By Faith...Ang baylis

Will I get to 1000 by the end of the year?

2009-11-15T20:56:00.007-05:00

339). my gas fireplace... and real ones, too
340). Sunday naps
341). a Sunday matinee
342). cooking for my husband
343). bonfires
344). sipping on a glass of wine watching sunsets
345). phone calls from daughter walking to subway
346). phone calls from son on Sunday
347). a full schedule at work tomorrow
348). my exercise room
349). learning about friends' childhoods
350). a lot of different groups of friends
351). midnight snacks

Memory verse #22

2009-11-15T08:45:00.005-05:00

In order to be content in life, no matter what the circumstances, I'm learning that true Joy can only be found in His presence. If everyone received this gift, it could change the world forever. Lord, let it start with me.

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." ~Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

Love,
Angie xoxo

working on 1000 gifts

2009-11-14T10:16:00.009-05:00

325). my nephew calling me when it was plain hard
326). deer that come right up to our window
327). birds right outside our bedroom window
328). clean windows with no streaks
329). the opportunity to surprise my mom for lunch
330). being genuinely happy for Meghan's time with her dad
331). genuinely happy for Meghan's time with step-mom
332). friends inviting John for Thanksgiving this year
333). a husband who is leaving-cleaving-weaving
334). enjoying Bruce Springsteen 25 years later
335). discernment of song lyrics
336). whoever points me to Jesus
337). knowing who is and who isn't worthy of my Praise
338). having a hungry heart for Him

Praying for Josh & Nicole

2009-11-13T16:39:00.011-05:00

(I borrowed this small picture of Josh & Nicole from fb)

If you happen to click on my blog, will you please pray for my nephew and his beautiful wife? What they had to go through these past couple of days has been more than anyone could ever comprehend. I doubt they are ready to Praise Him yet. I wish I would have thought to tell Josh these words I heard Beth Moore tell someone one day. (I'm not sure how well it would have gone over anyway.)

"May God wrap His arms so tightly around you that you can't squirm an inch from Him."

I think this Scripture memory verse is also appropriate...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. ~Proverbs 3:5

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Love,
Angie xoxo

"knowing" from my head to my heart

2009-11-12T06:16:00.020-05:00

2009 Scripture Memory Verses:

304). knowing for sure that Hope (God) does not disappoint (Romans 5:5)
305). knowing it's best to take my thoughts captive to Him (2 Cor 10:5)
306). knowing I'm a fool if I don't do everything I can to keep my family together (Proverbs 14:1)
307). knowing it's best to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8)
308). knowing it's God's will in Christ Jesus for me to be joyful, pray and give thanks in every situation (1 Thes 5:16-18)
309). knowing everything will be okay if I trust in the Lord even when I don't understand (Proverbs 3:5)
310). knowing above all I need to guard my heart (Proverbs 4:23)
311). knowing life will be a whole lot easier if I take it one day at a time (Matt 6:34)
312). knowing that no matter who might think I'm ugly (especially myself), God thinks I'm beautiful (Psalm 45:11)
313). knowing God knows the plans He has for my life ...and they are good (Jer 29:11)
314). knowing God can help me overcome my unbelief... I believe Him (Mark 9:24)
315). knowing I should not say anything mean to people, but only what builds them up (Eph 4:29)
316). knowing I need to keep loving that difficult person deeply because it covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)
317). knowing friends can help me be the best I can be (Proverbs 27:17)
318). knowing there is a time and season for everything and change is a good thing (Ecc 3:1)
319). knowing I should be forgiving, kind and compassionate because God forgives me (Eph 4:32)
320). knowing God will give me the desire to love someone when I keep Him as my center (Psalm 37:4)
321). knowing that no matter how loving my husband seems, I must respect him (Eph 5:33)
322). knowing I don't need to worry about anything, but to keep praying and being thankful ...and He will give me a Peace that is is beyond anything I could fathom (Phil 4:6-7)
323). knowing He will show up when I earnestly seek Him with all my heart (Jer 29:13)
324). knowing God can do what I can't ... "this" is impossible without God (Matt 19:26)

