A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING (PSALM 103 KJV)

1   Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2   Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3   Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4   Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5   Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6   The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

7   He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

8   The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

9   He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

10   He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

14  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

15  As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16  For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

17  But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

18  To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

20  Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21  Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22  Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

(Public Domain)

Read the standard King James Version online...

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE AND THANKSGIVING

TEXT:

PSALM 100

1   Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

2   Serve the Lord with jubilation;

Come before Him with rejoicing.

3   Know that the Lord Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4   Enter His gates with thanksgiving,

And His courtyards with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

5   For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting

And His faithfulness is to all generations.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

TEXT:  COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 2:6-12

TEXT: COLOSSIANS 2:6-12

Alive in Christ

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 1:1-8

TEXT:

COLOSSIANS 1:1-8

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

CAST YOUR CARES UPON GOD, HE CARES FOR US

TEXT:

Philippians 4:6-7 

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

GRATITUDE IS ALTITUDE - FAITH AND THANKSGIVING

Luke 17:11-19 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

There is a very serious account of an incident, recorded in the Book of Luke, where Jesus responded to ten lepers calling out loudly to Him for mercy, pity and compassion. They were far enough from the general population, as required by Law, since leprosy was a deadly contagious disease.

Jesus responds in a unique way as only He can. He tells them to do the following (Verse 14):

- Go (from the Galilee area) to show themselves to the priests in one of the nearby synagogues (according to Jewish Law....in the Old Testament).

- As they were walking away, He healed them and cleansed them of Leprosy.

Then the following occurred (Luke 17:15):

- One of ten lepers, stopped and came back to Jesus.

- He was a Samaritan and could not enter the Jewish Synagogue, as he was considered a "foreigner".

- He was the only one to thank the Lord Jesus for healing him. But he was not only grateful. He recognized his position in life, not just as a leper outside the fold, but as a stranger/outcast/foreigner etc. who deserved nothing but got everything.

- He - the Samaritan former leper - gave praise to God for healing him (Verse 18)

JESUS SAVES THE OUTSIDER:

Jesus' Reply to this act of open gratitude and praise was the following (written in the first person...from Luke 17:17)

- Were not 10 lepers healed? How come only 1 out of 10 returned to properly say thank you?

- I came to give the message of Salvation to the Jews first, but only this outsider responded to it.

- Therefore, I will save whom I will save. When Jesus said to the Samaritan who came back to thank Him for healing, that his faith has made you well, the word Jesus used for "made you well" is stunning. The word is "SOZO" - the word for Salvation. Jesus said to this outsider "your faith in Me has saved you!!"

- Jesus saved this one man. The others were healed in the natural. This Samaritan was healed in the soul as well.

I have known people who were healed from different diseases, including cancer, who were just like the other 9 of the 10 lepers - completely ignore God and go about their lives as if nothing happened. The miracle of beating cancer, for instance, well, "I was owed that".

LESSONS FROM TEN LEPER STORY:

What an incredible teaching from the Lord here in this passage. We learn:

- We are all diseased by sin. But there is a Savior Who can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. His Name is Jesus.

- When we call out to Him, He usually answers.

- There is one qualifier. That is, we MUST recognize Who He is. He is God.

- Faith has legs. Jesus did not tell the ten men they were healed. He said "GO SHOW YOURSELVES" to the priests. Under Jewish Law, only the priests could certify that a Jew was healthy and eligible to go back into the general population with a clean bill of health. They IMMEDIATELY recognized that fact of the Law and headed towards the temple in Galilee (where Peter and the other Galilee fishermen must have grown up). They all did have a certain measure of Faith to do that in the first place.

- But there is a huge difference and here is where the new paradigm emerges.

