Archive | November 2015

Give Thanks?

by Kathy Stanford

Do you ever feel like you just aren’t ready to “give thanks”? Have you approached the official day with a feeling of dread and wished you could just put it off for a month/forever? I have. But that is when I need to give thanks the most. You may already be familiar with the concepts of sacrificial praise and thanksgiving. However, did you know that the old testament sacrifice of thanksgiving was a part of the peace offering? (see Leviticus 7:11-13) OH! Of course! There is not going to be any peace for a heart that is unable to give thanks to our loving, gracious, all mighty, creator God – “from whom all blessings flow”.

This has been a month of mess ups for me. I really, really, really need a 30 day do over. No details-just trust me in this. And while we don’t offer sacrifices of animals today, it can be a real sacrifice of spirit to offer thanks in some circumstances, even though 1 Thessalonians 5:18 clearly tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. Sometimes, I would really like to erase that little word all. However, in my own experience I have found that when I determine to give thanks in all circumstances, I stay more focused on Him. And my focus on Him leads me to thoughts of praise and worship. Psalm 50:23 says “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me”. When we choose to give thanks we can’t not honor Him. The more I focus on Him, the less I think about the “bad Stuff”. Thinking less about the “bad stuff” leads to – you guessed it- peace. No, my life is not miraculously fixed. But perhaps I have a better perspective on it. And I am truly thankful for a God that I know is bigger than my mistakes.

So, no matter your circumstances, I sincerely wish you a very “thanks filled” Thanksgiving Day and pray the next few weeks will be a season of thanks and celebration for all that God has done and continues to do.

Getting to The Point

Nov20

I had planned to post another poem this week. Like a lot of you, time is at a premium as the season of holidays approaches. Posting a previously written poem was the answer to my time crunch. No introduction necessary. Just copy, paste and post. Done, until next Friday.

So what changed my mind? Why am I awake, well past my bedtime on a work night, putting thoughts out there into that “cloud” I’ve heard about, but never seen, and certainly don’t understand?

I know I’m not the only one with thoughts of refugees, terrorists, political agendas, ideologies, pain, suffering, death, and grief on my mind. My body can hardly rest on my clean and comfortable bed. My spirit, usually calmed by the regular and easy breathing of my husband as I fall asleep, is restless. But the point is NOT that we’re losing sleep!

I had a point – about 1,500 words worth. Problem was – every keystroke was influenced by what I’ve watched on television or heard on the radio over the past week. My thoughts and opinions were based on incomplete truths, delivered in sound bytes and video clips intended to influence my vote, not provide me with news.

I deleted all 1,500 words. And opened up the Psalms – hoping. Not for a new point, but for some peace and clarity as only one loved woman in a world where hate is in every headline.

I found it in Psalm 116-117.

There’s a way to recover my 1,500 words, but I’ll leave them out there in that “cloud” for the Lord to read. Psalm 116 starts out by telling me He hears my thoughts. You, on the other hand, don’t need another persuasive essay, however skilled the writing or powerful the point. (Trust me it was good!)

Read Psalm 116-117. The Word of the Lord says it better than I ever could.

Thanks for Serving

Nov12

They stood to be acknowledged. The rest of us applaud.
They served through fear and danger. Can’t know just what they saw.
The way one man explained it, made sense enough to me.
“War makes the kind of stories that never were to be.”
He seldom watched war movies, but saved his uniform.
He paid our price for freedom. He’d lived through battle storms.
Some guys had seen Korea. Some served in World War II.
One, whose ponytail was gray, saw Nam for me and you.
A younger looking female, stood straight with humble grace.
Her children prayed not knowing that death was in Mom’s face.
Small numbers in proportion to those who sit in pews.
They more than paid. They sacrificed. We watched the evening news.
Each one had served their nation. The tallest of them all,
Looked up to all the others. He never got “the call.”
No doubt I am indebted to everyone that stood,
And to the countless loved ones whose loss was for my good.
I cry with just the music of military bands.
They’re ready to get dirty. White gloves upon their hands.
Each branch, a noble purpose. The Army and Air Force.
The Coast Guard and the Guardsmen. The strong who won’t change course.
I will add this disclosure: Compelled, I must come clean.
I’m partial to the haircut. My son’s a brave Marine.

by Rita Klundt

Written on the occasion of Veteran’s Day 2014

Judy’s World

Nov9

Today we welcome a guest post from our friend Judy Mandrell. We think you will enjoy her descriptive visit to the world of her childhood. In this season of Thanksgiving it reminds us to be truly thankful for the everyday gifts God sends our way.

