My God Is NOT Anonymous!

I REALLY like it when awesome things happen to people and they remember to thank God.  Too often we run screaming to God BEGGING for "HEEELLLLPPPPP!!!" when things go sour, but then forget to run screaming to him shouting "THHAAANNKKK  YOOOUUU!!!" when we've been blessed.


Fortunately, this week, there have been some great examples of people remembering the Lord...


1. Scotty McCreery won this year's American Idol.  One of the FIRST things he said, to the ENTIRE cheering audience was "I've got to thank the Lord first; he got me here!"  In fact, every week over the course of the competition, Scotty has taken the time to give thanks for his successes.  How fantastic is that?   This blog article written by a person from his hometown area further explains how God has blessed Scotty AND how he has openly offered this thanks to Him.  It is so refreshing to see someone in the public light, with thousands of fans (many of them tween kids) seeing a role model who is opening faithful to God.  Rock on, Scotty!!


2.  Tornadoes have been ripping through areas of the US this week.  One even touched town briefly in Liberty Township, OH which is just a few miles from our house!  Despite "only" being an F1 tornado (the 2nd weakest), the short 100 yards it hit were devastated.  Take THIS house:

YIKES!!  Hannah Hawkins (17) and her Mom were asleep UPSTAIRS when the tornado ripped the roof and walls off of the second floor in the middle of the night.  As the father ran up from the basement (after hearing his daughter screaming), he could stare right up into the night sky.  The ROOF WAS GONE!  

There is a wonderful article in today's Cincinnati Enquirer chronicling this scary event.  The Hawkins' across-the-street-neighbor, Kelvin Scott, found one of his cars completely flipped over.

  This is what he said about the tornado:

“God preserved everybody in this neighborhood. This is all just material stuff. Cars, homes can all be replaced. But human life cannot. So God gets all the praise. He was looking out for everybody in this neighborhood last night.”

God gets all the praise.

This should be our mantra - in every awesome moment, in every quiet success, in every GOOD thing in our lives, to give thanks AND to tell others of the blessings we've received.

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;
   I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1 (NIV)

God does NOT want to be anonymous.  He wants you to share how He has blessed and changed your life.  Whether you blog, or Facebook, or witness, or just talk amongst your friends, be sure to weave in a comment or two that shows others that your God is not anonymous, and that you are thankful for His blessings everyday!

:) Mags

I Found God in WiFi...

This summer, we went on a cruise from Anchorage, Alaska to Vancouver, Canada. Both my husband and I are very "techie," and we noticed quickly, that our cell signals and WiFi connections vanished as soon as we set sail out into the deep, blue sea. Now I know most people can turn off their their cell phones on vacation, but David and I have iPhones and use ours to play games against each other -- games that require an internet connection. So when we sailed close to land, one of us would notice that the the "little bars" were back and jostle the other one so we could get quick access to Facebook, our email, and our latest game stats. Then we'd sigh as we saw our bars slowly disappear as we again sailed away from the nearest cell tower...

I was reminded of this when I passed the sign at this great little church down the street from my house; it read:

PRAYER Needs No Internet Connection

During our cruise, David and I would be holding up our cells to find even one bar of signal. Luckily, GOD doesn't need a nearby cell tower to receive our prayers! He doesn't require a Hot Spot, WiFi, Ethernet cable, or Dial-Up Modem. He doesn't even need you to speak OUT LOUD for He can hear your thoughts, desires, lamentations, and prayers from right within your heart and mind.

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalms 145:18

Aren't we LUCKY that our God can get to us instantaneously?! We don't have to wait for a priest, a portal, a telephone, or a WiFi connection! We can talk, and laugh, and cry, and pray to the Lord of all directly. And God would not want us to wait until Sunday! He's available every day, every hour, every minute to each and every person on this Earth. I don't need to call the cable guy or satellite technician... God has time for me NOW and is EAGER to hear from me.

When was the last time you reached out to God...? With your thanks, your worries, your prayers? No need to wait for all 4 bars... God can hear you now.