The Law said "only the priest can declare" the person physically well. But GRACE says only Jesus can make both body and soul well. The nine who ran to the temple to get the priests blessings completely missed it. In missing it, they blew past the forest for the trees just as most people today are missing life, because their noses are in their smartphones. They blow past it because their "Faith" is more new age-type "spirituality" where they think they can mix eastern mysticism, yoga and secular humanism and still call themselves Christian, because of the country of their birth or actual Christian ancestry.

But the Gratitude of the outcast Samaritan, who was not even allowed to be with the others is instructive to us, in a season of Thanksgiving: 

- The outcast Samaritan was just like all the others in that he was healed with the ten as he started walking with them to the temple, until he realized he would not be welcome there. 

- The realization of what was done for him, completely floored him to such an extent that he turn around (a picture of repentance) and ran to the Jesus Who called him by name for Healing!

- He humbled himself by falling at the Feet of God. This is something too many Christians have trouble with these days. Humility is in rare supply, especially where so many people have a spiritual entitlement to the effect that "God owes them something".

- He praised God. He recognized the Amazing Grace the saved a wretch like him.  For that alone, he was so very full of gratitude.

THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:

The lesson here for us is clear, given what was just written. We among most, have reason to be as humble, forgiven and worship- oriented. We have the Gospels and every variety of bible teaching ever known to man. This man had no such thing.

All it takes is remembering what God has done for us. That He gave His son on the Cross for us that by this one act, we will be saved if we believe, humble ourselves to the point of Godly sorrow leading to repentance....which should lead us to worship. This is the essence of gratitude. In the Spirit of thanksgiving and for the Spirit of God to live in us, we must possess this and completely own it. A life of gratitude will help us keep everything in perspective.

My life verse is Psalm 27:4, but after I got radically born again in 1988, the Lord gave me Psalm 118 as my life Passage. I only found out in 2017, that it was also one of the Bible Chapters which  the Lord used to save the great Reformer Martin Luther! There is so much gratitude in Psalm 118 and others, that we should camp there daily and never move away from it.

As we think about the gratitude of the former Samaritan leper and the kind of reaction us Christians should have, it is beneficial to see, and grasp, what Dr. John MacArthur, Pastor, Author and host of GRACE TO YOU has to say here"A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer's trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer's heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord".

William Arthur Ward said this about gratitude: "Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” 

The great Christian author G.K. Chesterton aptly concludes this for us: “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” 

Today (and each day), are we living our lives daily with such a bent? We most definitely should. Our "SOZO" (Salvation) requires it for the fullness of the Lord to work in and through us. 

THANK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR BLESSINGS ON ME

The old gospel song says “I know not what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future”…..and so, it goes.  There is absolute Truth in that statement with Jesus Himself instructing us to not worry about tomorrow because “Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34b)

Living Life in the moment is where it is at…simply because this is literally ALL we have! Each breath we take is not our own. We are allowed to stand downright upright on this here planet called Earth, because of the Grace, Mercy and Love of God.  Living on borrowed time should really spur us to gratitude, tremendous gratitude because we are just not our own. Even those who do not believe in the God of heaven – Yahweh – have the Law of God written on their hearts.  They may live like He is not their God, but His indelible signature embedded on their souls tell us otherwise. On that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, all will be revealed and sorted out. But for today, we who are being saved, have so much to be humbled in thanksgiving.

I remember a very rare time where a small measure of self-pity suddenly washed over me and just as quickly, the Lord reminded me of how fortunate and blessed I am to have even the simplest blessing in life. He did it in the form of a song, by of all things, a country station playing a song by Montgomery Gentry called "Lucky Man". It reminds me of how God has been not just to me, personally but just about everyone who lives in western democracies and can move around freely, eat until full and dress with clean clothes while driving a nice car.

It brings to mind the following Psalm of Thanksgiving, in part, from a man after God's own heart - King David:

I will give You thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to You before the gods.

I will bow down toward Your holy temple

And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

On the day I called, You answered me;

You made me bold with strength in my soul......(Psalm 138:1-3, NASB)

When have we not called out to the Lord and He did not answer? He is Yahweh Jireh, the Lord Who provideth good things to His Children. The earthly half-brother of Jesus reminds us in James 1:17 that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". 