By faith...Angie xoxo

tuesday's blessings

2009-11-10T14:36:00.008-05:00

289). technology... only by the Grace of God could this happen
290). sisters in Christ encouraging each other
291). extra long hugs
292). eye contact
293). a husband willing to get on his knees & pray with me
294). a brain that can comprehend His Word
295). my sense of direction while driving
296). the best boss in the whole world
297). my co-workers who feel like family
298). imperfect bodies
299). the smell of cleaning supplies
300). conversations with kids in the car
301). kids sharing their favorite song with me
302). watching someone play the piano and sing
303). my tuesdays

2009-11-09T23:36:00.002-05:00

288). blessed by a song over and over and over again

blessings from Charlotte

2009-11-08T20:54:00.016-05:00

278). time with Meghan and John
279). emergency dental prophy...law school+coffee=stains
280). a girls' weekend of pampering and fun
281). facials-massages-foot treatments-saunas
282). friendships picking right up where they left off
283). perfect weather for walks
284). movies
285). talking all night long with Meghan
286). hugs and sweet welcome home from my husband
287). Sunday night television... Curb Your Enthusiasm

most grateful today

2009-11-06T06:14:00.003-05:00

268). seeing my dear friend, Pauline today
269). airplanes that make it possible to travel far... fast
270). seeing Kristen & Shelby ...friends who turned into family
271). anticipation of seeing my son's car pick us up at the airport
272). anticipation of seeing my daughter's face at the airport
273). anticipation of seeing my kids hug each other
274). the ability to go from MI to TX to MI to NC within weeks
275). my health
276). my husband
277). having a husband who says, "I love you" before I leave

10 more

2009-11-04T14:58:00.005-05:00

258). many patients who request to see me
259). extra long lunch hours at coffee shops
260). the very first snow
261). a beautiful sunset
262). having a husband who makes me laugh
263). people watching
264). a car that starts whenever I turn the key
265). Wednesday night services at Kensington
266). real forgiveness
267). time alone in my car

thank you

2009-11-03T19:31:00.007-05:00

240). a friend sharing her difficult decision
241). impromptu lunch with Meg and Hannah
242). the feel of a soft fleece sweater
243). being able to pay my bills
244). God's comfort at 3:00 in the morning
245). the smell of dinner cooking
246). a 15-minute nap
247). my elliptical machine
248). a full moon
249). mono vision contacts
250). accepting the reality of a "mature" body
251). mom's choosing to stay home with their kids
252). still loving the names we chose for our kids
253). my son talking sports with me
254). my daughter calling to tell me she's better today
255). Michigan's four seasons... mostly Fall
256). eyes that can see all He created
257). all the kind and generous people in my life

2009-11-02T13:42:00.011-05:00

183). clean crisp sheets
184). hearing a new song ...full of hope
185). Mark 2:4 about friends carrying friends to Jesus
186). confidence to entertain friends at home
187). a clean junk drawer
188). the anticipation of seeing my kids soon
189). authentic friends
190). playing games with friends
191). cell phones with enough minutes
192). pumpkin spice latte
193). a newly arranged room
194). patients who remember details ... 6 months later
195). sweet text messages
196). the tree outside my room at work
197). highway construction completed
198). daughters asking for mother's advice
199). sons sharing their news
200). sporting events on t.v.
201). friends sharing their recipes
202). friends who share their favorite books
203). amazing grace body lotion
204). tiny cameras that fit in purses
205). a mother's intuition
206). a mother who would give us the shirt off her back
207). a mother who can say she is sorry for what she did wrong
208). a mother who insisted we learn to clean properly
209). a father who taught me to change a tire
210). a father who always prayed for patience
211). a father who was quiet and gentle
212). a father who worked two jobs to make us enough money
213). a father who asked me to go with him on errands
214). a father who would run out for ice cream at midnight
215). a father who taught me to drive a stick shift
216). a father who took us roller skating on Sundays
217). a father who shoveled ice skating rinks for us
218). parents who bought us a house with a pool
219). parents who bought us a house on a lake
220). parents who bought us a ski club membership
221). parents who taught us be polite
222). parents who went to all of our sporting events
223). parents who sent me flowers before I took my board exams
224). parents who taught a good work ethic
225). parents who made us pay for our education
226). parents who took us camping
227). parents who weren't afraid to tell us "no" more than "yes"
228). parents who made us play outside
229). parents who had us eat family dinners
230). parents who made us chew with our mouths closed
231). parents who made us say prayers before dinner
232). parents who made us do favors for our neighbors
233). parents who took us to church on Sundays
234). parents who were always on the same team
235). parents who stood by their word
236). parents who washed our mouths out with soap for lying
237). parents who stayed together "til death do us part"
238). parents who gave me 4 sisters and 2 brothers
239). parents who loved us dearly

