I am Thankful for Finding Lost Things; and for the Power of Praise

It has been so long since I have entered into this blog, I had almost forgotten it was here!  I am thankful for a busy and exciting year! (I recently got back from speaking at a conference in Africa. But more about that later).

I am Thankful for Finding Lost Things; and for the Power of Praise:

A few years back I wrote a series of 114 articles for a group called Share Faith
It has been so long ago, I had forgotten about them.

I ran across one of those articles today, and it made me happy to do so

I scrolled down through the articles and experienced triggered memories, and reminded me of more reasons to be thankful:

• The offer to write these articles came to me when I was just launching out into my writing career; I was unsure of how to go about it - a friend offered me this job (thankful for friends!)

• I was in need of a paycheck -- this series of articles provided that paycheck (thankful for that!)

•  I remembered how much work it took to put together so many articles in such a short period of time, but that I had so much fun doing so! (thankful for jobs that are more than a paycheck - jobs that are so much fun they almost don't seem like work)

• I was struck with the fact that the words I was reading (today), some of them did not quite sound like me

          And then I recalled moments during the writing process, in which I would have great insight
          from beyond myself. At those moments I would be so excited to type away, not knowing for
          sure what would come off the tip of my fingers onto the paper.  (thankful for God-Inspired
          moments!)

The series of articles I am referring to was centered around the subjects of Music, Worship, and Old Hymns

I am a musician - it is a subject close to my heart - we all can appreciate the power and beauty and words, and notes, and rhythm, and melody, and harmony; the creativity of music! (I am thankful for music!)

I grew up singing the old hymns, and although I am more likely to be drawn to the more contemporary music now, I am drawn now and then back to the simplicity of the traditional (I am thankful for hymns that have stood the test of time)

Worship is a subject simple and yet very complex -- I am thankful for the opportunity to put on paper my thoughts on this incredibly important subject

Here is an excerpt from one, and the link to those articles:

The Power of Praise, by Connie Ruth Christiansen @ ShareFaith.com
"God does not have a self-esteem problem. He does not need praise and worship to boost His ego. His desire for the attention of His creation is rooted in love. He commands praise and worship in order to benefit the worshipper.........."  see more at:

http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/praise-and-worship/why-god-desires-praise.html



Thankful for You!
Connie

• Visit Connie's Website -- Listen to short clips of her teachings; Review her books; Read what people are saying about her:

www.connieruthchristiansen.com

• Join Connie on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSpeakerConnieRuthChristiansen123/

• Like Connie's Books on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Take.The.Thank.You.Challenge/?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/thevoiceoflovebook/?ref=hl

Thankful Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King

I am thankful for men and women who inspire me to more faith, more love,

that anything is possible, and to never give up!

The Inspiring and Challenging Words 

of

Dr. Martin Luther King

 

LOVE:

 

 

 

 

FAITH:

 

 

 

 

LIGHT:

 

 

 

HOPE:

 

 

 

 

RIGHT:

 

 

 

 

COURAGE:

 

 

 

 

TRUTH:

 

 

 

INTEGRITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STRENGTH:

 

 

 

 

 

 

DREAM:

 

 

 

 

JUSTICE:

 

 

 

 

COMPASSION:

 

 

 

GOD:

 

 

 

Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King for being a shining example of courage, faith, and perseverance;

and for making a difference on this planet

 

 

 

 

Take The Thank You Challenge!

http://www.connieruthchristiansen.com/#!takethethankyouchallengebook-/cv08

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Goodbye 2014

 

Goodbye 2014

“Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.”
~ Khalil Gibran; Excerpt from "Take The Thank You Challenge"

 

Reflections from Take The Thank You Challenge 2014:

 

 

Dreary December, 2014 Rainbow

I never get tired of a rainbow; especially shining through the clouds on a dreary day;

the sky suddenly looks like spring!

 

 

 

November, 2014

Inspirational Story of the Season

Watch this with a box of Kleenex

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHfC6jqBhkk

 

 

 

October, 2014 FB Thank You Post

 

“From within or from behind, a Light shines through us upon things,

and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

September, 2014; So much beauty!