Thinking of you today - and hoping you are enjoying the bountiful blessings God has gifted you,
:) Mags

Karoke Tuesday: Our God by Chris Tomlin

My oldest son started playing tackle football this year. They are an expansion team: everyone is brand new to the sport and are playing other teams who have been together for 2 or 3 years. Needless to say, we've lost every game so far... haven't even scored a touchdown yet. But we're hopeful! Hopeful that they'll continue to work and practice and learn the skills necessary to be competitive... or just make one goal. :)

Sometimes we feel like this just with life... Beaten down at every turn... Defeated in every game. We wish that we had that one secret weapon that would help give us the edge over whatever is battling us on a particular day.

That's why I like this song so much! Because Chris Tomlin's "Our God," reminds us that in our everyday life, we DO have a secret weapon to help us jump the hurtles! We have the most powerful and knowledgeable teammate of all... GOD! God is on our team! And this song reminds us that

...If Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?

There are a lot of fan videos on YouTube - I decided to post this one because this author matched up Bible verses with the lyrics of the song... a solid reminder that it is Biblical TRUTH, that God is on our team... every day, every hour, every minute.

Some days... are tough days. Some days are full of loneliness, or sorrow, or despair, or pain. It's on those days, especially, where you have to hold on to the FACT that God is FOR YOU. God is on YOUR TEAM. And if God is on your team... however can you lose?

Find the complete lyrics, and listen to a sample HERE.
Another great YouTube video that features the song lyrics is HERE.

:) Mags

PS - Your comments and feedback left on this blog are GREATLY appreciated!

I Found God in Laundry...

When I get to Heaven, one of the first people I'd like to have a word with is EVE. I mean, REALLY?! An apple?! You caved and sent all of humanity into sin for an APPLE?! Not a chocolate bar? Or a big steak? Or an "I'll be forever thin" pill?

An apple.

*sigh*
Eve really needed to get her priorities in order... *wink*

I thought of this today as I was wrangling the kids to put away their laundry. Again. Because I'm always doing laundry. And they keep having to put it away.

They keep wearing clothes.
And getting them dirty.
And hence I have to wash them.
And dry them.
And we put them away.
And the cycle continues.

I tried to point out that if our whole family stopped wearing clothes then we could stop having to put away laundry... but even my 9-year old and 6-year old found this idea to be problematic (i.e. "MOM...! They won't let us into the movies without clothes!!!").

And just think, if Eve hadn't succumbed to the lure of an APPLE, of all things, we'd all be happily running around nekkid and there would be no need for laundry!

But even as my arms protest at dragging up yet another heavy basket of clean clothes, I am THANKFUL.

• Thankful that I have clothes to launder.
• Thankful that I have a washing machine.
• And a DRYER (I'm still haunted by our conversation, my friend Carrie-- who lives in Scotland and doesn't use a dryer!).
• Thankful that I have healthy kids who dirty up their clothes playing outside.
• Thankful that I have capable kids who CAN put away their own laundry....
• ...And sort it into lights & darks in the first place.

(We're still working on they turning things right-side out, but hey, they've got the sorting thing down!)

Because God can take even the simplest things and use it for good.

And I can count my blessings... with each fold of a shirt or pair of shorts.

What have you been complaining about lately?
And what are the blessings you should be counting instead??

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

I Found God In My Head...

Today is a Praise Day... Yesterday I had my yearly MRI... scanning my brain to check that there were no signs of regrowth from the tumor that was removed in January 2002. I got another "ALL CLEAR" - No signs of tumor! And the hole that was left when the tumor was removed seems to finally be closing up (new brain? more brain? shifting brain?).

It is a good day.

My doctor expected me to be more (visibly?) excited when he delivered the news - I realized that a clear scan is what I've come to expect. Tumor was there. Doctors removed it. Tumor is gone. All is good.

Sometimes it's just too easy to take God's blessings for granted, isn't it?

