683. While driving home from my day in Atlanta with Lanie, a thunderstorm was brewing as I got closer to home. I am so thankful for the much needed rain. I could see this one coming and we ended up with 2 inches of rain and some great puddles…for little grandboys and Gran Jans.
1,000 GIFTS, #675 to #689
1,000 GIFTS, #660 to #674
Along with the daily gifts of God’s goodness in our lives, this past week has been one of milestones in our family, of birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Family is everything to me and I only wish I had more time to spend with all of them. We are busy in ministry, jobs, and taking care of day-to-day responsibilities. Just like you and your family. But taking the time to stop and count the gifts of grace Jesus gives makes the pace a bit slower so you can truly focus on what is right here and now, gifts from His hand…
660. Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. I have been a tad emotional about celebrating this milestone. Why does it seem that events that end in “0” or “5” are more special? God has certainly blessed my sweet Gary and me all these years. We were so young and so in love. Then…and now…
664. Here she is as a young bride herself…I love this picture, and I’m very thankful for her faithful love to me and her testimony as a woman who loves the Word of God. She has 5 brothers and four of them were preachers. What a wonderful family I married into…her maiden name is Moody and the family tree has lines to the famous evangelist, D.L. Moody. One of her brothers is named after him.
1,000 GIFTS, #639 to #659
1,000 GIFTS, #615 to #638
Multitudes on Mondays (and knowing that His Grace abounds every other day too). Just keep counting…just keep counting…just keep counting…
615. Mercy – His Mercy. Mercy that triumphs…still relishing the Bible study on James
618. Praying and believing God for a special word and then when my Pastor gets up to preach and reminds us that “the Power is in the Word,” and then being blessed as God delivers that special word to my heart.
619. Anticipation…
625. The Super Moon this month.
3 When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?
Consider the Lilies
Can you just imagine God planting a garden? I absolutely love to think about that. May and June are my favorite months in my flower garden because of the daylilies. This song has been running through my mind the past few days…
1,000 GIFTS, #595 to #614
610. I am so thankful for my pastor and his family. They began their ministry with us on the first day of this year and I can truthfully say that God graced our church when He brought them into our lives. I made these little ladybug shirts for his girls this past weekend. His wife has a blog that blesses me so much! Visit Stephanie at her blog here.
1,000 GIFTS, #579 to #594
Another Multitude Monday, and I am having a “memory lane” moment right this very moment. I began this journey of counting His grace gifts to 1,000 last year while attending a conference for worship pastors with my husband. My very first list is right here and here I am again…attending the Metro Worship Pastor’s Conference right now in Texas. GRACE.
579. I’m sitting in the lobby of the conference hotel and I love the sounds I’m hearing right now…the booming voices of the worship pastors all around me shouting greetings to one another as they are arriving…”hello brother,” “how are you,” “how is your family,” “good to see you.” I love the family of God and I wish you could be in the meetings when these guys sing…a foretaste of glory divine. (Music people are wonderfully loud…in my observation.)
580. Just this morning my husband was in the conference hotel lobby talking to Ryan Dahl, the founder of Praise Charts Publishing. Gary shared an email with Ryan that our son Jeremy had written him (Gary) recently about the blessing of being raised up singing hymns…which led to Ryan writing a blog post on the spot – it was one of those God-ordained moments that has already set the tone (pun intended) for this week. You can read the email and the blog post by clicking here.
581. The great joy to worship yesterday morning at Prestonwood Baptist Church. What a church! They celebrated 797 people saved on Easter Sunday last week. WRAP YOUR HEART AROUND THAT! The preaching by Dr. Graham was great (a message on leadership), the worship was amazing, and the people were so friendly. We sat with our dear friends Jack and Sharon Price (Prism Music). When you never get to sit in church with your husband, it means so much to just sit WITH him in a worship service.
582. It was a blessing to celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday – and the GREATER JOY is that we are able to celebrate His Victory over death, hell, and the grave every single day. Hallelujah what a Savior. These are my three grands in their Easter finery…Zeke in his “theer thucker thuit” and Madie and Jackson. Gran Jan’s JOY!
583. This is my family…the “Real Maloys.” My parents, me, my sisters Joan and Jo. I love these people with all my heart. We were all together Easter weekend (Jo’s birthday).
585. Peaceful with garden time (which happens to be therapy to me – honestly it does);
587. Chicken yard time…I love all their various clucking “sounds” and funny ways.
588. And I love their contribution to our family breakfast time…who knew a dozen eggs would fit in my husband’s John Deere cap? 🙂 I forgot to get the basket from my mom.
591. My friend Lanie made a quilt to raise funds for cancer research. She herself is an ovarian cancer survivor. God is so good – she brought this quilt to our James Bible study last week and we were talking about the power of prayer and healing from James 5.
593. This is my Dad and his great-granddaughter, my granddaughter Miss Madie. My dad had 8 sisters (he is lone survivor in his family of origin, which included 11 children, 8 girls and 3 boys), and he is the father of four girls (I am the eldest), so it didn’t take too much for this sweet little girl to win his heart.
Speaking of “showing signs of blooming and growth,” I am asking the Good LORD to be with all of us at the Metro Worship Conference and I need to log off and take care of some things…I am praying for all that God has in store for me, that I will BE a blessing to others and that God will speak to my heart in the deepest places…I am so thankful for His grace.
Jan







