THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, Hebrews 12:28

THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS

I hope you all had a Blessed Thanksgiving.

Seven people decided to pray for our church and each picked a day. Tuesday is my day and since it was close to Thanksgiving, I looked up the words thank, thanksgiving and thankful, in the concordance. There were twenty-nine scriptures listed. I think God wants us to be a thankful people.

As I sat in the church, I realized we have so much to be thankful for: A wonderful building, minister, staff, choir, musicians, teachers, those willing to serve, the pew warmers, hymnals and even collection plates. Thankful for handshakes, hugs, smiles and tears.

As I sat there, I was thankful for baptism, communion, salvation, grace and mended lives. As I sat there, I pictured the couples that said, "I do." and all of the people that have said goodbye to a loved one.

Yes, I am thankful for the building, but I am most thankful and grateful for the people that make it a church.

When I do my prayer time, I journal because if I try to just sit and pray, my mind wonders. If I journal, an hour of prayer flies by. The first part of my time was on Thanksgiving, but then my eyes returned to Hebrews 12:28 and all I could think about was Christmas.

Christmas and gift giving. Hebrews 12:28 says "we are receiving a kingdom." This is how I finished my prayer time and how I will end the blog for today:

Lord, I am receiving a kingdom! How could I not be thankful? Christmas is coming and this verse tells me I am receiving a kingdom! Lord, look at me. I am happy, ecstatic, grateful, humble, excited, joyful, jumping up and down, shouting to the world, wound up tighter than an eight-day clock, hands in the air, eyes turned to heaven thankful. Wow - I AM RECEIVING A KINGDOM! Thank you. Thank you. Amen and Amen.

PS: I just hope God is this excited that I am coming!!!

THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4 (From Eugene H. Peterson's The Message)

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME

"I was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time." How often have you said that?

We use that comment when a deer comes out of the woods and runs into our car. We use that phrase when the waiter trips and spills someone else's dinner in our lap. We use that phrase - Well we use that phrase to make sense of random accidents.

"I was just in the right place, at the right time." How often have you said that?

Just this morning, November 19, 2009, two friends told about being in the right place, at the right time. Joe and Penny.

Penny is an artist and had attended an art workshop. "The people were so friendly and helpful. They gave each other tips on cleaning brushes. And how to ship paintings." she said. Then she told us about being "in the right place, at the right time."

A fellow artist has cancer and Penny just learned that his wife was also diagnosed with cancer. Penny was very troubled and needed to share her concern. She needed to tell someone. So Penny spoke to the next person that walked by. To someone she had only met a few days earlier. To someone she did not really know. To this lady, she said, "I have a friend just diagnosed with cancer and I am so worried."

How was Penny in the right place, at the right time? The one lady Penny chose to talk to needed to talk to someone, but did not know how to start the conversation. She listened to Penny and then said, "I have cancer and have just finished treatments." She then talked about further treatments and surgery.

The right place, at the right time. Two women who each needed someone to listen to them. Someone who would understand. What a gift Penny gave to someone who needed to say, "I have cancer. Do I look alright?"

What Penny did not know was that her husband was touring a museum that day. Then Joe told us about being "in the right place, at the right time."

Joe said he had a great history lesson from an elderly gentleman who had always lived in this town. Then he toured the museum and there saw a picture of someone he knew. Joe is a Marine (Once a Marine, always a Marine) who served in Viet Nam. The Marine in the picture had served with Joe. He found there was still family in town and he went to see them.

The right place, at the right time. Because Joe saw a picture, in a museum he did not know existed, in a town he had never been to before, he was able to talk to a family about a young soldier who did not survive the war. What a gift Joe gave that family.

Being in the right place, at the right time -- Just luck? No, the scriptures tell us, "he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

And God? God is always in the right place, at the right time.