My family watches the show IMPACT! Stories of Survival on Discovery Health. I know, I know... most of you gather around America's Funniest Videos, or American Idol, or sports... my family bonds over the stories and reinactments of huge crashes and accidents and how a person survived and was put back together. In most of the stories, the victims end up saying how "NOW that they have survived this horrific accident, NOW they will start appreciating life and stop taking it for granted..." Yet, I wonder if, eventually, their hard-earned recovery becomes less of a miracle and more of a "given" as time goes on.

Matthew 28 says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." It's so easy to come to God when we are in trouble... when we need help. Unfortunately, sometimes, it's just as easy to forget to offer thanks when He has blessed us... protected us... sheltered us... healed us... Psalm 188:24 says, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." THIS day... EACH day... EVERY day.

Today is a Praise Day. I am typing on my blog, designing new scrap layouts, chatting with friends, seeing my kids off to school on the bus. I am taking the dog for a vet appointment, running laundry, and unloading the dishwasher. I am sneaking in games of Bejewelled 2 when I want to feel mindless. I am listening to The Young & The Restless in the background. I am sipping my third cup of coffee. I am healthy. My family is awesome. My husband is the best.

But really, YESTERDAY was a Praise Day too... And the day before that... And the day before that. Eight years ago, God guided the doctor's hands into my head and healed me. Because of His grace, I have had eight more years of normal, everyday life... Eight years of chatting with friends, playing on my computer, parenting my kids, going out with my husband, laughing with family, napping on the sofa with my dog... Eight more years of an already good life.

Sometimes it's just too easy to take God's blessings for granted... but I am thankful each and every day. I may forget to tell Him, but I feel it just the same. I am thankful for my blessings. Thank you, God.

Back in elementary school, when I went to Vacation Bible School, we sang this song:

This is the day. (This is the day).

That the Lord has made. (That the Lord has made.)

I will rejoice. (I will rejoice.)

And be glad in it. (And be glad in it.)

This is the day that the Lord has made,

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day. (This is the day.)

That the Lord had made.

:)

THIS day.

EACH day.

EVERY day.

Rejoice... Count your blessings... Then say thanks.

:) Mags

I Found God in a Happy Meal...

Those of you with small kids know how obsessive children can be with collecting the McDonald's Happy Meal toys - depending one what is being offered, my kids start begging to go day-after-day so that they can get ALL of the various toys in a particular set.

Right now, the Happy Meals contain toys from Night in the Museum 2, and when we went through the drive-thru last week, my 5-year-old was crazy-hopeful that his lunch would contain the cowboy on the squirrel and that his older brother would get General Custer on the motorcycle. The odds of getting exactly what you want are slim... sometimes we can finagle a trade to a more desireable toy, but often we're just stuck with a bunch of duplicates that end up in the next garage sale. But it's still fun to hope and see what we get, anyway.

On this particular day, with my son reciting over and over again "motorcycle - squirrel" in the back seat, we had a bit of good fortune. When we peeked inside the Happy Meals, Luke got the squirrel AND Jack got the motorcycle - EXACTLY what they had wanted (with absolutely no prodding or requesting from Mom!). Luke was stupified - "How did they KNOW, Mom?!!" he squealed on the way home. "Did they read our MINDS?!!"

At home, we said grace, but before Luke ate, he told me that he also needed to say a "thank you" prayer to God. He folded his hands and prayed, "Thank you God for picking out just the right toys today at McDonalds!"

Is that cute, or what?! :)

What I love best is that Luke gave thanks to God for his good fortune. Usually, it is only in our weakest times that we reach out to God. But, Luke served as a reminder that you can honor God with the good things too. He's not just there as Savior to help us fix our messes - but also as a Friend who wants to celebrate our little victories as well.