The perfect gift could be the roof over your head, when you were worried you had no place to rest your head. It may be the check which showed up in the mail to buy that full tank of gas, so we can go to work next week. It may be the invitation to dinner from the nice older couple at church, just when you were tired of eating leftover meatloaf three days in a row. There is no shifting or waffling with our Heavenly Father - Abba, Who loves us greatly. He is as fixed as the North Star and never changes. Because He is immutable (I, the Lord, do not change - Malachi 3:6a), He can be trusted. Therefore, His promises can be relied on. He gives and gives and then gives some more. We are alive and well today, because He gives....and because He lives. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow.

So, we are thankful and oh so grateful to You, oh God. Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me.

   

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #1

James is the half- brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born of the marriage of Joseph and Mary after the Lord Himself was born of a virgin. Jude is the other well known half-brother of Jesus (as in the Book of Jude). The Savior also had another half brother and three sisters. None of the Messiah's half-sisters are mentioned by name. The Word of God (the Bible) tells us that none of these brothers and sisters believed in Him. So God made a point to say in 1 Corinthians 15:7 to point out that after the Resurrected Christ appeared to 500 people at one time, He appeared to JAMES! This confirmed the Lordship of Jesus to His half-brother. Here is the relevant passage, written by the Apostle Paul: "After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles." (1 Corinthians 15:6-7)

James became such a prayer warrior that he spent a vast majority of time on his knees praying to God. His prayer life overflows in his writing in the Book of James which reads, in total, like an extension (and exposition) of Jesus' Sermon the Mount! When James died and they were about to place him in his coffin, it is recorded that his knees were so calloused and covered with rough skin, that it "resembled a Camel's knees". 
(Read my post on "OLD CAMEL KNEES HERE).
His focus on prayer are not actual prayers themselves, but INSTRUCTION about how to pray and to Whom we should go. When James speaks, he is "E.F. Hutton" - we listen, as it is direct from God. In presenting this instruction, the goal is to point to other prayers in the Bible or unpack the instruction themselves (as in Chapter 5), in order to derive the knowledge and benefit which God wishes us to have.

James 1:5-6 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind". 

The instruction here is Wisdom (which begins with the Fear of the Lord), ONLY comes from God. The great and wonderful thing is- we can ask it is given to the point of overflowing! There is a caveat to asking God for wisdom. If we ask in doubt, we remain without. If we ask with the full measure of Faith, it would be great. 

To this end, let us look at King Solomon's prayer at the Dedication of the Greatest Temple in History, almost 2900 years ago and how he prayed. This is Solomon at his best, when he followed the Holy One of Israel and Him alone before easy living corrupted him.  God had offered Solomon ANYTHING he wanted, as He favored David's son. All Solomon had to do was ask. Solomon could have asked for money and fame and fortune. Instead, he asked for "BIYN" (Hebrew for a discerning heart - true Wisdom).

The encouragement here is for us to study how Solomon prayed and then follow the Word of God and do likewise. Praying for Wisdom in any circumstance is something God never refuses those of us who belong to Christians - born again believers.  Read the following passage and meditate on it from 1 Kings 3:5-12a:

 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart.

WORDS OF SOLOMON TO KEY IN ON (T.A.N.)
THANKSGIVING:You have shown great mercy (VERSE 6A)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OUR OWN HELPLESSNESS: And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. (VERSE 8)
NEED: Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. (VERSE 9)

Therefore, as the brother of the Lord - James - says...if we lack wisdom, "ask of God"!

