What Are You Thankful For?

 

                                Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, 

                                with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 

                                                                                                            Philippians 4:6

Have you ever kept a Thankfulness Journal? I have in the past. I believe I am going to again for 2025. Sometimes, we take things for granted that God has given us. Ann Voskamp wrote a book about her learning about Jesus by following a friend’s suggestion and listing three things she was thankful for each day.

When I did it before, I had to be alert and look for things that I could record in my journal. I found myself giving thanks to God for things that, at one time, I took for granted. When I pray, there are times when I find myself giving thanks to God for the simple things that a lot of people take for granted.

I write this post on Thanksgiving Day. My list of items for which I am thankful is very special to me. Just yesterday, I received a call from a lady who asked me if I would be interested in filling a position that she needs to vacate on a district prayer network that I represent our local church on. I am honored that the lady over her has remembered me. After talking with my husband, I have decided not to accept the position.

Thank You, Lord

 

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in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

We have entered the season of giving thanks. What do we have to be thankful for? Thee are several things each of us have received and must give thanks to God for:

* Our Salvation

* Our lives

* Our families

* Our Friends

* Our health

* Our neighbors

* Those that keep us safe

When I was in third grade, my teacher talked to us about the Thanksgiving holiday. She said; “Thanksgiving is a day for us to give thanks for what we have, even if it’s peanut butter and jelly.” I remembered what she said several years ago.

Sometimes we get so ‘caught up’ with focusing on the material ‘things’ in our lives, we forget that these things are temporary, they could be taken away from us in an instant.

A part of our nation went through two hurricanes this fall. In western North Carolina there are towns in the mountains that are no longer there. The residents lost everything.Years ago, there was a message that was on the Internet that asked; “If you lost everything, home,car, belonging, would you still have Jesus?” Those people in the North Carolina mountains are living this.

I say all this to remind each of us that we must be grateful for everything God gives us.

Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

 

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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,

                                                                                                  1 Thessalonians 5;16-18 (NKJV)

Words of Paul

Rejoice always, 

I received a phone call last evening. This was not a call one wants to receive. A friend let me know that her middle son had passed away. We had talked earlier that afternoon. All I could do was listen to her and pray. I was truly awake into the early morning hours over this news.

When I opened my daily planner this morning, there was the above scripture printed out for today (January 10).

How can I rejoice when my friend mourns her loss? I believe I can be thankful that she had him almost 53 years. I can be thankful that, when he was a young adult, he played baseball.

pray without ceasing, 

Whenever a friend or a family member of a friend passes away, I find myself very saddened and prayerful. Even if a friend receives a very serious diagnosis, I find myself going to God in prayer whenever I think of him or her.

in everything give thanks;

Paul tells the Thessalonians to give thanks IN EVERYTHING. Sometimes, that is difficult. In this instance, I give thanks for that son’s receiving good medical treatment for his condition. I thank Him for his mother who loved him unconditionally. I thank Him for his adult daughter who, I believe was there with her dad when he passed on. I thank Him for a cousin who was flying from Florida to see his cousin, hopefully, before he passed.

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Sometimes, I have wondered if I am doing what God wants me to in certain aspects of my Christian walk. This scripture tells me whatever situation that He gives me knowledge of, I am to rejoice, pray, and give thanks.

Why Did Jesus Give Thanks?

 

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And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and broke it, and blessed it (gave thanks) and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Matthew 26:27 (NKJV)

Our Lord gave thanks to His Father at the Last Supper. He set a precedence for His children to follow. Jesus took the time to give thanks for the bread, and later the wine. The elements seem to be simple and insignificant as compared to other items we have in our lives.

Are we guilty of thinking an item is not significant because it is not important to us? Or it is too simple by our personal standards?

Could Jesus have chosen to give thanks because He knew God provided it? Could He have done this to teach those gathered in the upper room not to think they were entitled to what they were receiving? Do we feel entitled to what we have in our lives?

Prayer:

Dear Father God: Please accept our thanks for all we have that we can see around us and hold in our hands and arms. You have given us these things and these people out of your grace and abundance. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. AMEN

Paul Thanked Jesus

Sallman, Head of Christ

 

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me,

because He counted me faithful, putting me in the ministry,

I Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)

Words of Paul

Paul originally was an enemy of Christianity. The Lord confronted Paul as he was on the way to cause havoc in Damascus. Paul does not keep his past life a secret. He uses the unusual and difficult circumstances he faced to highlight how much God means to him. (see Philippians 3:1-11).