This Monday, I had one of the best mornings in a long time. Both kids were in VBS at our friend's church which meant I did not have to volunteer. I went shopping at Kohls: BY MYSELF for two whole hours. While shopping, I found a replacement pair of "perfect" sandals - exactly like the pair I have completely worn out - and there was exactly ONE pair left in my size. I found the lone "Go Michigan" T-shirt among a sea of Buckeye shirts... AND the shirt was exactly my husband's size. Plus, I actually fit into clothes TWO SIZES SMALLER!!! than I did last summer!

I can't remember the last shopping trip where I was actually smiling to myself the whole time, and as I walked to my car, I offered a grateful THANKS! to God for this wonderful morning.

When was your last little victory? Sometimes, they are few and far between.... so it's important to give thanks for them!!

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 30:11-12 (NIV)

Here's wishing you a perfect morning really soon!
♥Mags

I Found God In Hospital Shoes...

Today is my birthday! :) It seems fitting in this series on God and Shoes to insert part of my personal testimony on this day... especially since it involves shoes...

GOD & HOSPITAL SHOES

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I had had dizzy/weakness spells since high school, but no doctor had ever taken them seriously. In December 2001, I held my son, Jack (who was 11 months old at the time), and I had one so strong that my entire left side went numb, and I dropped Jack on the kitchen floor.

An MRI yielded an answer: a quarter-sized “benign cystic glioma” growing in the rear, right-hand part of my brain. It was causing seizures (those dizzy-things) that were gaining in strength as it grew. Scarily enough, a Google search of "cystic glioma" revealed that I had only 18 months to live. As you can imagine, I was hysterical. I remember calling my family doctor and telling the receptionist, "This is Maggie. I have a brain tumor, and I need to talk to my doctor NOW!!!" I think that was the first and only time where I’ve ever gotten through to a doctor on the phone. Fortunately the World Wide Web was wrong (the key word missing in my search was “benign.”) But the tumor still had to come out.

So in February, I settled in at University Hospital. I required two surgeries about four days apart... TWO surgeries because the neurosurgeon didn’t get it all the first time around. Both times, as I went into the operating room, I held a photo of Jack in my hand… all the while murmuring that “A year (with my son) was not enough” and hoping that God felt the same way. I was scared to death! My husband and parents sat in the waiting room for several hours waiting to hear reports from the surgical nurses.

After I awoke from the 2nd surgery, I was in for a shock. No feeling on my left side. I couldn’t hold a pen, I couldn’t walk… my left side was useless. I was completely disoriented and apparently quite disagreeable. I don’t remember much of the first few days except for snippets here and there; I’m sure my brain was somewhat scrambled! I remember asking for my best friend, Debbie, a lot – that was the only person I wanted to see. I remember getting my arm stuck in the bars of my hospital bed and calling out for help seemingly forever. I vaguely remember begging a nurse to let me call my husband, David – even though it was 2AM – and when she finally gave me the phone, apparently, I cried and told him to come and get me, that the nurses were hurting me. At 2AM, with Jack sleeping down the hall, what was David going to do? He talked to the nurse getting her assurances that I was totally out-of-my-mind and they were not, in fact, hurting me; He planned to return to the hospital first thing in the morning.

Sometimes, in your life, you come to a point where you hit a wall: a crisis of faith. You realize that the event facing you is bigger than you… monstrous, UN-scale-able. You realize that you have absolutely NO CONTROL – and to get through it, you must turn to the One who is “big” enough to help you through this. At the moment of that frantic, wild, middle-of-the-night phone call, there was nothing David could do except pray. Pray for strength for himself. Pray for healing for me. Pray that I was not surrounded by a bunch of sadistic hospital personnel. Pray that he wouldn’t be left a single-father.

Before each of my surgeries, there was nothing I could do but pray. Pray for strength… pray for healing. Pray that the surgeons would successfully remove the tumor (although apparently I should have prayed that it only took one surgery!). Pray that God would allow me to be David’s wife and Jack’s mother a while longer. I had left letters for David and Jack… “just in case” I didn’t make it… praying fervently the whole time that they wouldn’t have cause to read them.

