Honor the Gift Giver

"He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver."Thomas a Kempis

Is it possible to be grateful for what we have and give thanks and credit to the One who is the Giver of all good gifts? I believe that we can. In my lifetime, I have encountered people who are very grateful for what they have but they give credit to the universe or karma, but not to the Triune God, our Abba Father.  

It is so easy to forget to just be grateful never mind to give Thanks to the One who is due the honor of thanks and acknowledgement of the Gift Giver. 
So my prayer is that I will be able to give thanks in all things (which does not require a prerequisite of giving thanks for all things) no matter how difficult, no matter how painful, no matter how vulnerable and exposed I feel, and especially on occasions of joy, excitement and blessings of all kinds. May I be overflowing with thanksgiving to the One True God. I do not want to take God for granted. The other prayer is that I continue to learn to practice the Presence of God and simply be grateful for my LORD JESUS Christ who has redeemed me from sin and death and will One day make me NEW, an everlasting daughter. 

"We can be certain that God will give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in life that he ordains. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us." 
Billy Graham

Grateful & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Meister Eckhart is credited with the quote: "If the only prayer you ever pray is Thank You that would be enough."
What an acknowledgement of the Sovereign King, the LORD of Lords, the Triune God, Creator, Ruler, Sustainer of ALL things.

Today I am grateful for my husband, always supporting and encouraging me to pursue what it is the Lord would have me do, as I have been in the midst of transitioning from a season of life that has been rich and full and SUCH a blessing, having raised 3 children and educating them at home.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary treats women the way the LORD would intend for them to be treated as equals, who are also the called out ones, willing to educate and equip them to serve the LORD our King, Jesus. It was so refreshing to be around men who not only care for women but respect them and are humble enough to learn from women.
There is a great disservice happening in our churches and in various groups of Christians. Women have been given gifts and talents from God and often these go untapped and women who are IN CHRIST are suppressed from LIVING the ABUNDANT LIFE that the LORD Jesus has given us.

"Now tthere are varieties of gifts, but uthe same Spirit; 5 and vthere are varieties of service, but uthe same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is uthe same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 wTo each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1Corinthians 12:4-7  


BUT there is GREAT HOPE because of places like Gordon-Conwell and women like Dr. Stephanie Bennett, Dr. Alexandra Cist, and Dr. Roslind Picard who were a part of the 2 day conference that I just attended, The Promise and Challenge of Technology. The attendees were mostly men and dare I say that women are not encouraged to go to these types of events. O How women need to go to these types of events. It was such an encouragement on so many levels. The speakers challenged us to explore, discover and create for God's glory. There is much that I need to think over, ponder and read about, but for now, I am full of thanksgiving to God for the opportunity that I had the past couple of days and I look forward to fleshing it out and gaining some clarity for myself.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

(Colossians 1:21-23 ESV)

The truth and gratitude and what is it that you need? Grace for today, hope for tomorrow and mercy to be. Just be.  Yesterday I was being by basking in The Presence of the LORD at the beach.  Not concerning myself with the time or the text or the email, just relaxing and resting at the Atlantic, it is where I experience the Almighty hand of God in creation and recognize my own smallness, how incredibly dependent I really am on God. And in less than 24 hours time, I find myself tangled up in the web of self-centered fear and can't fight my way out of it, drag my family into it and wonder why I can't seem to carry the love, rest, peace, joy, clarity, kindness and confidence I had in the LORD yesterday into today?

Identity Crisis: It breaks in to steal and kill and destroy because if I really knew that I "once was" and now "I am reconciled" then I would rise and walk in the midst of this day in the same spirit that I walked upon the sand and through the shallow water. So, I have fallen, and crawled and cried and been tripped up by my sinful response to my day and the way that it has unfolded. So, I find myself in an interesting place, another opportunity to preach the Gospel to myself, another day to look at My Rescuer in the face (in His Word because I hold onto the hope of One day meeting Him face to face) and there is where I am to behold my Identity. It is IN Christ, that I am reconciled by the Blood and Righteousness of Christ that HE may present me holy and blameless and above reproach because in and of myself, I can NOT cut it. And it is only when I realize that I am nothing without HIM that I can begin to taste the sweetness of light when I am basking in the LIGHT of the TRUTH which is available each and every day.

This morning I read: "Do not let your hearts be troubled....." from the Gospel of John. I started over, out loud, "Let not your heart be troubled, Catherine, believe in God, believe also in me...." Jesus goes on to say a few verses later, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure, his return to the Father but that He will not leave them orphans and He has not left us orphaned. He has sent His Holy Spirit who is also called the Helper. Where does my help come from? Where is my hope? One in the same, My LORD and my God who is with me. As Paul David Tripp tweeted 2 days ago: "No need to like feel like your alone today because if you're God's child, Emmanuel has moved in and isn't leaving."

