THANKSGIVING ... YES, THANKSGIVING!

I pray all is going well for you this morning –

It is five days until Christmas

It is actually hard to believe we are almost there

I was talking to my youngest son a couple of days ago and he said,

‘This has been the longest and shortest year ever’

I would have to agree with him

However, whatever has transpired, there are so many reasons for THANKSGIVING

 

It is a bit odd to title a message ‘THANKSGIVING’ at this time of year

However, the giving of thanks is not dictated by a day on the calendar

It is not relegated to a specific time of year

No, true gratitude is constant …

It can and should be expressed as often as the feelings of thankfulness arise

 

There are so many reasons and opportunities to give thanks –

Do you have peace in your home? Give Thanks …

Do you have a home? Give Thanks …

Did God breathe into your lungs all through the night? Give Thanks …

Did He wake you up this morning? It is reason for Thanksgiving …

We possess many blessings – if we will but take the time to notice them

 

This year has been challenging for many –

And you may say that it has been a year of great loss individually

I understand – it has been a challenging year for me as well, one with great loss

Yet I choose to thank the LORD for His goodness and His faithfulness.

Everyone has something to be thankful for

 

‘Rejoice in the LORD always. Again I say: Rejoice!’ Philippians 4:4

 

The reason for the season –

Over the years I have heard that phrase shared as a means to help people focus;

It is often spoken to remind others that Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season

But the truth is, Jesus is the reason for every season

‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16

 

The only thing that sustains us from season to season …

            Is the love, grace and mercy of the LORD God Almighty

            Made possible because of the life, death & resurrection of Jesus

His birth would have been meaningless without his life, death & resurrection,

            without Him conquering the power of death, hell and the grave

And He did that for us!

That is certainly a cause for THANKSGIVING!

 

So, ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ I Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

Today – my prayers are simple

I pray that your awareness would be heightened

I pray that you would recognize and appreciate all the ways the LORD is blessing you

I pray that you would take time to express your gratitude for His most precious blessing –

            JESUS CHRIST

 

‘For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given,

And the government will be on His shoulders and,

He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Isaiah 9:6

 

Have a Blessed Day!

‘Thus far the LORD has helped us … ’ I Samuel 7:12

JOY

Good Morning

It is a beautiful morning -

It is not nearly as cold as it was yesterday morning

Only fifteen days left until Christmas!

I know – it a little early to start counting down

However – I absolutely love this time of year!

 

This is a time of year where my family enjoys simple pleasures – decorating the house, baking cookies, time together, our annual gingerbread competition and, of course the Christmas cake I bake every Christmas Eve

 

When my sons were young, we started the tradition of baking a cake in honor of the birth of Jesus. Christmas day was the only day of the year where they could have cake for breakfast. And, although they are all grown, somehow the tradition has stuck

Little moments of JOY –

 

Joy is an interesting concept

I think it is difficult to truly define what it is

I mean, there are technical definitions of joy:

Joy \ ˈjȯi  \

Definition of joy

1a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : DELIGHT

b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : GAIETY

2: a state of happiness or felicity : BLISS 

3: a source or cause of delight

Yet, I am not certain that I agree with these definitions.

It can certainly include some of the notions and ideas noted above

However, I believe it encompasses so much more – something different than just ‘happiness’

I have heard it said that happiness is based upon ‘happenings’

But joy – true joy – emanates from a somewhere else

True joy can exist in spite of the ‘happenings’, despite whatever may be transpiring in your life at the moment

 

This is my first Christmas without my Mom

It was an extremely sad ‘happening’ which occurred this year

However, when I get too sad in the moments of missing her [and it usually strikes out of nowhere]

I am able to find joy when I remind myself that she is with Jesus

                And that she is certainly having a much better time than I am!

