Praising Him

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2

Lord, I do give You thanks! You have been and still are, and forever will be so faithful to me! You are awesome and I praise You!

Shanin

Thankful Thursday!

Wow, time has flown by since the last time that I did Thankful Thursday! I have so much to be thankful for!

A week ago last Wednesday I received a phone call from a producer at KMVT television. He told me that I had been selected from a drawing at McDonalds to be in the American Idol Finale. I was skeptical because I had never entered my name in a drawing. He went on to explain to me that someone had entered my name and I was invited to come to the KMVT studio on Friday morning at 6:20. He also told me that there were eight contestants in all and it would be a trivia contest. I told him thank you and hung up. I then started pondering if I wanted to go and take a risk of making a fool of myself on television.

That evening I prayed about it and the Lord reminded me, "Remember when about three or four weeks ago when you were watching American Idol and Ryan Seacrest advertised a contest for American Idol Finale tickets?" I did remember.

I was laying in my bed watching American Idol all alone. I saw the commercial and said, "Lord, I would like to win that!" And then I finished watching the show without ever thinking about it again until when the Lord reminded me. I then made a decision that if this was a way that the Lord was trying to bless me or give me the desires of my heart then I would do my part. I was at our prospective new church building with some friends and I told Sarah of what the Lord just reminded me of. She looked at me and kind of laughed. I get that a lot.

So Thursday I did some American Idol Trivia research and made myself up three study sheets. The whole time I was studying I was telling the Lord, "God, please help me not to look like a fool." I was nervous! Finally 4:30 in the morning came and I jumped up and reviewed my notes, jumped in the shower and got ready. I left our house at 5:15 am and drove to Twin Falls. I arrived in the television studio at 5:50 am and studied some more! Finally at about 6:15 I walked into the studio. I visited with a nice woman while I was watching Rise and Shine being shot live. Pretty soon I was shown to the room where the other contestants were waiting. There were four of us that showed up! We visited and I met three really nice people, well, four if you count Clarence's daughter. 

The producer came in and explained that they had decided against the trivia game because it appeared that the others were scared off by the idea of trivia. I whispered a word of thanks to the Lord. Then He said that they hadn't decided exactly how but they were going to give us a bag of American Idol Goodies and one bag would hold the winning ticket! He left and I told the Lord, "God, could you please just have them hand us the bags or draw a number? You know how I second guess myself so I want it totally out of my control." Soon the producer came back and said that they had mixed up the bags and they would just hand them directly to us at random. Thank You Lord!

It was time. We all lined up on the blue taped line in front of the cameras. Nick handed us the bags and then they counted to three. One, two, three...I opened my bag and felt around. A marker flew out and I kept digging and then I felt it...a big laminated ticket! I WON! They shoved a microphone in front of my face and I said, "I won! Thank You Jesus and Kaylin! I'm going to Hollywood!" I was so excited.

I had never gave that whispered whim another thought but the Lord heard me. He arranged this whole event in order to bless me! It was my sweet daughter-in-love that had entered my name into McDonalds! She later told me, "I was standing there waiting and saw the box and thought I will enter mom!" Thank You Jesus! I am so blessed.

The KMVT staff was so awesome. They told me that I had "great energy." Smile. I know the source of my "great energy." I should also thanks to the Kyle family and Fox 14 for sponsoring the trip.  I am so grateful. My husband and I will be going to Hollywood in May!

Thank You Jesus!

Shanin

What is Your Testimony?

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Josh. 2:8-11 NIV

A testimony is important. It was a testimony that had spoken to Rahab, the harlot of Jericho. She knew of the reports of what God had done for the Israelites. God had delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians by drying up the Dead Sea for escape and had given the victory of defeating the Amorites to the Israelites (the same people who had been slaves to the Egyptians!) When the people of Jericho had heard these reports of events their hearts melted in fear, “for the Lord God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”

It was these same reports or testimonies that gave Rahab the courage to hide the spies from the questioning soldiers. She made a way of escape for them and asked for the safety of her and her family in return.  The spies told her, “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.” She had to make sure that her family was with her in her home and she had to hang a red cord in her window.

So what is your testimony? I would love to hear it! Testimonies are important When you are adopted into God’s family you have a great testimony.  Obviously, a testimony made a huge difference in Rahab’s life and the lives of the Israelite Spies.

Testifying of God’s Greatness,

Shanin