Be Thankful!

This is a re-post from 11/24/11. Blessings!

 

...Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

~ Col. 3: 12-15 NLT

     We have so much to be thankful for every day. In spite of the many historical controversies surrounding Thanksgiving Day, thankfulness should be a part of every day if we have life. Even if everything around us is going completely wrong, we can still give thanks and praise to God:

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

~Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT)

       Being thankful doesn't mean that we are in denial about our situation, it is really about humbling ourselves and trusting God to work things out for us in His way.  We give thanks in the midst of the situation, (not for it) and believe by faith that He will give us wisdom, guidance, and peace until we get through it, knowing that He always has our best intrests at heart.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

~1 Thess. 5:18 (NLT)

        There are many who will say that they have absolutely nothing to be grateful for, and are angry at God for the way their lives are going. The Word says that people would be increasingly ungrateful in the last days..

...in the last days there will be very difficult times.  For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

~1 Tim 3:1-3

     Don't be counted among the ungrateful ones! Give thanks and praise to God at all times. He's done so much for us that we can never thank Him enough. Have a Happy Thanksgiving today, and every day.

Giving Honor...Always!

              

I thank my God for all the memories I have of you. ~ Phil. 1:13 (GWT)

                      

     It's been awhile since I put up a new blog post, lots has been going on and my promise is still to only post when I have something real to say. Recently, a dear friend and fellow worshiping artist departed this life, and I had the opportunity to share some words at her repast after the service. She was a true gift from God and a friend in every definition. When we realize the power of friendship, we will hopefully learn to be more supportive of one another, more Christlike in our behavior, and more understanding of our differences. When that happens, there will be no room for competition...I believe that we wouldn't even want to compete with one another if we really realized the power of friendship. No, everyone will not be our friend, and we can't be friends with everyone. But, we can be kinder and treat others as Christ would treat them.

     Cynthia Manker was a prolific writer, actor, communicator, motivator, public relations and media specialist, and most of all, a true worshiper of Christ. She lived in the revelation of Ephesians 6:13 "...After having done all...Stand". Even when she could no longer physically stand, her spirit stood tall. She was a wonderful friend to me, and we worked together in the same drama ministry for six years. These are the words I had the opportunity to speak about her today:

     August 6, 1998 was not only my birthday, it was the day that God blessed me with one of the greatest gifts I would ever have, a friend named Cynthia. On stage and off, we were complete opposites in almost everything, in height, in taste, in animals: I loved cats, she thought they were sneaky, she watched TV, I got rid of mine.  She was the extrovert, I was the introvert, when I would stress out, she would see the bright side.   If there were a theme song for our friendship, it would be: "Count on Me" but I won’t sing. I called to cry on her shoulder many a night and she would listen and never once judge me, but wouldn’t hesitate to call me out if I was in the wrong.  Once, she talked me into being part of her clown act “Quacky & Company” at a church picnic, (she was Quacky, I was Company) and I went along, being the willing drama student that I was. It was my first and last time EVER being a clown but that’s another story. But for 17 years, we were in each other’s corner, at our best, and at our worst. We both loved the Lord, and watching The Hoarders because we were afraid of becoming pack rats. Our running joke was “Cynthia, find my show”. She was my friend, and I will miss her.

     Cynthia was a reader of my blog, and I'm glad we shared many ministry times together, as well as a great friendship. Today's blog is dedicated to her, to remind everyone to honor those who you work with in ministry, whether you sing together, dance together, mime, act, do music or visual art. You never know when you won't have those times again. So, love them, uplift them, and support them!

Blessings...

Grateful...Grateful...Grateful!

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

I Cor 3:25 (NLT)

    November is known for the many preparations we make for the Thanksgiving season, whether we believe in the tradition of celebrating for one day or just enjoy gathering with family and friends over delicious meals, we can all agree that we all have much to be grateful for everyday. Even when we think that we have nothing to give thanks for, as long as we are still alive, we can be thankful for hope. Someone else is watching how we deal with our situations so they can learn how to handle their own difficulties.

     During this season, it's also a blessing to learn how to enjoy the things that we have already received, as we watch the blessings that are already in progress. The temptation to focus on what we don't have can be very great and can keep us in a cycle of constant frustration and unhappiness, which is a trick of the enemy. Sometimes it's a challenge to be happy for others when their lives seem to be progressing at a faster rate than ours...but as worshipers of Christ, we must always remember that our life path is a combination of God's will and our choices. We can't change His plans but we can make changes that are in our control. What is out of our control, we must learn to accept! If we think about it long enough, there are many things that we can change that can make our lives more manageable:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

     This Thanksgiving and all year, let's look at life from a place of gratefulness, and enjoy what we have right now. Tomorrow is not promised...so ask God to give us a heart and mind to appreciate everything good that is around us. Life becomes so much more beautiful when we are grateful!

     Please enjoy this video by my artist friend, Cherie Romar: