Thankful Thursday – Week 4 + Giveaway!
In Everything Give Thanks Challenge

Thankful Thursday – Week 4 + Giveaway!

Amanda S.

Happy December! I pray everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend. Well, here we are at the end of the 5th annual In Everything Give Thanks Challenge. I’m sad that it seemed to go by so quickly, but I am rejoicing in all the many ways God’s faithfulness and goodness was proclaimed this past month! I am so very thankful for all of you who joined me in this challenge once again, and for the new participants as well! 😊 It was so wonderful to give thanks to the Lord together!

Here are my highlights from Week 4:

  1. A Scripture recitation phone call with a friend. ❤️📖
  2. Seeing a sweet interaction between my grandfather, who has Alzheimers, and my sister.
  3. A hymn sing with some friends!
  4. A beautiful, star-lit sky. 🌌✨
  5. My brother who changed the oil in my car. 😁
  6. The Truth that sets us free.
  7. Being reminded of my Heavenly Father’s love and care for me.
  8. A sermon series on forgiveness by Milton Vincent.
  9. My brother getting another deer and keeping our freezer well stocked this year! 😀
  10. Hot tea on a cold morning.
  11. A sweet doggy at one of my cleaning jobs that climbed into my car, making me laugh. 😄🐶
  12. Finding a pair of shoes that I needed, and for a really good price.
  13. A relaxing Thanksgiving day with family.

And my top 5 thankfuls from the challenge were:

  1. That we serve such a good God.
  2. Seeing the Lord’s guidance in a very personal way.
  3. My family. ❤️
  4. Friendships that encourage and sharpen like iron.
  5. The Lord sending me certain Scriptures and songs right when I needed them.

Photos from Participants 📸

(Thank you to all who sent photos in! It made the posts more fun to see faces and things from everyone’s thankful lists. 😊)

My sweet granny has been in the presence of the Lord for 2 years this month. Before she passed away, my brother and sister-in-law shared with our family that they were expecting their first child. My granny knew she was being promoted to Great-Granny, but she never got to meet Lainey Joy this side of Heaven. I was gifted a necklace with a little picture of my granny inside it. Whenever I have on this necklace, my niece loves holding it. I’m thankful for the legacy of faith in the Lord my granny left for us to share with Lainey (and her sister, Annie Grace).🤟🏻 -Brooke D.

This week, as I have prepared for Thanksgiving, I am thankful for this dressing recipe that has been passed down from Mark’s grandmother. I never got to meet Mama, but am grateful to continue her legacy with this recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!🦃🍁 -Dana S.

I am thankful for memorizing the verses with my niece. -Lynn S.

We’ve had such a mild Fall, up until now, that our colors have stuck around! I’ve been very thankful for the beauty of the season! -Martha Joy

Here’s a photo of our Thanksgiving spread, set up in classic buffet style in Grandmom’s kitchen! The family time was very precious! And we were also especially thankful for our Grandmom, as her 93rd birthday was on Thanksgiving this year! ❤️ -Maggie B.

Thankful for my job and the flexibility I have with it. -John S.

Goofy pic. 😜

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who all completed the Scripture Memorization Plan? I was able to get most of the verses memorized, but didn’t get to work on the last week’s verses. It was such an encouragement to me to be reading and meditating on these verses throughout the challenge, and I pray they were an encouragement to you as well!

And now….

The Giveaway!!

I am really excited about the giveaway this year! Seeing that it is the 5th year to do the challenge, I decided to do something a bit more special. 😁 And there will be a girls option and a guys option to choose from, depending on who the winner is.

The girls option: Write the Word Journal: Renewal. A friend had sent me one of these journals, and it has been such a blessing in my life!

The guys option: An e-gift card to Nuts.com! 🙂 (Now, if one of you girls wins and you are nuts about nuts and would prefer the gift card, then you can have that option as well. 😄 But I would highly recommend the journal. 😉)

How to Enter:

One entry: List your top 3-5 thankfuls from the challenge.

Two entries: You can get two entries if you list your top 3-5 thankfuls from the challenge PLUS if you completed the challenge of writing down five thankfuls every day for the month of November.

I will draw a name and announce the winner on Wednesday morning, December 4th.

“I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving..”

Psalm 69:30
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Published by Amanda S.

36 thoughts on “Thankful Thursday – Week 4 + Giveaway!”

  1. Hi Amanda, it was fun seeing your thankfuls for this past week!

    Would I count for the 2nd entry if I missed days, but made up for them the next day? There were a couple for me that I wrote down the day afterward.