Memory verse #21

2009-11-01T07:24:00.006-05:00

Yes, it's November first. I woke up earlier than expected and used the extra hour to look back at some of my old posts to hopefully find a verse (to memorize) that lingered in my heart when I was doing my Cover to Cover readings of the Bible last year. The comments by many friends on here blessed me again. I am especially grateful for all of your concern for my nephew on this post.

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ~Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

Busted... I love how God uses other people to get His message through to me. He knows how quickly I forget and how often I need to be reminded that with man ____ is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.

In His Love,
Angie xoxo

weekend blessings from texas

2009-10-27T22:01:00.015-04:00

183). classical music, especially Canon in D
184). watching daughters dancing with their fathers at weddings
185). watching moms watching dads dancing with their daughters
186). watching the groom's face as his bride walks down the aisle
187). friends lifting friends in prayer when they need it most
188). making new friends
189). fireworks
190). knowing only God could have orchestrated a friendship
191). beautiful flowers
192). husbands supporting wives' ideas when they seem crazy
193). complete strangers treating me to dinner
194). my friend, Annette and our extra time to visit
195). coming home to my husband ~xoxo

precious memories of early morning

2009-10-22T06:39:00.007-04:00

160). skiing in Colorado on 6 inches of fresh snow
161). white water rafting through the Grand Canyon
162). early morning game drives in South Africa
163). golfing in Arizona
164). sunrise bike rides in Maui, Hawaii
165). early morning helicopter rides in Kauai, Hawaii
166). hot air balloon rides
167). parasailing in Mexico
168). snorkeling in St. John
169). swimming with dolphins in Puerto Vallarta
170). scuba diving in Hawaii
171). early morning walks on the beach at Hilton Head Island
172). tennis camp in Scottsdale
173). running 10 miles in Harbor Springs
174). "minding the gap" and experiencing London, England
175). walking on so many different beaches & comparing sand
176). feeling the sun on my face when it's snowing at home
177). cross-country skiing up north
178). the smell of Arizona
179). driving on Highway 1 in California
180). horseback riding on a narrow trail in Mexico
181). bike riding around Macinac Island
182). being a morning person

Love,
Angie

p.s. NONE of this compares with what I have in Him.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxox

abundance

2009-10-20T20:29:00.006-04:00

147). not being afraid of the words, "born again" anymore
148). the smell of burning leaves
149). small group discussions that get totally off topic
150). the Holy Spirit convicting me
151). friends rarely seen, but feels like we talked yesterday
152). the best neighbor in the whole world
153). wooly bear caterpillars (the black & orange ones)
154). the smell of green chestnuts
155). the feel of warm sand between my toes
156). gerber daisies
157). husbands doing favors when they don't want to
158). knowing I can do all things through Christ
159). calls from nephews sharing their good news

Gifts

2009-10-18T09:31:00.008-04:00

136). breaking frozen mud puddles
137). the sound of leaves falling off the trees
138). walks around the block on cold mornings
139). hooded sweatshirts
140). cold cheeks
141). very loud family gatherings
142). beef tenderloin cooked perfectly
143). meeting new extended family members and loving them
144). road trips & singing my heart out with my sister & mom
145). having an 8 month old baby boy smile at me
146). seeing my husband reading his Bible

Love,
Angie xoxo

Grateful

2009-10-16T22:19:00.010-04:00

124). husbands recognized in local paper's "letter to the editor"
125). sons finishing first law school midterms -feeling okay
126). daughters making it through scary health issues alone
127). daughters wanting to go on women's retreats
128). having a job when 15.5% in the state are unemployed
129). hot donuts, cider and Michigan honey crisp apples
130). new songs recommended by sisters who care
131). reconnecting with h.s. friends who are Christian
132). the sun hitting the beautiful colored trees in the Fall
133). my husband... after all of these years
134). friends who pray for our children
135). highlights for our hair :)

Barbara won!

