Happy Thanksgiving

“Not what we say about our blessings,
but how we use them,
is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”
  -W.T. Purkiser

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Praying each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Enjoy family, friends, or whomever you are with.
Be intentional about sharing joy
& blessing others today!
🙂

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5

What If

Comparing God & NYC

{Nov Trip :: Feb Trip :: Feb Trip :: July Trip}

Today my husband and I are headed back to the Big Apple. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that my parents are paying for our flights to go visit them. What a huge blessing! Well, as we head up today I can’t help but think back to the first time we visited the city together- the first time my husband EVER visited the city. It was exactly one year ago this week. To say my husband didn’t share my love for the city the first go around would be an understatement. He was okay with it, but he was definitely ready to go home at the end of the week. The second trip he learned to enjoy the city and by the third trip we were meeting with the apartment complex we planned on moving into. Almost everything was set. But as usual, The Lord’s timing is perfect and He shut the door on our  move to NYC- for now. Looking back, we are thankful for His obvious direction. Looking forward, I cannot wait to share with you why He closed that door. But today, my mind and my heart are in the city. So let’s go back to some pictures I took in July and to a post I wrote a year ago. A post that compares our Heavenly Father and the Big Apple.

“This week my husband and I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend the week in New York City visiting my parents. Yes, that is right- we get to see the Macy’s day parade first hand! And it is hubbys first time to the Big Apple!

New York has been one of my favorite cities since the first time my mom and I came to visit when I was in eighth grade. Ever since then my mother and I have visited the city at least once a year as our mother daughter trip. I was even blessed with the opportunity to live in and work in Manhattan one summer. Despite having visited countless times, the city never grows old to me. There is always something new just waiting to be discovered. Today I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the city. The buildings, the history, the culture. So many of the buildings are so old and the detailing is just breathtaking. As I walked down the streets of one of my favorite cities, holding my husbands hand, I couldn’t help but smile. (I either looked like such a tourist or a complete looney-toon).

Today as we were walking I was really aware of how quickly the locals walk through the streets and just how little they look around. It’s as though they have become so used to the magnificence of the city that they fail to recognize how truly beautiful and wonderful it is. There are so many hidden details and beauties. Even a New Yorker (born and raised) could never experience all of the intricate details that make this city so special. When I began to recognize how intricate and beautiful the city was, I could not help but be impacted!  I felt so small in such a big, beautiful city.

As I continued to think about this and pray, I began to realize that all of us are (to some extent) in the same boat. Not necessarily with our city, but with our God. We have each become so used to God’s magnificence and how truly beautiful He is, that we walk around without giving Him glory and praise. We need to look around and allow his magnitude to impact us. We must recognize how small we are compared to Him.

Today as you walk around, try noticing at least 5 beautiful things that the Lord put in your path this day. It may be something you see every day but never spend the time to notice or something completely new. Life is a beautiful gift and our God is omnipotent.”

Big Things, Small Beginnings

Last night my husband and I shared
our testimonies in our Bible Study
& I was reminded all at once at how
omnipotent our God is!

I spent years very, very lost.
But the little seed that was planted in my heart
so many years ago has begun to grow &
to blossom
into a tree bearing fruit.

God has big plans
for you
and for me.

And what a joy it has been to watch that little seed grow!

This is What You Get in Life

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Anyone else love this quote by Oprah Winfrey? “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for” {Tweet That}. Can I get an amen? The past few days my heart has been doing cartwheels. The Lord has given my husband and me big dreams. And you want to know the crazy part? I only began to boldly ask for them a few months ago. And our God is faithful to answer. My dad always reminded me growing up that it never hurts to ask. The worst outcome we can get is simply a no.

So now I am boldly kneeling at the feet of the throne.
I am courageously asking/praying for…

opportunities to bring Him glory

a life filled with adventure & wonders

direction & discernment

wisdom

a stronger desire to seek & to know Him

to be a better wife

for relationships built on our Father

for time to make what matters most happen

courage to be bold in all that I do

and so, so much more.

The Lord has begun to open the doors in BIG ways for some of the items above and we cannot wait to share the news with each of you!! But until then we will continue to courageously pursue & pray for the dreams the Lord has given us.

What are you or should you be courageously asking/praying for?

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Celebrating One of My Favorites

This month is all about celebrating the blessings in our life and for praising our Heavenly Father for each gift! Today I want to celebrate one of my favorite blessings. My dad. Today is his birthday. If you have met my father, you know what an incredible individual he is. He is an incredible leader, always thinks of others before himself, loves unconditionally, is an incredible listener, encourages every dream, loves a good adventure,  and loves the Lord with all his heart. He blesses everyone he meets. I could not be more thankful for this man.

So happy birthday to one of my favorite blessings, my role model, encourager … my dad!
I hope your day is filled with immeasurable blessings! I love you!

