Merry Christmas!

I want to thank all of my viewers of my blog! May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy, blessed, and beneficial 2013!

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving!

A day to be full of gratitude; appreciating all that one has in their life. Appreciating everything from health to family, house to job, and there will likely be "things" involved in that list somewhere.

Most will be enjoying a meal that is bigger than can be consumed in one setting. Others will be eating a meal with several people that are not their family but they enjoy their company. However, there are those people who will be sitting down to the meal this year who will be saddened because they have lost a loved one whom they miss celebrating this holiday with - maybe a first, but not limited to a first.

Whoever you are eating your meal with, this is a holiday about gratitude, which brings us to this week's quote...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

The other day at my Bible Class at a local nursing home, we all shared some various memories we have had around Thanksgiving. Along with that, we shared things we are thankful for in our life. Then we discussed how saying and hearing things we are thankful for kind of lifts our mood. Even when we are listening to others share their expressions of gratitude, we are still lifted.

Now it's your turn...How has the quote been applicable to you?

Tell 'Em "Good Job!"

Teachers are usually one of the best at making kids feel important. That child-aimed praise is needed for kids in their development. For some unfortunate kids, they will not receive the needed praise at home - maybe even none.

In addition, peers can be very mean so an acknowledgment of praise is needed to counter the negative messages from the schoolyard. We have all been there to one extent or another.

Also, society can bring about negative messages, so we need to hear some positive, encouraging messages from time to time. That brings us to this week's quote...

No matter how small, acknowledge the achievement. ~ Greg Henry Quinn

One of my personal ministries has evolved into encouragement. I wouldn't have dreamed that I could have been one to have that desire if you asked me years before this, as a youth. I can remember, even as a young adult, having a difficult time saying "good job" to someone and it being genuine. That was all before ministry.

Ministry and becoming a minister changed a lot of perspectives. I saw how many people need encouragement and acknowledgment for their achievements. I learned how you cannot be "over encouraged."

The question is, whose achievement do you need to acknowledge? If you can't think of any, just keep it tucked away for the next time.

Thanks for all you do, in whatever capacity!

See Reason to Give Thanks?

Growing up, one of the biggest deficits I saw in prayers from people was the lack of being thankful.  There was plenty of asking for God to be with situations that people were going through.  Asking God to be with the preacher and/or the others in the roles of the assembly. But there just wasn’t a lot of being thankful.

Maybe I am on an extreme, but somewhere during preaching school I started being more thankful in my prayers. I like to start out with that to show how grateful to God I am for the various things in my life.  I have also started my son, now 2 1/2, with prayers that are almost entirely thanksgiving.

With those thoughts, that brings us to this week’s quote…

When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength.  Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living.  If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.  ~ Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief

I firmly believe that being thankful changes our perspective on God and our life.  Without much expectation mentioned in prayers we can focus on being appreciative of what He has given us.  This is another reason that I have initiated having a “praise prayer” at the beginning of our assembly times.  Some follow it a bit better than others, but the intention is to simply praise God for some things He’s done…with us, as a church and as individuals.

Take some time to have regular “praise prayers” in your life or start out with being more thankful.  Bottom line is that we need to find a reason to give thanks!

Praying With Thanks - Daniel 6:10-11

What were some of the basic phrases in the last prayer you said? "Be with me..." "Guide, guard, and direct us...", "Give him (the minister) a ready recollection of the things he's studied...", "Forgive us of our sins...", "Heal those on the prayer list...", "May we take this in a manner pleasing to you/thee..."??? Any of those phrases did you say or hear at your church assembly on Sunday? Did you hear many "thanks" in the prayers? How often were the "thanks" phrases outnumbered by the "help us" phrases?

The story of Daniel in the Lion's Den has an important part that I usually looked past this part of the text from verse 10..."Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God,... (NIV). Daniel was praying with thanksgiving. Daniel didn't ask for God to rescue, but to be appreciative! As we think about that concept from the lesson, here are some applications to choose from to use...

1. Thanksgiving traditions tend to be very deep. We tend to make the same foods and eat with the same people each year. Our family has a tradition of saying something that we appreciate about each other...try saying something you appreciate about each other and making that a new tradition. If your family meal is really big, have each person say something about someone else not in their own household.
   
2. Take time this week to say a prayer of thanks...just of thanks...nothing else. Say it, no matter how short or long. Focusing on "thanks" takes our mind off of other things.
3. Tell someone "thanks" for something they have done to make an impact in your life.
4. Use Thanksgiving to be thankful for the things you have in Christ!

May we never forget the fact that we are able to have our sins forgiven, which should make us eternally thankful!

What are some of your family's traditions...I'd love to hear them.

Grateful to God...

Thanking Those Who Lit You Up

It is not a pleasant experience to get into your shower to find out that your hot water heater is not working. I have experienced such a thing. Usually, because the pilot light has gone out. However, once the pilot light has been re-lit, the hot water heater can warm up the water to a shower-taking temperature. It is such a relief to feel the heated water, once again!

People that have had their "pilot light" put out and have turned cold are usually not pleasant to be around. They have lost their "spark" and do not have much ambition. However, once you have that light re-lit by someone, you greatly appreciate what they did for you. That brings us to this week's quote...

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Have you had your light go out lately? In the past? Whenever it was, who was it that helped to re-light your fire? Was it someone you know or not? Someone you hear on the radio? A movie you watched? Someone in your family?

Regardless, why not thank them for helping you through your time in a "valley"? Even if it is someone you have never met, try to find a way to say "thank you" for what they did to help relight the fire within you? They would greatly appreciate it, no matter who they are!

Reach out and "thank" someone!

Reaching Out...

Praising God - I Peter 1:3-9

Have you ever experienced a trip to the store and realized, after you came home, that you forgot to buy something you needed? The flaw in the situation was because you didn't put the item you needed, which you forgot, as a priority. To make sure you don't forget requires one of two things: putting the item on a list or establishing a habit of buying the important things.

The same principle works with praising God. Have you ever ended a prayer and realized you forgot to say much of anything that would be considered praise? You may have forgot to put it on your list, became so busy wanting to ask God other things you forgot to praise, or you didn't make it a priority. As we looked yesterday, Peter shows us that praising should be a priority in our lives. We have a merciful God, an undefiled inheritance, and serve an invisible, awesome God! These are reasons to praise. Here are some additional applications:

1. Use one opportunity a day to say nothing but praises. It doesn't have to be an actual prayer, just a time when you praise. What all has God done for you today that you can reflect on to praise Him for?
2. Thank God for your weaknesses...which allow you to "improve" on in the future and they keep you humble in the meantime.
3. Think of an adjective to describe God and use it either to "shout out" to God or to describe God when you pray next.
4. Reflect to what you appreciate about being a Christian...What makes that so appreciative? Tell God "Thanks" for it.

As much as we are allowed to ask God for things, we also should be remembering to praise Him for the different things He has done in our life and/or the lives of others.

May you have a week filled with praise!

God is Good...