2009-10-16T15:07:00.009-04:00

You girls are unbelievable! Thank you so much for telling me your favorite songs to help encourage my sister. I bought all of the songs I didn't already own.

Here is the final playlist:

"His Glory Appears"by Hillsong ...Shelly
"Undo" by Rush of Fools ...Nise'
"Still the Cross" by FFH ...Cindy
"Born Again" by Third Day ...Lori
"What Faith Can Do" by Kutless ...Paula
"Healer" by Kari Jobe ...Lindsee
"Written In Red" by Janet Paschal ...Barbara
"Unredeemed" by Selah ...Sheryl
"East To West" by Casting Crowns ...Mary
"Rock of Ages" by Chris Rice ...Suzanne
"I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me ...Tonja
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" by Chris Rice ...Annette
"Revelation Song" by Kari Jobe ...Sheryl

I wish I could have chosen all of you to win my little giveaway. Barbara was the lucky winner! She is a wonderful lady and I'm very honored to call her my friend! Please e-mail me your address so I can send you a little token of my love! Thanks again everyone for all of your prayers, love and support on this blog and in real life!

Much love,
Angie xoxo

Memory verse #20

2009-10-15T06:01:00.009-04:00

I'm embarrassed to tell you how long I spent trying to find the P-E-R-F-E-C-T verse to memorize for the next couple of weeks. If you look at the 3 comments, you'll notice they don't make any sense. Yes, I changed my mind WAY more than 3 times. I'm getting worse and worse, as time marches on. Today I gave myself a headache. I bet people in the coffee shop thought I was crazy flipping the pages in my Bible for a L-O-N-G time. Oh well, the truth is, they are all perfect verses. We have a perfect God who is probably getting a kick out me right about now!

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." ~Jer 29:13

All my love,
Angie xoxo

Celebrating my 500th post.

2009-10-13T19:58:00.018-04:00

I cannot believe this is my 500th post. This blog has Blessed me so much since I began writing my random thoughts a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, but I'm dedicating this one to my sister. Please pray for her. God knows the details.

"Trust in him at all times, Oh people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge." ~Psalm 62:8

**Since I'm all about music feeding my soul, please leave me your favorite song to encourage someone and I'll randomly pick a winner on Friday and send you something special. Thanks for making me feel loved x 500!**

Love,
Angie xoxo

2009-10-08T13:46:00.003-04:00

116. calls during the day from kids in "work mode"
117. road trips
118. memories of my dad's meatloaf
119. friends who make it feel "safe" to be authentic
120. continuing to hear my loved-ones' voices in my head
121. flavored coffee
122. my iPod...did I already say that a hundred times?
123. the knowledge that I'm never alone

2009-10-07T17:58:00.002-04:00

115. "sometimes you praise first and you feel it later" ~Beth Moore

Gifts.

2009-10-06T23:38:00.007-04:00

104. a caring chiropractor right next door
105. sharing our stories even when it feels uncomfortable
106. nicely decorated offices with new fresh paint
107. the excitement of watching local sports teams
108. finding 20 year old pictures of kids and fond memories
109. music that brings back memories
110. beautiful rainbows
111. the smell of precious babies
112. children determined to "go down swingin"
113. children concerned about their friends' parents
114. discovering new c.d.s by favorite musicians

Gifts- random

2009-10-04T22:41:00.009-04:00

92. life-long friends
93. dinner parties and game night
94. caring friends who love us through all of our issues
95. cream puffs w/ butter pecan ice cream & Saunder's hot fudge
96. freedom to go to any church
97. a spontaneous family get together on a Sunday afternoon
98. encouragement from sisters in Christ
99. people who treat our children to golf
100. churches in big cities that welcome our children
101. resources to share with the less fortunate
102. husbands who make breakfast on Sunday mornings
103. long phone calls w/friends & family who live far away

Love,
Angie xoxo