From the Pastor

November 2007

Things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day

Family and friends (and extra time to spend with them)
Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and pie (and extra turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and pie)
Football (and extra games to watch)
Shopping opportunities (and extra ads in the newspaper)
The abundance we are often privileged to experience

Things to be thankful for on “ordinary days”

Faith and the privilege of sharing it
Family and friends
Food, shelter, and health care
Leisure time to rest and re-create
The opportunity to share our resources with others
The abundance we are blessed to experience, in ways large and small, every day

Gratitude is not something to limit to one day each year. We are all so very blessed; perhaps not all of us materially, nor all of us with "ideal" relationships, but we are blessed in that we are all loved and valued by our God, and we are all given gifts to use for God's glory. Every day, we are given glimpses of the lavish love and care God has for us: a kind word spoken to us, a moment spent in prayer, an opportunity to share God's love with someone else through word or action, a clear and crisp autumn day that sparkles with God's creative genius. These are but a few examples of the abundance that is in our lives, abundance which compels us to thanksgiving.

I encourage you to be intentional about finding occasions for gratitude and thanksgiving every day. After all, God is good … all the time. Shouldn't our thankfulness be as constant?

In Christ,
Pastor Brenda