Paul counted his heritage and the “perks” that went with it as rubbish. It did not matter to him. He had difficult times after he had met the Lord. Beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, beatings, having to escape from the crowds were all a part of his resume.

Each of us have experienced harsh times because we belong to Christ. Some of us may have had it “thrown in our faces” that we aren’t supposed to feel a certain way because we are “Christian”. I had a family member tell me that. Also, I remember hearing a pastor’s wife who had gone through rather deep depression telling a group of us that her family told her that she shouldn’t be going through that because, “After all, you are a pastor’s wife.”

Paul gives thanks for all Jesus has given him, both the good and ‘bad’ things, because the ‘good’ things are rewards and the ‘bad’ things made him stronger. Jesus does the same for us.

Be Thankful, Bless His Name

 

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

                                                            Psalm 100:4 <NKJV)

How we enter God’s house can forecast what we get out of the worship experience.

If we have been rushed and are frazzled because of that fast pace, we will not receive what God wants to give us.

I once read that our days actually begin the night before. If we have a time of restlessness at night, we could have a difficult day on the following day. I am attempting to work on this condition in my life.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

Yes, we must enter God’s house with a thankful attitude. We serve a God who loves us.

                                * He saved us from our sins.

                                * He has been extremely good to us.

                                * He may have brought us through some very difficult times.

And into His courts with praise.

When we enter God’s sanctuary, we must give praise to Him.

                            * Praise Him that we got to His house safely.

                            * Praise Him that we are healthy enough to be in His sanctuary.

                            * Praise Him for those others who are able to be there.

                            * Greet those who are there.

                            * Greet those who are visiting. Make them feel welcome.

Be thankful to Him and bless His name.

                         * We must give thanks for each gift God has given us.

                        * We must give God thanks for those things He allowed that we thought were

                            difficult issues that we learned from those circumstances.

                        * We must bless His Name because of all He has done for us. We do not deserve                                         anything from God, except death and, yet, He has given us eternal life.

Pray with Thanksgiving

 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

Words of Paul

Be anxious for nothing,

We must not fear anything. A large percentage of what we fear does not happen.

in everything by prayer and supplication

God has ALL THINGS in His hands. We must not be afraid of giving everything to Him. When we tell Him of our sins, we are telling Him that we know the severity of what we did.

with thanksgiving,

When we approach God, we must thank Him for what He has given us and what He will give us.

let your requests be made known to God,

We must take our requests and thoughts to God FIRST. Not our best friend, not our spouse, not our next-door neighbor. But to God because He alone can remedy the problem.

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

We end our prayer time and experience an indescribable, yet peaceful feeling come over us. This is a gift from God.

will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

When we truly pray and lean on God and His Holy Spirit, we feel as if a weight has been lifted off of us. As I understand it, that feeling is a feeling of God’s peace.

Come Thankfully

 

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Let us shout joyfully with psalms.

Psalm 95:2 (NKJV)

The message in this verse speaks to my heart. We should always look forward to meeting with the Lord, be it in personal or corporate worship.

Our focus should be on giving Him thanks for all the many blessings He has given us.

* Have we had a ‘bad week’; we must thank Him for getting us through it.

* Have we had ill feelings about someone and had to seek that person’s forgiveness? We must give thanks to Him for allowing us to ask forgiveness.

* Have we not been ‘up to snuff’ lately? We must thank Him for bringing us through that lethargic time.

* Have we heard some good news from or about a friend? We must thank God for that kindness He extended to our friend.

* Have we read a book that has touched our hearts? We must thank God for that author or authors.

* Have we read a scripture passage that has spoken to us? We must thank God for His Word and learn to apply it to our lives.

As we approach this Thanksgiving season, let us remember to give thanks to out Father in heaven, as He hase made all things possible.

Pray About Everything

 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:4-7 (NKJV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice!

Each of us has something over which we can rejoice.

* Did you sleep well?

* Is the sun shining?

* Did you have a good breakfast?

* Is your house warm?

* Are your children/grandchildren safe from harm?

Let your gentleness be known to all men.

Gentleness is one of the fruit of the Spirit. When we can react to a circumstance gently, we show others that we belong to the Lord. Jesus was gentle when He spoke to the woman caught in adultery. He also spoke gently when he spoke to Mary and her sister Martha when their brother Lazarus had died.

