I really love the prayer request thread, but I also think we should thank God for the things he has done in our lives, whether through answered prayer.

Some of mine are:

*My son passed his test and graduated from his first Navy school...when he gets back from his two week leave, he will be starting on his next segment of Nuclear Engineering schooling for the Navy.

*My son arrived safely from SC to spend his two weeks of leave at home with us!  :D

*we just spent our first official Sunday in our newly built church building...can't wait to see what God has in store for us now as far as ministry goes!

those are just a few...so how about you?  anyone have a praise that you want to share and thank God for?  :)

Great idea!  Let's see...

*   God continues to bless us with various indications that give us hope that DS, who has wandered far from the Lord at this point,  will be back one day!!  Plus, our relationship with him has improved dramatically since he went to college.

*The same DS, who just finished his freshman year of college, got the grades he needed in his classes to maintain his scholarship. That was a major answer to prayer!

*God's faithfulness and provision in my DH's job... both financially and in the fact that he enjoys it so much.

*It's been a rough year for me in a lot of ways (oldest son off to college, best friend moved away, difficult situations with second son who is 16, just to name a few), and through it all He has been my comfort and my strength.  Every time I thought I was at the end of my rope, God would step in and hold me up, wether it be through His Word, a hug and a prayer from a friend, or a much needed women's retreat... 

You know, it's really good to sit and think about God's blessings... don't think I do it enough!

1. My husband isn't running crazy missions in Iraq like he did last time (in other words, no "guess what, we got blown up!" phone calls so far this time!
2. My oldest daughter is talking to our pastor about getting baptized tomorrow (talking tomorrow).
3. With all the computer problems I've been having, I was blessed with a new laptop today, and my husband logged into Yahoo Messenger at the very moment I needed him to answer a question about our wireless internet access.
4. My new Sunday School class is a blessing.
5. Despite the high cost of gas and food, our budget allows for ample of both!

My biggest praise is that God pulled me out of the bondage of religion, and into a relationship with Him last fall.   I also have a wonderful husband who works hard to provide for our family, beautiful children, and an awesome church I attend.  Life is good!

I am thankful to God that He's helped me get all my yardwork done!  This might seem like a little thing, but there was LOTS of tree-trimming, weed-pulling, and all sorts of stuff to do before our park inspection,and only a limited amount of time to do it. And I'm the only one in my family who has the time, and the physical ability to do this.

I feel blessed to be able to work just one hour a day before my back tells me it's time to quit! So yes....Thank you, Lord, for that one hour! 

And thank you, Patricia, for suggesting this topic.  I know I definitely need to spend more time praising God, and less time complaining!

This morning I started a Beth Moore Bible study called Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Accent.  This is EXACTLY where I need to be, and what I need to be studying.  I was supposed to be doing a different Bible study, with my regular group of women, but I signed up for this one instead.  God knows me, He knows where I need to be and what I need to be learning. 

The introductory lesson was just sooooo awesome, that I can't wait to get started on this!  Praise God for His love and guidance in my life.  When I left Bible study this morning, I was just absolutely filled with happiness.

Just wanted to send out a big Thank you to the Big Man Above for a BIG answered prayer.

I am 7 and a half weeks pregnant and have been having bleeding.  The doctor's thought I may be miscarrying.  After LOTS Of prayers I had an ultrasound on Monday.  The bleeding, which had been going on for weeks, abruptly stopped taht morning.  By the time I had the ultrasound the tech told me my uterus was free from any bleeding and the baby was entirely healthy - safe and sound with heart beating at a perfect 140 bpm.  So I just wanted to give a short testimony and prayer of thanks to share with you all!

I just have to thank and praise Him for being a totally awesome God!

The last year has been both a really hard year and a great year.   Without telling the whole, long, complicated story, something happened just over a year ago that caused me a great deal of pain, and it's a somewhat on-going situation.  I've cried buckets of tears and spent a lot of time in my self-pity "why me?" mode.  But, as He so often does, God not only is getting me through it, through this trial I have gotten so much closer to Him, learned a lot about Him (and a lot about myself, both good and bad), and it's been joyous.   He is continuing to work in my life, and in this situation that I find myself in, and it's pretty amazing to watch what He does.   I am now closer to Him than I've ever been before, and that wouldn't have happened without the pain.  And He has promised me that good things are ahead, I can't wait!  (No - really - I can't wait - uh, patience is one of those things I have some difficulty with, and one of those things He's teaching me.  But I'm getting better at it.   ;)

Kimberly, AMEN! Praise the Lord for your baby's health! And for yours! That is awesome!

Hi Elizabeth, He dose his best work when we are in the dark. That way we can see  his light better. We have to hit bottom often time so we can look up and ask for help. Some of us have a hard time asking of help before we hit bottom.

Thank you Jesus for you loving arms that help me everyday be your daughter.

Recently I've been thinking of small things that I'm thankful for: having the basics is a big deal, like a warm bed, food in our tummys, a car to get around, etc.

I've been talking to the kids alot lately about God's sovereignty and trying to instill thankfulness in ALL things because it ALL comes from Him.

I've been reading your praise reports and am right there with you amening!!  I cannot count how many blessings the Lord has given to me today.  He's directed my steps to those whose hearts he has been drawing to himself.  And I was allowed to see spiritual eyes opening!  What an awesome thing that God would choose to use us for his glory to be revealed to man.  May we remember to be like the 1 leper who turned back to God and gave thanks for his blessings.  Sometimes I have found that after a prayer has been answered I was so thrilled that I forgot to immediately to give the Lord thanks.  May we always be found as faithful to him, as he is to us!!

Getting me through my first college paper in 9 years is one. Just being able get get me through the days, weeks, months without losing it. I almost lost my father 2 months ago, and had a mother who just got through breast cancer...it's been a rough year.

I came to peace with NOT sending my daughter to her grandparents' house this summer. It's been a struggle.

My kids and I have full bellies and leftovers in the fridge.

Thanks for reminding us to hold on to the good.

Something I am thanking God for is the ability to finally attend college at the age of 32. I've always wanted to, but haven't been able to due to health problems. My health has improved a bit and I think I am up to taking one class. There were days I thought I would never leave my house again. God's timing isn't ours, but He is faithful.

 I am also praising God for sending me good friends the past few years. I am physically able to socialize more and am extremely grateful.

Emily