I’ve found myself somewhat unraveled recently in light of world events. At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon and sounding like a fear monger, things are crazy and I thought I was ready for the crazy. I thought my patriotism had finally bowed to my Christianity, that my worldly leanings had bowed to the eternal perspective God desires. I’m not the same as I was two years ago or a year ago, but I have a long way to go. So this week I’ve found myself fixating on the character of God and praising Him for who He is. Praise God for:

1). His sovereignty. Without it we might as well lie down and die.

2). The following from John Piper: “Perseverance of the saints is the almighty work of God not to let us fall into the final bondage of inferior pleasures, but to keep us, through all affliction and suffering, for an inheritance of fullness of joy in his presence and pleasures at his right hand forevermore.” I needed that today.

3). “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:7, NLT). God is the master planner, and we are part of the plan. Perhaps a better way of looking at things is to ask God to show us what we can do to help Him accomplish His plans and purposes.

4). He is our joy. No matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we can choose joy.

5). He is the ultimate peace. I do have to chuckle at times when I hear people talk about peace, how we all just need to get along. Without God it’s all just words.

6). His omnipotence. ISIS is no match for the Creator of the universe.

7). He gives us each other. “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (I Peter 4:7, 8 NIV). Whether it’s today or one hundred years from now, it is coming, and the best thing the Body of Christ can do to witness to those around us is to put aside our petty differences and unite in the purpose of taking others to eternity with us.

I’ve found myself somewhat unraveled recently in light of world events. At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon and sounding like a fear monger, things are crazy and I thought I was ready for the crazy. I thought my patriotism had finally bowed to my Christianity, that my worldly leanings had bowed to the eternal perspective God desires. I’m not the same as I was two years ago or a year ago, but I have a long way to go. So this week I’ve found myself fixating on the character of God and praising Him for who He is. Praise God for:

1). His sovereignty. Without it we might as well lie down and die.

2). The following from John Piper: “Perseverance of the saints is the almighty work of God not to let us fall into the final bondage of inferior pleasures, but to keep us, through all affliction and suffering, for an inheritance of fullness of joy in his presence and pleasures at his right hand forevermore.”  I needed that today.

3). “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:7, NLT). God is the master planner, and we are part of the plan. Perhaps a better way of looking at things is to ask God to show us what we can do to help Him accomplish His plans and purposes.

4). He is our joy. No matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we can choose joy.

5). He is the ultimate peace. I do have to chuckle at times when I hear people talk about peace, how we all just need to get along. Without God it’s all just words.

6). His omnipotence. ISIS is no match for the Creator of the universe.

7). He gives us each other.  “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (I Peter 4:7, 8 NIV). Whether it’s today or one hundred years from now, it is coming, and the best thing the Body of Christ can do to witness to those around us is to put aside our petty differences and unite in the purpose of taking others to eternity with us.

This week I’m praising God:

1). That life is back to  normal.

2). For my life.

3). For teachers who pray for my kids.

4). That my kids look out for one another.

5). For a long weekend with my family.

6). For new clients and old ones that took me back!

7). And for the piece de resistance: Praise God that His love covers everything!

Where to start? It’s been a week I hope to never repeat, but here’s what I’m praising God for in light of it:

1). He is good when we are not.

2). Mistakes don’t mean He doesn’t have a backup plan.

3). Everything is redeemable.

4). My daughter’s rock solid faith.

5). God loves me; simple and profoundly comforting.

6). I may be a bit shaken up, but God is as solid today as He was yesterday.

7). For these words that were sent to me this week:

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:14-21, NKJV).

This week it’s back to basics for me. I’m praising God for the things I take for granted that mean so much to me:

1). Healthy kids

2). Listening husband

3). Friends who encourage

4). Answered prayer

5). The fact that God has given me the desire of my heart-to teach ESL

6). AMAZING ESL teachers that I get to work with

7). Jesus loves me; a simple yet profound truth that I have found myself clinging to recently with an iron-clad grip.

This week I’m praising God:

1). Last week I mentioned that I was finally getting my new kitchen floor. I am so thankful for people like our friend, Jason, who gave up 12 hours on Saturday to install it for us.

2). For the smell of rain.

3). For early morning coffee dates with my husband, just the two of us in our recliners like elderly retired people.

4). For new beginnings, not just for me, but for the myriad people I know starting new careers and going back to school.

5). For the example God has set for me on how to be a better parent. I don’t recall anywhere in the Bible where He freaks out over the mistakes of His kids. Must work on this.

6). For what God is going to do in my kids’ lives. I am waiting in eager anticipation!

7). For these teenage years. Some days they are more challenging than I dreamed possible, but I love the people my kids are becoming and the spiritual processing they are engaged in. Plus, it beats potty training any day!