The Lord is at hand.

God is near to each of His children. When we face harsh circumstances, all we have to do is ask Him to guide us through the problem. We can do this non-verbally, just by asking Him with our thoughts or through our hearts.

Be anxious for nothing,

Anxiety sometimes causes circumstances to appear more serious than they actually are.

Anxiety can also lead to serious health issues. A counselor once told me that, as humans, we sometimes have a tendency to own circumstances that are not ours. As Christians we have to decide whether the issue at hand actually belongs to us.

but in everything by prayer and supplication,

Paul tells us that we must pray about everything.

* Pray about your friends and their family circumstances.

* Pray about the issues of our nation and the nations of our world.

* Pray about your finances.

* Pray about your relationships.

* Pray about your neighborhood.

with thanksgiving,

We must thank Him for all we have, for the people in our lives. We should thank Him for the merchants in our towns and cities and those who work for them.

let your requests be made known to God;

We must remember to make those requests to God first. Sometimes, we must ask others to pray for unspoken requests. On social media, I have seen requests for prayer that said, “God knows why.”

and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding,

The peace of God is what we desire in dire situations. It is that peace that carries us through those tough times,

*When we initially deal with the loss of a loved one.

*When we go through personal illness. When we go through times of uneasiness, personal or national.

Some people go through times each day where they need the peace of God to get them through.

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Jesus guards the hearts and minds of each of us. He stands at the door of our hearts and reminds us of His love for us and that He can stave off the attacks of the enemy that might cause us to doubt ourselves or allow us to become unduly upset over something that would cause harm to us, His children.

Thanksgiving

 

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Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

This verse is from a chapter in Psalms we had to memorize when I was in the fifth grade. I always think on this chapter during the month of November.

Each of God’s children must be thankful for no other reason than they belong to God. God blesses, (inward joy is theirs), us because He chooses to.

Each week at the beginning of that week’s journal thoughts, I list things I am thankful for, I call these pages, “Praise More.” This exercise helps me keep in mind who He is and what He does for me.

Do we ever take the time to thank God for bringing us through to another day? We must because each day we have is a gift from Him.

Do we remember to give thanks to Him for His watch care over us? Have we ever barely missed being involved in a car wreck because of something that kept us from being where we could have been severely injured?

Do we realize that God is our protector at all times during our life? He knew us in our unformed state (Psalm 139:16) and watched over us even before we knew Him.

All we can do in return is give thanks and praise Him for who He is.

God Keeps Promises

 

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                                         Therefore know that the LORD your God, 

                                               He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant 

                                               and mercy for a thousand generations with those who 

                                               love Him and keep His commandments. 

                                                                                        Deuteronomy 7:9 (NKJV)

Words of Moses to those Israelites who did not know of God’s attributes and goodness. (These pilgrims were 60 years old and younger.)^[1] Deuteronomy means “retelling”

In this passage, Moses tells them that God is faithful not to just them and their parents but to those who love Him and keep His commandments for a thousand generations.

Moses states that God will keep His promises (covenants) and mercies for a very long time. (When I was a teenager, a youth group advisor said a generation was usually, on average, 26 years.)

There is a condition in this thought. The people must love God and keep His commandments. I once heard that if we break one of the Ten Commandments, we have broken them all. While this statement sounds harsh, I understand it. I believe it may have a domino effect.

It is the duty of God’s children to model Christlike behavior, to exemplify how He wants us to live our lives before others, and to speak loving words on His behalf.

Yes, we all fall short of these goals. When we fail, we need to seek His forgiveness and start over again. His grace and mercy allow us to do this.

______________

[1] Jeremiah Study Bible, David Jeremiah, Worthy, Hatchette Book Group, Study Note page 238.

Everlasting Mercy

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For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:5 (NJKV)

 

These words come from a Psalm of Thanksgiving. I find comfort in them as I type them. I remember learning this Psalm in the fifth grade.

 

We sing choruses about God’s goodness to us. But do we really understand what we mean? God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the only truly good persons we know of. They are without sin. God endows His children with His goodness so that they can display that goodness to those who need His love axpalnd kindness.

The goodness God showed to the Biblical heroes He can also show to us. What was truth in those times is still truth today. God never changes. We as a nation and a people need to get back to following God. 

We never realize how merciful God is until we know we have received mercy in a way that we cannot explain any other way. I experienced His mercy in this way several times lately.

