30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 16}

Thank You, God, for bills.

I'm just sitting down to pay our bills (because it's payday! Yay!) and it occurs to me that I'm not only crazy grateful that we have money in our account, but that we have a house, electricity, internet, phones. I'm not crazy about school loans but I'm so thankful for my education and a diploma for both of us! I'm thankful that we have all these blessings that result in bills.

So while I don't love bills, I'm so grateful for what they represent.

I'm also so thankful that God has grown us in how to manage our money (at least a little!) and we haven't seen red in awhile! Beautiful thing. He's got us covered.

Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:9-10

(Read Psalm 34! Chocked full of goodness!)

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 15}

Thank You, Father, for my Marie Love.

My first born. Oh, how I adore her.

Supposedly female first children have the tendency to butt heads with their mommas. It might have something to do with the fact that we are exactly alike. Armed with this knowledge, I've been praying since her birth that we would develop a close, trusting, lasting relationship.

She is so infuriating and so wonderful. She is obsessed with her little sibs, even the future sister she is sure will come "when Kempy is bigger."

The blessing that is my daughter is immeasurable.

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Days 13&14}

I just cannot seem to keep up. Every day I think of something great I want to write about. But then suddenly it's the next day and I think of something else and totally forget what I thought of the day before...

Anyway, here's me trying to catch up again. I have so much I am thankful for, and each thing deserves at least a little attention.

Day 13:

Thank You, Savior, for worship.

It is just such a blessing to be able to worship the Creator any time anywhere. I was listening to praise and worship on Pandora while in the shower and before I even realized what I was doing, I had my hands raised and tears in my eyes. My daily (well... almost daily) super mini vacation (aka a shower) turned into an impromptu worship session.

But one of the coolest things about worship is it doesn't just mean singing.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Everything we do can, and should be, a form of worship. How amazing is it that we can worship our Savior right where we are? We don't need to be perfect, have it all together,  have a good voice, or be gifted at all. We simply come.

Day 14:

Thank You, omniscient Father, for the Word of God.

Can I just tell you, the Bible has COME ALIVE in my life lately?? Since I started getting up early with Derek I've had a lot more time to study it. I have no trouble spending the whole hour+ before the kids wake up just enjoying the Word.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

There is no limit to what Scripture can do in a person's life; for a person's soul. Read it. Know it. Love it. Share it. I will never cease to do all four of those things because even if someone doesn't believe in the inerrant Truth of God's Word,  it is still true and ALIVE! Nothing I say can out-say/out-convince/outdo the Bible.

And I am so thankful that we have free access to the living Word here in the US for at least a little longer!

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Days 11&12}

Day 11:

Thank You, Great Physician, for our health.

We have been so blessed with great health. Our extended families have suffered from the dreaded cancer, but the 5 of us have not had anything out of the ordinary. We know that we live in a fallen world and are never guaranteed great health, so for now I will praise the Lord for the blessing of an illness-free little family!

Day 12:

Thank You, Jehovah Jireh, for our garden and freezer.

We tripled our garden the 2nd year, and in prep for next year, we tripled it again! Not only do we both love to garden, the harvest is fantastic! And we were super blessed with a freezer from the inlaws for Christmas! We're a few days away from payday which means the cupboards are getting bare, but we have plenty of veggies, a whole drawer full of beef, and cans of potatoes at my disposal.

I think gardening is a form of worship. I cannot look at a garden full of fresh veggies and not be in awe of God's provision. I'm so excited to teach my kids about gardening, so that no matter what, they have access to food.

Geesh, we are a spoiled little family. Thank You, Father, for being such an amazing Dad!

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 10}

Thank You, Abba, for my parents.

Skipping over the whole part about how they raised me, I'm so thankful for how much they love their grandkids, how they are always willing and desire to take care of them and their grown-up kids, how they love the Lord and how they love each other. I love all the wisdom that they possess but never force it on us. They cherish family above all else.

Thank you, Momma and Dadda, for my growing up years, the many years to come, and the handful in between. Love you!

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 9}

Thank You, Father, for First Baptist Church.

In spite of a fire recently that has put our worship center out of commission, this church has pulled together and barely missed a beat. God is moving here. I am convicted and encourage almost every single week. It's so easy to find a place to minister. My kids love it and are learning so much. We are so blessed to be a part of this local church family.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 8}

Thank You, God, for my job.

This is the life.

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 7}

Fourth post of the day! I hate doing that, but I really want to keep up with this being thankful thing. It is really helping my attitude, especially today. You know, the day after election day.

Thank You, Precious Jesus, for my Kempy.

Today, Kempton Charles is 3 months old.

With time I only get more desperate to stop time!

I thought for most of my pregnancy that Kempton was a girl. And honestly I struggled a very little bit to connect with him the first day or so. But it's almost like that is what makes us so close now. Somehow.

It does not matter how angry, frustrated, upset, tired, irritated, unhappy I am, this little man makes me smile with ease.

He has been smiling since he entered this depraved world, and started giggling shortly after that. He will always strain to see me if I'm not holding him. He loves his big sibs. He sleeps like a champ.

I absolutely adore this child.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:3-5a

30 Days of Thanksgiving (Day 6)

Thank You, Heavenly King, for the US of A.

