How about you? Have you surrendered all? And do you have a heart for others who don't have this personal relationship with God? Instead of always criticizing high profile people, I think we need to pray.

Our theme for this week's Thankful Thursday is God's provision.

What a timely topic with the economic uncertainty facing so many people. As I talk to friends, read blogs and listen to the news, I hear so many stories of people losing homes and jobs. I know I've not seen anything like this during my lifetime.

So, it's good to be reminded that God is sovereign and sees all that's going on in the world. And today I will focus on being thankful for His provision.

"And my God shall supply all your needs according to His
riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Jehovah-Jireh
The Lord Will Provide

I notice that the Philippians verse does not say ...all of my wants.

God knows what I need according to His wisdom. I may not understand but I am learning each day to trust Him ...with today.

I recently spent the day with a few friends. Anna May and Jack will be leaving in May to go to Canada for five months. They go on mission to work with churches, offer hospitality and do lots of prayer walking.

Hmm ...good exercise, Anna May.

My friend Helen hosted the gathering at her home. We had the opportunity to pray together, make scarves for many of the pastor's wives in Canada, talk, laugh and of course ...eat.

We even got to speak with our good friend Susan who is serving in China. Helen put her on the speaker phone so we could all talk with her.

We miss you, Susan!

Throughout the day, we shared stories. One of my friends told us about how she prayed when she first became a Christian. It was many years ago and her husband had walked out and left her with two small daughters. She struggled to put food on the table.

She looked to God to provide and she prayed about everything. Nothing was too small. She said that she had worn out all of her bras and had no money to buy new ones. So she prayed and asked God for bras.

And guess what?

Before she knew it, people were giving her hand me down clothes and included were an assortment of bras in all colors. And they just happened ...to be the right size!

So, what did she do?

She thanked the Lord for ...His provision!

It was a good lesson for me to hear. I may not need bras but I can go to Jehovah-Jireh with all of my needs and He will provide ...according to His perfect will.

So, on this Thankful Thursday I am so thankful for God's provision. I am thankful that I can boldly come before His throne of grace and that He hears me and will answer. And that gives me peace regardless of my circumstances.

What about you? Do you look to God for your provision? Has He been faithful? I think it's good to share the stories of His faithfulness with others.

Don't forget to stop by Laurie's blog at Women Taking A Stand. She's hosting thankful Thursday this week. You can link to other participating blogs there.

• Mention the person that tagged you
• Complete the list of 8 things
• Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends
• Go tell them you tagged them

1. Spending time with my friends
2. Seeing my mother in heaven
3. My morning quiet time
4. My first cup of coffee in the morning
5. Reading your blogs
6. Sunday morning bible study and church
7. Getting an email from my dad
8. Meeting my blogging friend Lori of Lori's Reflections when she visits her family in Arizona

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. I was on Blog Talk Radio for a discussion on social media. I signed in to the show and the moderator asked me questions regarding the sound but I got to tell them a bit about our social media tool and company.
2. Spent hours with Greg perfecting our business presentation.
3. Had my quiet time in prayer and bible reading.
4. Wrote a blog post for Heart Choices.
5. Created several new widgets for Beyond Polls.
6. Read many blogs and added COMMENTS; yeah!
7. Spent time helping a friend use Twitter for her work
8. Watched American Idol and voted for Danny, Adam and Allison

1. Take a long relaxing vacation.
2. Spend more time reading.
3. Visit my niece Katie in New York City.
4. Visit my family in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.
5. Spend a weekend with all of my favorite new blogging friends.
6. Attend She Speaks Conference in North Carolina.
7. Become a motivational speaker.
8. Travel to Norway again but this time meet my two blogging friends L-Jay and Felisol.

1. American Idol
2. NCIS
3. Friday Night Lights
4. Amazing Race
5. Survivor
6. JAG reruns
7. Barefoot Contessa
8. Giada at Home

8 Bloggers Tagged:

1. Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale
2. Lisa Shaw of Sharing Life With Lisa
3. Tiffany of Tea With Tiffany
4. Grammy of Just Call Me Grammy
5. Laurie of Women Taking A Stand
6. Kate of Jottin Mama
7. Teresa of Grammy Girlfriend
8. Patricia of Caregiving and Beyond

I chose these bloggers because I'm just getting to know them. It's fun to learn more about each other.

