Friday, Thank God | Little Bits of Blessings

I am on a personal mission to put the reverent respect for God back into Fridays. Yep.  I know I've said T.G.I.F. at least a million billion times.  But lately the casualness of it all has been creeping up on me.  Shouldn't we be thanking God for every day? As in, "Thank you, God, for this is the Monday  (or Tuesday or Saturday) you have made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it?"  Couldn't we be looking at our weeks as something more than a trial to be survived between weekends?  Wouldn't it be healthier for our souls if we reflected on the good in the week before it drifts away, instead of shooing it out the door like a stinky, dirty dog?

I'm going to try doing that here.  Each Friday.  With a little something I'm calling:

It feels a little more formal and a lot more reverential.  It doesn't flow off the tongue so easily, so we have to slow down.  It leaves us thinking about God, as he gets the last word, instead of leaning into the excitement of the last day of the workweek.

So, without further ado, here are some bright bits from this week.  Some words of encouragement.  And some things that point us back to God and wrap our faith around us.

nstsystems.com

My Mr. had a rough week.  Crazy-busy with work.  Stretched thin with personal commitments.  Insomnia night after night.  And then he inadvertently left his laptop on the city bus.  Uuuughhhh.  But 36 hours later, he learned that someone had found it and returned it to the bus company.  Aaaaaaaahhhhh.  There are good people in the world.  Plenty of good people in the world.  Thank you, kind stranger with oodles of integrity.



When I found myself on autopilot this week and needing some oomph for my energy, I remembered one of the most darling, positive, and talented people here on earth: Kid President.  If you haven't met him, here's your chance.  I'm sharing the same "Pep Talk" video that I watched this week for a little encouragement and a lot of smiles.  And if you can't get enough of him in this three minute video, there are more waiting for you over at the Soul Pancake channel on YouTube.

marriedayouthpastor.com

One of my favorite 31 Days series I discovered this year is Breaking Religion by Liz von Ehrenkrook at her blog, So I Married a Youth Pastor.  She is passionate about living her faith transparently, even when it comes to those sticky questions where people and churches and faiths don't see eye to eye.  She looks at the parts of being a Christian that are difficult and uncomfortable, and prompts real and honest conversation about them.  I haven't read through all of her posts yet, but the handful I've explored so far have left me nodding and pondering and praying for days.  I think you'll enjoy them, too.

I pray that your week held more good than struggle, that your weekend brings you space to breathe, to be yourself honestly and with integrity, and that you feel encouraged and uplifted.  May you remember, today and every day, that...

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 188:24

Little Bits that Bless

There is a theme running through conversations with my friends and family and God these days.

Mindfulness.  Meaningful moments.  Instants of Seizing snippets of God's grace and peace.

Because we know we can't have it all, all of the time.
Because we know we need more sanity and soul.  Less chaos and craze.

Do you have the same hunger?  Let's feed it together, bite by manageable bite.  Let's digest God's wonder and word bit by blessed bit.  A community meal, a communion of sorts.

For too long I've neglected this little blog o' mine; I've neglected making my faith transparent and public.  Sadly, the same is true in my personal, unplugged life.  And I think it is because I've forgotten the beauty, the accessibility, the simplicity of seizing a moment rather than something monumental.  I forgot that bigger doesn't mean better.  It just means more work.

So I'm ditching the drive to say something important in a big way.  I'm purging perfectionist tendencies.  Instead I'm going for short and sweet.  Meaningful moments.  Little bits that bless.

Here is today's, thanks be to God.  And Bow and Arrow Art via Etsy.

  

Lord, you know how my heart wanders.  And my mind is no better.  Help me to breathe deep.  Fill my soul with your peace, so I can settle in and stay with you for a moment or two or nineteen today.  Amen.