Source: google.com via Brenda on Pinterest

We live on this amazing continent that is gorgeous and doesn't suffer from extreme temperatures.

We have luxuries at our disposal every single day that most in the rest of the world don't even dare to dream of.

We get to take our lazy bones to the nearest polling station in complete safety and exercise our paid-for right to vote.

And, believe it or not, we still have religious freedoms.

We have men and women who willingly give absolutely everything for us to have all of the above.

Thank you, past and present military, for everything.

Even though I am sorely disappointed in yesterday's results... (

Source: facebook.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

...) I'm still eternally grateful for the freedom to vote. 


And even more so, I am grateful that I am not a citizen of this world but of heaven...

"For many walk... as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:18-20

Oh, and in case you hadn't heard:

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings." Daniel 2:20

President Obama was gifted 4 more years, not by the American people, but by God Himself. May he, through the fervent prayers of God's people, recognize that gift.

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 5}

Thank You, God, for prayer.

How amazing is it that we can go to the Creator of the universe at any time?? And how absolutely ridiculous it is that we don't.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

How do we become righteous so that our prayers are powerful? By praying! 

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

This adorable picture depicts what I am most thankful for about prayer today (and probably most of the time!)

Sometimes I just don't have any idea what to say. I know I'm not the only one. The other day I laughed at myself because my complete prayer went like this...

"Please... Just... Thank You."

Praise the Lord that "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words"! (Romans 8:26)

Thank You, Jesus, that You always live to make intercession for us! (Hebrews 7:25)

What on earth does that mean - to make intercession for us? I came across this definition from Warren Wiersbe:

"Intercession means that Jesus Christ represents us before the throne of God and we do not have to represent ourselves."

Oh, another thing to be overwhelmingly thankful for! 

Anyway, back to the main point of this post: prayer is a gift and I am so grateful for it.

*If you have a prayer need, it would be a blessing to me to be able to pray for you!*

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 4}

Thank You, Jesus, for my BRF.

No, our running technique is not this bad! We're just horrible actors.

I have this amazing friend who has challenged me not only in running and eating healthy, but also spiritually. I am so blessed to have this dear, godly friend living right next door!

Thank you for choosing Conor Ct, Alysha! I don't know how I survived without you. I'm so grateful you are in my life. Love you!

Source: thingsaboutgirlfriends.tumblr.com via Catie on Pinterest

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Days 2&3}

Look at that, I missed day 2 already. Not that I wasn't thinking about what I am thankful for. I committed to praying for this particular thing all day yesterday, and that just made me even more grateful for it! But alas, motherof3 didn't have a chance to blog.

Day 2:

Thank You, Jehovah Jireh, for The Crossing.



That's where Derek works. What an amazing blessing it has been! If Derek's boss hadn't believed in him after just one interview, who knows if we would have ever made it out here to Indiana.

Probably over the last year we were in PA, Derek would go through these almost depressed episodes. He felt useless. He was working constantly, and we were still struggling financially. And we had almost zero ministry involvement. He would just sorta sink into himself for hours at a time. It was not ideal for our marriage.

Finally, God opened this door to work at the Crossing and we took the leap. Totally worth it! He now gets to speak truth into the lives of young men, and mentor them, and teach them. He's using his spiritual gift of teaching and fulfilling his calling as a believer, every single day! AND, he's learning amazing new skills and working with his hands all day long. There is just no denying that God was intimately involved in bringing us here.

It's so amazing to know my husband is part of changing lives and leading souls to the Savior. I definitely got a little teary watching some of these interviews. Check them out. Also for some peaks into what really goes on and more testimonies, check out the blog! And then make sure to listen to the Spirit when He moves you to be involved! :)


Day 3:

Thank You, Father, for this house.



I've gone on and on about how much I love the Conor house before, so I'll just keep it short.

I love this house.

Remember to be thankful every day! We all are so blessed!

30 Days of Thanksgiving {Day 1}

Every year I mean to do this and always forget until several days into November. Thanks to many friends doing this on facebook, I'm remembering this year just a couple hours before November 2nd! Thank you, thankful facebook friends! :)

I hope to write a short post every day for the next thirty days. It probably won't happen but that's okay! I'm no superwoman by any stretch of the imagination and I'm totally okay with that. Oh, and also there is no special order to each post. I'm just going to write about whatever comes to mind that I am thankful for.

Oh, and (again) also, it's okay if you don't care. This is mostly for me anyway :)

Tonight I am sitting across the kitchen table from the love of my life... the man of my dreams... my other half... my perfect puzzle piece.

Thank You, all-knowing Father, for my husband.

We've hit some sizable potholes on this road called marriage, and while most of them I would love to have never hit, I am so grateful for where they have brought us. We are quickly approaching our 7th anniversary, and I think it is safe to say we are happier than we've ever been. And it's crazy that we are still getting to know each other.

I love getting to know him.

At least once a week I find myself saying, "This is the life, isn't it?"

And of course, he always agrees with an "Mmmhmm."

Derek, I'm so grateful for...

Your love for me
Your love for the babies
Your work ethic
Your desire to know God
Your passion for ministry
Your patience, especially with me
Your drive to do your very best
Your commitment
Your willingness to help me
Being my best friend

"Like pieces of a puzzle molded for each other... I am your perfect fit and you are mine."