What do you do in this kind of situation if you don’t have faith? How do you go into surgery on your brain, no less, if you don’t believe that a higher power is watching over you… One who had your best interests at heart? How do you sit in a waiting room while your wife has part of her skull removed and her brain dissected, to remove a tumor?

David and I both released control of our lives to an entity we cannot see, hear, smell, or touch – believing in God’s love and power to help us through this. Whatever you face, whatever your wall – nothing is too big for God. Two surgeries and a few months of rehab later, I am healed. I can walk. I can move my left side. I am alive. Hospital booties are some scary shoes to wear… and the last thing you want to do is GIVE UP control of anything. But God “has your back” – and He is big enough to help you navigate even the scariest of paths.

Honor God With The Good!

It's easy to run to God with the problems or issues - but do we always remember to honor God with the good things? I'm taking a moment now...

I'm a digital crafter - and I create and sell my digital scrapbooking kits and embellishments through my digital crafting blog and website/store. I found out last week that my application to design for an outside scrap store was accepted!! Now digital scrapbookers can find my creations for sale at MooTwo Designs too! I'm a Moo Two girl!



When my application was approved, I remember sitting back in my den chair and taking a moment - just a quick one to shout out to God: "Do you see this? I was accepted! Thanks, God!" I was just thrilled to have someone like my creations enough to offer them through their store - and I wanted to share that news with God.

Have you take a moment to honor God with the good in your life? You know He gets lots and LOTS of prayer requests, lamentations, cursing, wailing, etc.... I bet He's appreciative when someone takes the time to just share the good news with Him. I'm sure you've got something good going on in your life that you could share with Him.

You know he's always listening!

I Found God In Grace...

The other day I was putting together a hasty lunch for my boys. It involved re-heating some leftover penne noodles from Carrabba's... quick, but one of my kids' favorite meals. They'll eat noodles anytime!!

As I passed out their plates, my youngest said, "Let's say grace to Momma because she made these yummy noodles!" Luke then proceeded to say our standard grace "God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food" except for he subbed in "Mommy" instead of God. I had a moment of "Ack! Watch out for lightning!" But, I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. Receiving a genuine, no-one-prodded-him-into-saying-it THANK YOU from one of my kids always makes me feel really, really good. :)

I figured that God would share in my pleasure - given that Luke was following the whole Honor-Thy-Mother part of His commandments. And I wondered if God is just as tickled when one of His own children gives Him an honest thank you.

So often we are shrieking out to God in desperation, in peril, in stress, in anger, in frustration, in sadness, or in some major meltdown when life has us overcome. Very rarely, I suspect, do we stop and say a simple THANK YOU to Him for the blessings He has given us.




The last two days have been trying in my house. My husband had to travel this week, and we're still trapped in the humid summer days with no-school-to-keep-them-occupied which means the kids are driving each other (and me!) crazy at every turn. I know I've asked God more than once to zap my kids with the MUTE Button or gift me with a short period of deafness so I could have some peace and quiet. (He's chosen not to grant those blessings *sigh*) But when my son offered his thanks for the simple act of serving noodles for lunch, a lot of my frustration from the day just melted. A "thank you" can soften the hardest of hearts... and turn around someone's day.

And of all the beings in this world, I'm sure that God would appreciate some thanks as well.

Thanks for reading this blog today,
♥Mags

My Son Found God At The Bus Stop...

Rainy, rainy, rainy day today... all day... just about every minute... EXCEPT when we headed out to put my older son on the bus. Four-year old looks up and says "Look! God made it stop raining for us to go to the bus stop! That's very grateful of him!" (I think he meant "I'm very grateful to him" or something similar).

My son truly felt that God stopped the rain just so we could make it to the bus stop and back without having to deal with umbrellas... and maybe He did... but what I loved most is that something good was happening to us, and my son honored God with it.

How wonderful would it be if we honored God with each and every good thing that happens in our lives... no matter how small? Take a minute. Say thanks. Now have a wonderful, rain-free day!

:) Mags