February's Joy Dare

I am taking the Joy Dare and counting to {an extra} 1,000 Gifts in 2012! Will you join me?

#94 - #180... February's grace-gifts... from the Giver of good gifts, the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

a gift found at 11:30am, at 2:30pm, at 6:30pm:
:: My girl sleeping in... no school today!
:: Hubby and me volunteer teaching my boy's LEGO Mindstorm team.
:: Doing life with The Underground and Home Church!

3 things overheard today, all gifts:
:: "Great job!"
:: "Love you, Mom!"
:: "I'll help with getting dinner ready."

3 gifts found in writing:
:: Read on Twitter: "Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved."
:: Read on Facebook: “Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.”
:: Collaborative writing, with fellow Compassion Advocates, on the book Hope Lives... coming up in March! Excited!

3 gifts found when bent down:
:: A healthy back.
:: Crumbs on the kitchen floor... means we are fed.
:: Picking up full laundry baskets... means we are clothed.

one gift stitched, one hammered, one woven:
:: Comfortable jeans, my every-day wear.
:: Swing set in our backyard... was a source of entertainment for many years.
:: Knitted sweaters, my other favourite garment of choice!

3 gifts found outside:
:: Balmy 7*C weather!
:: Beautiful sunshine!
:: Crisp air... smells like Spring-time already.

3 gifts red:

:: Delicious honey crisp apple.

:: My boy's hand-print from when he was 4! ♥

:: Beautiful red hues of the setting sun.

a gift broken, a gift fixed, a gift thrifted:

:: A camera dropped, broken. :-(
:: A camera fixed, by hubby. :-)
:: An old thrifted recipe book, one I still use so often.

3 gifts that were surprises - unexpected grace:
:: A mid-afternoon latte!
:: Beautiful spring-like sunshine and chirping birds on a February day.
:: A cheque arriving in the mail.

3 times you heard laughter today:
:: On the phone with my sister and laughing together.
:: Our family laughing together during dinner time, and...
:: On a long drive across town.

3 gifts found in working:
:: How far my girl has come in basketball by training hard.
:: Baking some herb oatmeal pan buns. Yummy!
:: My job, its flexibility and its work-from-home arrangement.

3 hard eucharisteos:
:: Certain memories from my childhood...
:: Bumps on life's road...
:: Lost friendships...

3 gifts found behind a door today:
:: Opening the fridge door and realizing we are so blessed.
:: My boy home for lunch from school.
:: Hubby in bed, asleep, early.

3 ways you feel the love of God:
:: In the letters from our Compassion children.
:: As described in Zephaniah 3:17... I ♥ this verse!
:: Through my hubby, the grace of my life.

a gift in losing something, in finding something, in making something:
:: Lost fellowship with girlfriends... resulting in digging deeper into Scripture on my own.
:: New fellowships found... over coffee on not-so-harried mornings.
:: Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!

3 gifts in shadows:

:: Psalm 17:8 - "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."

:: Psalm 91:1 - "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

:: Isaiah 51:16 - "I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand."

3 gifts found giving/serving:
:: Blessings given back - packed down, firmly shaken, overflowing!
:: Joy... the kind found deep down in the heart.
:: Discovering and knowing more of myself.

3 gifts on paper:
:: NBA tickets!
:: My pay stub.
:: A letter from our Compassion LDP student! ♥

3 gifts that were 'Plan B's:
:: Calling this church home... a most wonderful Plan B.
:: Decision to become a "Professional Mother"... a most rewarding Plan B.
:: Hubby starting his own business... a most awesome Plan B.

a gift at breakfast, lunch, dinner:

:: My morning cup of coffee!
:: Lunch at a downtown Vietnamese restaurant with my extended family.

:: Monday night dinner at my sister's house.

3 gifts white:

:: A tall glass of non-homogenized milk! Yum!
:: Snowballs that my boy throws on our front door.
:: White roses...

3 gifts that changed today:
:: The brevity of life... a challenge to live everyday fully.
:: Confronted by hypocrisy... a challenge to be authentic.
:: Lost souls... a challenge to share Christ whenever we can.

a gift of tin, of glass, of wood:
:: Potatoes in tin bucket.
:: Tulips in glass vase.
:: Scripture etched on wooden tray.

3 gifts before 11am:

:: Freshly baked muffins for breakfast.
:: My workday completed before 11am!
:: Fresh snow making the otherwise drab landscape beautiful!

a gift nearly worn out, a gift new, a gift made-do:
:: Wilting yellow roses, still beautiful.
:: New-found time during the practice of Lent.
:: Leftovers!

3 gifts seen as reflections:
:: My boy's reflection on my van's rear-view mirror.
:: My redeemed life, a reflection of God's grace.
:: My church family, a reflection of the Body of Christ! ♥

3 ugly-beautiful gifts (see beauty in ugly):
:: Rebuilding and disciple-making after the Philippine flood.
:: Hope lives... because Jesus redeems! ♥
:: A broken dishwasher, extra time spent over dishes in the sink = time to reflect, time to pray.

3 gifts from the past - that help you trust the future:
:: God's faithfulness... never failing.
:: His mercies... new every morning.
:: His grace and relentless love... never letting me go.

a gift dull, a gift shimmering, a gift cleaned:
:: Eyeglasses to help my dull eyesight...
:: Beautiful morning sunshine!
:: Dishes cleaned by hand... suds in the sink reflecting winter sunlight through kitchen window!

Click on the banners below to learn more about counting to 1,000 Gifts...
Jump in... I promise you will be blessed!

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!