An Attitude of Gratitude

 It is so important to have Gratitude. Have you every noticed that when you look for things to be thankful for that you are over all happier?  Well, it is true.  Focus on the positive and you will be more positive.  

Well, while on lockdown (HA!) the ads on Facebook just sucked a person in sometimes!  I will even admit that I ordered Christmas gifts from the ads!  (And they all were great!) .  One of the ads was for this Gratitude Finder journal.  I clicked on it and decided to buy it about 6 times before I actually ordered it.  First, it is pretty AND there are multiple covers you can chose from so that you can pick what inspires me.  (Yes, the beach!) 

I also loved it because it is not dated and there are no real "rules".  At the top is a place to write in the date of the week and then, list the things that you are grateful for in the boxes provided.  In reality you can totally customize this anyway you would like that works for you! 

I also love that you can take a break - or forget - for weeks and come back to it to pick up again and never really feel like you are behind. 

I'm also excited to add this one to my daily devotions.  Josh got this for me for Christmas and it is a true day by day journal.  It gives some prompts to use as well which is great when you are feeling like you have nothing to be grateful for on a given day! 

How will you find Gratitude this year?  

November Bible Study and Journal Ideas

 November is the month of Thanksgiving.  It's the month that many of us take a look at what is around us and take time to just be thankful.  I have two different resources to share with you today to help amp that up a little bit. 

First is "Todays 5 things Thanksgiving Journal" which is written by a friend of mine and can be found on Amazon.

The concept is simple: Read the scripture provided, meditate on it, memorize it and write it down.  Write down 5 things you are thankful for each day.  There is also room for additional journaling.  I already have my copy and am looking forward to using it in November. 

The second one can be found at Women Living Well and is one I have done most of the 11 years it has been around.  It is called "Making your home a Haven.  It also has a book that can be purchased on Amazon. 

It is a 4 week study that begins on November 2nd and really puts the focus back on the home.  Now, the study guide is not required - Courtney will post most of the info (if not all of it) on her blog each week (just click on that link above) but the book gives room for journaling and making lists of gratitude as well.  I personally have not picked this one up yet - I might just tie it in with the one I already purchased that I mentioned first.  

Whether you are looking for something new to use or just a way to focus on Thankfulness I think either of these studies would be a great choice.  

Book Study - It's not Supposed to be This Way

Over the years, I've joined quite a few different book studies and, if I'm honest, most of them (maybe all of them) I've never finished.  I get a chapter or two behind and never catch back up.  This time around a friend of mine decided to do a book study on this book and I decided to join her facebook group and see if I can actually finish strong!

This book caught my attention because I think, for the most part, many of us find ourselves in a place where we realize that the plans we had for our life are not turning out the way we, well, planned.  In reality, that's to be expected because none of us know what curve balls will be thrown into our plans through the years but, how do we respond to those changes is what really defines us.  I'll be honest, I'm not a huge Lysa Terkeurst fan but decided to put that aside and instead look for what I can learn from what she has walked through the past few years.

We've just finished Chapter One and I can honestly say that I already like it.  Does everything apply to me and my life?  No, but I think in a book study, you can glean what does impact you and use that to learn and grow from.  Plus I enjoy reading what others in our group are learning as well.