Blessing Time - Thanksliving

 

Friday, November 29, 2013

"And the crowds were questioning Him, saying, "Then what shall we do?"  And He would answer and say to them, ‘The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.’"  (Lu. 3:10-11)

Hey Gang:  Thanksgiving is over and it is back to the grind or Black Friday Shopping. Thanksgiving was different at our house one year. There was no "over the mountain and through the woods to grandma's house we go".  There was no aroma of the fantastic feast that grandma spent days preparing. There was no planting the seeds of love into the trimmings and preparation for the day for when the cars drove up the driveway and deposited those we love the most.

Sooo, I tended to re-live Thanksgiving Seasons of the past. Reviewing my prayer log, I went way back into my early years and tried to relive some of those fantastic Thanksgiving days.  I remembered the year my daddy was injured in a coal mining accident. WE did not have two dimes to rub together.  It was going to be a very bleak and sparse Thanksgiving, but God would not have it that way.  He laid it on my aunt's heart to share some of the bounty that He had blessed her family with.

I believe the seeds of giving were planted into my heart on that Thanksgiving Day.  When God opened the door for development of the Village, He made it clear that the foundation of the ministry would be based on giving.  I made a vow to Him that I would never turn away a child or family that was hurting and need of what He had blessed us with. 

One of the high points that surfaced, in my recollections, was the years that the Village Chaplaincy Program provided food to more than a hundred families in the local area who would have been like my family when my daddy was injured.   Turkeys, potatoes, carrots, biscuits and pumpkin for pies were purchased.  The ladies prepared detailed instructions on how to prepare the foods, for we knew that many of the families did not have a clue how to roast a turkey.

So that year of no ‘over the mountain and through the woods to grandma's house we go’, we decided to seek out a family that was as we were, that year up on the mountain, and share our Thanksgiving with them.  

We thought about finding a ministry that provided a meal to the homeless or the down and outers and offering our services.  There was no lack of such places in our area, but each seemed to have all they needed.   I thought, as I looked at the list of places, that it might be better to spread these meals out.  Perhaps a meal a week would provide for empty bellies. 

 We then thought about finding a family who was hurting and we would provide a feast for them but we could not find one.   Food stamps, food banks seem to be meeting the needs of most, but getting food stamps from the government or a box of food at a local food bank seemed cold to me. I liked the idea of the folks in New England that were hit by ‘Sandy.’ Families were encouraged to open their Thanksgiving feast to a family who lost it all.  That seems to me to be "Going into all the world", as JESUS COMMISSIONED US. 

Sooooo, Thanksgiving Day did not have much meaning that one year.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I have been so very blessed in my life and so thankful to My Lord for his bountiful provisions.  But it would have been so much more fulfilling if we could have shared some of those bountiful blessings with someone.  I wonder if the government has not taken away the blessing of giving?  Food for thought for next year!!

Blessings,

Gramps

Give Thanks, For This is the Will of God

 Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Did you notice the spelling?  Did you know this is probably the only time Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day?  When this happened the last time, Thanksgiving had not yet been recognized as a Holiday.  Because of the difference in our calendar and the lunar calendar; the projection for this to converge again is 2070 – about every 75 years.

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, (squandering) but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another is psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Eph. 5:18-20).

 Hey gang:  It is my sincere opinion that designating a day called ‘Thanksgiving’ is, in reality, designed for those who are non-believers in the goodness of Jesus Christ.   Why do I say that?  Because Paul teaches us, in I Thessalonian's 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  In other words, thanksgiving should not be a special day, but an on-going way of life for believers –Thanksliving”.  I have got good news for you, there is never a day goes by when God does not bless us in some way!

 Let me put some meat on that statement.  We recently spent a month volunteering at Voice of Martyrs in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and had one week left on our commitment, but all went well and we finished our task a week early, so we packed up to return home.  In the packing

I placed a notebook that contained financial records for the past ten years in the bottom of a box, without thinking. 

 Later I needed something from the notebook.  I could not find it anywhere.  We frantically looked in every nook and cranny with no success.  We even called the motel in Branson, Missouri, where we had stayed during Veterans Week, but it was not there either.    My nerves were rapidly becoming frazzled.

 My prayer was very simple and to the point, "Lord, I do not need this frustration at this time.”  Later that day we headed to town for a dinner engagement and, as I pulled out of the driveway, I heard a noise in the back of the car. When I checked, the box that contained the notebook, along with other materials, fell over and opened!  Now wasn't that lucky?  No way, Hosea!

