let’s count it all joy

welcome!

Welcome to November!

Let’s spend this month in GRATITUDE to our Lord and Savior.

It’s a posture we should adopt in every moment and one I am happy to bring to our hearts and minds again in this Thanksgiving season.

//

My favorite piece from this month’s mailer is the 4x6 sticker sheet. While each sticker is text-based, there isn’t a single word of “gratitude” or “thanksgiving." Yet, it fits beautifully with our theme for this month.

Read these quotes and notice how the meaning of gratitude grows in depth and breadth with each one. I’ve put words from the sticker sheet in bold.

“Gratitude is the difference between misery and contentment; between regret and joy.”- Anonymous

“Hope grows in the soil of gratitude.” -David Little

“Gratitude is the divinely given spiritual ability to see grace, and the corresponding desire to affirm it and its giver as good.” -Sam Crabtree

“Spiritual joy is what you experience when you choose to give thanks to God no matter what happens–even when things go wrong.” -Jim George

“The key to thankfulness is not to view God through the lens of our circumstances, but to view our circumstances through the lens of God’s love and sovereign purpose.” -Anne Graham Lotz

//

Most months, I use most of the items in my mailer before I send them out. This is a way for me to show you how I am using the items and hopefully spark some ideas for you.

This month, all of the items I’ve used are in a single gratitude project! I want to really focus on daily gratitude journaling through the month of November, so I made a separate journal just for that purpose. I used several pieces from this month’s mailer plus so many prints from previous months all in this one project. It was simple to put together and I love how it turned out. (Learn more in the video below.)

————

Your mailer includes ten little bits of goodness that I hope will bring your faith and your joy in Jesus to mind whenever you see or use them. More than anything, I would love for you to USE the goods from this mailer - to weave them into your projects and your personal devotions, to add color to your spaces, or to gift them to others and in so doing pass on Jesus’ love.

on this special “subscribers only” page, you will find:

• A video showing my gratitude journal for November.

• Some additional quotes on giving thanks to God.

• A verse and scripture-section list.

• Journaling prompts.

• A prayer.

GRATITUDE JOURNAL VIDEO

VERSEs

Psalm 28:7

Psalm 100:4

Psalm 106:1 / Psalm 107:1 / Psalm 118:1 / 1 Chronicles 16:34

Luke 17:11-19 (The parable of the ten lepers.)

2 Corinthians 4:15

2 Corinthians 9:15

Ephesians 5:18-20

Philippians 4:6

Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 3:16-17

Colossians 4:2

1 Thessalonians 5:18

1 Timothy 4:4-5

James 1:17

quotes on Gratitude

“Gratitude is the difference between misery and contentment; between regret and joy.” -Anonymous

“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Be thankful. God has commanded it—for our good and for His glory. God’s command to be thankful is not the threatening demand of a tyrant. Rather, it is the invitation of a lifetime—the opportunity to draw near to Him at any moment of the day.” –Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

“Hope grows in the soil of gratitude.” -David Little

“God is in control, and therefore in EVERYTHING I can give thanks - not because of the situation but because of the One who directs and rules over it.” –Kay Arthur

“Gratitude is the divinely given spiritual ability to see grace, and the corresponding desire to affirm it and its giver as good.” -Sam Crabtree

"A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer's trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer's heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord." –John MacArthur

“The key to thankfulness is not to view God through the lens of our circumstances, but to view our circumstances through the lens of God’s love and sovereign purpose.” -Anne Graham Lotz

“A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.” – Billy Graham

“We should spend as much time in thanking God for His benefits as we do in asking Him for them.” – St Vincent de Paul

“It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.” -Tim Keller

“Spiritual joy is what you experience when you choose to give thanks to God no matter what happens–even when things go wrong.” -Jim George

journaling prompts

I process my thoughts (and pray!) through writing. Perhaps you do too. If this is something you haven’t tried before, I would encourage you to give it a go. Sometimes, a little prompt is all it takes to get started.

1. What is something good in your life that you often take for granted? Pause to consider and write out a thank you to Jesus for putting so many good things in your life that you take many of them for granted.

2. List 5 specific blessings you are thankful for today.

3. Who in your community are you grateful for? How can you tell them thank you?

4. A verse I want to dwell on today is…

5. Think of an act of kindness someone has shown you. How did it reflect God’s love? How can you say thank you?

6. Write a prayer of thanksgiving for something specific that happened this week.

7. Copy your favorite gratitude quote from above and write a related prayer.

8. How can you incorporate gratitude into your daily routines? Write three specific actions or ideas.

9. Who has impacted your spiritual growth and helped you grow in faith? Write a short thank you note thanking that person.

10. Reflect on an area of your life that God is currently pruning and refining. Write a prayer of praise thanking God for this act of love and for drawing you closer to Him.