meaningless our lives would be without relationships. Relationships have shaped who we are and who we are becoming. Without exception, everyone I know has been positively influenced by other people. While it is easy to thank God for the THINGS in our lives, we should remember to be equally thankful for the PEOPLE God has placed in our lives as well!

Let me give you just one example. I am thankful for my Aunt Patty. She had suffered a brain injury when she was a small child severe enough that by the time I was born, she had become mentally disabled. But, when I was a child, she would play games and entertain me for hours. She loved me unconditionally. We would play The Beatles records and pretend to be Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was her love for music that infected my soul for the rest of my life. I thank God for her!

How about you? Who do you thank God for? Today, take a few moments and thank God for the relationships in your life. Truthfully, it can revolutionize your life. Happy Thanksgiving!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Make a list of the people who have shaped your life. Share the list with your friends and family.

2. How easy is it to just thank God for things in your life? How can you live a lifestyle of thankfulness more consistently?

FURTHER READING:

[Psalms 150Philemon 1]

For more information and resources please visit HomeWord.com.

Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling Camp, Encouragements, Miscellaneous, YouTube Videos

Remember To Give Thanks…

Crosswalk.com

Remember to Give Thanks

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15–16 NKJV)

The Bible tells the story of ten men who had a lot to give thanks for. They were miraculously touched by Jesus. Prior to this touch, they were complete outcasts, the very scourge of society. These men had leprosy, and you couldn’t get any lower in that particular time in history with this incurable disease.

If a man was found to have leprosy, he could have no contact with others. He had to leave his house and his friends and live apart from them. So here were these men living an isolated, miserable, lonely life. But they heard about Jesus. They heard how He had touched others and healed them.

So they called out to the Lord and asked for His healing touch. Now these men were standing before Jesus in various stages of decay. Their clothing would have been ripped from perpetual mourning. Their skeletal heads would have been uncovered. They would have been required, according to the Law of Moses, to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” wherever they went.

But Jesus did not respond to them with special effects or even a dramatic touch. He simply said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14 NKJV). So that is what they did. And guess what? They were healed.

We are so quick to ask for God’s help, but let’s remember to be just as quick in giving Him praise when He comes through.

Copyright © 2019 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling, Bible Journaling Camp, Encouragements, Journal, Journals, Junk Journals, Miscellaneous, YouTube Videos

Fall Gratitude and Thanksgiving Bible Journaling Camp…Schedule Change November 22, 2019

Hi Sweet Friends,

The YouTube post for Nov. 22 will be up later in the day.

For those with the kits for the camp….get ready for us to bring it home for Thanksgiving!! And also have your devotional from AllieScraps on Etsy ready to go as well. I am so excited to go through her beautiful devotional in our Bible Journaling Camp!!

Keep serving Him well….k 🙂

 

Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling, Bible Journaling Camp, Encouragements, Journal, Miscellaneous, YouTube Videos

Fall Gratitude and Thanksgiving Bible Journaling Camp…Schedule Change November 21, 2019

Hi Sweet Friends,

The YouTube post for Nov. 21 will be up later in the day. We are home and just trying to get all unpacked and caught up!! 🙂

There will be a fun haul from a Sweet Subscriber first thing…and then I will upload the 21st Camp day. After that we will be on schedule for the rest of the camp.

Please remember we will go through AllieScraps beautiful devotional in Psalms beginning Nov. 22, 2019.

See you all on YT: JosephinesDesigns.com and thank you to everyone’s sweet well wishes for our new Little One!! Our prayers were answered and you prayers have been a huge part of this journey!!

Hugs and prayers….k 🙂

Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling, Bible Journaling Camp, Creative Memories, Encouragements, Journal, Journals, Junk Journals, Miscellaneous, Paper crafting, YouTube Videos

Grandbaby Girl is….

Hello Dear Friends,

We are waiting ready to leave. We have had the call….now just waiting to see what the Dr. says!!

Please be in prayer with us for our Daughter’s safety and health. And prayer for our Little One’s safety and health.

I will not post the 7th Day Bible Journaling in my Bible for the #FGTBJC2019 until Day 14th. My apologies. I was working as quick as I could. The daily camp classes will continue and once all is settled in, I will begin working again at our daughter and SIL’s home after our Little One is here. In between rocking, singing and cuddling our new Little One!! 🙂

Thank you to each and everyone who has stood with us in prayer!! And for all your incredible encouragements!!!

I will post once she makes her official debute and let all of you know!! 🙂

Hugs and prayers….k 🙂

Posted in #FGTBJC2019, Bible Journaling, Bible Journaling Camp, decorative travel journal, Encouragements, Journal, Journals, Junk Journals, Miscellaneous, travel journal

Fall Gratitude & Thanksgiving Bible Journaling Camp Has Begun!!!

Hey Dear Friends,

#FGTBJC2019 has begun on JosephinesDesigns.com YouTube as begun!!

It has already been such a blessing!! We have had amazing contributors as well as all our amazing campers!!!

See below the Welcome to #FGTBJC2019 letter as well as the key Bible verses being used in our camp.

Hugs and prayers,

k 🙂

Welcome Campers Email:

Hello Sweet Friend,

I am so thankful each of you are a part of the Fall Gratitude and Thanksgiving Bible Journaling Camp….or #FGTBJC!!! This is a time of our opportunity to love and thank the Lord!! We also get to give Him our gratitude as well!! Aren’t we blessed my Dear Sweet Friend!!!