No words can truly express all the emotions this video clip pulls out of the soul,

but thankful is one of those emotions;

thankful that the heart thrives even as the body fades

http://www.godvine.com/When-They-Saw-This-Old-Woman-Sit-At-The-Piano-They-Didn-t-Expect-THIS-Hold-On-To-Your-Hats-fb-gv-6181.html

 

 

 

 

 

August, 2014 - Out of the mouths of babes

Thankfulness Personified!

Awesome!

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=little+girl+looking+in+the+mirror+i+like+everyone

 

 

 

 

 

July, 2014 - Change the Way You Think

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=this+will+change+the+way+you+think+youtube+india#view=detail&mid=90896586EA92C857F25590896586EA92C857F255

 

"Those who have little are often the most thankful and the most giving"

~ Author Unknown

 

 

June, 2014 - Don't Give Up!

 

 

 

May, 2014

Driving the back roads today; no traffic; clear blue sky; clouds fluffy white; bright yellow sun; trees painted with incredible fall colors; baby lambs frolicking on the bright green grass; miniature donkeys grazing behind a white picket fence; a flock of geese lounging by a lake; a fluffy grey squirrel browsing through a pile of leaves; horses soaking up UV rays; and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I rounded the corner and there was a glorious view of Mount Hood;

20 minutes of all kinds of happy and thankful that stayed with me for hours.

 

 

 

April, 2014 - Spring!

From the archives of this blog:

(Feb 2, 2012)

No Matter How Long the Winter -- the Spring WILL come!

 

 

March, 2014

Extraordinary You!

 

 

 

February, 2014; Praise Changes Things!

Praise changes the atmosphere and

paves the way for Miracles!

 

 

 

January, 2014 -- Look Up! 

 "When it is dark enough you can see the stars."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

My Happy New Year Blessing for Your 2015L

 

May this next 365 days bring you Joy!

May your heart be filled with the gratitude that truly can change the atmosphere;

May your days be filled with wonder;

May you be courageous;

May you experience a peace bigger than yourself, beyond understanding;

May you sense His amazing presence even in the middle of the storm;

May your heart be encouraged, your body strengthened, your mind renewed, and

May you see finally the answers to long prayed prayers

 

 

~ Connie

 

 

Connie Ruth Christiansen

Author and Inspirational Speaker

www.connieruthchristiansen.com

contact Connie @

budbooks@live.com

 

 

 

 

 

A Mystery

Today I am thankful for mystery -- all mystery, even the painful ones.

 

There is of course, the mystery abounding that makes us stand in awe, that lifts us high and pulls a willing thankful from our heart; a magnificent sunset, a bird in flight, the birth of a child; the wonder of tiny invisible creatures living in a world all their own, the list of amazing unexplainable joyful things of this earth is forever long.

 

But today, I am CHOOSING to be thankful for the mysteries of life that are frustrating, and sad, and that test my patience and test my faith.

 

You know the mysteries I am talking about....you have lived them; perhaps you are walking through one of those miserable mysteries now.... the "why God, WHY?????" mysteries of life. Those times when life brings us unbearable disappointment that threatens to erase all sense of trust, all sense of justice; when loneliness overwhelms, and it seems that darkness will surely never end as you search desperately for a glimmer of light; a glimmer of hope.

 

Today, I choose to say "thank You" for those mysteries. I bring all of my questions, all of my fear, all of my anger, all of it and lay it down in a heap, and I exchange it for praise, for trust, for peace.

 

 I choose to be thankful because the weight of thanks is lighter than the weight of my questions

•  I choose to grab hold of the promise of Love in spite of circumstances, in spite of the way I feel;
• I choose to be thankful for the One who holds all mystery in His heart;
• I choose to believe that "all things work together for my good" (Rom 8:28)
• I choose to give thanks for the Light that will surely shine and engulf the darkness (I Cor 4:6)
• I choose to hold on to the power of Hope and to let go of the intimidation of fear (I John 4:18)
• I choose to be thankful that He will "make all things beautiful" (Ecc 3:11)
• I choose to believe that the power of Love actually lives in my praises (Psalm 22:3), and that perfect Love conquers ALL! (I Cor 13)