 Several years ago, I was pulling my recreation vehicle home from a weekend in the woods. We were on a back road, doing around fifty miles an hour, when a car pulled out of a driveway about five hundred feet in front of us.  Corrective action prevented my hitting the car, but shortly after that the driver slammed on the brakes and began a left turn off the roadway!  There was no way in the world I was going to keep from plowing into the car, but, somehow, not only did I not hit the car, but did not shake up the contents of the coach! 

 I have thought about that incident each time I drive by that spot and thank God for what He did that day.  Have you ever taken the time to sit down and make a listing of the times God blessed you with a very special blessing?  Have you ever considered the times He may have saved your life, and you knew nothing about it?  Are you one who tends to use the phrase, “Boy that was lucky”? Thank you Jesus is a better option.

 If the will of God in Christ Jesus is to give thanks to God in everything, every believer should know why we should give thanks and be grateful at all time.  Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for everything that Almighty God is doing in our daily life. We call that an ‘Attitude  of Gratitude.’

 Soooo, young colleagues, may I suggest that sometime in the leisure of your Thanksgiving celebration, take your Bible and concordance and do a word study on thanksgiving and gratitude.  You will find many such references in both Old and New Covenants for it is God’s will. 

 George Washington’s First Thanksgiving Proclamation

            Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection aid and favors…

            Now, therefore, I recommend and assign Thursday the 26^th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be that we may them all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind of care and protection of the people of this country, and for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

 

Blessings this Thanksgiving day,

 

Gramps

Are You Up to Speed on What is Happening in Our World?

Friday, November 22, 2013

Note the date! I asked the Lord to lead me to His special Word for you today. Expecting something for Veterans Day – both of our families have many who served in World War 2 and since. But this is the one  was the first one I looks at and could go no further.

"For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations, As you have done, it will be done to you.  Your dealings will return on your own head" (Obadiah 1:15).

Hey Gang: I am truly amazed that in this day, when all of the promises made in the Bible are becoming more clear, increased numbers of people have chosen to "go their own way". 

 We just returned from volunteering for a month at Voice of Martyrs, a ministry that seeks out, encourages, and provides support for believers who are in the midst of persecution. In Chapel each Tuesday. We hear from so many who are sharing the Gospel and it is just amazing that in the midst of persecution they say, “Don’t pray that I be freed from prison, beatings or persecution, but that my faith will stand the test and my witness will lead my persecutors to the knowledge of Jesus Christ”,.

 In training for the underground pastorate, one of the courses taught is: ‘How to Conduct Yourself when Imprisoned. ‘As a witness for Christ, they are many times that require discrete and creative methods. Those who become Christ-followers know it is not a question of if you go to prison but when and for how long.

  As I listened to the various speakers who present the morning messages at the chapel services, I found myself asking, “If I were threatened with death, if I did not recant my love and faith in Christ, would I stand firm on the Rock that is my Savior?”

 I find it absolutely amazing that where persecution is the worst the underground church is growing the fastest!  When one of the underground pastors was asked, “Why does the church in the United States not grow as the churches in the communist and Muslim nations?”  His response, "Because there is no persecution.”  In other words, the American church is unaware of what it means to sacrifice for the Lord who loved us so much He sent His only Son to die on a hideous cross for us. We are too comfortable and not dependent enough on Father God.

 As I listened to speaker after speaker the message was very clear- they had a clear understanding of what Jesus meant when He said, "There is no greater love in the world than a willingness to lay down one’s life for their brethren." (I John 3:16).

 As we were driving home from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the home of Voice of Martyrs, I had hours to review what many of these folks shared with us.  We were also ahead of the storm that hit Illinois with the force of many hammers. I sense God has been sending –(And continues to send-Gma) our Nation messages that it is time to get our house in order.

 My greatest concern is not what is happening in our country today, even though that is of concern, but rather that our country appears to be saying to Israel, “Give up your Covenant Land or else…" and that my friends that is a dangerous stand to take.  Joel makes it clear that those that turn their back on Israel will pay the piper.  Joel 3:2 clearly states:  "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.  Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, "WHOM THEY HAVE SCATTERED AMONG THE NATIOHS AND THEY HAVE DIVIDED UP MY LAND". We are 10 years later, and nations are still trying to tell Israel – Cease fire! Continue to live as neighbors with people who want attack you and drive your people into the sea.    

 Sooooo, my friends and neighbors, have you noticed the tremendous fires we experienced this summer, the record numbers of violent tornadoes, the many floods, drought and other weather conditions.  Do you think it is time for the Church of America to wake up and humble themselves before the Lord and pray and put away all of those things that grieve the Holy Spirit? (2 Chron. 7:14).  Notice: that challenge is addressed to - not the world - but "MY PEOPLE!

 Blessings,

Gramps