God will see us through these difficult times.                             

       We must remember God's goodness to each of us. I trust you will enjoy this song.

Truly Blessed

 

 

Lord, how wonderful you are! You have stored up so many good things for us, like a treasure chest heaped up and spilling over with blessings— all for those who honor and worship you! Everybody knows what you can do for those who turn and hide themselves in you.

Psalm 31:19 (TPT)

 

As children of God, we sometimes don’t realize that we are truly blessed by God.

We take for granted simple things we receive from Him.

                     

We are truly blessed if:

 

              *We have been granted salvation through Jesus Christ. ·

                 *We have a home in which we safely live.

         * We have central heating for the winter.

 

* We have air conditioning and fans to keep us cool in the summer.

 

* We have a family that loves us.

 

* We have friends who pray for us.

 

* We have enough healthy food to sustain us.

* We have a place to sleep at night.

* We have clothing to keep us warm in the winter.

* We have guidance from God to help us through the times of great stress.

 

Yes, we are “So Blessed" sometimes more than we realize.

 

May Reflections

 

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I turned a corner in May. I realized why I was hurting so much. I had one weekend of being ill with running a temp. The next weekend I saw I had bruising around one of the incision areas. As of this writing, the area is practically back to

normal.

 

Because of the new med, I was prescribed, I had to go through several side effects. They let up and now I do not have any known issues with that med.

           

I did not do very much writing. I did do some preliminary work on a lesson I have to give in November at our women’s circle meeting. I also played around with an idea about Simon of Cyrene. Need to get back to it.

 

I have done some baking, gluten-free muffins. One week, I made some for a friend as a part of a birthday surprise for her. I add cranberries to the batter. Two days later, I had to make some for Hubby. Then, I was supposed to make a third batch two days later. (I had no cranberries; therefore, I did not make that third batch.)

 

I finally got my pink planter filled with silk flowers. I came home from being gone and saw that Hubby cleaned off most of the porch and placed that new arrangement on the table out there.

 

                                              

 

We have our rock garden festooned with flags and flowers. Hubby wanted me to take a picture of it. The wind was standing the flags out straight.  I surprised him by taking this video.

 

                       

Let Us Remember!

We should NEVER forget those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Sometime today, stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving for them and for their families that also gave up a lot in order for us to have the freedom we enjoy.

 

God Came to Earth

 

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 How He Came

 

 As a baby,

 

God did not enter the world as a full-grown human being. He came to us as an innocent baby.

 

Into a poor family,            

 

By coming into the world in this way, He conveys that He came for all the world.

He did not come for those who live in “Ivory Towers.” He came for ALL people.

            “I bring you good news that shall be for all people.” Like 2:10 (NIV)

 

As A Young Man

 

Learned a trade from Joseph

Like most young men of that time, Jesus learned a trade, that of a carpenter from his earthly father, Joseph.

 

 Grew up

“and Jesus grew up in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”  Luke 2:52 (NIV)

 

 His Work for the Kingdom

 

He preached to, taught, and healed those whom He met.

 

He comforted His disciples.

He foretold of his leaving them and going to His Father.

 

He Took on the Sins of the World

Jesus died a criminal’s death, yet He was sinless.

“The other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God’, he said, ‘We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’” Like 23:40 (NIV)

 He took on sins of the world-my sins and yours. He asked His Father to forgive those who maltreated Him in this terrible way-the way of crucifixion.

 

He Forgave Peter

Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. He even got vehement in his response to the slave girl.  In the end, Jesus forgave Peter and commissioned him to carry His message to the world.

1-3

He Ascended to the Right Hand of God

This was God’s plan.

 

 When He Comes Again

He will live with His people.

 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Revelation 21:1-3 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

The Magi from the East

 

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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

      Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11(NIV)

 

We read of the wise men (the Magi) who traveled great a distance over a lengthy time in search of the promised Messiah.

 

These men were foreigners in Judah. Tradition tells us they spent years studying the skies, in search of a sign. They saw the star as it rose in the sky and set out to find the Christ child.

 

These wise men followed the Star of Bethlehem until it “stopped over the place where the child was.” When they saw the child, they “bowed down, and worshiped and opened their treasures and presented him with gold. frankincense, and myrrh.” As I see it, these were very costly gifts. They gave these gifts to the Christ child out of obedience to God.  They gave these gifts as a form of worship.

