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Archive for November, 2014

More Than a Feeling – It’s a Lifestyle

Posted in Community, Formation, Motivational on November 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Here we are at the beginning of Thanksgiving week.  This week most of us will celebrate family, football and food – lots of food.  It will be a glorious time to reconnect with family and catch up.  When we are around our loved ones we are often reminded of our heritage and how truly blessed we are with family.

It is good that we set aside time during the year to consider our blessings.  It is very easy to get pulled into the daily routine that is our life and fail to see how blessed we really are – so setting aside time to remember is a good thing.

But I want to give you something to think about this week as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Being thankful should be more than a feeling and certainly more than a holiday once per year where we stop for a few minutes before devouring turkey and dressing, and all the other things that come with a Thanksgiving meal, and offer a quick prayer of thanks.

When we consider what God has done for us, we should be filled with awe and gratitude.  This thankfulness should be so ingrained in who we are that it drives our lifestyle – our decisions and actions.  Being thankful – really thankful – should affect the way we live, not just give us pause one day per year.

So as you are gathering around a bountiful table with friends and family this week, think about how being thankful should be a part of who we are next week as well.

Give thanks!

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Contentment Breeds Gratitude

Posted in Grace, Hope on November 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Here we are with the season of Thanksgiving upon us.  Two weeks from now our highways will be busy with people traveling to reconnect with family.  Turkeys will be prepared for tables all over this country.  Aromas will fill the air of thousands of homes and televisions will be tuned to football.

These are just a few of the elements of the season.  But where does actually giving thanks play into the mix?

Maybe a better question is “Are we truly thankful?”  If so, what are thankful for and to whom are we grateful?

Part of the problem with thankfulness is that at the foundation of gratitude is contentment.  And in our culture, we have grown up with such a sense of entitlement that we are rarely content with anything.  We expect more, we desire bigger, we feel we deserve better – when in reality, we are really not that important in the grand scheme of things.  Contrary to my ego, the world does not revolve around me.

When we remember that we are small but God is big – that what we have is a gift – then contentment begins to grow and contentment breeds gratitude.

So today, realize that all the blessings that you possess are not because you deserve them but rather that you have a loving Father that simply has blessed you.

And give thanks!

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Hope For Today

Posted in Community, Hope on November 10, 2014| 2 Comments »

What happens when your world gets turned upside down?  What do you do when there is nothing you can do?  Where do you turn?

Regardless of what your world looks like today – remember this:

Before time began, God’s name was I Am.

When God called Moses to do something great for the people of Israel, God’s name was I Am.

Before this nation in which we live was formed, God’s name was I Am.

Before you were born, God’s name was I Am.

Before your world fell apart, God’s name was I Am.

Today, God’s name is still, I Am.

And long after you and I are just a memory here on earth, God’s name will still be I Am.

It doesn’t matter what is going on in your world today, it is not a surprise to God.  God is still on the throne and still in control.

Just remember that today and take heart!

Be blessed.

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