And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory … [Read more...]
Joy Day! My favorite day of the week. The day when we count blessings.... ...the good things and the not-so-good things. The day we acknowledge The One who loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Everyday my husband drives through what is called a greenway. The mountainside is immediately on the right and and the gorge to the left on portions of the road. It's beautiful. And true to its name in the spring and summer. He sees lots of wildlife. And dead deer in the fall and winter. Everyday he prays that he won't hit one of those graceful creatures with … [Read more...]
Joy Day! This past week began for many with fear and trepidation. For some of us touched by Hurricane Sandy, the forecast was fierce compared to the wind, rain, and snow that actually pelted our homes. For others of us, the toll was unimaginable. My heart goes out to all those affected. I cannot imagine being without electricity, water, or heat for a week, or being displaced from my home and facing the ordeal of clean up and renovation or demolition and rebuilding. Together, let's pray hard for continued protection, provision, strength, wisdom, and joy for … [Read more...]
Day 21 This morning I got up early. Living with a mountain to my East it's darker in the morning than anywhere I've previously lived. As I looked off in the distance I saw just a glimmer of light where the mountain dips a bit. Then, I turned away and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Just a bit later I returned to look out the window. The clouds were pink and violet as the sun was beginning to rise above the mountain. It was glorious. I grabbed my camera and hurried back to the window.... In just those few seconds that it took me to crank open the window, … [Read more...]
Day 14 Some days, it is so easy to get stuck on ourselves and our agendas. To get caught up in the doing....not the being. Do you ever have days like that? We may or may not have started our day with prayer and scripture. And before anyone knows it...we've replaced HIM with US. When we have days like that, it is good to get ourselves realigned. To read verses like this one... It is good to praise the Lord.. to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. Psalm 92:1-2 That's what we want to do here at An Extraordinary … [Read more...]
This afternoon I realized I had a smile in my heart. It's been a good week. A really good week. A week of joy here at An Extraordinary Day! I've enjoyed sharing special stories. Readers have been blessed. And that in turn blesses me. An Extraordinary Day has gained new subscribers, and has almost tripled this week in views. {Pinch me!} And all of that has happened despite the fact that I'm still limping along with some computer issues. But, even that is a blessing. A friend loaned me his old laptop, though rather slow, it helps tremendously. Plus, in the evening I get to use my … [Read more...]
Are you a sky watcher? When I lived in Michigan, Autumn always brought what we termed "El Greco clouds." One September I spent the month touring the beautiful country of Spain. While there I visited Toledo where I discovered works by the painter from Crete, El Greco. I was fascinated with the cloud formations and unique lighting in his paintings. As we would look westward, in Spain or Michigan, at twilight I would notice that same etherial lighting and magical cloud formations, just as El Greco painted them in the late 1500's and early 1600's. The beauty would make my … [Read more...]
This weekend we hopped in the car and drove to New York State to attend a wedding. The daughter of one of my closest friends was getting married. The weekend weather forecast was perfect.....for Friday. The wedding was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. We checked the weather bug on the iPhone many times. Thunderstorms, 15-25 mph winds, and 100 percent chance of rain for Saturday was forecast...every time we looked. We awoke on Saturday morning to dark, heavy clouds, loud claps of thunder, and driving rain. My heart was as heavy as those clouds. As with every wedding there … [Read more...]
Thanks for joining me for another Joy Day! A day where we count blessings. A day where we celebrate God's overwhelming goodness. A day when we take a look around us, with His eyes, and really see. My birthday was a few days ago. It was a great day. And, because it was also Tim's regular day off, we enjoyed the whole day together. Our day concluded with walking "downtown" to the wonderful little Connections Cafe for Sharon's yummy grilled-to-order pizza. I choose mine topped with grilled veggies, Tim choose his topped with mushrooms & spinach. This is the most … [Read more...]
Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CEV the Bible Have you had one of those weeks that if you had read that verse, "Whatever happens, keep thanking God..." you would have said, "Are you kidding me?!" I did have one of those weeks. I'm really trying to "keep thanking God." But, seriously, it's not easy. Since beginning this blog and faithfully publishing a Joy Day! post each … [Read more...]
Other than going away to college or getting married, have you ever packed up your home, said good-bye to friends and neighbors, and moved far away? Our first big move was away from our sweet saltbox which we had built and thought would be our forever on earth home. Nine months ago we made our fifth move. This time, leaving behind friends we had made over twelve years. This week a man who greeted us and helped unload our moving trucks at our last house came with his wife to visit us in our "new" home. They were en route to see a U.S. Open Tennis Tournament and decided to take a day, … [Read more...]
I heard the whisper of God this past week. Why else would I have had the huge urge to completely clean out a storage room? Especially as I could close the door and no one would see the room, it was a perfect storage area. Monday night I had no idea why I wanted an empty room. But, I was a woman on a mission. It seemed that since that storage room was next to the laundry room (that's another upcoming story), that it would be the best place to put the clothes drying rack. Before the urge to empty the room, it had been called the “Christmas Room” as it was filled with all things … [Read more...]
Last evening I stayed up a little late before going to bed. Now just for the record....I was NOT Pinteresting. Hee hee. I was sitting in the stillness of the sunroom, contemplating words on the illuminated screen before me, listening to the sounds of the night, observing the sky lighting up in the distance, and glimpsing an occasional firefly dance past my window when I heard the strangest sound, from what I assumed was a vehicle, making its way down the street in front of my house. If I were a caller on Car Talk, Ray or Tom would probably have had me make the noise in order … [Read more...]
Joy Day! A day to say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!" Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!" Psalm 66:1-3a The Bible tells us that God created us in his image. Have you ever attempted to explain that concept to a child? The best way I know to do that is to stand her in front of a mirror and ask her to tell me what she sees. Inevitably she'll say..."I see me." That reflection we see in the mirror is our image. It's … [Read more...]
Seeing God demonstrate his love for us in nature. If we just look, God has object lessons of his grace and love all around for us to see and experience. Almost exactly 3 years ago to the day, my husband and I were sitting in the office of our executive pastor. We were anticipating some new changes in the structure of the children's ministry. Tim was leading a thriving and growing ministry to children with excellence and grace, and we were anticipating a good meeting. Several minutes later we were told that we (I was Tim's ministry assistant) would no longer be leading the children's … [Read more...]
A few things made me pause this week..... Like this quote from Francis Chan. unknown source Do these words hit you between the eyes, too? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Do you ever wonder what kind of legacy you will leave? New father, Jeff Goins, and guest writer at Chatting at the Sky gives three powerful thoughts on how to begin the journey of leaving a legacy. I loved it when he said this, "...if you want to create more beautiful art, live a better life." I want to live a better life. How about you? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … [Read more...]
Who knew a visit to a Country Market would be so much fun? Locals have been telling us all about their "wonderful" version of a farmers'/crafters' market. Shhhh... Don't tell anyone, but I was a bit skeptical. After all, I grew up in a town where we had one of the biggest farmers' markets in the country. I was spoiled. Every kind of fresh produce and plant was available every Wednesday and Saturday. This morning the Country Market opened at 8 AM. We arrived at 7:58. Lines of cars were turning in to the parking area. The crowd had already begun to assemble. Anticipation filled the … [Read more...]
