This pup is one of the Lord’s most precious blessings to our family. And she may just be one of the most photogenic pups ever! 😃Just wanted to share our precious pup with you today

Have a blessed day❣️ Abby and Kim 🐶💖

“Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NASB

Giving thanks has been on my mind a lot recently. Maybe it’s the upcoming holiday but I think it’s more about how to deal with tough stuff. Over the years the Lord has been teaching me that giving thanks, being grateful to Him, is critical to dealing with life and ultimately to being a better witness for Him. I am always amazed at how thanking God for even the least seeming things helps change my attitude and perspective.

But that statement, “… IN EVERTHING Give Thanks …”. How in the world do we give thanks in everything?

I have often found it hard to give thanks in everything yet the Scripture tells us to do that very thing! How Lord?! Like many of you, I’ve struggled with loss, rejection, health, ill will, family and friend issues, worry and anxiety, anger and bitterness, etc. But through it all, I’ve learned that I must be obedient and I must give thanks to Him regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I’m not told to give thanks FOR the situation but I have learned that He will give me what it takes to give thanks IN every situation.

Now, I don’t know how the Greek states “in every situation” and I wouldn’t be able to debate this with a theologian. I am just sharing with you … Giving Him thanks for even seemingly small blessings, like His sunrise, helps refocus my perspective to Him who provides all blessings and my attitude begins to change as well.

In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul first says to “Rejoice always” then to “pray without ceasing”. I think he has a reason for this. I can rejoice in the Lord and give Him praise. I can pray without ceasing (at least I can try but for the sake of time we will wait on that subject until later 😉). Evidently Paul has a method here. After the praise, and within the praying, I give thanks in everything.

Dear friends, I hope we all learn, and remember, to give thanks in all things. 😊

Kim 💕

So, I’m dragging a little this morning and my heart feels heavy for various reasons. I was tempted to “waller in my own misery”. Yes, I am educated well enough to know the word is actually “wallow” but somehow “waller” really expresses how I feel today but now I’m chasing rabbits and shall get back to the point… In order to get my mind off my miseries, I started perusing my photos and was reminded of what a beautiful “blooming” year we’ve had here in Alabama.

And I smiled.
And I was thankful.
And my perspective started to improve.

This lily was planted last year and I absolutely love how the sunlight filters through the petals. It may look familiar as it has been my logo for Hope and a Dash of Humor. It reminds me of Jesus’s words instructing us to not worry…

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow? They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, …

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6: 25-31, 33 NIV

My heart has been heavy about some things recently. I know you likely feel that heavy heart sometimes too. And I didn’t rest much last night thanks to pain. I feel certain some of you have those nights too. The lily picture reminds me of Jesus’s words ….

Do Not Worry …

Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness …

And that’s what it’s all about. I may not feel the best today. I may have a heavy heart but I should Focus on my Father and His Kingdom and He will take care of the rest. 😊

Kim 💕

As I let Bama kitty in and Abby pup out this morning, I was greeted with this spectacular color show from the Lord. I rushed out and snapped several pictures wishing I could capture the richness of the colors and the sheer beauty of the scene. “His mercies are new every morning” came to mind.

I’ve never had a good memory for the exact locations of Scripture verses and when I go to search for this, I’m always surprised that it’s not in the Psalms. Actually, this is found in the book of Lamentations and I always think “I’m going to remember that” but I don’t (maybe I will this time but such is my brain and I’m thankful the Lord understands me and knows my heart 😊).

But let’s consider this… here, at one of the darkest hours for the kingdom of Judah, the prophet Jeremiah reassures the remnant that there is hope. I too draw a lot of comfort from these words.

The steadfast love of the Lord never cease;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3: 22-23 ESV

And I draw comfort from the following verses too …

“The Lord is my portion,”
says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in Him”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.

Lamentations 3: 24-25 ESV

In the dark of night when all hope seems to fail,
There is Hope.
In the dark of night when pain refuses to cease,
There is Hope.
In the dark of night when sleep eludes,
There is Hope.
In the dark of night when my mind races,
There is Hope.
In the dark of night when guilt weighs me down,
There is Hope.
In the dark of night when worries haunt me,
There is Hope.
In the dark of night when the enemy attacks me,
There is Hope.

Dear friends, when the enemy attacks you in whatever way, remember that you have a Lord who knows you and loves you so much that He gave His life for you. He wants to help you through the good times and the bad. There are times, especially in the deep of night, when all I can say is “Lord, please help me” over and over. Then in the midst of that prayer, the Lord reminds me that there are so many others who are hurting, or in anguish, too, and I start praying for them, maybe even for you. Sometimes, those prayers are the only way the Lord gets me through the night. And just maybe those prayers help someone through their trial.

Dear friends, hold fast to Him. He will give you a means to get through that dark of night too! And the morning will come. And His mercies are new every morning!

“Therefore, I will hope in Him”
Kim 💕

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5: 18

I think Bama Kitty’s arthritic bones are grateful for water at his own level. This little garden statue has a spot that I’ve used for a candle in the past but given all of the rain we’ve had lately, it has collected a little water right at Bama Kitty’s level. Actually I love to catch him drinking water from the strangest places and he seems to be grateful, well, as grateful as a kitty can seem 😉.

I love seemingly little lessons, or reminders, from the Lord about His goodness and blessings. Sometimes life can be so hard that I don’t see those blessings very well. Sometimes pain consumes my brain as it did yesterday after pulling a back muscle just leaning over to get a bag for the garbage can 🙄 (which is better today thank You Lord!), or long term chronic pain or sometimes the hardest of all, the heart pain.

Over the years the Lord has taught me to incorporate the above verse into my life … Be joyful always … that is not easy! But joy is a fruit of the Spirit and I believe the Lord grants joy to my life through the next two points … pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances. Now I don’t kneel to pray every time I need to pray. I just talk to the Lord in lots of ways and situations. I try to start my day off in prayer and in the Word but that doesn’t always happen so, I pray going down the road, working around the house, etc. One of the best words of advice about getting through an MRI (don’t you love that confined space with, and I have seen this, lipstick smudged on the ceiling?😳) was to pray for everyone I could think of throughout the test. Great advice!

I truly believe that one of the keys to coping with life is being grateful! Give thanks in all things (not always “for” all but that’s for another day). Even when I don’t feel like giving thanks, I have to give thanks even if I have to search for something to give thanks about … the air I breathe, the birds in my yard, etc. … it’s critical to coping with life, to having joy and the other fruits of the Spirit, and most importantly, to being a good witness of God’s love, I may be the only Jesus they ever see … I must give thanks.

Dear Lord, please always help us to be thankful in all things. Help us to pray continually, to have a heart focused on You in our daily lives, and to be joyful always.
Thank You! 😊

Kim ❤️🙏