#WarOnGrumbling Day 22

Today I'm thankful I got to chill on my purple porch in November. 

There's usually snow in Winnipeg in November. But this afternoon as the temps soared to 18C, I got a couple hours lounging on my purple porch. I finished "The Queen of Katwe", cracked open "Jesus Feminist" and swilled Sumol Passionfruit, one of my favorite beverages. 

Spending time on my purple porch time at any time of the year is precious to me, but getting to do it in November makes my heart soar with gratitude.

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

#WarOnGrumbling Day 21

I'm so very thankful that God knows what He's doing. 

Again today, Papa showed me how he's in charge of all my relationships, all my prayers and all the things He wants to do through them. He knew these things would transpire far before I did and to say He's working on many levels is a vast understatement.

I'm reading "The Queen of Katwe" right now and of course it talks about the basic rules of chess. It also talks about chess strategy with the opening, middle game and end game. It occured to me that God can play the end game before we're even thinking about starting...

When He weaves me into His master plan, it's mind-boggling and cause for more wonderment. And once again I realize who's in charge and it surely isn't me.

He's Intentional //

He's been doing it for a long time //

He's Intentional //

I'll be giving my trust now

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

#WarOnGrumbling Day 20

I'm grateful that God is so beautiful.

I'm not grumbling but it just was an emotional and tough day visting my mom in Gimli Hospital. On the drive out, with the temperatures hovering near 15C, I stopped to gape at Lake Winnipeg in Matlock just as a float plane hovered overhead. Honestly, it was hard to believe it was November.

When I drove home it was dusk on highway 8, which can be a bit boring. However I felt God beckoning me to gaze on His beauty. And then He rolled out splendor and colors and cloud formations that are almost indescribably beauteous. 

I was listening to Davy Flowers sing "Wounded One" and couldn't help be moved by the lyrics
We lift our gaze, we lift our gaze //
You are higher

Once again, His beauty wrecked me and I wept like a baby all the way home. And for that I'm extremely thankful.

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

#WarOnGrumbling Day 19

I'm grateful that God has called me as a mother to many. 

Like any mom will tell you, it ain't easy. It's a tad crazy making if I was being brutally honest. But nothing is more fun and ultimately rewarding than walking alongside young people as a mother figure, surrogate mom or hood momma. It's the best job in the world.

Emeka, Lueth, Chol and I at Westhawk Lake

Yoor, Lueth, Muriel, Malachi and I

Adut, Areng, Isaiah and I in Edmonton

Mamitu and me - Gimli

Makoi, Chol and I - Lester Beach

My baby girls Nuni and Abukie with me at Matlock

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

#WarOnGrumbling Day 18

I'm grateful that my home has become a house of prayer for all nations.

When I think about all the nations who have prayed in my house, I just shake my head in awe. At various times throughout the past decade, I've had prayer meetings, prayer counselling and individual prayer with young people originally hailing from Afghanistan, Belgium, Colombia, Dominica, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jamaica, Korea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and even more I'm sure.

Sometimes you just need a mountaintop view to realize how big God's plan is for raising up prayer among every tribe, tongue, people and nation. And I'm so grateful that I've been woven into it.

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

#WarOnGrumbling Day17

Today I'm so very grateful that I was rescued and saved by Jesus Christ. 

Every once in awhile I get to refect on my salvation and I'm not sure how I was set apart and so many still struggle. Nonetheless I'm eternally grateful.

Grace You've shown me grace
You've lifted my shame
Drawn me with loving kindness
Washed whiter than snow
You have redeemed and made me whole
Jesus You have won me
You have broken every chain with love and mercy
You have triumphed over death
And You are worthy of glory and praise
Love You've shown me love
By leaving Your throne
By bleeding and dying on a cross
That wonderful cross
That took all my guilt and sin away
Shout it out and lift up one voice in worship
Sing it out until all the earth can hear it
Jesus is alive and He saves He rescues and saves

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving

#WarOnGrumbling Day 16

I'm so thankful for night and day prayer.

Today was an extremely off day for me. I have so much on my mind with my mom's condition and then her only brother passed away on the weekend. I seem to be surrounded by death and sadness.

But I have access to a prayer room. And after spending some time in Sanctuary House of Prayer tonight, I started to normalize. 

Then over dinner with my son, I discovered there was a shooting at the 24/7 Starbucks in the Health Sciences Centre. That particular Starbucks has become my secret place, my unofficial house of prayer, especially in the many months my father was in that hospital before he passed away. 

I immediately drove over to see how everyone was doing. The security guards related the story to me and one of the baristas explained how he was a couple minutes late and his coworker was caught in the middle of the melee but remained safe (albeit traumatized). 

They all acknowledged the hand of God in the situation because no one was hurt (and there was only minor damage). The baristas and security were happy to pray with me for continued protection and care, as well as for God's glory to be known in the entire situation, coffee shop and hospital and all its patrons. 

Now to me, that's night and day prayer. Because God has called ME to BE a house of prayer.

Lord, make me a house // Make me a house of prayer
May the fire on my altar never burn out 

#WarOnGrumbling #40DaysOfThanksgiving