NOVEMBER 24, 2016

“To savor the simple privilege that every day I have a sunrise to bathe in, a storehouse of opportunities to romp through, the thick wrap of relationships to keep me warm, a God who meticulously tends to every detail round about me, and it all costs me not a dime. What madness would keep me from being eternally thankful for all that?” 
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

EZEKIEL 32-33

14And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. (33:14-16) 

1 PETER 1

22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.^b 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For,

“All people are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

25but the word of the Lord endures forever.”^c

And this is the word that was preached to you.

JOURNAL 

Thanksgiving Day. This is definitely my favorite Holiday next to Christmas and in many ways it may be my favorite. Christmas is so magical and has so many good memories but the money and commercial aspect of it do taint it somewhat. Thanksgiving though is just about family and being thankful, without a lot of expectations or pomp and circumstance. It kicks off the Christmas season and it is definitely the kickoff of my favorite time of year.

For that reason I cherish it and all the memories that go with it. It is this spirit and the grace of these memories that I have held onto in difficult times. The power that family and community coming together around a holiday that's about nothing but being thankful is truly a gift that I often have taken for granted.  

I wonder what it would be like to live with the spirit of this Holiday everyday...In reading through scripture I really think this is what we are called to do...I believe this is what the church is supposed to be. To be a refuge from the world that is full of grace and thanksgiving...good food, warm fires, games and fun and a day that things shut down in order to focus on all that we are blessed with and all that we love. 

But as I have learned, the church is not a building or a place but rather it is an action and spirit that works in and among us. God's church can be found anywhere, for God is everywhere. So his church is found when we pause and celebrate and are thankful for all that he has provided. It is found when we enjoy the blessing of each other and remember that life would not be the blessing it is without our family and friends and all those people that make up the wonder of our lives. 

I am richly blessed in so many ways...my hope is that today and in days to come I would be   reminded that blessings come in so many shapes and sizes but the ones that matter the most are those that involve others. They are the ones that I am reminded of on this day. Thank you Father for life, family, friends, community, this country and our world. They all have their problems but they are made good because of your spirit and your love.

1Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

3For the Lord is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

4In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

5The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

6Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

7for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

PSALM 95:1-7