I am grateful for Moira who brought beautiful gerbera daisies yesterday for all of us to have at our desks. Bonus #1, working in this awesome office.

I am grateful for Joyce who bought a big bag of Skinny Pop popcorn and shared some with me yesterday afternoon. Bonus #2, working in this awesome office.

I am grateful for another business like Jimmy John’s who has discovered the marketing genius of delivering free samples – Corner Bakery Café brought beautiful menus and little gift bags of star cookies to our office yesterday. I WILL eat there, and I WILL take my Dad there, too.  Bonus #3, working in this awesome office.

I am grateful for my devotion this morning in the David Jeremiah devotional that my Dad gave to me. I sometimes struggle with allowing guilt and shame to seep back into my life, although I know that I have been forgiven and I no longer have to wear that guilt. Last Sunday in the 9 am service, the orchestra played the most beautiful arrangement of “Jesus Paid It All,” and it has played on my internal jukebox several times this week. I love how I was reminded of it once again this morning. And I also love the reminder of the verse from “It Is Well with My Soul,” that my sin has been nailed to the cross and I bear it NO MORE. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul (yep, just try to keep the hymn out of your mind now. You’re welcome.):

In this age of financial crisis, newspapers are full of articles about loans being “forgiven.” The debt loads of entire nations are sometimes forgiven. There’s talk about student loans being forgiven, or homeowners being forgiven for unpaid mortgages, or institutions forgiven that are too big to fail. But one financial expert warned that there’s no such thing as free forgiveness. Someone has to bear the burden of the debt.

Regarding our sins and souls, Jesus paid it all. We come to Him with a load of guilt and confess all our regrets. We tell Him about that moment of foolishness that causes shame. We admit the stupid thing we did or said. The tragedy we caused. The hurt we inflicted.

As we confess it, He forgives it. As we lay it before Him, He washes it away with the blood of Calvary. What God has forgiven should no longer have dominion over our minds. In the blood of Jesus, we have relief from our captivity of guilt and fear. It’s nailed to the cross and we bear it no more.

There is unspeakable joy…for the person who knows release from guilt and the relief of forgiveness. – Stuart Briscoe

I am grateful for the sound of a cardinal singing high up in the tree outside the office this morning.

I am grateful to have been found trustworthy today.

I am grateful that God has us all wrapped up in His arms and we don’t really have anything to worry about in the grand scheme of things. Life is an adventure, and I am grateful that I am not stuck in a rut, I am okay with not being too comfortable, and as long as HE knows my future and is already there making preparations, I can relax and enjoy this crazy world as I know it. For those I love who are facing some tough decisions this weekend, may you feel His arms holding you tightly.

And finally, I am grateful for “children’s” breakfast cereals. Talk about happiness in a box… Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Captain Crunch, Quisp, Frosted Flakes, Golden Grahams, Frankenberries and Count Chocula, Apple Jacks. Man, oh man, oh man. Happiness and crunchy goodness, all in a colorful box. (Can you tell it’s a “fast day” and I’m knawing on celery?)