Wednesday, October 31, 2012

October's Joy Dare {and a summary ~ "31 Days of Celebrating JOY!"}

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

#823 - #915... October's grace-gifts... from the Giver of good gifts, the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Day 1 of 31 Days: Joy... So Much Joy!
3 gifts orange:
:: Autumn leaves reflected on pond's surface!
:: Pumpkin patches!
:: Gerber flowers on our living room coffee table.

Day 2 of 31 Days: The Autumn Landscape
3 gifts falling:
:: Yellow leaves from our ash tree in the backyard.
:: Temperatures... bringing with it cooler Autumn weather!
:: Light rain...

Day 3 of 31 Days: Do I Want...
a gift caught, let go, mid-way:
:: A mistake, corrected in time.
:: Letting go of what the future holds...
:: A break mid-way through my work day.

Day 4 of 31 Days: A Choice
3 gifts reaped:
:: A well-deserved basketball win for my girl's team!
:: A fulfilling evening serving the least of these.
:: Blessings received, in blessing others!

Day 5 of 31 Days: Joy Comes in a Letter
3 gifts returned:
:: Milk bottles to our local grocer.
:: Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Great is His faithfulness! ♥
:: Long overdue phone calls!

Day 6 of 31 Days: His Eye is on the Sparrow
3 gifts redeemed:
:: Some much needed sleep!
:: My strawberry coffee cake... which I thought would be a baking disaster!
:: Coupons!!!

Day 7 of 31 Days: Sunday's Joy Verse...
a gift baked, stirred, eaten:
:: Chocolate cupcakes!
:: Gravy...
:: My sister made prime rib! So yummy!

Day 8 of 31 Days: Giving Thanks!
3 gifts prayed for:
:: For God to clearly open and close doors.
:: A clear path regarding a new direction.
:: God's peace as I walk through open doors.

Day 9 of 31 Days: Follow You
3 gifts praised for:
:: Health.
:: Peace.
:: Freedom in Christ!

Day 10 of 31 Days: The Practice of Joy
3 hard eucharisteos:
:: Stepping out, once again... of my comfort zone.
:: Long hours spent figuring out how to work an NXT Robot! :0
:: Those hard conversations that are necessary in order to raise kids who turn out right.

Day 11 of 31 Days: Joy in Life's Messiness...
3 gifts of change:
:: The changing season... into Autumn... God's work of art!
:: My girl's piano lessons... changed to Fridays... an opportunity for me to read a book quietly as I wait.
:: Change... in the horizon... oh Lord, please calm my anxious heart!

Day 12 of 31 Days: International Day of the Girl Child
a gift small, smaller, smallest:
:: The last geranium blooms of the season.
:: Seed pods on my climbing rose bush.
:: Tiny blooms of my sedum plant.

Day 13 of 31 Days: Affluence to Generosity
3 gifts read:
:: This blog post by Jen Hatmaker. Wow! Just. Wow!
:: This blog post written by my girl! ♥
:: A blog post by Ann Voskamp... hit so close to home for me.

Day 14 of 31 Days: Song of Joy...
3 gifts said:
:: The teaching and person of Jesus (not the Bible in general) is our foundation. Scripture is “inspired” and “useful”. Jesus is inerrant and authoritative. We READ the Bible; we FOLLOW Jesus. We are never disciples of book, only a person. ~ Bruxy Cavey.
:: Joy results from discovering His presence, His purpose, and His power in an entirely new way. Could it be that if our focus is on Christ, we'll see Him transfigured before us rather than our circumstances? Look for Him in the middle of your circumstances --- He's there just waiting to be discovered. ~ Beth Moore.
:: This, this is what I've always wanted and never knew: this utter trust, this enlivening fall of surrender into the safe hands. There is no joy without trust. ~ Ann Voskamp.

Day 15 of 31 Days: And, I'm Amazed...
3 gifts re-read:
:: Chapter 10 of Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts.
:: The Great Commission verses, in depth and detail.
:: The book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.

Day 16 of 31 Days: A Gift...
3 gifts burning:
:: Scented candle in the kitchen.
:: Oven burners... baking sweet goodies!
:: Stove top burners... warming soup for chilly days.

Day 17 of 31 Days: Joy of the Lord...
3 gifts ugly-beautiful:
:: Difficult family relationships...
:: Crossroads...
:: Challenges faced in ministry...

Day 18 of 31 Days: My Autumn Garden
a gift shared, saved, surrendered:
:: Lunch with a girlfriend.
:: A draft blog post...
:: My next steps...

Day 19 of 31 Days: A Joy to Celebrate
3 gifts unexpected:
:: Groceries done a day early!
:: Some extra time to read... Christine Caine's Undaunted. Another great read!
:: An afternoon coffee break with a friend!

Day 20 of 31 Days: One Roof!
3 gifts unconventional:
:: A bold and God-sized dream... our church's newest mission!
:: A parking lot potluck... with our extended church family!
:: An amazing dance party with our whole church family!

Day 21 of 31 Days: Ultimate Fam Jam
3 gifts undervalued:
:: Family togetherness.
:: Faith community.
:: Friendships.

Day 22 of 31 Days: What A Week!
a gift silent, still, strong:
:: Silent participants, but full of thought.
:: Being still and waiting on God.
:: Jesus' strong name!

Day 23 of 31 Days: Life Is A Gift!
3 gifts begun:
:: Planning of Christmas outreach events for our church family!
:: A budget proposal...
:: Laundry... undone from the weekend.

Day 24 of 31 Days: The Joy of YES!
3 gifts accomplished:
:: A completed budget, typed up and emailed off!
:: A smooth-sailing work day, not always easy to accomplish!
:: A lunch with a girlfriend!

Day 25 of 31 Days: A Burst of Orange...
3 gifts enjoying:
:: Lunch with my sister.
:: A pumpkin spice latte treat!
:: A laid-back evening.

Day 26 of 31 Days: 22 Minutes to Joy!
3 gifts extravagant:
:: God's love.
:: His mercy.
:: His amazing grace!

Day 27 of 31 Days: The Line
a gift humbling, honouring, happy:
:: That God would partner with us in His mission!
:: That we have the opportunity to help make disciples!
:: That other people see Jesus in our family!

Day 28 of 31 Days: Joy-Filled!
3 gifts in Christ:
:: Hope!
:: Strength!
:: Freedom!

Day 29 of 31 Days: An Update on Eucharisteo {and a Giveaway!}
3 gifts on time:
:: Waking up on time on a dark and rainy Monday morning.
:: The kids getting to school on time.
:: Hubby getting to his first appointment on time.

Day 30 of 31 Days: 
3 gifts overjoyed:
:: Overjoyed by this update about Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy!
:: Overjoyed by the sense of community that's developing in the brand-new Meeting House Home Church that started up in our home this Fall.
:: Overjoyed by the simple gifts that surround me each day.

And, today's Joy Dare {for October} post is Day 31 of 31 Days! :-)
3 gifts hallowed:
:: God's name.
:: A life lived for His purposes.
:: Time spent in God's presence.


This month of October, I am participating in a blog link up called 31 Day Series. I will be writing about Celebrating JOY! Click on the banner below for 1000+ other topics!



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




Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.
Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

1 comment:

  1. I have loved reading. Thank you, friend! So very much. Much love.

    ReplyDelete