Thanks for...

IT'S SUCH A DICOTOMY. LYING IN A REHAB HOPITAL, 18 METAL STAPLES HOLDING MY SKIN TOGETHER OVER A METAL PLATE AND SCREWS. PLANS DASHED TO BEGIN BUILDING A POLE BARN AND OUR HOUSE ON THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ACREAGE IN THE SOUTH. ALL THE WHILE GRETCHEN AND HER FAMILY ARE HERE, CELEBRATING THE THANKSGIVING WEEKEND WITH THE BURWICKS JUNIOR AND WILLIAMS.



THE KEY IS FOCUS. THE CIRCUMSTANCES AREN'T CONDUCIVE TO A THANKFUL SPIRIT. FOCUS: IT IS A WARM BUILDING. SOME ARE HOMELESS WITH NO RELATIONAL OR PHYSICAL WARMTH.



FOCUS: LOOK AT HOW MUCH I HAVE FOR WHICH TO BE THANKFUL. THE LIST IS TOO LONG TO ILLUCIDATE UPON HERE.

FOCUS: THANKS ABBA PAPA

FOR A THANKFUL THANKSGIVING

Thankful for Bella Rose and Barron Olaf Burwick, 2 of our 17 grandkids.

Thanksgiving. The time of year that we focus on how much for which we have to be thankful. The book “Jesus Calling” suggests to the follower of Jesus:

"As you sit quietly in My presence, let me fill your heart and mind with thankfulness. This is the most direct way to acieve a thankful stance. If your mind needs a focal point, gaze at My love poured out for you on the cross. Remember that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate you from that Love. This remembrance builds a foundation of gratitude in you, a foundation that circumstances cannot shake.

“Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you joy (regardless of the circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience – at times, blind obedience. To people who don’t know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossibe to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficlties may remain.

“Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from my perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity.

Our challenge: deepen our attitude of gratitude.