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  2. blessed December. I pray that everyone had a great thanksgiving weekend. Many ways Gods faithfulness and goodness was proclaimed this past week . It’s was so wonderful to give thanks to the Lord. Together!

    memorize Scripture phone call with my neice.

    God of my Salvation.

    Relationship with God.

    daily guidance

    so bless by the gift of your hand

    seeing the Lord guidance in a very personal way.

    That’s we serve such a good God .

    my family

    great inspiring. Sermon on prayer

    the goodness of God

    And my top 5 thankful for challenge are

    Seeing the Lord guidance in a personal way

    Heavenly Father

    memorize scripture

    the truth that sets us free

    strength our faith

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  3. Things I am thankful for this past week:

    1. Fastened like Nails Podcast I got to listen one day.
    2. Some friendly neibor kitties
    3. finding colors that look good with my skin tone
    4. Friends who have been willing to share real feelings with me.
    5. The Lord is my Shepherd
    6. Having family devotions
    7. Jesus’ comfort
    8. Switching out my bedding to my pretty quilt!
    9. Getting to make fluffy rolls
    10. getting my sewing area organized
    11. A song that REALLY blessed me, and another one too! Called Spirit And Grace. It is SOO beautiful and I thought it fitting with Thanksgiving meal! And communion. I think it’s a catholic song, but I still love it! 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoKR216fGuo
    12. Putting up more Christmas Decor
    13. Getting to talk with one of my sisters. 🙂

    My top 5 Thankfuls from this challenge:

    1. Talks w/ God that have been healing
    2. That I am fearfully and wonderfully made – learning to thank God for that in a fuller deeper way! 🙂
    3. Learning to step back and let Jesus and men in my life lead – staying in my place
    4. That I have purpose NOW – to pleas the Lord!
    5. Friends who pray for me and have been showing understanding in a time of need. 🙂

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  4. It’s always sad to come to the end of this challenge, but it was the best year yet! The most participants, great pictures, and lots of growth happening as we remembered that we have so much to thank the Lord for each day. The giveaway options are pretty amazing as well! (I might just be one of those nutty girls and ask for the giftcard, as I’ve already had a Write the Word journal. 😉) Thanks for putting this challenge on, Amanda!!

    These are my thankful highlights from the last week:

    1. An impromptu sing-along with a friend over the phone as we siblings were traveling to a hymn sing.
    2. The Lord allowing us to go to said hymn sing, which was such a blessing!
    3. A Saturday with all the family at home.
    4. Listening to music while cleaning, which made it go by faster.
    5. The several week break we had from having wifi at our house while we switched services… I appreciate it much more now that we have it again!
    6. That being behind the wheel on the interstate is not scary to me anymore. 😅
    7. The Word of God in my own language.
    8. A nugget of wisdom that I heard from an elderly gentleman this week- “We are not here [on this earth] for a vacation; we are here to learn.”

    My top five thankfuls are:

    1. God, that He is a God near to me.
    2. Dear friends who love and encourage our family.
    3. The special time of singing, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” aceppella with my siblings one night.
    4. The cloud of witnesses in the Bible of the servants of God who trusted Him and persevered in their faith, and how His works are evident in their lives…who encourage me to do the same and teach me about who He is and what He is doing in my life.
    5. My siblings and the time we spent together on Thanksgiving Day.

    I enjoyed memorizing the verses this year, as well! My favorite was Psalm 69:30- “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

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    1. I would agree that this was the best one yet. 🙂 I almost included your first one in my list, so I’m glad you did! 😊 And glad to hear that interstate driving is not so scary anymore. 😁 You did great today, by the way. 👍🏻

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  5. My top 3 thankfuls from this challenge:

    -I’m thankful for prayer. That we can pray and He hears us. He’s the God Who hears, Who sees.

    -I’m thankful for my children. 

    I’m thankful to be home with my children! The Lord has blessed me so! 

    -I’m thankful for this season of being single. (Even though it is a hard one, it is still one I’m thankful for. He has ordered it! Praise the Lord!)

    And thank you again, Amanda, for having this challenge!! 

    Even though Thanksgiving is over, let it be our daily thing. Let us give thanks in all circumstances. Let us thank God. Let us praise Him. Praise the Lord! 

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  6. Some things I am thankful for from the past week are:

    1. Getting to see five eagles soaring over a valley in the Ouachita Mountains. I’ve never seen that many before, and there was a mix of full-grown and juvenile, which was neat to see.
    2. People, and the opportunity to talk with them and listen to them.
    3. The chance to share stories with my family at the end of each day.
    4. A new axe crafted by Ike at Wolf Valley Forge, and the opportunity to get outdoors and try it out.
    5. Getting to enjoy meals prepared by me and the men in my Bible study group when we went to the Ouachita Mountains for the weekend.