 

You see – I believe joy is linked to perspective and gratitude

I can grieve the challenges and focus on the sadness

Or, I can fix my eyes on the larger perspective and thank God that He is working through it all

 

Scripture tells us that, ‘for the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross.’ Hebrews 12:2

He fixed His focus on something greater than His circumstances and the pain He had to endure

 

This year – 2020 – has been a challenging time for many

                Not just here in my country but around the globe

And, while nothing can erase the pain which has been inflicted [this is not denialism],

There are opportunities to find places and nuggets of joy – even in the face of great loss

 

My prayer for you this morning is that you will find and occupy the place of JOY

May the LORD comfort, strengthen and renew your heart & hope

May He surround you with His presence and grant you JOY INEXPRESSIBLE and UNENDING

 

I pray you are having a blessed holiday season –

Have a wonderful day and …

God Bless!

‘A joyful heart does good to the body and promotes healing …’ Proverbs 17:22

THANKS GIVING 2019: Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Morning Friends!

Gobble, gobble, gobble – 

These words resonate in my ears every Thanksgiving

It is what my Auntie Barb always says every Thanksgiving Day

And she always sounds SO CUTE & joy bubbling out of her ... like it always does

ME –

I am up early and have not slept most of the evening;

Cooking, cooking, cooking!

But, I absolutely LOVE to cook so it is a pleasure

I am also up praying that your day is off to a great start –

That this Thanksgiving Day 2019 will be a joy-filled one;

And that if you are traveling this Thanksgiving Holiday – that you will be safe

THANKSGIVING is such a special day

HOWEVER – 

This is not where our giving of thanks begins … or where it should end

I hope during this series, that we have discovered –

WE HAVE SO MANY REASONS TO BE THANKFUL

EVERY DAY – there is something which should cause us to GIVE THANKS;

EVERY SEASON – should be a time for THANKSGIVING

COUNTLESS REASONS – abound, reminding us WE ARE BLESSED & SHOULD BE GRATEFUL

Let us not allow our heart of gratitude be relegated to a season or a day

Let us GIVE THANKS every day!

I am so thankful for you this morning!

Praying you have a tremendously blessed day –

Happy Thanksgiving & Much Love in Christ!

‘Rejoice always, pray continually,

                Give thanks in all circumstances –

for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.’ I Thessalonians 5:16-18

THANKS GIVING 2019: INTENTIONAL THANKS

Good Evening Friends …

     Happy Monday!

I pray your week is off to a good start

Today was a decent day – until I went to my doctor’s office

NOW – I could let it ruin my entire evening

HOWEVER – I choose instead to focus on something positive

It is my INTENTION 

     To keep my eyes fixed on what is good and lovely and praiseworthy

     Like spending some time here with all of you

So – what is the focus for TODAY’S THANKS GIVING?

INTENTIONAL THANKS

Webster’s define intentional as: done on purpose; deliberate

Sometimes, that has to be the nature of our attitude –

WE HAVE TO MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO NOT JUST FEEL THANKFUL

     BUT TO EXPRESS THAT FEELING OF THANKFULNESS

THANKS IS AN EVERY DAY THING

This is a card which I had purchased for someone I consider very dear

Unfortunately, though, despite my best intention to deliver it –

It is still in my possession … A FULL YEAR LATER

And while this particular greeting did not make it to its intended recipient,

It holds a timeless message which is applicable every day of the year –

     And NOT JUST AT THANKSGIVING

Wishing you JOY

A day for GRATITUDE

A day for SHARING

A day for REMEMBERING THE SPECIAL PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES

You may not get a second chance to express the thanks you feel today

I know this, not intellectually but experientially.

SO WHY NOT EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE TODAY?!

The inside of that card?

It says: Thanksgiving wishes, for a day that’s filled with happiness, thankfulness, friendship, and fun.

YET – this is my prayer every day for the people I love

And I make it a point to EXPRESS GRATITUDE –

As frequently as I feel it, as often and as quickly as possible

I am sure you have a couple of special people in your life as well:

• People who make you smile every time you think about them;
• People who give you a reason to thank God that He created them
• People who make your heart warm at the thought of how blessed you are to know them

SO – carve out some time to tell them

BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT!

Don’t hold back, thinking that there is always time,

that there will always be another opportunity.