Mine is to believe that Jesus is who He says HE is and that as His Child, I am who he says I am, loved, delivered, transferred, adopted, forgiven, being made new, kept, sealed, a sinner once enslaved and now bought by the Blood of Jesus Christ my Lord and I have been set free to live in the LIGHT of His grace and truth.

The Light

Gratitude: my own definition is thankfulness for all that I have and expressed to the Lord God who is the Giver of all.

I am grateful for the Grace of God and the mercy of God that Jesus Christ demonstrated to me by dying on the cross for all of my sins, past, present and future. The people that God has put in my life especially, my husband of 23 years, Dan and our dear adult children, Michael and Katie and Grace are all a blessing to me.

The Word of God that is the nourishment of my heart, mind and soul. It is not just a book, in it contain the very WORDS of Eternal Life. When a number of disciples walked away from Jesus, He turned to the 12 and asked, "will you also leave me?" Peter answered "To whom shall we go, you have the Words of Everlasting Life."

The peace of God is a treasured gift. The people of God are the Lord's hands, feet and a source of comfort.

Living, breathing, working, praying, laughing, worshipping, learning, hoping and so much more.

Getting together & Gratitude

First, the get togethers: I was thinking about how in 15 to 30 minutes I can kinda check in with friends via facebook, twitter and oh yeah, email. Even if they live 15, 150, 300 or even 3000 miles away. If I really want to visit with someone, then I can place a phone call or text or skype or g-chat but it is not often that we walk down the street knock on some one's door and say, hi, how are you doing today? Our ways of socially interacting can be overwhelming at times.

So, there I was in my kitchen doing my best to remember how I kept in touch with people when I was 18 to 22. The phone answering machine! It was a time when the public restroom did not double as a "phone booth."My most frequent way to keep in touch was via the answering machine. Some people still have one in fact a friend of mine, screens ALL her calls. I like to leave long messages on it. It is kinda fun. Whether I was on my way home from work or having been dancing or to a movie, once I got closer to home, I would think, I wonder if so and so called back or I hope so and so called, we were suppose to get together this weekend. Some of my friends had pagers (and they were not all drug dealers), so they could get there calls "instantly." If they wanted to talk to that person, they went to the nearest pay phone or asked to use a phone.

Long conversation over coffee were uninterrupted unless another friend showed up at the coffee shop. We had no idea how our friends (near or far) were doing unless one of us dropped in on the other or picked up the phone. The time we took to be with each other, we gave all of our time and attention to that person. Sure on occasion, my mind would wonder but not too far unless of course, I planned on being rude. Rarely, did I dial in remotely to check my answering machine but I knew how to do it. (I am not scolding anyone here but it is making me think about being a better steward of my time.) It is good to think about and I don't like the fact that more and more I find my head down in my phone (an android, a portal to most anywhere in the digital world). Taking stock of my use of technology is not a bad idea. Did anyone say spot-check?

The last word on connecting with others and then we will move right into gratitude. The really old fashion way of keeping in touch - letter writing. I freely admit that it is still so fun to get a personal hand written letter in the mail. I got one just the other day. =)

Gratitude

We can also say appreciation or thanksgiving but I like to say, here I will express my gratitude. All of the following I link back to GOD who is our provider. The human beings who created things that I am grateful for are after all image bearers and since we are made in the image of The Creator - all the Glory can and will go to GOD.

Electricity gets the top of the list. There are friends who are getting through day 4 without it due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene.

Sump pump - we had water in the cellar due to the storm SO electricity gets another shout out!

My phone and all the phones in my phone plan that keep me connected to my family. We are land line free.

The laptop computer that I am writing this blog post upon

Social Networks especially those ones that keep me connected to all of my "outside of the area" friends.

My LORD and my GOD, three in One, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

My dear family, Dan, Michael, Katie and Grace.

The abilities to read and write. All the other abilities that God has given me, Lord help me not to take them for granted.

For all of my friends. Sometimes you just have to name one: Nancy Myers.

The Word of God, living, active, fire, hammer, sword, Jesus Christ, who is The Word who became flesh, dwelt among us, died, was buried, rose from the dead and will come again! COME LORD JESUS COME!

Appreciation, Thanks, Indebtedness, Gratitude

On some level our culture no longer values the Thank you card or expressions of appreciation as it once did because we are an entitled people. However, in the realm of being a human being and having a positive outlook on life and in being an influence on others, I think that there is a thing or two to be said about being grateful.

