Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~ Author Unknown

Peace and blessings to you and yours on this Thanksgiving…

I found this on the ‘net…what do you see when you look out the window?

There were once two men, both seriously ill, in the same small room of a great hospital. Quite a small room, just large enough for the pair of them - two beds, two bedside lockers, a door opening on the hall, and one window looking out on the world.

One of the men, as part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon, (something that had to do with draining the fluid from his lungs) and his bed was next to the window.

But the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back - and both of them had to be kept quiet and still. Which was the reason they were in the small room by themselves, and they were grateful for peace and privacy - none of the bustle and clatter and prying eyes of the general ward for them.

Of course, one of the disadvantages of their condition was that they weren’t allowed much to do: no reading, no radio, certainly no television - they just had to keep quiet and still, just the two of them.

They used to talk for hours and hours - about their wives, their children, their homes their former jobs, their hobbies, their childhood, what they did during the war, where they had been on vacations - all that sort of thing. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed next to the window was propped up for his hour, he would pass the time by describing what he could see outside. And the other man began to live for those hours.

The window apparently overlooked a park with a lake where there were ducks and swans, children throwing them bread and sailing model boats, and young lovers walking hand in hand beneath the trees. And there were flowers and stretches of grass and games of softball, people taking their ease in the sunshine, and right at the back, behind the fringe of the tress, a fine view of the city skyline.

The man on his back would listen to all of this, enjoying every minute how a child nearly fell into the lake, how beautiful the girls were in their summer dresses, and then an exciting ball game, or a boy playing with his puppy. It got to the place that he could almost see what was happening outside.

Then one fine afternoon, when there was some sort of parade, the thought struck him: Why should the man next to the window have all the pleasure of seeing what was going on? Why shouldn’t he get the chance?

He felt ashamed and tried not to think like that, but the more he tried, the worse he wanted to change. He’d do anything!

In a few days he had turned sour. He should be by the window. And he brooded and couldn’t sleep, and grew even more seriously ill - which none of the doctors understood.

One night, as he stared at the ceiling, the other man (the man next to the window) suddenly woke up coughing and choking, the fluid congesting in his lungs, his hands groping for the button that would bring the night nurse running. But the man continued to stare at the ceiling.

In the morning, the day nurse came in with water for their baths and found the other man dead. They took away his body, quietly, no fuss.

As soon as it seemed decent, the man asked if he could be moved to the bed next to the window. And they moved him, tucked him in, and made him quite comfortable, and left him alone to be quiet and still.

The minute they’d gone, he propped himself up on one elbow, painfully and labouriously, and looked out the window. It faced a blank wall.

~ Taken from “Growing Deep - Exploring the Roots of Our Faith”, by Charles R. Swindoll.

First, an invitation…join us on November 3 as we engage in a time of prayer and fasting for this election. We have run the road, and the finish line is in sight. On November 3rd, it is our hope that you will stop for a moment to steady yourselves and pray, no matter the outcome of this election…

When: November 3, 2008

Time: Noon - 1P

Instead of eating, let us all “join hands in prayer” for:

1. The Hand of God to move in a mighty way over this election.

2. The election to be handled in a fair and honest manner and in a way that pleases God.

3. The protection of Obama and his family.

* If you are on medication and have to eat something during that time, ask God to speak to your heart and tell you what to give up.
* I am adding a 4th item to list of what to pray for and that is that the results of the election will not result in any activity or events that will further divide the citizenry of this nation

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Second, an anthem. We are here…our hands, our bodies, our minds…it may be rough sometimes, but we are beautiful, and we are here. Life deals us hardness, is sometimes unfair and doesn’t make sense…but we must make the most of what is here.

video credit: originally uploaded to YouTube on September 3, 2007 by 11Laurie

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.” God brews the coffee, not the cups………. Enjoy your coffee! 

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

~ Author unknown

I have spent the past few days down about a situation. But through my prayers, my eyes have been opened to realize that all of this going on is for me to rise up to what I am to be. I am grateful for everything that has been put before me, for everything that I have been given…because I know that I have been given everything I need to handle it, to overcome it, to face it head on.

video credit: originally uploaded to YouTube on May 14, 2008 by babygirl41099

Watch and hear…

video credit: originally uploaded to YouTube on September 8, 2008 by TonioTV1

To calm your soul, to ease your mind, to warm your spirit…

Psalm 37    

I try to live my life this way…Happy Sunday to you and yours…

Sorry I’m late…

It’s going to be okay…what appears to be, isn’t. And when you seem to be losing, remember that there is a plan…stick to it, and it will be alright…

video credit: originally uploaded to YouTube on December 16, 2007 by LamontCJ

When I used to go to church regularly, the 23rd Psalm was repeated every Sunday as part of the worship service. Looking back on those times, I recall standing there, repeating the words…but not really taking in the true meaning. It is one thing to read your Bible; it is quite another to take those words in and understand them and determine how they apply to your life.

As you know, I read my Bible nightly. And I have ventured into the Book of Psalms and came across the 23rd Psalms a couple of nights ago and the meaning has attached itself to me in a new way. Maybe because I have released control of my life to God and am following him where he leads me to, or maybe it is because I’m older and a bit wiser…whatever the case, the words of this Psalm bring me comfort and assure me that I am never alone and am blessed. I offer these words to you on this Sunday morning…

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.