Strangely Warmed Wonder

Today,
many times,
my heart was strangely warmed.

Thank You, O God, for these wonders of Your love:
481. LuAnn speaking what was on her heart
482. how wounds shared begin to heal
483. the wisdom of Dr. Suess
484. Lana being "not quite normal"
485. a night free of nightmares
486. gifts waiting to be opened
487. dear Cathy in her warm blue coat
488. Patti understanding the pain
489. Amy holding my shaking hand
490. Cynthia's compassion prayed
491. Deb declaring deep trust
492. Chris's confession of everyday sins
493. singing with the composer
494. learning from the authors
495. seeing the same prayer card propped on Linda's table that I propped on my lamp
496. clear confirmation of calling

With gratitude,
Sally

Wonder After Wonder

God is raining down steadily
wonder after wonder.

And I am so glad.

Thank You, Lord, for these wonders of Your love:
465. white cotton knitted cloths handmade by Diana
466. tingsha bells - ding!. . .hush
467. teaching from the Word
468. seeds spilled forth
469. an ongoing dialogue
470. realizing our theme for the day is Christmas
471. a second chance to give
472. trees of life
473. the slow sprinkling sound of rain approaching across the lake
474. the blessing of B.A.
475. the sound of water falling as we remember our baptism
476. remembering Rose's arms of love
477. Kristen's favorite worship moment described
478. Laura's aura
479. a bubble of protection prayed
480. being welcomed back by the kitchen crew

With gratitude,
Sally

Wide-Eyed Wonder

A question from 1000 Gifts Devotional:
"Without expectations,
what can topple the surprising wonder of the moment?"

When I don't expect,
when I relinquish control,
then I am surprised by wonders!
When I let you lead the way,
I discover a trail of treasures!

O God, help me to see with the eyes of a child.
Help me to let go of expectations
and have the wide-eyed wonder of anticipation.

Thank You, God, for these wonders of your love:
449. remembering looking up
450. "gladiola! look up!", a silly sisters' saying
451. blue sky through green leaves
452. a full round moon through bare-branched lace
453. melting gold over rolling velvet hills
454. missing my exit because I was looking down (a lesson learned)
455. learning the importance of paying attention
456. Victor's embrace and empowering words
457. hugging each child
458. room in Bertha to bring so many bags - 8!
459. calling Daddy and finding he was on the road just behind me
460. Joseph coming home right before I left
461. coffee beans galore
462. Miller's voice of wisdom and cousinly love
463. the now familiar road to Sumatanga and "shelter"
464. Grace Girls gathered again!

With gratitude,
Sally

Small Wonder

From Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts Devotional for today:

"I want. . . to live in
the wide-eyed wonder
of a world that unwraps itself grandiose
and larger than life,
so otherworldly.
As G. K. Chesterton wrote,
"How much larger your life would be
if your self could become smaller than it is."
Dear Lord, make me decrease
that You may increase
and keep me small and humble.
Cause me to embrace that simplest of truths-
that all wonder
and worship
can only grow
out of smallness."

Lord, today, let us see with the eyes of a child. . .
and wonder!

Thank You, Lord, for these wonders of Your love:
433. sitting on the front row with Margaret and James
434. a word for the whirlwind
435. the gift of a photo of our senior in the doorway
436. the dear, kind giver
437. David and Patsy back at church
438. David's deeply felt truths told
439. John Victor's boss calling to tell him not to come in today
440. JV taking care of the transportation
441. Beverly's budding relief
442. time with Victor while driving to North Georgia
443. a mother kneeling before her mother in grief
444. "Love You Forever"
445. caring co-workers
446. Benjamin's text, "Tell Dad I made the team!"
447. hearing the noise, before my trip
448. Victor's piano check

With gratitude,
Sally

Wonders in the Deep

Word of Wonder:

"They have seen the works of the Lord,
and His wonders in the deep.
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They rose up to the heavens,
they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.
they reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
And were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for his wonders to the sons of men!"
(Psalm 107:24-31)

O God!
We go down to the depths.
Our souls melt away in our misery.
We reel and we stagger.
We are at our wits' end.
We cry out to You in our trouble!
And You, dear Lord,
bring us out of our distresses,
cause the storm to be still,
hush the waves,
and guide us to our desired haven.

We give thanks to You, O God,
for Your lovingkindness
and Your wonders to us!

Thank You, God, for these wonders of your love:
417. finding my own wonder quote
418. the dark before the dawn
419. Victor's compassion
420. time to clean on a Saturday
421. carefully wrapping the last two nativities
422. the smell of clean sheets
423. realizing we have enough towels
424. having much more than enough of everything, really
425. Victor tying his sneakers
426. a father-daughter trip to the wellness center
427. Margaret getting back on the treadmill
428. receiving a surprise gift for my trip
429. a Valentine coat
430. "You are a generous man."
431. Joseph, dressed, to "expo"
432. JV finding his shirt and his keys

With gratitude,
Sally

Expecting Wonders

Aslan?!


"I am. . .expecting wonders.
Life is rich and God is good and all is grace!"
(This is a quote from me-
written last summer and
remembered yesterday,
with wonder!)

Thank You, God, for these wonders of Your love:
401. two gift certificates in the mail
402. out to lunch with Victor and Joseph
403. writing my report
404. pushing "send"
405. a laundry lesson learned
406. Joseph's audition/interview appointment
407. that Victor can take him
408. Mema pushing lawn mower right out of Joseph's hands
409. Victor bringing Mema home for supper
410. John Victor's acceptance to UGA's Freshman College
411. a scholarship application delivered
412. Andrew sharing hard-earned wisdom
413. Andrew finding out how to change a headlight
414. Mema enjoying a chocolate or two
415. a pretty, pink sky at soccer pick-up
416. Mattie's friendly wave

With gratitude,
Sally

The Wonder of Waiting

Benches are for waiting.

We might be waiting on the bus to come to take us somewhere.
We might be waiting to meet someone.
We might be waiting until it is time to do something important.

The wonder of waiting
is that waiting doesn't have to be wasted.

Waiting can actually take us Somewhere.
Waiting can be our meeting with SomeOne.
Waiting can be doing Something Important.

Words on the wonder of waiting:

"Lead me in Your truth
and teach me,
For You are the God
of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day."
(Psalm 25:5)

"I wait for Your word."
(Psalm 119:81b)

"Yet those who wait for the Lord
will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."
(Isaiah 40:31)

So, Lord, today. . .
Let us wait!
Let us wonder!

Thank You, God, for these wonders of Your love:
385. writing
386. Victor's wisdom
387. Margaret preparing a meal for her brothers and friends
388. the sounds of conversation and laughter around the table
389. the power of an apology
390. going to Elements on Joseph's first night back
391. "John Mark has my back."
392. warm rolls dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
393. a table of four lovely ladies nearby
394. driving to Swainsboro for Andrew
395. Snuff's forceful friendliness
396. staying awake
397. taking a nap on the parlor sofa in the nick of time
398. Benjamin's good practice and sprint
399. David taking Ben to Bible study
400. John Victor anticipating his future

With gratitude,
Sally