Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 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 incredibly thankful for a family running event we started in 1990 called the Turkey Day 5K. We are tearfully proud each year when thousands of runners, walkers, pets, and wheelchair participants enjoy their Thanksgiving morning in downtown Minneapolis. There will be food and cash contributions to the Sa local charity. 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. We thank God for unconditional love and goodness, unlimited wisdom, and abundance at these times. Let us give thanks even when we have a problem to solve when there are difficulties to be met. We are rejuvenated when we give thanks continually in 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 our love 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. We thank you for our financial crises, family stress, and the waves in our seas of tranquility. Through our problems, we learn to pray and appreciate the many blessings that seem greater than life's ripples. We thank you for our lives, love, and Grace. Amen

The Dali Lama

The Dalai Lama “Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6 vs. 27) June and I have the ability to enjoy our lives, both the pitfalls and the pleasures. We strongly believe that the Lord has been involved in our lives and led us to enjoy simple pleasures. We both believe that the ability to put the events into perspective is our greatest blessing through our faith. A Christian friend forwarded this to me. It does not describe a person of faith but is accurate for those who have not developed a spiritual lifestyle. The Dalai Lama, when asked about what surprised him most about humanity, answered, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health to make money. Then, he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives like he is never going to die, and he dies having never really lived.” Maybe we can help the friends being referred to by the Dalai Lama. Thought for Today: Who in our circle of friends resembles the Dalai Lama’s description? It could be a family member, neighbor, friend, or church member. Let’s think about that and find a way to share our faith with them. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today, let us pray for those who have not included Christ in their lives, those who are spiritually weak and worried about physical rather than Godly issues. We pray for them and ask you for a way to help, a way to share, and a way to contribute to their spiritual growth.

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, ...There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." (1 Corinthians 12:1-6 NIV) Often, the bible mentions the gifts given to us by the Lord. However, in every case, the same Spirit is mentioned. Think about what that means to all of us. Think about us as a team, a Christian body placed on earth to do God's work. Not alone but as a team. I have always preferred working with a partner. I believe that two people working as a team is four times better than the best of the two working alone. If that is true, how powerful is a small congregation working together doing God's work? In the 2004 Super Bowl, the New England Patriots came out to play without the TV Network's usual fanfare of individual introductions. They came and won as a team. Last week, the newspaper's sports page was dedicated to the state girls' soccer championship. It listed the rosters of the two finalists and the state's all-star team. No all-stars were listed on the two teams' rosters playing in the finals. The championship teams won as a team without any all-stars. We need each other; our Christian family must get the job done. So we all "have different gifts but the same spirit." We can all participate and use these gifts to do God's work, but we do not have the gifts to do it alone. Thought for Today: Let us focus on our talents and God's gifts to us. Let us recognize our gifts and use them to do God's work. Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask, "What is it all about?" We pray to you for the ability to better understand it all. We pray for the ability to recognize our gifts and the knowledge of how to utilize them to help. Amen

He Comes Through

He Comes Through “Praise the Lord, I tell myself, “With my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, And never forget the good things He does for me.” (Psalm 103 v 1 & 2) Every day the Lord gives us blessings. It is easy to forget the role He plays in our lives in our busyness. Here are three events that made me think of the Lord this week. Early in the week, a friend and I discussed what we prayed about. They were guidance, support, internal peace, and several others. It was apparent that neither of us prayed for favors or help. We realized that through prayer, good things would happen. Last week, a twenty nine year old hocker player died from a skate related injiry. Why? That is a big question and certainly something that makes people doubt. When the final reports are in on this, somehow, good will come from his young life. It is too soon for mortals to understand. The third event that brought the Lord to the forefront was a Good News buddy from San Diego correspondence about his return home after a firestorm that ravaged his neighborhood. There were, 15 of 47 houses destroyed on his street, plus the sanctuary of his church. Here are the words he used in closing his correspondence: “Truly, God is good. Many lessons are to be learned, and many prayers are answered. To God be the Glory.” Thought for Today: Today will be just like many others. Our calendars are crowded, we will have unreasonable demands on our time, and we will need to focus on making it all happen. Let’s take a few minutes and think about the Lord’s role in our lives with that in mind. Let’s let Him into our day. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we pray to see the results of your participation in our lives and the ability to accept what we do not understand. We trust that good things will happen. Amen

Our Rock

Pray for world peace.

Our Rock “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2 vs. 2) Growing up in New England, we often fished in streams and frequently crossed them by stepping from rock to rock. We got cold and wet when we stepped on a loose one or slipped. The analogy to the passage is that we chose the wrong rock! That is not an option with God. The Lord is the rock of our life, our foundation, and always with us. We forget that simple truth; we will not let Him in to help when we feel lonely. During those times, we can feel cold and lonely. (Hopefully not wet.) Prayer and devotionals will help that situation. If you are reading this today, you are probably sitting squarely on the rock. Thought for Today: Let’s be aware of our foundation, our rock. Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, I recognize you and thank you for being my rock and foundation. I pray to identify someone who has slipped from your rock and help them. Amen

Eisenhower's Birthday!

Pray for world peace on Eisenhower's birthday

Eisenhower “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3 vs. 6) We are in some way the light, ministers of the gospel, or promoters of the Holy Spirit. That is a part of the covenant we make when we join the Christian church. That is a tremendous responsibility, and I don’t feel like a “spirit” promoter daily. I have always had a propensity for relaxing through exercise. Workouts are a daily piece of my life, and pursuing it shows my selfish streak. In my late twenties, I made a covenant with myself to be as good as possible. I wanted to be a good dad and husband and believed fitness was a piece of the equation. Later in life, June and I decided that fitness was more than physical; i.e., it was spirit, mind, and body. We agreed that we would work on the spirit and mind together, but she was not interested in joining me on my swims, bike rides, and runs. (She was always a bit smarter.) OOPS- that decision meant three times as much work. Our 34th President, Dwight David Eisenhower, firmly believed in this. He did his morning exercises, and whenever possible, he kept his calendar open for an after-lunch nap. He would spend time chipping and putting before his afternoon meetings at the Whitehouse. His colleagues considered him eccentric and selfish, and he felt he needed a scheduled break to be the best he could be for himself and his country. We must be the best we can be for ourselves and our families and serve the Lord. Be a bit selfish so that you can help. Thought for Today: Today, let’s do something for ourselves to help our spirit, mind, and body. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we pray to keep our covenant made to you today. We pray that we are shining your light as bright as we can. We pray that we are the light of the world so others may find you through us. Amen

I Yam Who I Yam!

I Yam what I yam "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," (Phillipians 4-13) Was Popeye a philosopher? Cartoonists often are. When confronted with difficult situations, Popeye would say, "I yam what I yam?" gulp down his spinach and defend right. We are not all Popeyes, and we are expected to conform, often to standards below our Christian faith standards, and may face difficulties if we do not. It is necessary to understand who we are and what we are and keep the Lord in our daily lives. We need our "spinach." . In many ways, we are continually fighting image syndrome. Quite often, we get flack because we don't fit in. Conformity is the word, and clones are the result. How did some prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times, and they were special. The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be, and he wants you to know who you are and understand your individual characteristics. No one else is exactly like you. God created you and then broke the mold. You are unique, and it is all right to be you. Don't let others shape you. That is God's task. He started with you, will finish with you, and will be with you. He is our spinach. He does want you to be you. Thought for the Day: Let us search for the person God wants us to be to serve him better. Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we travel through our weekly chores, we need to see a way to help You. We often lose track of your plan, and sometimes we are too busy and do not understand it. This week, we pray that we may find a better way to serve You and make life better for everyone. Amen.