Thanksgiving V ~

22-28 July:  This week, I have been thankful  to know the joy of singing in an impromptu choir after the fellowship luncheon yesterday at church; thankful that D.D.got home safely after a week away; thankful to read this "I will ...." promise from Psalm 32:8 where it is written: "The Lord says,'I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.'" (GW); thankful for the promise (through the years I've found it to be true) that our Father will supply ALL our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19); thankful to see the occasional avian visitor under the big leaves on the tree outside enjoying a snack from the bird-feeder; thankful for these two passages from Scripture; "Then children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, 'Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'” (Matthew 19:13-14, CSB) and this one: "Jesus called a little child to come to Him. He stood the child in front of the followers. Then He said, 'The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom. The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child.'" (Matthew 18:2-4; ERV); thankful for my precious family and the love that flows around and through us; thankful that the dear Dandee is enjoying his walk with his favorite two-legged; thankful for the message from Psalm 112:4-6: "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people— God’s grace and mercy and justice! The good person is generous and lends lavishly; No shuffling or stumbling around for this one, but a sterling and solid and lasting reputation. Unfazed by rumor and gossip, heart ready, trusting in God, spirit firm, unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, they lavish gifts on the poor— a generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honored life! A beautiful life!" (MSG); thankful to be alive for another day; thankful for the "everydayness" of God's love, mercy, and grace in my life; thankful to see this passage posted by D.D. from 2 Corinthians 12:9 where it is written: "... 'My grace is enough for you: for where there is weakness, My power is shown the more completely.' Therefore, I have cheerfully made up my mind to be proud of my weaknesses, because they mean a deeper experience of the power of Christ." (PHILLIPS); thankful that I have the blessing of reflexes that still allow me to snatch from the air something that has fallen! I was thankful for summer weather on the Camas Prairie; thankful for this description of faith that is found in Hebrews 11:1-3 where we read: "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see." (MSG); thankful to be free from the habits of fretfulness and worry - these habits just spoil the appreciation of the blessings our Father provides day by day; thankful for the blessings of the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program - something that can help through all the rest of one's life with the emphasis on fruits and vegetables and lean proteins as its core; thankful for these words from Hebrews 12:1 where it is written: "... Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses [those described in chapter 11], let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us." (CJB); thankful for a new Sabbath - a day the Creator chose as a commemoration of His week creating the wonderful world on which we live; thankful for Pastor Randy Robert's message this morning on "The All-sufficient Savior"; and thankful to join with Paul in these words from Philippians 3:14 where we read: " I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (KJV).