Today Ann Voscamp's blog released November Joy Dares . Her blog title caught my eye because it was laying out the stats that November is the hardest month for people overall.  The month of what is supposed to be thanksgiving is the hardest month. That's interesting isn't it?  I wrote a little about it earlier today, click here for those thoughts. But back to my actual Gratitude Attitude for today. I looked over Ann's dares for gratitude in November and decided I would use it for a guide for this month. Seriously, sometimes I am so brain dead from work and life that I haven't really lived in my day, I've just gotten through it.  When you don't live and just get through the gratitude attitude isn't really apparent. Anyway some of Ann's ideas are good, waaaaaaay below the surface, and challenging even.  I probably (okay I know) I won't follow them every day but I might lean on it a little this month for those brain dead days. Her dare for today...

It's the month of Thanksgiving here in the USA.  A trend for several years on Facebook has been to post a thankful every day of the month.  A few years ago I participated in that and it was interesting to see how my tendencies to post a status that wasn't so thankful sounding were squelched in light of giving thanks. It feels a little like a mystery to me, this gratitude attitude truly impacting my thoughts, emotions, words, my behavior even.  And it isn't conscious. In fact some days I have to sit and really think about what I was grateful for. But when it comes to me I immediately recognize that, yes, I am grateful for that thing or that person on that day.  And it changed my interactions that day without me being fully aware of it. Gratitude truly does color my attitude.  And yours too when you allow it.  Have you been participating in having a gratitude attitude? If so, I'd love to hear how it's changed your perspectives on your days, your relationship...

Welcome Back to the 365!   People might think I'm nuts for putting myself through the discipline of having to do something every single day for a year that doesn't seem to contribute to my existence (i.e. eating/drinking, sleeping, you know - breathing.  Those are all pretty important to do every day in order to exist).  But I have found, that while what I've done to date (a song a day and a quote a day) hasn't contributed to my physical existence, it has complimented my mental/emotional/spiritual existence.  And people, that's pretty darn important.  In fact, I would go so far as to say it is important to physical existence.  But that's just my humble opinion.  So here *we* go!  Another year of a glimpse into my mind and what I think about and my heart and what I dwell on. Is Gratitude my Attitude?  That's the focus for this next 365.  Hey!  Don't bail on me now.  I know the last two years were brilliant and that's all due...

...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.   Ann Voskamp Many people I know, those who don't  believe  in God and those who do, doubt God's presence in this life.  They doubt his presence in natural disasters that take lives and ruin homes.  They doubt his presence in tragedy like a gunman killing 20 children and 6 adults in a day.  They doubt his presence in fill in the blank .  And when we doubt God's presence we lack joy.  I know there are those who will disagree with me but it is true.  It's so true I will say it again. When we doubt God's presence we lack joy.  We lack authentic, honest, and true Joy.  How is it possible, you may wonder, to have Joy in the midst of what seems to lack God?  Because God isn't missing, he's there.  Sometimes we have to look for him.  Sometimes he doesn't just make himself obvious.  In 1 Kings we see an example of this.  He's not in the obvious wi...

I don't really want more time; I just want enough time. Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done-yesterday.   Ann Voskamp Yes.  Voskamp says it perfectly.  It's not necessarily more time that we may want (although we may think so initially), but it's enough time.  Enough time in each 24 hours of a day to breathe deeply, to not feel pressed for more time but just enough time.  Enough time in each 24 hours to feel like I'm not rushed and I've missed deadlines that never existed.  Enough time in each 24 hours to "stop and smell the roses", whatever form that takes for each of us.  Enough time in each 24 hours to be grateful, to look at life and see the beauty in the midst of the busy.  And for me, and maybe you, a believer in God - enough time in each 24 hours to stop and see his ...

Thanksgiving creates abundance.   Ann Voskamp When we live a grateful life we create abundance.  Nothing may change in circumstances but we suddenly see the abundance that surrounds us.  Get outside of the box of what our world says abundance is.  It is not material possessions. It is relationships.  It is not quantity.  It is quality.  (That applies to relationships as well btw.)  It is not standing on the top rung of the corporate ladder (which frankly is quite wobbly these days anyway).  It is standing on the top rung of living a  life defined by  integrity.  Those are just a few examples that came to mind this morning as I reflect, along with our nation, on thanksgiving.   In your own life how does living thankfully create abundance?  How have you seen thanks-living expand your life?   If you lack abundance in your life you may want to reflect on how you are living - thankfully or not?  It's not t...

The only life worth living is a scandalous one: scandalous love, offensive mercy, foolish faith. Let joy live loud in your soul. Ann Voskamp I love this quote.  I love it for the use of the word scandalous.  What a cool word.  Now if you look it up in the dictionary and see its meaning you might think I have gone off the deep end for saying it's a cool word.  But stick with me.  One of its definitions is this:  offensive to propriety or morality.  That's where things get cool when you combine faith and scandal. Jesus caused a lot of scandal in his day as he walked from town to town and offended the ideas, practices, and relationships that had been set up.  He offended a bunch of people with his lavish love, his unending mercy, and his talk of how to live in faith.  He was scandalous in all the best ways possible.  And here's the cool thing.  He calls me to do it to...and you!   And he gave us examples and equipped us. ...

Just because you don't understand the reason for something doesn't mean there isn't a reason at all. Rev. Matt Powell  I stole this quote straight off a blog from One Thousand Gifts author Ann Voskamp .  And the day I read it it just, well, hit me!  In the article she got it from (you can see now that us bloggers steal each other's stuff all the time) Rev. Powell was using today's quote as part of a teaching on commands that we don't understand because of the long standing traditions of ethics and morality behind them that we haven't either bothered to investigate or have come to a dead end on the investigation.  (If you are interested in reading the blog from Rev Powell click here  - and don't comment to me about the overall topic of the article, just read it and do what you will with it!  I'm so not up for nor interested in debate of any sort.)  Growing up I am sure most of us heard our parents or other loved ones say things like, "Stop a...

Man may choose the path of least resistance but God chooses the path of least likelihood.   A nn Voskamp This quote hits me right between the eyes.  The truth of it pierces.  We want it easy, comfortable, unhindered and that is usually not the way God picks.  If you are a Christian and someone told you when you decided to accept the gift Jesus offers that life would be "great" and "wonderful" and perhaps even "easy" from that moment on you were lied to.  Seriously!  We learn nothing, we gain nothing by being on the path of least resistance.  It is wading through unlikely circumstances that we grow in our character, faith, and values.  Where I am most aware of this statement is when I speak to other people.  I have found myself being more careful about saying things like, "God would never ask that of you" or "God doesn't want you to struggle" etc because the reality is that what seems impossible (i.e. least likely) is probably exac...