A life without gratitude is one that we simply must bear and it is hard to find enjoyment in life if a person is just "grinning and bearing it." My lessons in learning how to be grateful started a little later in life (I think it should be taught from the time a child is very young i.e. "please and thank you" which ought to be taught as more than words to say, it is an attitude to be cultivated. ). I was 19 years old. It was hard. This lesson was going to help save my life. At 18 I was hell bent and when I actually faced my 19th birthday, I was surprised that I was still walking around on this earth and I was anything but grateful. Here I write many years later and grateful that I am still teachable and still learning how to be grateful.

Gratitude is indeed an attitude and one that does need cultivation. An open mind and a humble heart, I believe are essential to the garden of appreciation. And like any other garden, it needs to be tended to: water, sunshine, and weed. God is the Gardener and He delights in including helpers like me and you to help tend the gardens of our hearts. Once we agree that this Garden is worth our time and attention, we open ourselves up to a place of strength especially when life is changing. The changes are right, appropriate and good and can be painful at the same time. Gratitude can and will help carry us through the changes.

It is not enough for me to just say, "I am grateful for x,y and z" my gratitude needs to be directed toward someone else. For me, as a child of the Living God, I need to be grateful to God to give him thanks for every good gift and to be thankful in all circumstances. To be thankful in all circumstances: the way I understand this line of thinking has to do of what I believe about God, his role not just in my life but in all of life. If I believe that God is indeed in control of this world that He has created and I believe that in His character He is perfectly just, perfectly merciful and perfectly loving, then with my heart I can be thankful in any circumstance.

Time to drink in what I have just written.

Wake Up O Sleepy Head

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4;8

This week I had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of friends and visit with a couple more in Upstate NY. Different people, coming from different places and a similar message. One coming from a book of prayers and one coming from a small but vibrant pulpit: It is the LORD GOD who carried me through the night and it HE who has woken me from my slumber. It was said it very different ways. The morning prayer from the book was something like this

Arising from sleep, I thank You, O Most Holy Trinity, that, for the sake of Your great kindness and longsuffering, You have not had indignation against me, for I am slothful and sinful. Neither have You destroyed me in my transgressions, but You have shown Your customary love toward mankind, and have raised me up as I lay in heedlessness, that I might sing my morning hymn and glorify Your sovereignty. Now enlighten the eyes of my understanding, open my ears to receive Your words, and teach me Your commandments. Help me to do Your will, to sing to You, to confess You from my heart, and to praise Your All-Holy Name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

And what came from the pulpit was something like:

Did I get myself up to come to church this mornin'? No. It was the LORD who woke me from my sleep. Who watched over while I was sleepin'? Was it me? I don't think so, how could I be sleepin' and watchin' at the same time? It was the LORD watchin' over me and I want to thank Him for bringin' me safely through the night! Can I get an AMEN? Did you wake yourself this mornin'? NO, It was the LORD who brought you through the night watchin' over you and then woke you this mornin' Amen? AMEN.

So on my solo ride home, I was meditating on these things: how the GOD of the Universe is interested in the everyday details of our lives and how often I don't even give it a glancing thought. When Grace was a newborn, sometime I would just watch her sleeping. Sometimes just to admire this new little person who came from me and other times because I was a new mother and wanted to make sure she was all right and at moments the watching of this sleeping baby was a sheer joy and delight, what a precious gift from God. (Yes, I do know how to receive a child, who is a tremendous responsibility and still enjoy her, even to this day.) Parenting is a watchfulness.

The gift of making it through the night is not something that I consciously think about and it is a simple thing for me to be grateful for especially after a restful night's sleep. There have been times in my life that I have been very grateful, daily expressing my thanks to God and I need to get back to being grateful even for simple things like a good night of shut eye.

I am a blessed mother.....

Now writing that from New England can be risky business. "Isn't there only one Blessed Mother?" my Roman Catholic relatives might ask. Not according to the Bible where it says, "Her children arise and call her blessed;" from Proverbs 31 verse 28 That is what my children did yesterday morning. My three young adults thinking ahead with both Dan and Grace leaving early this morning getting on two different flights out of Logan.
I woke up to a lovely breakfast in bed, balloons, streamers and 3 very precious gifts. After we started traveling Grace thought that we ought to scrapbook our adventures. I agreed but I have been terrible about creating pages. Anyway, each of the kids did a scrap book page of themselves and wrote some honoring thoughts acknowledging this Mother's Day. It brought tears to my eyes. What more could I ask for?
Grace is 18 and seems to be just back for visits these days. Katie is 16 and living life to the fullest and Michael is 15 deep voiced, growing and showing greater care and protection of his mother and 2 sisters.
If someone could have showed me even a glimpse of my life today back when I was 18 I would have laughed and said, ridiculous. Oh the blessings I had no idea that were in store for me. To say that I am truly grateful for my husband and kids is a tremendous gift from the Giver of Life.
Wishing all the mothers out there including my own a wonderful mother's day! I hope that your children arise and call you blessed.