 

Several songs come to mind as I write this -- I choose to let them fill my heart with the mystery of Him in order to drowned out the question "why?"; to let the truth of this music, the truth of this light become greater than the dark circumstances that threaten my peace

 

•  Steven Curtis Chapman: "Glorious Unfolding"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Q7wUoQV5Q
•  Laura Story: "Blessings"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

 

 

 As  you walk through this "why God, WHY???" mystery of life, my heart goes out to you.
There may be no human answers. But there is a God of Love who holds you, and your aching heart within His heart.
And here is a mystery from Him that holds the answer to your dilemma ---the mystery that praise and thanks open the doors for healing to come from pain; for beauty to come from the ugly; for life to emerge from death.

 

I pray that you will have strength to choose a thankful heart, and that from that thanks, from that praise you will begin to experience a peace that passes understanding, and that you will soon see the end to this night of yours and that joy will surely come in the morning!

 

~Connie


To learn more about Connie and her books, visit www.connieruthchristiansen.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of Year Reflection

December 31^st

This is the time of year when we reflect

 

We think of the happy and the sad.

We make a list of so many reasons to be thankful

Thankful for another 535,600 minutes of life;

Thankful to still be walking around on this planet;

Thankful for the incredible yet untapped potential of the next 12 months

 

We determine to learn from our mistakes, to let go of the pain,

to remember the happy, and hang on to the good

 And we wonder, what will next year bring?

And we decide, what will I bring to next year?

 

I made a list of my happy, sad, wonderings and decisions

 (But I will not share that list on this blog (some of you are thankful to hear that (smile))

 I will simply share some of my end of the year thankful and wisdom*

And some end of year thankful and wisdom from others:

  

 

*We do not always have control over what will happen around us,
but we do have control over what comes from us;
and what comes from us can often change what happens to us.

~ Connie 

 

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book.
Write a good one.”

~ Brad Paisley

 

 

 

*I do not understand, or even like the pain of growing.

But it is a fact that in this life pain is a part of growing,
so I am thankful for it

 ~ Connie

 

“For a new year to bring you something new, make a move.

Like a butterfly tearing its cocoon!
Make a move!”

~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

 

 

* Rejoice in the moment. Be thankful for the now.

Just the fact that we are living is amazing.

And second chances! Second chances are double amazing!

 ~ Connie

“I have the opportunity, once more to right some wrongs,

to pray for peace, to plant some trees,
and to sing more joyful songs.” 

~ William Arthur Ward

 

 

 

* Nothing is impossible!

But the impossible has to start somewhere.

Sometimes impossible comes from above.

Sometimes it comes from us.

Your impossible may just be waiting for you to take the first step.

 ~ Connie

 

“Whatever you can do or dream you can…begin it.

Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

 

 

* If you look long enough in the mirror,
keeping always a smile on your face, you will see it – beauty!
~ Connie

 

“Maybe this year, we ought to
walk through the rooms of our lives
not looking for flaws, but looking for potential.”

~ Ellen Goodman

 

 


 

*Don’t look back
except to be thankful for how far you have come.

Don’t count today as an ending,
count it only as a stepping stone,

Keep moving forward.

 ~ Connie

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,
with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

~ Oprah Winfrey

 

 

 

 

*Our bodies, souls and spirits were created for joy, and for today

We were not built to carry the weights of worrisome things
past or future

When a load of yesterday or tomorrow is heavy on our shoulders
we begin to break
 

When we break, the load will fall off
that is a good thing
 

But how much better if we lay it down before we break
that is a better thing

 

 We have been given a body, a soul, and a spirit

capable of so much

And when we are weak, He is strong

And His love, His strength, His wisdom never fails

~ Connie


 


 

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning”

~ Lamentations 3: 22-24

 



 

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth,
do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

~ Isaiah 43:18-19

 

 

 

 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for good and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

~ Jeremiah 29:11

 

For those of you who are happy tonight
I rejoice with you! Party on!



 

For those of you who are sad and lonely tonight
my heart hurts for you! Don’t give up!

