“Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name (Jesus)
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name”

–Matt Redman

We sang Matt Redman’s song at Sunday worship yesterday. It has long been one of my favorites. But after a week of taking my oldest daughter to and from Spanish immersion VBS, the song lyric that is stuck in my head today is “Yo tengo tanto, tanto, tanto para agradecer!”

I do have so much to be thankful for! And compiling my One Thousand Gifts list is a regular reminder to not just watch for the blessings God pours out but also turn each one back to God in praise.

Here are items 838 through 868 in my list:

838. singing along with the kids to fun praise songs in Spanish — “Yo tengo tanto, tanto, tanto para agradecer!”

839. how Spanish immersion VBS ignites a passion for the unreached people in Peru

840. God’s faithful protection over my cousins who survived being hit by a drunk driver

841. her winning four free State Fair tickets and getting to pass them along to a neighbor

842. his winning free tickets to watch the Twins play the Yankees at Target Field

843. how she taps his leg gently and how he kindly cracks open each peanut for her

844. how happily she exclaims “It’s a doll hat!” as she examines the plastic miniature baseball helmet full of ice cream

845. singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch — a song I remember from my tee-ball days

846. picture-perfect sailing weather and three pleasant evenings on the lake with friends

847. playtime in the pool with dear friends

848. a potluck pool party with new friends

849. lessons in Job 1:20-22 about praising God when He gives and when He takes away

850. their prayers for my cousins

851. new acquaintances who surprisingly turn out to have mutual friends

852. how they all bounce together in celebration of her 4th birthday

853. how much the littlest of five has grown since I held her last month

854. the teens who serve up pizza and tacos to raise money for their Jamaica mission trip

855. their lengthy search for the lost library book — still not found

856. a lull between loads of laundry

857. a breezy picnic lunch in the shade on a grassy hilltop at the Arboretum

858. a family bike ride to Target for a treat

859. meeting baby Annie and seeing the sweet smiles of her big sisters

860. the big brown eyes and shy smile of a 15-month-old

861. how the youngest brother throws back his head in roaring laughter as he helps steer the boat

862. her homemade zucchini bread

863. more hummingbirds at the patio feeder

864. God’s mercy on us

865. words about His gracious giving (Romans 8:32)

866. Matt Redman’s song “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord”

867. loads of wet towels and swimsuits

868. the happy news that she’s home from the hospital

You’re invited! Check out other bloggers’ posts in the One Thousand Gifts community by clicking the graphic below. Or click here  to check out all previous posts in my “Counting to 1,000” series.