Extravagant Grace

September 03, 2010

Praise the Lord: For His Blessings

Have you had the time to visit our community of praisin' sisters? Be sure congratulate our recent weekly winners! It is not too late to get in on the giveaways happening through September 19th. Simply link up here to a post at your blog and comment on praise posts through the next two weeks!

Today, I want to offer a fun Praise Challenge.

Instead of focusing on needing to praise God in the tough times, I want us to reflect on the tremendous blessings the Lord has bestowed on us.

Let's express our thankfulness through praising the Lord for the things he HAS done for us! Feel free to share your praise in a comment below or link up to a post at your blog. I really want us to take the time to share in these blessings with each other, so there won't be another praise post until Monday. Instead, take the time to visit each other and praise the Lord together. Hey, we're becoming praisin' sisters. Let's enjoy that fellowship!

"I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done... according to his compassion and many kindnesses." Isaiah 63:7

I give you all honor and praise, Lord, for you have done great things...

saving me from myself
redeeming me from the pit
setting my life on a new course and providing purpose to my everyday
for my husband, a man who is like Christ with skin on
for my precious children, who have shown me forgiveness and all abounding love
for Megan, who has shown me what it means to press on
for my family of origin and my inlaws, who love us dearly
for my community of like-minded, passion-filled believers
for my friends who love me enough to accept me as I am and challenge me to become who you want me to be
for every house I've ever lived in and every material blessing I've ever had
for the pleasure of serving you by spreading the Good News here at Extravagant Grace and when I have the opportunity to speak. Really, Lord. Me?
for the shear joy of mentoring teenage girls, through whom You, Lord, have shown me firsthand how you take ashes and transform them into outrageous beauty
for the victory over sin, oh thank you God!
for this song, that reminds me again and again about who you are and the blessing that is ours because you have risen from the grave

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

By His Grace & Mighty Power,

Just stopping by for the first time?

It is not too late to get in on more of the giveaways
and the simple act of praising the Lord!

Learn more about our month of praising the Lord here!

Featured Sponsor

What blessings are you praising God for?

September 02, 2010

Praise the Lord: Time to Bless with Giveaways

Ladies, we've been praising the Lord in this moment for the past 10 days! Yippee yahoo! We are a third of our way to developing a habit! Let's press on!

I want to spur you on to praise the Lord more and more, regardless of our circumstances and regardless of the blessing, because I want your motivation to be out of obedience to the Word and a response to the love of your Heavenly Father.

But just like Abba gives us what we don't deserve and blesses us when we least expect it, I want to bless you in His name. So, today we get to giveaway some special prizes to some unsuspecting gals!

As I mentioned in this post, you become eligible for giveaway prizes throughout this month by linking up to your praise posts, signing the linky here, and leaving comments on praise posts throughout 31 days of praise. Well, look at this list of women who have been praising the Lord with us (I hope I didn't miss a comment or link from you...let me know if I did)! So, from this list, I've randomly selected three winners to receive the three special prizes below!

Debbie http://www.heartchoices.com/

Sharon Kirby http://sharonsharinggod.blogspot.com/

Melanie http://melscoffeebreak.blogspot.com/

Jamie Balmet http://jamibalmet.blogspot.com

Julie Jabbers http://juliehjabbers.blogspot.com/

Thoughts for the Day

Peggy http://mazmagi.blogspot.com/

Lisa Writes http://www.lisaspence.com/

Shelly http://mylifeadventurebyme.blogspot.com/

Barbie http://myfreshlybrewedlife.blogspot.com/

Brook http://snipssnailsandpuppydogstails.blogspot.com/

Mary http://barrettscountryliving.blogspot.com/

Stacy

Anna

Jennifer http://jennifer-ashesforbeauty.blogspot.com/

Jamie http://jamibalmet.blogspot.com

Nana’s Nuggets http://kaymiers.blogspot.com/

Stacy http://homeschooladventureland.blogspot.com/

Jennifer http://jennifer-unmeritedfavor.blogspot.com/

Shawnee

D&A http://missionalmamassoul.blogspot.com/

Traci http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/

MaNut to NoNut

Amy http://blessedtobeme.blogspot.com

Laurie http://montananana-nanashouse.blogspot.com/

Shelly http://mylifeadventurebyme.blogspot.com/

Deb http://hegavemeadream.blogspot.com/

Barbie http://myfreshlybrewedlife.blogspot.com/

Woman of God http://lafemmededieu.blogspot.com

Wendy http://www.wendygunn.net/

...Congratulations Weekly Winners...

Laurie http://montananana-nanashouse.blogspot.com/

Praise the Lord Scripture Art from eSpecially Inspired

Jamie http://jamibalmet.blogspot.com

$30 Gifts Certificate to Gussy

(all baby blankets are exempt from giveaway credit and you must visit her shop and leave at least one comment with your favorite item)

Debbie http://www.heartchoices.com/

Praise and Give Thanks to the Lord vinyl cling from ten23designs

Winners, contact me at extragrace at gmail dot com
to find out how to claim your prize!

Ladies, let's continue praising the Lord together. We're forming quite the community and embarking on a fantastic movement! Take the time today to thank Him for the blessings in your life. And if you have a moment, visit the links above and share a word of encouragement with a praisin' sis!

Praising Him with You,

Just stopping by for the first time?

It is not too late to get in on more of the giveaways
and the simple act of praising the Lord!

