Shout for Joy

Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that the storms will pass and we should focus on what lies ahead.  These verses, the first I ever memorized, seem like an appropriate way to complete this season of Thanksgiving.

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100: 1-5

Thankful for Forgiveness

On this seventh and final day of Thanksgiving Challenge I am thankful for forgiveness.  We all need forgiveness because none of us is perfect; we do things we shouldn't.  Without forgiveness this world would be even more violent and full of hate than is already evident.

Forgiveness is the foundation of Christianity.  God provided a pathway to forgiveness for our wrongs against Him and each other by sending His Son to earth to fulfill the requirements necessary for our forgiveness.  When we forgive others it is a reflection of the model provided for us by the Creator of the Universe.  The price we pay is the sacrifice of our pride -- it is the placing of "self" in submission to God's Will.  It is acknowledging Him as supreme rather than ourselves.

I am thankful that I am forgiven.

"For God so loved the world He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." -- John 3:16

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you." -- Acts 13:38

Thankful for Health

On this Day 6 of thankfulness challenge, I am thankful for my health.  It is easy to take our health for granted until we have problems.  I have been very fortunate that there have been no major health issues to face.

It seems that I have reached the age when many of my contemporaries are dealing with bodies that are wearing out.  I read on social media of knee replacements and hip replacements, of surgeries and heart problems.  So far, knock on wood, I've not had those difficulties.

I have found that walking/moving/staying active is the biggest boost to how well I feel.  The more active I am, the better I feel.  If there are periods when work, or weather, chains me to a chair, I begin to feel as if my energy level is diminishing.  The longer it occurs, the worse the feeling until I no longer want to do anything and begin to feel unhealthy.  If I will intentionally, or otherwise, get plenty of exercise in a day, I feel better.  It doesn't have to be strenuous, just enough to get the circulation moving -- to elevate the heart rate from normal.

I think we all are called to an active lifestyle.  We are not made to remain stationary.  We are made to go and to do as long as we are alive.  Not only is it true of our bodies, but of our minds as well.  We need to keep active and engaged mentally as well as physically.  Read a book, work a puzzle, solve the worlds problems at coffee with your friends -- do something to keep your mind engaged.

I suppose I am thinking of this from the perspective of my age group, but it applies to all ages.  Go and do, work and play, remain active and relevant because once you stop doing those things your body and mind will begin to die.  Okay, we begin to die the day we are born, but our time on this earth is brief, make an impact while you are here and don't hasten the day when you will move on to the next adventure -- leave that in God's hands.

"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." -- 3 John:2

Thankful for Agriculture

On this fifth day of challenge I am thankful for agriculture.  It seemed appropriate that on this day that is often marked by feasts and the gathering of families and friends that my focus be on that which is the "hands and feet" of providing us with the food we eat.

The grain sorghum in the photo above might not seem like the appropriate photo to represent food, but this field southeast of Amarillo, Texas, to me represents perfection in the agricultural "arts" for lack of a better term.  We don't normally consume sorghum directly but, they do in many parts of the world -- especially in Africa.  In Niger, of which I have previously written, Millet is a primary crop; it is a very close relative to what you see in the photo.

Many parts of the country are still harvesting this years grain crops.  The wet spring delayed planting and in many areas the crops were late maturing.  There are some still harvesting corn with snow on the ground.  A blizzard is crossing the Plains today and those involved in raising livestock are out in it caring for the animals which will eventually end up as food on our plate.

Without agriculture it is likely that I wouldn't be sitting at this computer.  Agriculture allows us to differentiate our labor so that we don't spend the majority of every day out gathering fruits and nuts and hopefully shooting or, trapping wild game for our sustenance.  A single farmer in the United States feeds many, many people, freeing the rest of us to pursue other things such as developing technology.

It is thought that agriculture is the foundation of civilization.  Without it, we would be dispersed about the countryside in small groups that would be able to maintain a subsistence through the hunter-gatherer lifestyle.  Farming allowed us to concentrate in cities for mutual protection which led to systems of governance due to the close daily interactions with others. I suppose that particular "benefit" might be questionable in a lot of minds today due to the poor behavior by many of those who hold offices within those current governmental structures.

Wherever you might be on this day of thanksgiving, be thankful for those who produce the bounteous food which you consume.  Be mindful that there are many throughout the world who don't have enough to eat and consider ways you might help those less fortunate -- and don't just consider -- do.  The greatest sign of thankfulness is a willingness to share with those in need.

Happy Thanksgiving.

"Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.  Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field." -- Exodus 23:16

Thankful for Shelter From the Storms

Here on Day 4 of this week of thankfulness I am thankful for shelter from the storms.  A major snow storm is sweeping across a large part of the country and there will be those who are out in it -- some to take care of their livestock, others in emergency services and others who are traveling.  I am thankful to not be in it and I pray that those who must face it will do so in safety.

It is easy to take the homes in which we live for granted.  The homes in which we live -- especially here in the United States -- are often large and far beyond our needs.  I've been in places where most of the homes were built of mud bricks and there were many people living in spaces smaller than the average bedroom of an American home.  I've seen homes built of scrap wood and metal and cast away cardboard boxes.  I've also seen the homeless living on the streets in our own cities.

We all need to be thankful if we have a place to get in out of the cold, but we also should be mindful that there are those who don't.  This thanksgiving season is a good time to reach out to those in need and help where you can.  In thankfulness, share your good fortune with those who are less fortunate.

"Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard." -- Isaiah 58:7-8

Thankful for Family

In Day 2 of my self-imposed thankfulness challenge I am thankful for family.  I am thankful for the small feet, the large feet, the help, the messes, the fun, the work, the questions, and all the other things that come with family.  Not everyone has the good fortune to have family in their lives.  If you do, be thankful, no matter how messy the relationships can sometimes be.

Thanksgiving is also a time when the impact of missing family members hits home a little harder than it might at other times.  It is because when the family gathers, those who are no longer there stand out by their absence.  Those are the times when we need to remember that our faith will bring our families back together again in a place without sorrow or, troubles.

The Thanksgiving holidays always meant hunting when I was growing up.  It meant chasing the elusive quail through the Sandhills, or out on the Draw.  It meant the occasional wild turkey dinner because Grandpa used to go deer hunting on the weekend before Thanksgiving and if he could bag one, Grandma would cook it for Thanksgiving Dinner.  She always had a "store-bought" one in reserve just in case.

Family together means games and noise and sometimes flared tempers.  There might be a few tears here and there too.  The gathering together exposes how we've grown apart and changed.  It is important though, to renew our bonds and allow our hearts to be filled with the presence of those most like us genetically.  It is in our DNA that we feel a connection to family that transcends our differences.

I pray that this Thanksgiving you are able to spend time with family.  If it isn't family of the genetic sort, I hope it is those with whom you feel a bond, a closeness, a connection that fills that part of you that needs family in your life.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.  They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." -- Psalm 127:3-5

Thankful for Opportunities

I realize that it's a few days early, but it seems a good time to think about Thanksgiving.  Actually, every day should be one of thanks, but what I plan to do is to have a week of Thanksgiving.  On each day this week I intend to write of something for which I am thankful.  I would encourage any of you who read this to do the same.

I will begin with being thankful for opportunities.  We don't all have the same abilities, or talents, but we are all given opportunities to use the ones that we have.  It seems the more times I step forward and accept an opportunity, the more of them come my way -- and the more rewarding they become.

Through the years I have had numerous opportunities to do things that have made a positive difference for others.  Some have been small and some much larger (at least to me).  They seemed to increase in frequency the more that I stepped out in faith and accepted them when presented.  They also came after prayer.

Sometimes I think we fear opportunities because they usually come with risk.  One risk is that of failure.  Another is that they take us out of our comfort zone.  That's where faith comes in.  God gives us opportunities in order to help us to grow.  Until we attempt what we have never done, we don't know that we can do it.  If it is something you are comfortable with doing, it really isn't an opportunity.  Real opportunities stretch us beyond our comfort zone into a place where we must trust that God will provide what is necessary to get us through.

My prayer is that God will continue to bring opportunities my way and that I will have the faith to accept them when they come.  I pray the same for you.  I am thankful that God cares enough about me to provide opportunities for my growth.

"...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you." -- Matthew 17:20

Recalling Past Thanksgiving Holidays

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday and traditional family gatherings,  I am reminded of past Thanksgivings.  I remember that for many years, Grandpa, along with Johnny Hodges and J Cowart, would go to Sonora to hunt deer during the Thanksgiving break.  They had a deer lease on Phil Jacoby's ranch near there.  If I recall correctly, they would leave on the Friday before and return on Wednesday so they could be with their families on Thanksgiving Day.

I remember Grandpa used to have deer antlers mounted on the side of the shop in his barn.  There was a period of time when he even had a hide tacked up to dry.  It eventually ruined because no one ever took the next steps to finish the hide either as raw hide, or tanned hide.  He would hang his bridles and other small tack from the deer antlers.

Ropes were a different thing.  He never hung his ropes, but kept them rolled up and stored in old metal sodium chlorate cans.  The cans were water tight and the perfect size and shape to store several ropes.  For those who don't know, sodium chlorate was a chemical used to kill Johnson Grass.  At that time and place, it was the only chemical of which I am aware that would kill Johnson Grass.  Of course, it also killed the ground and nothing would grow in the place where it had been applied for several years.

Sometimes Grandpa would bring home a turkey that he had shot while hunting deer.  There were also a few Gobbler beards hanging on that shop wall.  The wild turkeys were never as good to eat as the store bought ones.  They tended to be tougher and occasionally would contain a piece of shot left over from the means of their demise.  Grandma would cook them though.  Wasting good meat was never an option.

There were times Grandpa came home empty handed from those hunts, but they were rare.  He always said it was more about the trip and the time with Johnny and J.  I can understand that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thanksgiving Thought

The early morning frost reminds me
Of the approaching end of year
With holidays and gathering
Of the ones that I hold dear.

It is the time of celebration
For the harvest of the fields;
It is a time of giving thanks
For the earth’s abundant yields.

As I think of all the blessings
That my family has received
I marvel that the One above
In whom I have believed

Would look upon me with such favor,
Unworthy as I am
To be honored with such blessing.
And I reflect on how He came

To earth to join in our toil
That is filled with daily strife
And that He gave His very all
That we might have eternal life.

Then I realize this is what
We should truly thank Him for –
He loved us so very much
That He opened heaven’s door

To those who would believe
In God’s only Son
Who toiled upon this earth
Until His work was done.

Now it is the harvest of
The children that He sought
And we should thank Him daily
For our lives which He has bought.