How Can You Please God? Win a Thoughtful Award!

Dear Friends~

We have been so blessed with our first six months together.  Little did we know there was an award being passed around.  It was awarded to us in December.  Congratulations to all of you who participated in some way, sharing a post, donating cards you made for the "Card of the Week" blog, entering challenges and random drawings, leaving comments with such wonderful ideas, reading a challenge and applying it to your life, memorizing a Scripture from the Inspiration of the Day area!  All of you have helped us receive this award.  And, of course, this is a Ministry of the Lord.  He has led us from day one.  Let's not forget to thank Him.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for letting us be given this award.   I pray Lord Jesus that people will know that it is our Love of you that keeps us studying and praying and writing this blog.  And, it is you, who guides and leads us...

Thank you Lord, Jesus the Christ for blessing us by letting us be your servants on this blog. Lord, I pray that the people that come from Monica's blog will see this blog name, and come and learn how to please you, and be a child of the King of Kings.  I pray this in Jesus' Holy and Perfect Name. Amen.

Monica Gardner really surprised me with this award.   Please visit her blog,  Gardner's Basket Blog!  Monica comes up with the most creative cards and paper crafts!  She has been on the Design Team as a "Dottie" for Glue Dots!

She has made and donated cards to the He IS Able blog for the "Card of the Week Give-Away" and also for the American Cancer Society's Card Drive Fundraiser I am leading.  Monica, thank you for your generous spirit. You are a real blessing, and I know that the Lord is smiling by your unique way of serving His people!  Thank you for everything!

Well the rules for receiving this honor are:

1.Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. Thank you so much Monica!

2.Share 8 things about yourself.

3.Pass it on to 8 bloggers.

4.Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.
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OK, 8 things about myself:

1. I am married to the most amazing man- Dave, who is 20 years older than I am. He is such a gentleman!  He loves me so much that we danced together every day for about 3 years! We are going to start  again.  I think it is one of the secrets to a happy marriage.  I have a son, Josh, 21.  Dave has shared his  3 ADULT children, spouses, and grandchildren with me.  There is Kim, Ed, Jillian (13), Matt, Lula, Zachary (15), Matthew Thomas (4), Gregory (3), and Jon.  I love our family a lot!  We are all in Florida, with Jon living out in Texas.

2. I have been physically disabled for 12 1/2 years, due to a back injury at the store I was managing.  It also impacts my use of my legs, neck, shoulders, and causes migraines and problems with my vision.  Most of the time I feel blessed.  At first I prayed, several times a day, to be healed for about 6 or 7 years.  He hasn't, so I know that He has a plan for me to help someone in this position, or some other reason.  I would love to be healed, but it is obvious it is not His will right now. 

3. I was born and raised Jewish.  I actually wanted to be a rabbi.  The Lord opened my eyes on July 13th when I was 29, (I am 45.)  My life has been so different since then.  It really is a miracle!  I actually felt like there was cement being chipped off my eyes and drilled out of my ears.  So I could see what He would want me to see, and hear what He would want me to hear.  It is amazing!  Thank you Jesus!

4.  I started scrap booking about 22 years ago, cards a year ago, and I am doing both now...and loving it!  I like to make cards that fulfill my personal and the He IS Able Blog's Mission Statement:  "Sharing His Love, His Word, and His Gift of Salvation through Cards."  This is done through the cards I make, and receive from people like Monica who donate them (with envelopes) to the blog.  We give one away each week, in a random drawing to anyone that left a comment, and pray that the recipient will use it to fulfill the Mission Statement, and that the person who ends up with the card is brought to the Lord or re-energized in their walk with the Lord!

5.  I was the Director of a Children's Church.  I also over saw 22 preschools when I was still able to work.  I chose all of Josh's teachers that way!  I knew every toy was bleached and that the sheets on the cribs were washed daily! Seriously! lol

6.  Myself, one step son, and one sister are Christian.  The rest are Atheist or Jewish.  I pray for them to know the Lord, and become a child of God, all of the time.  I greatly appreciate any prayers on their behalf!  Thank you.

7.  Alaska is my favorite place that I have been to far!  How majestic those mountains are...and the ocean is so vast. The air is clean and so easy to breathe deeply...no humidity! I don't see how anyone can visit there and not see God.  The people were so kind...if only it didn't get cold or snow!

8.  My thumbs do not bend!  (I thought of that when I saw Monica's remark about monkey's!)  There is more info on myself and how the He IS Able blog came to be. THAT is interesting!  Just click on "2010" and then "June" on the side bar.
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I had such a difficult time deciding on only 8 people/blog to pass this award on to! They were chosen for all different reasons.  Please visit them and see for yourself!   Here is the list:  (in no specific order):

1.  All of the Sisters at Stampin' Sisters in Christ

2.  Dawn B. of  My Stamping Thyme

3.  Gerrie  of Queen of Grunge

4.  Deb of  Dream in Color 

5.  Jacque of Jacque's Joie De Vivre

6. Chris D. of Creating with Chrissy

7. Angie of  Body, Mind, Spirit and STAMPS!

8. Cindy L. of  The Creative Closet of Cindy Lawrence

Congratulations, recipients!  Everyone, please take the time to visit each of these ladies/blogs and share some of our He IS Able love with them.  I am sure you will enjoy the variety of interests in each blog!

I apologize that this blog was so late getting out to you today.  The 1st half was finished days ago.  I wanted to think about the award recipients one more night.  I was going to finish it before my doctor's appointment this morning.  (Thanks for taking me again, Dad!)  Unfortunately, we had massive amounts of rain and lightning all day!  It is now 7pm, and it is finally only raining! When it thunderstorms here, in the nation's highest level of lightning strikes, we unplug electronics.   We learned the hard way. 

How does this award please God?  Well, I believe that many people read Monica's blog.  Even if only half of them stopped over to take a look, hopefully they would have been touched by His love.  They may have read His Word, or seen Friday's Bible Study on Miriam by Michele, or maybe they saw something they wanted.  Maybe they decided they wanted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Maybe they were already Christians, and wanted to put a little more bounce in their walk with the Lord!   I think any of these things would please God and make Him smile.

What do you do to please the All Mighty?  How about writing one or two things in the comment section, so that we may learn a new way to do that?  I  really love to read those comments.  If you put your comment in before Tuesday 8pm, you are entered in the "Card of the Week,"  you could win that great card that was made by Monica and donated to the He IS Able blog for you to win!
Again, Congratulations to all of you for winning this award.  It is your inter-action and love of Jesus that keeps us going.  And, for the new recipients Congratulations to you, too!  Way to go!  God Bless!

I'll be back on Wednesday!

He IS Able,
Traci S.