HISTORY OF WORSHIP MUSIC - FROM CREATION (ONGOING SERIES)

FROM THE PLUMBLINE TV SHOW:

Psalm 95:1 - O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Right now, this very minute and from eternity past, we know there is an ONGOING worship service around the Throne of God. Here is the proof: "And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,    and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:7-11, ESV)

We are exhorted to encourage and enlighten each other "in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Colossians 3:16) as modern day believers. But where did all of this start? Well, God Himself told Job where it started! Here in Job 38:4-7:  

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

    Tell me, if you have understanding.

5 

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

    Or who stretched the line upon it?

6 

On what were its bases sunk,

    or who laid its cornerstone,

7 

when the morning stars sang together

    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Here is a brief history of Worship music from there until present times. It is part of an occasional look at the great Hymns and music of the Faith of those of us who love Jesus Christ and believe in Him.

GUEST WRITER WEEK: LYNN MOSHER

'THE SHOES'

LYNN MOSHER

This is one of my favorites and has become a Thanksgiving tradition. I hope you enjoy it! ~~Lynn Mosher

The dark, gray skies overhead threatened an early snow. Rushing shoppers, all bundled up to ward off the cold, crowded the sidewalks, lost in their to-do list for Thanksgiving. Oblivious to their surroundings, no one noticed a small, shivering boy standing in front of the shoe store, his nose pressed against the window, barely dressed and only flip-flops on his dirty feet.

However, one man did see him and stopped, dead still in his tracks, causing others to bump into him. He didn’t notice the bumps and grumblings, but he did notice the small boy because he had a son about the same age. Thinking how he would feel if this were his son standing there, barely clothed, the man quietly slid next to the boy, the man stood there for a moment, and then said, “They have some nice shoes here, don’t they?”

“Yeah,” came the soft reply.

“Which ones do you like?”

“That pair over there…the cool running ones.”

“Oh, I’ll bet you could run fast in those.”

“Yes sir. I sure could. Like the wind!”

“You know, I have a little boy just about your age.”

“Oh, yeah? I’ll bet he has shoes like that.”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, he does. But I have an idea.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“How ‘bout I take you into the store and buy you that pair of shoes?”

The boy stood there motionless. After a few moments, with tears in his eyes, he looked up at the man. “You want to buy me shoes?”

“I sure do. Your feet must be freezing and I’d love to buy them for you.”

The boy couldn’t speak another word. 

The man took the boy by the hand and walked into the store. Finding the manager, the man described the pair of shoes and asked the manager to please get a pair in the boy’s size, along with some socks. Then, he said he and the boy would be in the restroom and would he please bring the shoes and socks in there.

The manager gathered the shoes and socks and, upon entering the men’s restroom, found the man on his knees washing the young boy’s feet.

“Can’t stick dirty feet into clean, new socks and shoes, now can we?”

The young boy just stared at the man as he lovingly washed away all the accumulated street-dirt and gently dried his feet.

Feeling he was intruding on a very special moment, the manager quietly placed the shoes and socks on the floor without saying a word and backed out of the restroom. 

After placing the socks and shoes on the boy’s feet, the man stood up, and with hands on his hips, said, “Okay. Let’s see how they look. Walk around.”

The little boy couldn’t move. He stared down at his feet that felt glued to the floor. He looked up, tears now streaming down his little face, and said, “Mister, are you Jesus?”

The boy’s words took the man’s breath away. So overcome with emotion, the man could barely speak. Finally, he muttered, “No, son, I’m not. But I know Him very well. And this is a gift from Him.”

“This is the greatest Thanksgiving ever. Would you tell Jesus thank you for me?”

“Well, let’s go for a walk and I’ll tell you how you can do that yourself

THE GIFT YOU CAN'T BUY....

Nikki Hahn

My sister-in-law has chosen to put her Christmas things out. The tree stands in the window,  twinkling, and her breakfast bar is all snowy-white, adorned by a Christmas Village. She can’t help it. We give her a bad time for it, too; it’s all part of sisterly love. She’s like a child who can’t wait to tear open the gifts of Christmas and sneaks down the stairs to open them early. I’m working on tearing open the gifts of Thanksgiving. We sort of forget that holiday every month.