By Judy Mandrell
Since I was a little girl, growing up on ten acres in the Midwest countryside, I have been fascinated by God’s Creation. I loved watching the butterflies flutter around Mom’s irises in the Spring. So many beautiful colors.
If the weather was good I was outside. The Summers were the best. I would sit under a tree, on a blanket, and play with my toys while making a fuzzy caterpillar crawl over my hand several times to get to the other side of the blanket. There were birds calling to each other in the trees and bees buzzing around. Dad had a couple hives. He loved his honey.
In a discussion with my grandson awhile back I mentioned we didn’t have air conditioning, when I was little. He asked me how I got cool and I told him I sat in the shade and fanned myself with a homemade fan. His exact words were, “that’s cruel and unusual punishment.” He’s eleven going on thirty.
There was nothing cruel about my time in the shade. God sent a lot to keep me interested. From many different types of birds to the ants crawling in and out of cracks in our old sidewalk and over the peony bush, chewing the green outside off the buds to let the flowers open up. My favorite was the wild bluebells that lined the fence between the side yard and the pasture. A beautiful shade of blue.
Every Spring there were wild violets under the trees at school. All the mothers got bouquets of purple violets and yellow dandelions wrapped in wet paper towels. I’m glad my Mom was always happy to get hers, it taught me how rewarding it was to give.
There was a bunch of kittens every Spring to play with. I enjoyed watching them get milk from their Momma and the way she washed each and everyone of them, setting in motion my instinct to be a good mother to my children.
There was always a large garden. I can’t say I was too fond of hoeing and pulling weeds but it was interesting watching plants grow and produce, such as Mom’s strawberries turning from white to a bright red.
I remember chasing lighting bugs on a Summer night and being amazed at how their tails lit up, always wondering how and why God created them that way.
In the Fall when the leaves turned, there were so many colors; colors in a rainbow, sunsets, birds in the air, beautiful colors every where. I believe God loves pretty colors.
My pony’s coat always got thick and soft in the Fall. Ever feel a horse’s muscle? It’s as soft as velvet.
I’m so grateful to God for letting me be born before cell phones, I-pods, and electronic games. I wonder how many children today notice half the things I’ve mentioned?
I miss seeing the minnows in the creek that ran through our property and the pristine, white snowfall in Winter before all the pollution. But I have my memories of that time and I have never lost the wonder and amazement of God’s Creation.

So take some time to thank God for some of the small daily blessings that we so often take for granted. I am thanking Him today for you, dear reader.

For Chocolate and Much More

Nov5

I’ve a lot to give thanks for, but I’d rather grumble. Ever feel that way?

It’s been one of those weeks.

I’ve been:

ignored
overworked
forced to do what others ought to do
laughed at
and lied to.

I’ve:

listened to excuses
repeated simple answers
felt guilty for spending five extra minutes in the bathroom
overindulged in chocolate
and tomorrow doesn’t look to be much better.

All that in four days, and I’m not even raising teenagers!

All that in four days, and I still have reason to give thanks.

If you read my last two posts (and I hope you have) you know I’ve been thinking about thankfulness. It’s been on my mind again this week, and marrying my thankfulness to obedience has proven to be a challenge. A verse of scripture came to mind, just when I was about to divorce the two. In John 14:15 Jesus reminded me that if I love Him, I’ll keep His commandments. It’s not a stretch to say that if I am thankful for Him and to Him, I’ll be obedient to what he asks of me. Is it?

If Jesus’ words weren’t enough, my own words from last week scolded: “He made obedience to His commandments simple to understand. First: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and secondly, love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:38-40). We have no excuse. No loopholes. Our obedience and thankfulness are inseparably married. We’re getting it wrong if we obey, yet grumble. We are liars when we offer thanksgiving, yet live comfortably in disobedience.”

So, here I am before you and the God of all creation asking forgiveness for my disobedience, and hoping you will love me the way Jesus said to love your “neighbor.”

Heavenly Father,

Some days it’s not easy to be me. Remind me tonight as I fall asleep how I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Remind me again in the morning when I wake. I have been given the ability to be patient. You help me to listen and understand. You gave me the privilege that comes with my vocation and a voice to speak truth in kindness. Be with me. I am not persecuted. I am barely uncomfortable. Forgive my grumbling attitude. Thank you for payday – the one next Friday, and the forever one. Have I thanked you lately for chocolate? Thanks again for chocolate, and so much more.

Amen.