There is not always another chance to do what you might have done today –

to say what you might have said today.

And, you just might be the bright, shining light to someone’s dark and challenging day –

And that is something to be thankful for.

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening!

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” Philippians 4:8

THANKS GIVING 2019: OUR VETERANS

Happy Monday!

I pray your week is off to a great start;

And there is no better way to start the week –

   than to acknowledge our service men and women for all they do

Today is Veteran’s Day

HOWEVER –  I hold a special place in my heart for our military at all times

I love my country and I love and appreciate those who serve [and have served] selflessly

Being a former military spouse, I know that service comes at a cost

In my post on Memorial Day earlier this year, I noted some of those cost – which often go unseen:

§  There are also those, who live among us, who have also sacrificed their lives
 §  There are those who may not have experienced a loss of physical life;
§  Yet, they are the ones who have suffered the loss of a way of life which they held dear,
§  A life which was compromised while they selflessly served [and still serve] this country.
 §  There are those who have experienced the death of relationships –§  Those who have suffered the painful demise of a marriage … while they served.
§  There are those who have endured the loss of a loved one –§  Where they could not be present because they were off serving this country on foreign soil.
§  There are those who have experienced the loss of a life which they knew –§  Those who have lost health and wealth while serving or upon returning from service to this country
§  There are those who have cried tears that only they and God know about –§  Those who deal with the ongoing emotional trauma of having served.

I am so thankful for those give their all every day –

So that we may enjoy the freedoms we experience on a daily basis.

Today, I honor and celebrate all service members [and their loved ones and families]

I humbly and gratefully say …

Happy Veteran's Day and God Bless!

THANKS GIVING 2019: Thankful Rest

Happy Sunday!

I know it is now evening.

However, it is still Sunday – at least where I am writing from

Today was a quiet day. I did not even venture out of the house for church.

Thankfully, the church is people and not a place or building –

Which means church can be held anywhere you happen to be.

Please do not misunderstand me. I believe in honoring scripture

And we are admonished to ‘not forsake the assembling together’ Hebrews 10:25

However, I am have difficulties with my vehicle

THEREFORE –

Church today was at home where I enjoyed the peacefulness of a SUNDAY REST;

Where I enjoyed the comfort of a SABBATH REST

The LORD Himself took a rest on the seventh day

And it is His gift to His people

It is a gift I am incredibly thankful for – especially since I have had to work 12-hour days every day for the past few weeks – along with work on Saturdays

It is so important to RECEIVE the gifts He has afforded us and to take care of self

AFTER ALL – YOU CANNOT GIVE OUT OF AN EMPTY CUP

Yes, there are times when we have to PAUSE;

Times when we must allow our hearts, minds, spirits and bodies to BE REPLENISHED;

Times when we must engage in the process of doing nothing except to GIVE THANKS.

I thank the LORD for all He has done, for what He is doing and for what is to come.

And I thank Him for REST-FILLED, PEACE-FILLED moments

Praying you will have a rest-filled evening as well …

God Bless!

THANKS GIVING 2019: The Art in Giving Thanks

Good Evening Friends

I pray you have had a good week and that your November is off to a stellar start

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is fast approaching –

Here in Virginia Beach, a chill arrived and has it feeling unseasonably frigid

It is not usually quite this cold in November

Nevertheless, and irrespective of the temperature –

‘Tis the Season for THANKFULNESS

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

There is an ART IN GIVING THANKS

There is never a bad time to BE THANKFUL

There is never a bad reason to BE THANKFUL

There is never a way to measure all the benefits when we GIVE THANKS 

With heart of gratitude and an intention to give thanks in all things,

We are able to paint a fresh perspective on the canvas of our lives

GIVING THANKS – it is one of the best, non-medicinal method of improving one’s mood

So, over the next few weeks, we will be taking a look at subject of THANKSGIVING

Not the meal, not the season,

But the ACT OF GIVING THANKS – THE ART IN GIVING THANKS

And I will also be sharing some of the things I am thankful for

I am thankful you stopped by…

I am Praying You Have a Blessed Evening!