My Prayer for each of you:

I pray you are encouraged in your walk with the Lord.

I pray you are blessed.

I pray you grow in the Word and your daily walk with Jesus.

I pray that you will hear Him speak to your heart…as He so wants you to know His will for you and know His voice.

I pray Dear Sweet Friend that as you embark on this journey in seeking and knowing the Word that not only will you grow in your gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord…but that you will grow in your creativity that our Creator has blessed you.

We also give thanks to the Lord for these lovely and generous contributors to our class.

You are prayed for and feel free to reach out any time during the class….I am here. JosephinesDesigns.com@gmail.com

Hugs and prayers…Kris “k” 😊

CONTRIBUTORS:

Allie Scraps on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AllieScrapsShop

Move the Mountains on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MovetheMountains

By the Well 4 God on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ByTheWell4God

Sara Borgstede at https://theholymess.com/

Hot Minute Customs email: HotMinuteCustoms@outlook.com

Our Sweet Friend and fellow camper that wishes to remain anonymous for her beautiful bagged contribution in each kit.

My Sweet Husband for all his endless printing.

My Sweet Youngest One for her “Girl Friday” endless help.

Scripture from BibleGateway.org

And most importantly, to our Sweet Jesus for His incredible love, endless grace and His unbelievable sacrifice for our sins so that we could have each a one on one relationship with him.

Our key Bible verses and key words:

Scripture: BibleGateway.org

Amplified Bible (AMP)

A Psalm of David.

138 I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods.

I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word together with Your name.

On the day I called, You answered me;
And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.


All the kings of the land will give thanks and praise You, O Lord,
When they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled].

Yes, they will sing of the ways of the Lord [joyfully celebrating His wonderful acts],
For great is the glory and majesty of the Lord.

Though the Lord is exalted,
He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship];
But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance.


Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me;
Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever—
Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hebrews 12:28

28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe

 

Genesis 12:8

Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving]

 

Leviticus 7:12

If one offers it as a sacrificial meal of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.

 

Leviticus 7:13

With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread.

 

1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving ] Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices and triumphs in the Lord; My horn (strength) is lifted up in the Lord, My mouth has opened wide [to speak boldly] against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

 

1 Chronicles 16:8

Psalm of Thanksgiving ] O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; Make His deeds known among the peoples.

 

1 Chronicles 16:29

Ascribe to the Lord the glory and honor due His name; Bring an offering [of thanksgiving], and come before Him; Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

 

 

Nehemiah 12:46

For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.

 

Psalm 100:4 [Full Chapter]

Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.

 

Genesis 4:26

To Seth, also, a son was born, whom he named Enosh (mortal man, mankind). At that [same] time men began to call on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].

 

Genesis 12:8

Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].

 

Leviticus 7:12

If one offers it as a sacrificial meal of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.

 

Leviticus 7:13

With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread.

 

Leviticus 7:15

‘The meat of the sacrifice of thanksgiving presented as a peace offering shall be eaten on the day that it is offered; none of it shall be left until morning.

 

Leviticus 22:29

When you sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.

 

 

1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving ] Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices and triumphs in the Lord; My horn (strength) is lifted up in the Lord, My mouth has opened wide [to speak boldly] against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

 

2 Samuel 15:8

For your servant made a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram (Syria), ‘If the Lord will in fact bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord [by offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving].’”

 

1 Chronicles 16:8

Psalm of Thanksgiving ] O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; Make His deeds known among the peoples.

 

1 Chronicles 16:29

Ascribe to the Lord the glory and honor due His name; Bring an offering [of thanksgiving], and come before Him; Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

 

 

1 Chronicles 25:3

Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.

 

Nehemiah 11:17

Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

 

Nehemiah 12:8

The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving and praise, he and his brothers.

 

 

Nehemiah 12:27

Dedication of the Wall ] Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places in order to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving, and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps, and lyres.

 

Nehemiah 12:31

Procedures for the Temple ] Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on the wall, and I appointed two large thanksgiving choirs, the first one proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Refuse Gate.

 

Nehemiah 12:46

For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.

 

Psalm 9:1

A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s Justice. ] [ To the Chief Musician; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. ] I will give thanks and praise the Lord, with all my heart; I will tell aloud all Your wonders and marvelous deeds.

 

Psalm 26:7

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders.

 

Psalm 30:1

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death. ] [ A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House (Temple). A Psalm of David. ] I will extol and praise You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

 

Psalm 50:14

“Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;

 

 

 

 

Psalm 50:23

“He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him], I shall show the salvation of God.”

 

Psalm 69:30

I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving.

 

Psalm 95:2

Let us come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with songs.

 

Psalm 100:1

All Men Exhorted to Praise God. ] [ A Psalm of Thanksgiving. ] Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

 

Key Words:

 

THANKSGIVING 

 

THANKFUL

 

THANK YOU, LORD 

 

THANK YOU, JESUS

 

GRATITUDE

 

HEART OF PRAISE

 

PRAISING THE LORD

 

PRAISING HIS NAME

 

PRAISE

 

GRATEFUL

 

GRATEFULNESS

 

LOVE

 

HONOR

 

ADORE

 

ADORATION

 

WORSHIP