Learn more about our month of praising the Lord here!

September 01, 2010

eSpecially Fun, eSpecially Inspired

Okay, I'm on a brand new crafty endeavor, inspired by my sweet friend Esther, and propelled by the enthusiasm of my older daughters and their precious pack of friends. Look at what we made in less than two hours...

...with nothing less than a glue gun, some wire, old silk flowers and a few new ones (taken apart), a bag of gems, and lots of joyous giggles. We attached hair barrettes, hair bands, and pins. Now they are all over our community as the newest accessory...

Doesn't that dress up brandless bag?

Simply adorable in my daughter's hair!

This one is a perfect late summer, early fall accent on any bag, blouse, or barrette! And it will be added to the giveaways for this month of praise!

What do you think of these creations?

If they were available at eSpecially Inspired, would you purchase one (or more)? Would you like to request your colors?

How much do you think would be a reasonable price?

Thanks for sharing in this adventure! I look forward to your comments!

24 Verses: Psalm 7:17 (September 1, 2010) & WFW

It would fitting for this month of praise that my Scripture memory verse be one about praising the Lord. It is also special that it falls on Wordfilled Wednesday, a meme that is still close to my heart from the days I began it, before I passed it on to Amy who has been such a great steward of this weekly discipline of meditating on God's word! I am reminded again by the Lord to not grow weary of taking the time to write about His Word, design it as a way to have those Scripture truths all around me and my loved ones, and to have it in my heart so that I can pray it up!

What I love about this verse from Psalm 7 is that the praise comes from knowing who God is and reflecting on His character -- righteousness. No matter what my circumstances appear to be, His righteousness as Sovereign God never changes. Praise the Lord! This is a truth I need to meditate on often, which is why I made it for us to enjoy here and also to hang in my home! You can get one here, too.

What verse do you feel the Lord drawing you to meditate on for this month of praise? Share it with us in a comment below! Leave a link to your post, too!

By His Grace & Mighty Power,

Just stopping by for the first time?

Learn more about our month of praising the Lord here!

Be sure to visit one of our wonderful sponsors!

August 31, 2010

Praise the Lord: In the Mess

My passion to praise the Lord was temporarily locked up by the burdens I've been hiding within my heart. Living with a "Savior Complex," mounting in size and intensity over the past week, I've spent every waking hour trying to spare those around me from the stress and burdens of their lives.

Last night, I ran out of steam and let the burden that was not mine to carry slide off my shoulders in a slobbery tear-fest with my husband. No matter how hard I try, how passionate I am, how focused I live, I can not change other people or their circumstances, nor can I remove the painful situations that spatter my life.

Praise the Lord! He is the Savior of the world. Not me!

No matter how much I attempt to make my little world perfect, there will still be the ugly moments and messy corners to contend with. It is like my house. I have no idea how it happened, but it looks like I lived here my whole life even though we moved in only two months ago, in the midst of construction no less. To a visitor, the house looks unpacked, decorated, and well-lived in. But wait until you see our garage! What a pit! Filled with things that need to be moved out and taken to the trash, projects that need to be finished, and general chaos crying out for organization. It is a mess, my friends. A HUGE mess. It is too big to tackle by myself, but I have to wait for my husband to have the time to do it with me.

See this mess in my garage and the process of waiting for it to be cleaned up is like my life. As long as I don't look at it, I think I'm doing fine. But the minute I have to walk through it, my heart is all stirred up and irritation sets in. Likewise, I can be a happy and praised-filled woman until I spend four hours with my lost extended family. Walking into their lives, witnessing their pain, experiencing their foul language, and tasting their bitterness, leaves me burdened and heavy-hearted.

A resounding Praise the Lord won't fix this mess, but it will fix my heart.

Praising God takes my focus off of the circumstances and puts it on the Lord. It moves me from the position of failing-never-to-succeed-savior to the place of servant worshiping a God who can, in His timing, accomplish all things for His glory and our benefit. This shift from sorrow to praise takes determination. It begins with acknowledging the burden in the first place (the tear-fest), which leads to 'fessing up my desire to fix things in my own power and strength. It often requires time -- and in this case in the form of a good night of sleep, which birthed a fresh perspective in the morning. Finally, through the discipline of quiet time with the Lord, I was fed by the Word, refueled by the truth, and freed up to share my heart with the Lord, leading to a time of praise, simple because God is sovereign and able!

Praising the Lord in the mess came about because of humility partnered with the daily disciplines of the Christian walk, not a change of circumstances.

How are your daily disciplines of prayer, reading the Word, and listening to the Lord speak in your time with Him, going these days...especially in your mess?

Do you feel led to get back to the basics in order to Praise the Lord in this moment?

Psalm 52:9

I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Praising Him with You,

Just stopping by for the first time?

Learn more about Praising the Lord here!

Check out this wonderful sponsor ~ Wall Worthy!

August 29, 2010

Praise the Lord: Today

Let's keep today's day of intentionally giving thanks and praise the Lord, in THIS moment, super simple but incredibly powerful. Take today's Praise Challenge by doing this...

Search PRAISE on Biblegateway.com, and share the one that strikes you first or encourages your heart in this moment.

Here's mine:

Psalm 56:10
I'm proud to praise God, proud to praise God.

oh yes I am, yes I am!!!
Share a link to a favorite praise song!

Here's mine: