A COVID Thanksgiving!

 

We are celebrating a COVID Thanksgiving. Let's pray that holiday travel and celebrations do not triple the infections as happened in September. Below is my Thanksgiving Devotion from God Is My Spinach.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

 

01123 Thanksgiving 

"As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so live in him, rooted and built up in
him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving".

(Colossians 2:6-7) 

            June and I are especially thankful for a family running event we started in 1990, now called the Turkey Day 5K. Each year we are tearfully proud when 10,000 plus runners, walkers, pets, and wheelchair participants enjoy their Thanksgiving morning in downtown Minneapolis. As an aside, but probably more important, will be the contributions of food and cash that will be received by the Second Harvest food shelf. We both feel blessed that the Lord inspired us to start this event and placed people in our path who have made it special. 

             Thanksgiving is the traditional start of what we call the holiday season. While giving thanks we must be aware and focus on the good rewarding parts of our lives.

 

In his book, With All My Strength, H. Norman Wright puts it this way, "Thanksgiving is not to be limited to only the times when we are aware of blessings. Let us give thanks even when we have a problem to solve when there are difficulties to be met.  At these times, we give thanks to God for unconditional love and goodness, for unlimited wisdom and abundance. When we give thanks continually, we are rejuvenated- spirit, mind, and body."

    Let us hold those thoughts and be thankful for all of our blessings.

Thought for Today: Let us focus on giving thanks to God for the love we have for each other and the support we both give and receive.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we give you thanks for our friends, families, and our troubles. Yes, we give you thanks for our financial crises, our family stress, and the waves in our seas of tranquility. Through our troubles, we learn to pray and appreciate the many blessings that seem greater when compared with the ripples of life. We give you thanks for our lives, your love, and your Grace. 

Amen 

  

Universal Hope!

 Universal Hope

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.”

(Psalm 19v1-4) 

The holiday season is a time of hope. The Psalmist notes that there is one clear message from the heavens, one God with one message in all tongues to all peoples. This encourages us to believe that there is hope for universal understanding and someday world peace. 

We live in a troubled world. This year along with the Pandemic there have been natural disasters, terrorism, attacks in schools, layoffs, and too many ungodly events. They capture the headlines. It is reasonable to question God’s role in all of this.  

                We need to remember that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands,” The press and media report on other issues so it is up to us to focus on the message and live a life of faith; display a strong spirit! It is our time to infect the world with faith, peace, and hope.

The parable of the seeds points out the greatness of a well-planted thought. John F. Kennedy said it this way, "One person can make a difference and every person must try." 

Thought for Today:  There will be bad news and will hear it, see it, and sometimes feel it. We need to overcome it with the faith and hope of the Lord. Let us show others our spirit; Be that one person! 

Prayer: Dear Lord, this is the time of year when all faiths celebrate you. We celebrate your presence in different ways with the common thread of thanks, love, and peace. This season we pray for the guidance to share our faith so that we may sow a seeds in your name!

Always Friends

 We approach this busy holiday season with COVID on our minds. June and I are planning Thanksgiving dinner for two. Normally we would be in downtown Minneapolis with over 10,000 others at the Turkey Day 5K that started at our home in the 1980s. We will miss our friends but will pray for you and all of them! Stay safe and enjoy this season!  

Always Friends 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

 clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

(Colossians 3, 12-14; NIV) 

            Most of us have a problem with feeling like one of “God’s chosen people”. The control freak in us wants to believe that we chose to follow Him. That is ego-centric and introspective. We all know that we chase Him until he catches us. In our lives, who are “God’s Chosen” and what do they do?  

            This month is Thanksgiving and one of my traditions is to do Christmas cards. Each card that gets addressed is to someone special. The addressees have all played a role in my life. Each in some way has been a friend, advisor, mentor, coach, etc. What a wonderful feeling it is to sit there and think about each of them (you). Are they God’s chosen people?  

            There is a priest in the UK who included me in his daily prayers during my cancer period, another is a running buddy of over thirty-five years duration, and several former pastors who were spiritual advisors… the list goes on. The holiday season is a great opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and life. It also a chance to think of the many people God has placed into our lives that have demonstrated to us “… compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...” 

Thought for Today: This week let us simply think about our friends. Let us remember why they are, who they are, and what they mean to us. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we have many blessings that you have given to us. Among them are our friends and contacts. Each of them is in some way a blessing. This week we offer our prayers for their health and happiness and thank you for presenting them to us and that we may all get through this 2020 holiday season healthy and thankful!

Amen

For my friends who celebrate Diwali!

 

Be Real

 

Be Real 

“Love must be sincere.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

   Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

 Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

(Romans 12v9-13)           

            Open and honest is a great way to go through life. Where did Jesus end up when he tried it? There are two answers. One is “On the Cross”. The Christian answer is “At the right hand of God”. In our world, it is sometimes a good idea to keep our thoughts to ourselves. Sometimes being open or real will cost you and in workplaces differing from the opinion of the leadership can hurt your career. At church, differences are often divisive and we need to pray about that. 

In 2005, at my workplace, I chose to be open and honest with a new vice president of the company. My openness accelerated my retirement and ended my employment. It is something that is OK at age 66 but would have been a crushing blow at age 55. It is an issue that all faithful Christians have to deal with. 

As we travel through life we always need to work to keep bread on the table. Sometimes we will be tempted to hold back for self-preservation. We do need to “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” In the long run, we work for the Lord, but there is a fine line that we need to walk in life! 

Thought for Today: We often have to make decisions regarding "being real". Today let us focus on demonstrating sincerity, zeal, and joy through the patience we are blessed with through Jesus. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we are surrounded by the love of Jesus as we approach the holiday season. It is a time of social pressures as well as great joy. Today we pray for those who have a problem experiencing this joy. We pray that they find the belief and experience the circumstance that will give them everlasting peace. Amen