 

 

For all of us,

I pray a healthy safe new year, f
illed with answers to long prayed prayers,

and joyful surprises at every twist and turn;

for dreams fulfilled, and goals recognized;

and for hearts filled with a thanksgiving
 that breaks through the grey,
breaks through the sadness,
breaks through the weary,

and motivates us to make the most of this
amazing life we have been granted.

 
 

Welcome 2014!

I am thankful for you!

~ Connie

 

  “The Voice of Love” by Connie Ruth Christiansen
www.thevoiceoflovebook.com

 “Take The Thank You Challenge!” by Connie Ruth Christiansen
www.thankyouchallenge.org
  

 

If you haven’t already done so, consider TAKING THE THANK YOU CHALLENGE!

What a great way to start the new year!   www.thankyouchallenge.org

Learn more about Connie or her books at www.connieruthchristiansen.com

Thankful for the Dark

We seek the light; in the natural and in the spirit we long for the light.

 

God is Light, and He is Love -- The Light is Love

God is Truth – the Truth is Light

The darkness does not warm us

The darkness holds secrets; we long for revelation
The darkness holds the unknown which we sometimes fear
The darkness robs of us our natural eyes

But God, who is Good, and who is Light, created the dark

The dark is a good thing

•  The darkness invites us to close our eyes for a much needed rest
• In the darkness the seeds begin to grow, and the butterfly grows his wings
• When darkness and light touch in the sky, beauty is inevitable
• When darkness and light touch on the ground, the shadows tell us stories we would not otherwise see
• Even the spiritual darkness of evil will, in spite of all efforts to the contrary, reveal the glory of light by opposition
• Darkness has a beauty all its own; and darkness reveals the beauty of the light.

 

The darkness is not to be feared. 

God who is Light is omnipresent; present in the darkness 

Evil likes to try and hide in the darkness, but do not fear that evil,

for the Light of Truth is always greater than the lies of evil

 It is sometimes in the darkest night of the soul that we will finally

find a beauty of the soul that has so long eluded us.

 

 

 

 

 

 "When it is dark enough you can see the stars."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

Thank You for the light; thank You for the dark

 

Rest well tonight; be at peace in the dark -- Joy comes in the morning

Connie

 

 

Faith, Hope, Love

I may have been absent from this blog for a time -- Been busy finishing up a new book

But thankful is never far from my mind

Today I am thankful for absolutes; for the things that never fail

Truth

Faith

Hope

Love

 

Truth – it is not always easy to recognize, and it is not always easy to accept; but truth, if recognized and accepted will never fail – it WILL set you free!

Hope – it sometimes seems far from us; and when it seems gone our hearts grow sad and weary. Because of love, because of truth, there is always hope. And if we can grasp onto that faint glimmer of it, like a flower buried under the snow it will once again find its way to the spring sunlight – hope will not fail; it will bring new life

Faith – faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; faith is not always easy to grasp; not always easy to speak, and sometimes we have to hold on to it and speak it out for what seems like forever,  but if we will hold on, if we will speak it out, it will not fail us – faith will move mountains, create healing, change circumstances, change us

Love – love is the ultimate absolute, outlasting even life on this planet, surpassing death; even in the darkest of nights, the greatest of trials, the pit of hell, love is greater, love cannot and will not fail

 

Today I am thankful for truth, hope, faith and love, and I remind myself to hold them high above any other principle of my heart; I remind myself that they are greater than all

 

 

 

"The truth will set you free"

~ John 8:32

 

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

~ Hebrews 11:1

 

"Now these three live forever, faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love."

~ I Corinthians 13:13

 

"Love never fails."

~ I Corinthians 13:8

 





 

FAITH

 



 

HOPE

 

 

LOVE Never Fails!

 

And that is the Truth!

 

 

 

Hold On!

Never Give Up!

 

~ Connie

 

 

 

 

Coming Soon -- "The Voice of Love"

Get on the waiting list -- go to www.connieruthchristiansen.com

or leave a message on this site

 

ORDER Now:  "Take the Thank You Challenge"

www.thankyouchallenge.org