Someone told me at Starbucks that Thanksgiving is the gift that doesn’t ask for anything in return. It gives and blesses. It’s the one time of year where we don’t offer anything tangible to each other except love. Perhaps that’s why it distresses me to see it overlooked. After Halloween stuff is taken down, Christmas items line the shelves at the stores. Hallmark offers Christmas movies. ABC Family has the same things and I wonder what happened to Thanksgiving.

On a more cynical note, maybe it’s because we live in a selfish society and Christmas means gifts—tangible gifts that we can hold, appreciate, and grow tired of later. We celebrate Santa Claus instead of Jesus Christ; or perhaps we ignore Santa Claus and think those that do not are not practicing Christianity the way it ought. Christmas becomes a war between believers; between believers and non-believers. Thanksgiving sits there quietly and serves.

It’s a table decked out once a year with more food than a family could devour and shadowed by memories both good and bad. I like to theme my meals in November to go with the Thanksgiving theme and I try to do the same with my attitude. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, my husband and I try to have a Thanksgiving meal together at home. I like to open the gifts of Thanksgiving all month. These gifts cannot be unwrapped, held or returned the day after, but a kind of gift that settles into my heart, growing me into how God wants me to grow, and introduces Christmas on a more gentle note when winter has settled in and the fall leaves are gone. Snow flakes drift from the perfect night sky and settle on my nose. That’s Thanksgiving—a gift you can’t buy. An experience that outlasts the food.

What is your Thanksgiving like? How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

UPCOMING GUEST WRITERS:

SATURDAY: - LYNN MOSHER

MONDAY: CATHERINE FRUISEN

TUESDAY: MARTHA ORLANDO

WEDNESDAY: JENN TRUMM JONES

(Image by Google Images)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - WEDNESDAY

WHAT 'R' YOU GRATEFUL FOR TODAY?

Believe it or not, we are only weeks away from Thanksgiving again!! Can you believe that, my friends?! We have just come off a time of Harvest and such. Here in the Midwest, we are grateful as we watch the combines bring in the corn and soybean and other crops around us. But throughout this month, what are YOU grateful for? Writer friend Jenn Trumm Jones has some thoughts today, and wishes to share them with us:

JENN TRUMM JONES

As I was sitting here thinking about what to write about and all of the things in my life I have to be grateful for, something struck me. It is so easy to think of big things. It is easy to be thankful for big events, life changing experiences (the good ones). But how often do we stop and just thank God for the little things in our lives? The seemingly "meaningless" things that happen every single day of our lives?

So today, I am showing my gratitude for the little things in life. Some may seem silly to anyone other than me, but I am all right with that. 

Today I am grateful for:

My quiet time in the morning. Drinking coffee, reading, prayer. It is my time to recharge from the day before and prepare for the day ahead.

Coffee. Need I say more?

Vanilla Caramel coffee creamer - because it makes one great thing even better!
Area rugs. I have wood floors in the house and this time of year it gets a bit chilly walking through the house on a cool morning. 

To do lists. I used to hate them. But I am finding out they are a great tool to keep myself from going crazy trying to keep track of everything.

These are just a few things that I am grateful for today. Like I said, they may sound silly to many of you, but I am sure you all have your own little things in life that if you just stopped and thought about it - you would realize how much they mean to you. We have to stop and appreciate all of the little things that God blesses us with every single day, every passing moment. It helps us to appreciate His love for us even more when we recognize all of the little details in our lives that He cares about and tailors to our exact needs in the moment. 

There are of course, many other things and people in my life that I am grateful for, and I will get to those later. I am sure over the next 30 days I will realize just how much I have to be grateful for - things that I have yet to fully realize and recognize. But for now, I am going to focus on those little things. Those little details that He has created just for my pleasure this morning. 

(Graphic by Google Images)