Thankful Thursday And Friday Foto Friends

Wow! Would you look at that sunrise this morning?  I didn't even realize we were having such a beautiful sunrise until I saw someone else post a picture from her house about 60 miles south of here this morning, and I wondered if our skies looked like that too and sure enough...there it was in all it's glory!

If I hadn't have had that little nudge from God to go check it out, I would have missed it, because it didn't last very long and then it soon gave way to stormy skies and a lot of rain!

We were under a tornado watch almost all day, but thankfully no seriously bad weather developed here. I don't know about other places in our state, but we are very thankful that we only got some much needed rain.

Psalm 19:1

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork."

I am thankful for my "One Word" for 2022, "Delight". The other morning I was making my usual pot of tea and one of the Lipton Tea bags said "Delight in Deliciousness".  That one comes up every so often in the batch of tea bags, and I am always "delighted" to see it, as it reminds me of my One Word.  And this year I have delighted in so many things throughout the year. God has certainly given me many things to be delighted about, and I am very very thankful for that.

Now I suppose I should start thinking about my new One Word for 2023. No clues yet...but I still have a couple of weeks...God always seems to steer me toward the new word sometime around the last week of the year, just prior to January.  So I will be watching and waiting, maybe while having a cup of tea. That's when I found it last year, while reading in a devotional book that I got for Christmas from my sister. Maybe I should pull that book back out and read some more!  

Meanwhile, yesterday was our church ladies' annual Christmas fellowship, which is usually held at the parsonage.  Before the party began I noticed the beautiful camellia bush outside in the yard, and had to take some pictures.

Aren't they gorgeous?  Someone had to take notice of them, because God put them there for us to enjoy. 

This one looks different...that must be a different bush, even though it seems to be connected to the others...but it sure looks different. It's unique and lovely.

This bud that is starting to open on the larger flowers looks like some kind of giant fish about to bite. LOL.  Anyway, the parsonage is not currently lived in because our Pastor has his own home, so we ladies have kind of taken it over for our Ladies' Bible Study meetings and our United Women in Faith monthly meetings. 

It's a lovely home, and it seems so much happier when all of us sisters in Christ are there together.

Here's a collage I made of all of the women who attended yesterday. Don't you see how happy we are?

I am so very thankful for these beautiful women in the Lord. What a blessing! They are the ones who pray for us when we are sick or feeling down. They bring food when we are sick or coming home from the hospital. They provide funds for so many wonderful projects in our church and community...always giving for the glory of the Lord.  Beautiful women in Christ.

We always have a great time of fellowship in the Lord, and Christmas is the culmination of a year of many blessings. We pull on our Christmas sweaters and tops and bring a dish of some kind of food to share, and then we exchange little gifts.

I received this sweet necklace and bracelet and a cross magnet for the refrigerator.  I love them.

And here's what I was wearing yesterday...notice the earrings...LOL.  Are they big enough, do you think?  We have a vendor at Dixie Cottage who makes all kinds of interesting things from vintage jewelry, sea shells, mirrors, all kinds of fun stuff, and she had made these big Christmas earrings and they happen to be clip-ons, which I know I am the only woman on earth who doesn't have pierced ears, so they were just for me!  Yes, there I am, wearing my Christmas vest and pins, etc....stuff we only get to wear once a year so it lasts forever!  

 "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Luke 1:45

Amen.

I will close with that. I do believe that God will fulfill His promises to me...

I am blessed.

How about you?

Merry Christmas everyone!