LET US PRAY

Dear Loving and Compassionate God, Please put me in the right place, at the right time. Place me where I can hear another's concerns. Where I can give comfort. Place me where I can encourage. Where I can offer a memory of a loved one. Where I can wipe away a tear. Where, even for just an instant, I can extend your love to another. And, Lord, when I need comfort. Or someone to listen to my concerns. When I need someone to wipe a tear away, please put one of your children in the right place, at the right time for me. Amen

RANDOM SCRIPTURES

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: COLOSSIANS 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.

RANDOM SCRIPTURES

Because I have never been good at memorization, I spend a lot of time in the general index and concordance of my Bible. To find the appropriate scripture for my blog, I usually read ten or twelve. And that is after going through the concordance looking at key words. God chuckles every time I have trouble finding what I am looking for. It is His way of making me search His Word. Today I would like to share some of my favorite scriptures.

When I am feeling, "Well, Mary aren't you something!" I read Job 38 - 41. Yes all of them. God tells Job, "Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer." God then ask Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?" For Job, it goes downhill from there. Believe me, if God told me to brace myself, I would be scared to death. Yes, these chapters put pride in its place.

Psalm 34:4 is a comfort when afraid. "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

Every morning remember Psalm 143:8. "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go for to you I lift up my soul."

Many times, the verse that says mega tons about my day is Isaiah 48:18. "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

And, when one of those days happens, offer Psalm 141:1-2. "Oh Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice."

Always remember 1 John 3:1. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

2 Samuel 22:31 says, "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless." What do we do with God's flawless Word? James 1:22 tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

God just smiled. "Yes, Mary. Read and then do it."

I had to find just one more scripture didn't I?

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Are you good at memorizing? What is your favorite scripture? Do you have a way of keeping track of scriptures that jump out at you?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY: 1 Timothy 1:17

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen

ONCE UPON A TIME

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. Psalm 45:13

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but through the washings of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time - That phrase just kept coming into my mind. Once upon a time - The way fairy tales begin. Once upon a time - The way the grandkids and I begin a story that ends up being about them. Once upon a time -

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a baby girl born. This baby had an older brother and sister. Her father was a truck driver and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. When she was five, she became a big sister to a little baby girl. This fair princess loved to read, hit a baseball and go swimming. But she did not like to iron or work in the garden. Day by day, the princess went through life until one day a handsome stranger ordered a malt at the drive-in where she worked. The handsome stranger said, "Let me take you away from all of this." The princess looked at the handsome stranger, realized he was a prince in disguise, and said, "Yes." And they are living happily today.

Once upon a time, in a land very close by, a princess, a bit past her prime, was not feeling very good. Her stomach did not like it when she ate those greasy fries or chili that was anywhere above mild on the heat scale. What was the princess to do? She really did like chili. The princess called upon the royal doctor and the doctor quickly said, "You are having gallbladder attacks. You need surgery. But never fear this is a simple procedure." The prince, leaving the truck in the royal garage, drove the royal car to the hospital and made sure the princess was on time for her surgery. All of the doctors and nurses bowed and the princess put on a designer hospital gown of gold. As the princess was given that last bit of "go to sleep now" juice, the doctors put on their royal blue surgical gowns and surgery began. But, alas, it seems the instructions for this to be a simple procedure had been misplaced. The princess died on the table. But remember, this is a fairy tale. The princess survived and is living happily today.

Once upon a time, in a land extremely close by, a princess said, "Wow, I get to celebrate two birthdays every year. The day I was born and the day I survived." Then with a very big, royal smile, the princess said, "Oh, I get to celebrate three birthdays every year."

This princess knows how to count and happily celebrates three birthdays every year.

I celebrate November 7th. That is my birthday and I will be 63. A great age.

I celebrate September 2. That is when I had my surgery and am glad God was not ready to have me as a full time resident in heaven.

Mainly, this princess celebrates every day. I celebrate my rebirth as a loved child of God.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

When is your birthday? How do you celebrate?

LET US PRAY

Psalm 139 says God created your inmost being. That God knit you in your mother's womb.

You are a special, unique person. There is no other person in the world like you. God made you and he has a plan just for you. Today, please take time to thank God for creating you.