    My top five for the month are the following:

    1. That Christ is all I have, and the peace that brings when I live in that reality.
    2. Gaining knowledge through reading.
    3. How God always uses the past for good for those who love Him.
    4. That God makes Himself known through creation.
    5. The ability to create.

    I finished the challenge this year! That’s also one of the biggest things I am thankful for this month. Thanks for taking time to organize this and write the posts each week, Amanda. I am always glad to see the things that stand out to everyone each week.

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  7. So thankful for Amanda coordinating this challenge and encouraging us to be thankful! Here are some of my thankfuls from the past week:

    1. Herbs that God has put in the earth for our healing.
    2. A dressing recipe from Mark’s grandmother.
    3. Uplifting Christian radio.
    4. Getting to see a friend I haven’t seen in awhile.
    5. Sunshine after the clouds.⛅️
    6. Thrift store finds.

    Here are my top 5 from the month:

    1. God’s Word to guide us.📖
    2. New friends in far places.
    3. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
    4. A husband who leads our family to follow God’s Word.
    5. This challenge!😁

    I did memorize the verses in the challenge. They were a blessing to think upon. And I had fun reciting them to a friend on the phone.🙂

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  8. This challenge was a huge blessing as it is every year!🤍 Some highlights from last week’s list are…

    *Beautiful sight of the sun glistening on pine needles

    *Baby smiles🥰

    *God’s perfect plan for my life that will play out in His timing

    *Shopping trip with a sister and finding good deals!

    *Our Lord’s faithfulness and goodness every second, every day of our lives🤍

    *A very sweet, special, and fun Thanksgiving Day spent with the fam😊

    I did complete the challenge as well as memorizing the verses. It was hard to choose, but here are my top 5☺️

    1. I know I mentioned it above and I think in another comment, but God’s faithfulness was just a special focus for me this year
    2. Old and new friendships God has blessed me with💕
    3. Beautiful starlit winter skies🌌
    4. Southern Gospel Music
    5. A heavenly Father who hears our prayers and praise

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    1. That’s so great to hear, Grace! And way to go on completing the challenge plus memorizing the verses! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I love your first thankful in your top five…God’s faithfulness (Lamentations 3) has also become a special focus for me here at the end of this year. ❤️

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  9. This challenge was so much fun!!! I loved it ever so much and have had so many thankful to write down.
    I did do the challenge of writing down the thankful!! 🙂 I put them in my journal, which I write in each night. And it has given such a sweet meaning to evenings.

    My top five thankful from this challenge are:
    Bryce, whose kindness and a true heart for the blessed Savior has given me such strength to keep on, even when days are hard. And for his offer of courtship.
    Colleen and Joleen’s friendship and sweet love. Who has blessed me more than they may ever know on earth.
    The priceless treasures I have found in the Scriptures that have blessed me more than anything else could have done. Who’s words brought healing to my heart and body, and love to my kind and tender Shephard.
    For Him, who has given me life, health, and joy. And all good things that pertain to life and Godlyness. And who’s treasures are past finding out, for they are so great in number to me. I love Him more than my own life!!
    And also, for healing that came to my back after dear friends of mine prayed. 🙂

    These are my top five. But here are the ones from the last week of November. : – the special goodness that God sent me during the week. – cold weather – my store – friends dear – warm coat – reading together with Bryce – my pets – and for Martha Joy! 🙂

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    3. I’m so glad and thankful to have had you join then challenge this year, Evangelina! I enjoyed reading your lists of thankfulness to our Father! 💗 And praise the Lord that your back is better! 🙏🏻

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      1. Thank you Amanda! You are so kind to say so. And it was so much fun to do it with you and to write out my special goodness that our Lord has given me these past weeks. And I loved reading your thankfuls as well!

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  10. Well I did not get things written down every day of this challenge, in fact there were more days I didn’t than did probably 😆

    For having time to clean up leaves at my grandparents house this past weekend.

    Snacks😋

    For truths that jump out at you in a new way from the Bible in verses you’ve read many times before. 

    For all the extra time spent with family this weekend. 

    Cold weather that keeps us busy at work🥶

    Singing hymns with my brothers and sisters in Christ! 

    My top 3 for the challenge:

    *For the deer I was able to harvest this evening….and that my car was not damaged in the process of harvesting…🤣

    *My boss who lets me borrow equipment from work. 

    *The deep blue of Lake DeGray as I drove past it while out and about making propane deliveries.