Blogging makes the world a little bit smaller, doesn't it?

I enjoy participating in the meme "In Other Words Tuesdays". Each week a new quote is posted for us to ponder over the weekend. On Tuesday, we write a post about what it means to us.

It's fun to link to other participating blogs to read their take. I love that we often have different perspectives. It makes life interesting.

This week's "In Other Words Tuesdays" is being hosted by Nina on her blog Mama's Little Treasures. You can link to others there. Our quote for this week is:

I really don't like to be around people who are "know it alls". You know what I'm talking about; the people who have an answer for everything.

You have a problem with something and they always know what's best. Even if they have no experience in that area, they are suddenly an authority.

As far as I'm concerned, I love to learn. I've often said that I made the choice to be a life long learner. No matter how old I am ...I always hope to be learning something new.

So, I guess I don't really have a problem admitting I don't have all the answers. I know I don't. And do you know what? It's a relief!

I'm so glad that I am a child of God and that I can go directly to the Source of all knowledge. I don't have to have all the answers. I don't have to carry the weight of the world or maybe just my family ...on my shoulders.

I have the privilege of:

• Praying and speaking directly to Almighty God who is Sovereign over all!
• Reading the Bible which was inspired by God so I would have a roadmap to live my life
• Sitting in His presence even when I'm in the comfort and privacy of my own home; He hears me, knows my thoughts and even ...the true motives of my heart.
• Having a relationship with the One who created me, knit me in my mother's womb and knows me better than I ever could
• Being in a personal relationship with my Savior who created me for His purposes and He even wants me to know what that is (if I'll only wait and listen long enough)

So, as I look at my list, I wonder why anyone would think they have to know it all. The most important thing is having a relationship with the only One who ...truly knows it all.

And that's fine by me. I like to spend time with Him.

I wonder about you. Do you have a teachable spirit or do you tend to feel like you need to have all the answers?

You've probably seen the video of Susan Boyle when she totally shocked the judges of the TV show "Britain's Got Talent" last week. The YouTube video was so popular that they disabled it. I was able to embed this shorter version.

What does this say about the world in which we live?

People are quick to judge by outward appearance.

In our society, it seems that youth and beauty are more highly valued.

But just because a person is attractive and friendly doesn't mean ...they are competent and capable.

Or if a person is overweight that ...they are lazy?

I was so glad that Susan Boyle shocked the panel of judges that included Simon Cowell from American Idol. You could see the smirks and hear the sarcasm in his voice when he first questioned the contestant.

And then ...Susan sang her heart out!

Did you see the change on the judges and audiences' faces?

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7

I wonder how often we've missed out on a talent like Susan's simply because of appearance.

I have to say that I've seen people judge by appearance. There are times when I've run to the grocery store with no makeup, my hair pulled back, wearing sunglasses and sweats. And other times, when I wear makeup and fix my hair.

People tend to treat you differently when you look your best. It's just a fact. We may not like it but ...that is the world in which we now live.

But Susan Boyle has certainly got people talking. And maybe that's good because as a Christian, I don't want to be that way. I hope I would want to get to know a person ...regardless of outward appearances.

What about you? Do you treat people differently based on appearance? How about the little child that is adorable? Are they treated differently by people?

Before you leave your comment, I wanted to show you something.

I created a widget asking for opinions on Susan Boyle. I would love for you to try it out. It's easy. The cumulative results will be shown in real time. This widget can be shared and will continue to accumulate results across the web.

Here's how you do it:

1. Simply select the words that best reflect your opinion or add your own.
2. Then rate on a 1-5 scale with one=disagree and 5=agree.
3. You can add an optional comment if you like.
4. Click submit.

If you wish to share this widget, use this URL: http://qcwidget.com/widgets/48909cf8ecc1

Let's learn from the Susan Boyle experience.

And ...I really hope she wins the competition!

So, let's hear your comments.