Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I'm starting the celebration this morning by just relaxing ... sitting on the sofa, scratching the dog behind the ears, watching the sun come up.
There's no doubt that life is a struggle; but days like this give us a chance to pull away from the the stress and reflect on the good things.
There are a lot of good things! I'm going to press pause right there and just park on the good things today.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thanksgiving Break
Just a quick reminder. Rehearsal tonight is cancelled so that you can spend this Thanksgiving Eve with friends and loved ones Have a great time. I'll see you next week.
- Joe
- Joe
Monday, November 21, 2011
Our Prayers/Our Praises: Week of 11-16-11
Michelle Q (soprano): Please pray for Virginia and Mike. Virginia teaches 2nd grade with Michelle. Mike has lung, kidney, and spine cancer. He’s undergoing radiation.
Requester unknown: Tara is pregnant after 19 years of marriage. She is having very bad migraines – but needs to get off headache medicine for the baby. Please pray that God will intervene and heal her of these headaches.
Jim V (tenor): Update on Jim’s aunt, Margaret. She has a rare form of bone cancer. Doctors aren’t sure they even know what kind it is, but have found her bones are riddled with it. Please continue praying for God’s comfort and peace for all involved. Keep sending notes. She is loving the encouragement.
Also a PRAISE from Jim: My Grandmother, Ella Mae, will be going home from NHC HealthCare on November 23. She wants me to extend her enormous thanks for all the letters. She said she got a letter from someone different each week. That is a testimony to the love of your hearts. I appreciate the prayers as much as she does. Please keep them up for her continued recovery. Love you guys!
Kristin H (alto): My brother, Jim, met with his doctor today (11-21) and the new scan has shown that the tumor in his lung has shrunk 50%! Praise God! He will meet with his surgeon soon to talk about scheduling surgery. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and cards of support and encouragement.
Here is a Thanksgiving message from my friend’s brother, Alan, who is a wonderful writer and encourager.
1Thess. 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
How to find God's will can be a difficult question, because of our tendency to first decide what we want His will to be. Here is one of several places in the Bible where God's will is plainly stated. No wiggle room here! So we're supposed to be thankful for everything? Nope, it says thankful "in" everything. In other words, we don't have to be thankful for adversity, but should be thankful for what it accomplishes in us (like patience). We don't have to be thankful for being mistreated by someone, but should be thankful for what we can learn from it (like forgiveness). When we realize that whatever happens to us is allowed by God, and thus has a purpose for our growth, we really can be thankful in everything. If we will trust Him in this way, it will make every day Thanksgiving.
Psalm 26:7 "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."
©2011 Alan Lawrence (Feel free to forward or copy, making sure to include this line.)
Requester unknown: Tara is pregnant after 19 years of marriage. She is having very bad migraines – but needs to get off headache medicine for the baby. Please pray that God will intervene and heal her of these headaches.
Jim V (tenor): Update on Jim’s aunt, Margaret. She has a rare form of bone cancer. Doctors aren’t sure they even know what kind it is, but have found her bones are riddled with it. Please continue praying for God’s comfort and peace for all involved. Keep sending notes. She is loving the encouragement.
Also a PRAISE from Jim: My Grandmother, Ella Mae, will be going home from NHC HealthCare on November 23. She wants me to extend her enormous thanks for all the letters. She said she got a letter from someone different each week. That is a testimony to the love of your hearts. I appreciate the prayers as much as she does. Please keep them up for her continued recovery. Love you guys!
Kristin H (alto): My brother, Jim, met with his doctor today (11-21) and the new scan has shown that the tumor in his lung has shrunk 50%! Praise God! He will meet with his surgeon soon to talk about scheduling surgery. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and cards of support and encouragement.
Here is a Thanksgiving message from my friend’s brother, Alan, who is a wonderful writer and encourager. 1Thess. 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
How to find God's will can be a difficult question, because of our tendency to first decide what we want His will to be. Here is one of several places in the Bible where God's will is plainly stated. No wiggle room here! So we're supposed to be thankful for everything? Nope, it says thankful "in" everything. In other words, we don't have to be thankful for adversity, but should be thankful for what it accomplishes in us (like patience). We don't have to be thankful for being mistreated by someone, but should be thankful for what we can learn from it (like forgiveness). When we realize that whatever happens to us is allowed by God, and thus has a purpose for our growth, we really can be thankful in everything. If we will trust Him in this way, it will make every day Thanksgiving.
Psalm 26:7 "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."
©2011 Alan Lawrence (Feel free to forward or copy, making sure to include this line.)
Monday, November 14, 2011
Hallelujah Chorus
This video from the small Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska, was a school computer project intended for the other villages in the area. Much to the villagers' shock, over 835,473 people have viewed it.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
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