Yes, he is a man of many talents 🙂

Whatever You Do

“God doesn’t bless us just to make us happy;
He blesses us to make us a blessing.”
Warren W. Wiersbe
{Tweet this}

If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw
this verse I doodled yesterday.
Yesterday morning I was reading through 1 Corinthians
during my quiet time and this one verse really spoke to me.

Whatever I do should bring Him glory.
Even simple tasks like eating and drinking.
Warren Wiersbe states it beautifully.
Our blessings help us to bless others.
What we do with our blessings brings Him glory.
Today I am choosing to bring Him glory!

Gratefully Inspired

Happy Monday! Let’s start this week with an incredible story of God’s goodness, His faithfulness, and His grace. The story God has given Denise and her husband over the past year brings me such great joy! And what better way is there to start a week than with a beautiful story of faith and blessings! If you haven’t visited her blog yet, you must!

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c/o Furnished Photography

Hi there! I’m Denise

and I blog over at Gratefully Inspired.

I am so honored that Chloe asked me to share a little bit about my story

and the things of which I am grateful for.

So here goes.

First of all, let’s get this straight – the Lord is

good. So good. This time a year ago I was recovering from a

miscarriage. Something my husband and I

never saw coming, and something that will remain with me forever.

This time a year ago the idea of having

children was still an unknown. My doctor

wasn’t sure how easy it would be for me and my body to keep a pregnancy.

So many things unknown. And for a Type A, planner like me, it took

everything in my power trust in Him. God

knew His plan for me. He knew His plan was

far better than my plan. As I sat around

the table on Thanksgiving 2012, I thanked God for the many blessings I had in

my life and I trusted. In Him I trusted.

c/o for above 3 pictures: The Coral Peacock Photography

Thanksgiving passes and my body is still healing and still “not

ready” to try again according to all medical experts. I was put on medicine that is like class

xxxxx for pregnant women and I took a pregnancy test before that came out

negative. It was going to be a long

road. Or so I thought. The second week in December I was getting

ready to celebrate my 27^th birthday when my doctor asked me to take

another pregnancy test before I got on, yet, another medicine that is a big no

no for preggy ladies. The test? Positive.

What?! This could not be. Matt and I weren’t even trying.

And “I can’t get pregnant,” remember? So I waited to go in the next day and my

doctor confirmed what I had waited for.

A heartbeat. There was a life, in

fact, growing inside of me. God is so

good.

But what about all the crazy meds I had been on?! My mind immediately ran back to fear and

doubt. And again, the Lord calmed my

heart and reminded me that I have nothing to fear, because He is God.

Flash-forward ohhhhh 9 months, and boom.

On July 30, 2013 I gave birth to 8 pounds 4

ounces of perfection. God is so good

y’all.

This Thanksgiving has new meaning to me. I always strive to have a grateful

heart. I always count my blessings, but

this year? I’m so humbled by the things

God has graced me with. I’m so unworthy,

but gosh darn it so thankful. So if

anyone out there reading this is going through a troubling time.

Maybe things are more difficult this year than last.

Know that He is good and He

is God. Know that His plan truly

surpasses any plan you can possibly imagine for yourself.

And know that He is faithful. So so faithful.

Thanks so much for letting me share my little story on your

amazing blog Chloe! Y’all come see me

over at Gratefully Inspired anytime!

Find me here: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Subscribe

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Love & Gratitude

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Blessings by Michaela Noelle Designs

Can you believe it is Friday?! I don’t know about you, but I plan on soaking up this beautiful 70 degree weather! But before I get ahead of myself I want to introduce you to my sweet friend Michaela of Michaela Noelle designs. This girl was blessed with a serious gift for interior design and a passionate heart for people. If you don’t live near her in sunny California, you’re in luck because she even does virtual interior design. Her blog is another must read!

 

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Hi Beyond Blessed readers! I’m Michaela and I’m thrilled to be here sharing some things I’m thankful for today!

 

 

When I think of all the things I’m thankful for, I’m overwhelmed.  The fact that we don’t even deserve life, and yet God’s mercies are new every morning, continues to blow me away.  His grace; undeserved and freely given.  His love; so deep, we will never be able to understand it.  Our talents; only given to us by God to bless others.  My sweet family and friends who I am forever grateful for; God placed each one in my life for a specific reason and at the perfect time.  Here are a few other little blessings:

Cute new boots for Fall.

Creative minds that inspire and challenge continually. 

Baskin Robins ice cream 🙂

The very rare minutes of the day when our puppy is sleeping and calm. 
The promise of Isaiah 41:10

The colorful change Autumn brings to our neighborhood.

 Friends who love Jesus and keep me encouraged.
 My friends and family’s health.
 God’s perfect timing and being reminded of it time and time again.
Freshly baked banana muffins.
A new love of cooking up little things in the kitchen.

Lavender nail polish.

Thanks for having me, Chloe!

xoxo

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