 

We do not read of these three wise men after they depart Bethlehem to return to their homelands. However, the lesson they provide for us is memorable. They teach us that we must pay homage to (worship) God. The ways we worship God include praise, thanksgiving, and presenting our gifts to Him.

 

As we go through each November, our hearts and minds turn to ponder the things for which we are thankful. When Advent begins, our heart thoughts turn to the Christ child and His humble beginnings. I was reminded by a friend that we are to have Christmas in our hearts every day. My response to her was that we are to be thankful for all God gives us.

 

 

Tradition tells us there may have been 12 magi. We presume there were three because of the three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ⁽¹

 

(1)          Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magi) accessed 12/12/2020

Thanks Giving 2020

 

We give thanks to you, O God,

We give thanks for your Name is near,

Men tell of your wonderful deeds.

                                                                                Psalm 75:1 (NIV)

 

This year, Thanksgiving will be different for a lot of us. Our son came up this past weekend, so we had thanksgiving early. Others are having an abbreviated celebration with household members. Still, others choose to defy the guidelines set by scientists.

Yesterday afternoon, we had to make a trip to the hospital in Indy where I had my surgery last week. On our way out of town, I saw a signboard in front of a church that told the passersby this message: “Thanks-Giving is designed to be a 365-day activity.”

 

What are some of the many things we have in our lives to be thankful for here in 2020?

                        Our Salvation

                        Our Health

                        Our families

                        Our Church Families

                        Our Homes

                        The privilege of having food for our families.

                        Our friends

                        God wakes us up each morning.

                        God provides us with what we NEED.

 

As humans, we tend to take things God does for granted. A friend and I have talked about starting the New Year by returning to recording three praises each day. We both believe that we do not give praise to God enough.

 

One more thought before I finish this. My third-grade teacher talked to us about Thanksgiving. She said something that came back to me a few years ago. “Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for what you have, even if it’s peanut butter and jelly.”  That is something to think about.

Hymn: Give Thanks,

.

 

 

Praise God, our Source

 

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Praise God, from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him, all creatures here below

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Lyrics ~ Thomas Ken, 1637 - 1711

 

Music ~ Louis Bourgeois, c.1510 - c.1561

 

in the Grenevan Psalter, 1551

Praise God from who all blessings flow,

God is the source of ALL our blessings. Every good thing that happens in our lives has its beginning with Him. Our Father leads us through tough times to the outcome He has for us.

 

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

In Psalm 150:6 we read that all who have breath are to praise Him. As I initially wrote this, I saw the evidence of sunshine peeking through the clouds. The temperature had dropped overnight but I could still praise the LORD for the partly sunny sky.

 

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

The psalmist tells the angels to praise God. Should we not also praise Him?

 

Praise Him, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

This thought gives us pause as we consider the three forms of the Godhead. God the Father is our creator. God the Son is our Savior. God the Holy Ghost (Spirit) is our sustainer.

 

We must praise God for all He does for us, for all He will do for us, and for all He has done for us. When we praise God, we thank Him.

Giving Thanks

 

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This is the month we concentrate on being thankful for what God has given us. We sometimes concentrate on the big things He has given us. Let us look at the gifts He gives us that we sometimes overlook.

 

He has given us salvation. Jesus saved our souls from our sins. We know where we would be if we had not turned our lives over to Him.

 

He has given us peace. As I write this, I sit in my living room facing major surgery. If I would tell anyone who asks me about being scared that I was not, I would be less than truthful. Yes, I was momentarily afraid because of the shock of hearing a term related to a serious illness.

 

He gives us love. God loves us. He loves us as we are. Jesus tells us to love one another. We are to love those around us. However, we do not have to like their behavior.

 

He gives us guidance. Because He loves us, God wants to help us through the difficulties we face in life. During this year (2020), we have had to do things differently. Our church had “drive-through” communion during the shutdown we had this spring. A man who grew up in our church and his wife had a “drive-through” birthday party for their son when he turned four years old. Because of the increase in COVID numbers, our city schools have had to go virtual again to educate our children. God has had to guide those who had to make these decisions.

 

God gives us comfort. When God’s children face difficult times, He speaks words of comfort into their hearts and eases their hearts and minds. That special friend of ours lost her husband last week. Before he died, she seemed confused about the best thing to do for him. Her dad called us the next afternoon. I inquired about how she was doing. When she came back from the hospital, she seemed calmer than she had been. She has a strong faith.