November 2022 – Page 2

Morning Musing: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

November 23, 2022November 22, 2022Leave a comment

“…give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When we think about things for which we can be thankful, our minds and hearts often go to the obvious and easy first. I’m thankful for my family, for my job (on most days), for my kids (right?!?), for my spouse, and so on and so forth. But when the apostle Paul was giving some final instructions to the believers in ancient Thessalonica, he called them to give thanks in everything. More than that, he told them that this was God’s will for them. If you’re at all like me, I suspect you can quickly think of some circumstances in which you were not particularly thankful. And yet this command remains. So, today’s prompt is simple: I want you to think of a circumstance you have faced recently in which you were decidedly not thankful. Got it? Now, take a few minutes and write out some things that you experienced in that situation for which you could have been thankful. The idea here is not that we should learn to see everything as something good and to be grateful for, but rather that we do ourselves a great favor when we learn to see the world around us through a lens of gratitude first. Use today’s exercise as a chance to practice developing your gratitude lens. If you’re willing, share about your situation and why you are grateful in the comments. Enjoy your day and remember to give thanks as you prepare for tomorrow.

Morning Musing: Psalm 100:4

November 22, 2022November 22, 20224 Comments

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

This is the week we as a nation have set aside for giving thanks. Well, for not a few folks it is more truly a week for worshiping at the altars of gluttony, football, and commercial excess, but the original intent was just what the holiday’s name implies: thanksgiving. It is also a week that gives a couple of days off to rest up before the sprint that the Advent season so often becomes. With this in mind, I’m not going to be writing much this week. Instead, I want to give you the chance to do the writing. Each day this week, I am going to give you a writing prompt with a challenge. Whether you do it or not is entirely up to you, but allow me to offer this one encouragement: Taking me up on these will bring the potential of making a truly positive impact on your life and the lives of the people around you. Since this is a week set aside for thanksgiving, let’s give our attention to some ways we can be giving thanks.

This morning, I want you to think of one person for whom you are particularly grateful. Once you have this person in mind, I want you to take a few minutes sometime today to write them a note (by hand!) to tell them that you are grateful for them and why you are grateful for them. The last part of the challenge is this: make sure that note gets delivered. You can do it with a gift of some kind if that happens to be your love language, but at the very least, make sure the note gets delivered. Finally, if you are willing, in the comments section, share who your person is and why you are so thankful for them. Let’s give thanks together!

P.S. I didn’t notice this until after this published, but today was my 1500th post. I’m thankful for you and your sticking with me this long. Here’s to many more.

Perspective Shift

November 21, 2022November 22, 2022Leave a comment

This week we finally reach the end of our teaching series, Married for Good. This week, to wrap things up, we are talking about one of the simplest but most powerful ways we can improve not merely our marriages, but all of our relationships. Starting next week, we’ll begin an Advent series you won’t want to miss. Thanks for reading and sharing.

Perspective Shift

Everybody loves a good life hack. A life hack is a simple thing you can do to make some normal part of life easier and more efficient than it is right now. In honor of that this morning, I found a few life hacks to share with you. We’re getting into prime baking season. If you happen to be making cookies in the next few weeks, but you just don’t have time to do it from scratch (I see you) so you are using one of those premade logs of dough, use a bit of dental floss to slice them instead of a knife. You’ll get much cleaner and prettier slices. This also works really well if you are someone who makes cinnamon rolls from scratch (just saying).

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Digging in Deeper: James 1:19-20

November 18, 2022Leave a comment

“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever experienced the letdown of unmet expectations? I’m sure you have. We all do from time to time. Sometimes that’s our own fault because we placed too much hope in the wrong things. Sometimes it is the fault of someone else who sold us more than was available to buy. Oftentimes it’s a mixture of both. I recently experienced a theatrical letdown. My hopes were high for a great film, but it just didn’t deliver. This morning, we’re going to talk about the latest offering from Marvel Studios: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and why it just wasn’t what I expected. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, proceed with caution because I will include spoilers.

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Digging in Deeper: Hebrews 13:20-25

November 17, 2022Leave a comment

“Now may the God of peace, who brough up from the dead our Lord Jesus – the great Shepherd of the sheep – through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy send you greetings. Grace be with you all.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

At long last, today we arrive at our big finish. This has been quite a journey. We are going to end today with a blessing. It’s not a blessing from me, but from the author. As we reflect on where we’ve come, let’s talk about this blessing and where we go from here.

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