Thanksgiving V ~

9-17 February:  This week, I have thankful for the message given for us at church by Don DuFrene, a lay-preacher who uses his talent to bless all who hear - he spoke of the blessings of touch, both human touch and the touch of God; thankful for the hugs shared among friends; thankful for this message from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 where it is written: " Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. Love never fails...." (CEB); thankful to the fellow who provided assistance when D.D.'s vehicle wouldn't start (and the other one was parked in G'ville!); thankful for ALL who are helpers in big and small ways; thankful to find these words in Isaiah 25:1 that echo the praise in my heart: "O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said!" (TLB); thankful to have found a marvelous exercise in a Discipleship Journal where a list of Bible passages is given providing some of the names used for Jesus and how those names are applied to Him - with a grid for jotting down what the name reveals about His character or calling, ways in which this name is meaningful to me, and how I want to respond to this new understanding - precious! Was thankful to have eyes that see clearly all that is close at hand plus glasses that enable clear vision at greater distances; thankful to find this version of a passage familiar to us all: “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.' (John 3:16-17; MSG); thankful for the love that surrounds me day by day; thankful to see the pretty heart shaped messages and flowers that say "I was thinking of you!"; and thankful as I read these words of Jesus from John 13:34-35 where it is written: “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (CEB);  thankful that D.D. was with another teacher on the snow-y drive to work; thankful to see the beautiful coat of fresh snow out my window - pretty to look at, but I'm thankful in not needing to be out IN it; thankful for this definition of what real love is: "This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God." (1John 4:10; MSG); thankful to have the wonderful duo in the laundry-room that that restore clothes and linens to a "clean" state while I can do something else - I remember being thankful for the little machine we had in PRC that did nothing but agitate and spin, but that was enough to avoid hand-washing, even with a manual drain and refill to rinse; thankful for anticipation of God's weekly rest on the Sabbath,  thankful for this promise when all I can see is a mass of confusion: "... I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going. I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.  These are the things I’ll be doing for them— sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.” (Isaiah 42:17; MSG); thankful to be awake and anticipating another day of study, praise, worship, and pleasant fellowship with my church family; thankful for the blessing of praying for missionaries on the other side of the world, with confidence that my prayers are heard; and thankful to read this promise from Romans 8:35-37 where we read: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (KJV).