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    1. Glad to have you joining in on the challenge when you could, bro! 😁 YES(!!) on #3 from your list! The Lord is so good to show us truths from His Word for different seasons of our life, and right when we need them. It is indeed “living and powerful”.

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  11. Thank you SO much for hosting this encouraging challenge, Amanda – and for pointing us to Him! Some things I’ve been thankful for in Week 4 –

    -God’s holiness
    -Memorizing God’s Word – especially with such precious accountability partners!!
    -Harvesting echinacea and calendula blooms
    -Green tomatoes from our now-frosted garden
    -God’s great love and faithfulness
    -Eggplant Parmesan made with eggplant from some friends
    -Grandmom
    -God’s blessing on my brothers’ work/businesses
    -That no matter what may change – my God is always faithful, without shadow of turning!
    -The hope of grace that is to be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ! (1 Peter 1:13)

    I did not get my list written for every day, but I’m thankful for every day I did write! 🙂

    5 top favorites from the challenge are:

    -His sufficiency in my life – and in every life!
    -God’s redeeming mankind through Jesus’ sacrifice! Hallelujah!
    -We can DRAW NEAR because of Jesus!
    -Our family. I. am. so. blessed. ♥
    -Being right here, right now.

    Keep giving Him thanks and walking in His light, friends!!

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    2. Aw, thank YOU for joining the challenge and for all the encouragement you shared! I enjoyed reading all the ways our Father has been faithful and good in your life! 💗

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  12. I have really enjoyed participating this year. It has helped me get in the good habit of noticing and naming God’s blessings toward me. And I have loved reading others’ comments as well! This week’s blessing included…

    a good phone conversation with my dad

    opportunity to share a Thanksgiving turkey with neighbors

    John 10, especially verse 27

    Downy woodpeckers at the feeder

    Top 5 for the month:

    my family – immediate and extended

    praying together as a family, and knowing that God hears and answers prayer

    Watching The Andy Griffith Show with my son 😁

    the Word of God

    Encouraging calls and correspondence with my Arkansas “neighbor” 😊

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    2. I’m so glad that you joined the challenge this year, Mrs. Laura! 😊 I love that you had John 10 on your list. Jesus being our Good Shepherd is a theme that has brought me much comfort in recent years. He is SO good, even when we can’t see or comprehend what He is doing. ❤️

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  13. Wow, November just flew right by!! I feel embarrassed commenting now, as I have let the challenge go by without sharing my thankfuls on the blog! But I have greatly enjoyed reading each post and everyone’s comments, and keeping up (mostly…aside from a few days) in my journal. I did want to jump on and at least comment on the last post, and to say THANK YOU so much for hosting this wonderful challenge every year, Amanda!! It’s such a wonderful encouragement to give thanks to the Lord together and remember His daily gifts!

    Week 4 Thankfuls:

    • the book “Humility, the Beauty of Holiness” by Andrew Murray. It held such wonderful food-for-thought!
    • my Uncle Kimball coming for a visit!
    • that “the weapons of our warfare are…mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
    • that God’s truth is TRUTH no matter what others may say or choose to believe. That I can bank my life on it!
    • my job with Wolf Valley Forge! It’s been so wonderful and such a joy to work for my brother and sister-in-law!
    • getting to tell my niece the story of baby Jesus’ birth and having her sit with me at wrapped attention. I’m so grateful for and sobered by these huge formative years and opportunities with her.♥
    • my Daddy, and getting to celebrate him on his birthday! So grateful for his diligence to work so hard, his heart for the Lord and how he continually seeks to lead his family towards Him!
    • my Grandmom on her 93rd birthday!!

    So thankful for this challenge! It has helped me to continue thinking of things I’m grateful for, and now I can’t wait til next year!😉

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    1. Yes, it did! 😅 No need to feel embarrassed; I’m so glad that you did, and I enjoyed reading your lists of thankfulness that you posted from the past few weeks! 😊 That is so precious about getting to tell your niece the story of our Savior’s birth! ❤️ And happy late birthday to your dad and grandmom! 🎉

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  14. I completed the thankfulness challenge this year for the first time! It was such a blessing to record things I was grateful for, both on the days when it was easy to list more than five and on the days when I struggled to come up with even one. God is so good all the time!

    A few of my favorite things from this month were:

    My mom leaving an encouraging verse in the car for me to find on my first day of work.

    God providing the perfect job for me!

    A guest pastor who preached on Romans 6.

    A sweet goodbye hug from a new friend.

    Seeing a shooting star blazing across the sky in orange glory before finally disappearing into oblivion with a series of brilliant sparks.

    Also, it’s worth noting that I am a very nutty girl. 😉

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