This week I’m praising God for:

1). You Tube-I’ll explain: We had a problem with one of our cars (I know, shocking). My husband took it in to get a diagnosis on the problem along with the price to fix it. It was going to be $288 to fix so he said he paid $58 for the diagnosis and drove it home without getting it fixed. He decided to get on You Tube to see if it was something he could do himself. For $77 and 5 minutes of time my husband fixed the problem and saved us a boatload of money! This is no small miracle if you know us. We are not fix-it people especially cars. It’s like trying to solve some complicated math problem. I love that he took the initiative to fix it himself, I love that he is so cheap he decided to see if he could fix it, and I love You Tube for the exhaustive resource that it is. By the way, if you know someone who is “spendy” send them to a Dave Ramsey class. They will become incredibly cheap and do crazy stuff like fixing their own cars. Surreal.

2). On a similar note, the battery in my daughter’s car had to be replaced. Another rare occurrence in the Nielson house is having the cash to fix it and not freak out. Again, thank you, Dave.

3). Hikes with my husband in this unseasonably perfect weather.

4). Road trips with friends. St. Louis, anyone?

5). Great writers like Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts, who make you think. “Like all beliefs, you simply live them” (p. 13). Hands down the best author I’ve read in a long time.

6). Meaningful work.

7). New kitchen floors. FINALLY!

It’s been about four years since my husband and I started our getting-out-of-debt process. I’ve said before that debt was just a symptom of a much deeper spiritual problem. I will never forget that moment of realization and the subsequent phone call I made to my Bible study leader. Over the years she has become much more than just a facilitator for a Beth Moore Bible study. She has become one of my dearest friends, who though we don’t see each other often, when we do it’s like time never existed between each coffee date.

We met for coffee yesterday. Well, I had coffee. She had something much less desirable! This week’s Praise Project is the result of the two hours I spent with her and the fabulous reminders of why this Praise Project exists in the first place. Praise God for:

1). Freedom from captivity . To be free from captivity is to be free to live the life God has designed for us.

2). Laughter

3). Freedom to be truthful with a non-judgmental friend

4). Mutual edification-one of many built-in benefits of being a member of the Body of Christ

5). The reminder that I am not the only one on the planet with physical ailments! Misery loves company, doesn’t it?

6). Opportunities to watch God do amazing things in a challenging situation

7). Both of us agreed that one of the greatest gifts in life is coming home to a spouse that actually likes us and wants to be with us.

 

 

This week has been a week of me having to lean on what I know to be true about God. I’m praising God:

1). That He doesn’t steer us in the wrong direction.

2). That giving us big things to do is more about showing us who He is and what He can do through us and less about us. Life is only about us to the degree that we are willing to obey. Everything else is about Him.

3). That He’s teaching me about abundant living. By the way, it begins with humility. Weird, I know. More on that this fall.

4). Just when you think you’ve conquered a particular area of life that has been a constant battle, watch out. Praise God that He is always teaching and pulling back layers of our stuff and revealing the need for Him…again.

5). That my sister finally has internet again after her move! Getting an email from her yesterday was like Christmas.

6). For my health. I have enough aches and pains that would make me an orthopedist’s dream patient. But I’m not bedridden like so many I know.

7). As I’ve been preparing to teach non-English speakers this language, I have been reminded of the creativity of God. He put together an entire language out of only 26 letters. With 26 letters, people have written books, given speeches, spread the gospel, spoken words of encouragement, and changed the world. Stunning.

What a week! I’m keeping it simple this week because it’s the simple things that I’m appreciating more than anything. This week I’m praising God for:

1). Goals met. There is nothing quite like setting a goal, going after it with ferocious determination and then meeting that goal. Brilliant.

2). Rest.

3). The local church. Over the years church has managed to get my knickers in a stitch quite unlike any other institution. Despite that, the value of being involved with a local body of believers cannot be overstated because when it comes down to it we need each other. Life is simply too hard to walk it alone.

4). Simplifying. My husband is busy. Very busy. However, he’s realizing that he can’t do it all (he actually said that, but I can’t prove it b/c I don’t have it on tape). “I need to narrow my focus. I need to spend more time with you and the kids.” Did my ship just come in? Feels like it.

5). “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” Exodus 14:14, ESV. I think we saw that with the recent court ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby in the latest battle to protect our religious beliefs.

6). My sister and her family moved to a big city in Germany from their little town of Ansbach. They made it safely and will have an even bigger group of kids to minister to. I’m so excited to see what God is going to do in this next chapter of their lives.

7). The french press. I know. Is it really praiseworthy? I think so. Thank you Rachel for introducing me to an even better way to feed my addiction, thereby morphing me into an even bigger coffee snob than I thought possible.

Have a great week! By the way, anyone else out there praising God for big things or just little things? Leave me a comment. I’d love to praise Him with you.