First Steps – November 26, 2018
A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a local Rabbi about the concept of Thanksgiving. He told me of a Jewish prayer that is uttered first thing in the morning. The moment one awakes and before one’s feet hit the ground, there is a prayer of thanksgiving for another day of life. Gratitude is an attitude and state of being. It is the doorway to joy.
The task for all of us is, “Can we see everything in terms of gratitude?” Normally when we think of gratitude or thanksgiving, we focus on the big four: Faith, Family, Health, and Freedom. For right reasons, we are thankful for God’s love, our core relationships, good health, and the freedoms we enjoy by living in the United States.
But is that everything? My rabbinical friend would say the real test is whether you can be thankful when the alarm goes off early in the morning, when the gutters need to be cleaned out, or when you have to pay your taxes? What about when you have to cleanup the kitchen, get the oil changed in your car, or wait in line at the grocery store? Can we be thankful for those things? After all, the alarm clock is a reminder that you are alive, the gutters mean you have a home to live in, the taxes we pay mean we live in a country that has freedom as its core value, the kitchen mess means you have food to eat, the changed oil means you have a vehicle, and the grocery line means you have enough to purchase food. As menially frustrating as each task may be, the larger lesson is to see everything as a gift that has been given by God.
This week I hope you will join me in this prayer: “Gracious God, help me to see beyond the surface level of things. Teach me the joyful lesson that all things are a gift. Lord, I want to be this type of person who is grateful in everything. Cultivate that spiritual trait inside of me. Amen.”
This week’s reading:
- Monday – Hebrews 12
- Tuesday – Hebrews 13
- Wednesday – James 1
- Thursday – James 2
- Friday – James 3
Please Pray for:
- Our nation and our leaders.
- Our families, homes, workplace, church, and community.
- Those that are suffering and grieving.
- Ongoing Building Renovations, Modifications, and Phase 3: Construction completion of the New Youth Building and rear parking.
- The United Methodist Church.
TBT: A Ukraine Mission Flashback from 2012
Tammy Reynolds reminisces: “One of my very favorite videos of all the mission trips to the orphanages in Ukraine! How appropriate for this to be the “Throwback Thursday” video for Thanksgiving. The number of times that the children say thank you in this video are almost too many to keep up with! For all of the “thank yous” that are not verbalized, just take a look at the big smiles on everyone’s faces, orphan children as well as the St. Paul team, and know that those grins are full of gratitude as well!!”
This Past Sunday’s Children Sermon
First Steps – November 19, 2018
This week—Thanksgiving Week—kicks off the holiday season for many of us. Life is now full-speed ahead! As I look at my calendar I see nothing but one event after another. Although many events are packed with fun and merriment, they are taxing. So, if you’re life is like mine, then I offer some words of wisdom from Beth Richardson, a Christian devotional writer.
She wrote:
Humans process 500,000 bits of information per day. That works out to 110 bits of information per second. While this may sound quite impressive, it quantifies the fact that our nervous systems can barely process two conversations taking place at the same time. … It’s not about our ability to multitask … it’s just how we’re made.
That must be why many of us are feeling quite overwhelmed and short on time. …
During the last ten to fifteen years, many of us have added cell phones, e-mail, the web, and a 24/7 urgency to our environment. …
There isn’t, of course, any way to create more minutes in a day or more days in a week. It’s not healthy to get by on less sleep or learn better how to multitask. I think the key to finding time lies in a couple of things:
Being intentional about spiritual practice. I must sink my roots deep into God’s Spirit every day. When I take time for God, it makes a difference in how I function in the day . . .
Carving out space inside for God — no matter what situation I’m in. Finding time is not just about “clock time,” it’s also a combination of discipline and internal spaciousness that helps me connect with God even when I’m sitting in traffic, overcome with anxiety, or surrounded by a crowd.
As we begin this wonderful but crazy time of the year, remind yourself that you control your own schedule so be intentional and carve out the needed space for God.
This week’s reading:
- Monday – Hebrews 7
- Tuesday – Hebrews 8
- Wednesday – Hebrews 9
- Thursday – Hebrews 10
- Friday – Hebrews 11
Please Pray for:
- Our nation and our leaders
- Our families, homes, workplace, church, and community
- Those that are suffering and grieving
- Ongoing Building Renovations, Modifications, and Phase 3: Construction of New Youth Building and rear parking.
- The United Methodist Church.
Throw Back Thursdays! “Would you…Could you…?”
Our “Way-Back” machine stopped on August 28, 2014 and focuses in on our wonderful Preschool! There’s no stopping the preschool teachers from getting “wet behind the ears” in this one. Enjoy!