10,000 Reasons!

This first full week of January...
... is promising to arrive with a wallop! And friends, I'm not even talking about snow {although we have had our share of the white stuff as well...}, I'm talking about a crazy, busy, jam-packed week for our family!

After a relatively quiet Christmas break {and hubby is feeling much better, by the way... as he can scream at basketball players on the TV screen again. ;-)}... this first week back to routine is going to feel like a shock! Everything that normally happens on a monthly basis, plus some other things, seem to have all ended up to be in store for us this coming week.

I could start to list them all... such as... back to school and back to work; preparing all week with my boy's Robotics Team for the Provincial Tournament on the weekend; Home Church starting back up; worship band practice; youth group starting back up; a mid-week community dinner at an inner-city ministry; a two-day Board Meeting for hubby; a sandwich run on Sunday night... I could go on...

Did I mention that there's a work deadline I have to catch for Friday?!? Plus, fit in somewhere in there... life in general, like dishes and laundry and meals and so on and so forth.

You get the picture, right?

The only way for me to get through this upcoming week calmly would require me practicing my 2013 One Word... surrendering... walking and working with Christ, and leaning on His unforced rhythms of grace!

I love how God takes care of details... 
Before I inventoried what's on our calendar and realizing what a whopper of a week this is going to be... He already knew! In fact, He used our Lead Pastor's teaching on Sunday morning to let me know that He's got everything under control! That everything will just be a-ok!

I just love how He knows our hearts... and takes care of details like that!

Our Lead Pastor spoke on the verse from 2 Corinthians 5:14... Christ's love compels us... one of the verses where my One Word came from! And the song we sung in response to the teaching? None other than... Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons... a song I've been humming since this New Year began!

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning.
It's time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me.
Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger.
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind.
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing.
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

And on that day when my strength is failing.
The end draws near and my time has come.
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending.
Ten thousand years and then forevermore.

As I continue to count grace-gifts, with unending thanks... to The One who so lovingly takes care of life's details, big and small... these are the things I am thankful for this week... #2810 - #2816:

:: Movie night out to watch Les Miserables... what an amazing story of grace!

:: A few more quiet days spent at home before routine starts back up again.

:: Visiting the LEGO store with my boy.

:: Stocking the pantry and fridge with groceries in preparation for the busy week coming up.

:: Great Sunday morning spent with our church family. ♥

:: 10,000 reasons for my heart to sing! ♫

:: Oh, how HE loves! 

Happy Monday, friends!
As you start this first full week of January, let this song minister to you as it has to me! ♫ "The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning. It's time to sing Your song again. For all Your goodness I will keep on singing. Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find." ♫

Grace, it means favor, from the Latin, gratia. It connotes a free readiness. A free and ready favor.

That's grace. It is one thing to choose to take the grace offered at the cross. But to choose to live as one filling with His grace? Choosing to fill with all that He freely gives... with glory and grace and God?

... it is a choice.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

Choosing to live a surrendered life... because Christ's love compels me... and giving thanks for everything that my good God so freely bestows, so lavishly gives and so extravagantly showers!

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!