Giving Thanks

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving celebration as we praise Almighty God for His bountiful blessings!

Psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8     the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Your fellow herald for Jesus,

Mary

What We Celebrate

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it" (Isaiah 30:15).

Asked what top three things America values most was all too easy for me to answer--food, fame and fortune. Sadly, this pompous display of overeating, overspending and overindulgence has become the national symbol of holidays in our country.While I'm a huge fan of gathering with family and friends to share God's bounty and love I, too, struggle against the spirit that is attempting to hijack the season from it's rightful place. It's not a "thing" or a "day" that we are to celebrate, but a Person--Jesus our Redeemer.

How did we stray so far as a nation that many no longer realize Thanksgiving is a day to give God thanks for all He has blessed us with? It probably started slowly like any sinful rebellion that builds over time. It's Satan's oldest tactic. If he can get your mind off of God and onto yourself you are fair game for the spirit of this age to deceive you. When your belly is full, your houses overflowing with possessions, and your career is profitable and successful you're tempted to elevate yourself above God. Pride in yourself replaces praise offered to God. 

Why is this time of year so stressful for our country? Because we have sought after earthly things that deplete us believing their attainment will complete us. You cannot buy peace with God through your good deeds. Heaven doesn't hold holiday sales. The free gift of eternal life is available everyday. This is good news, something to be truly thankful for! Have you accepted this incredible priceless gift through faith and trust in Jesus who died to set you free from hell? If not, how long will you persist in your obstinate ways? What will you be celebrating this Thanksgiving? Your achievements or His greatness? "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it" (Isaiah 30:15).

Your fellow herald for Jesus,

Mary

Sisterhood of the Traveling Plants

"Forget the former things: do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:18-19).

"How could plants that thrived for a decade deteriorate to near death in eight weeks?", I asked my husband in astonishment. Unable to take them into our hotel room while we searched for a new home we entrusted them to a close friend. She informed me they were struggling a "little", as she followed my instructions regarding their care. She meant well. But somehow they were slowly neglected and arrived at my doorstep parched and shriveled; a mere shadow of their former beauty and a lot like me.

The dragon plant took the worst hit shrinking from over four feet tall to half its size. With tape and sticks my sweet friend attempted to repair the damage she'd done on the plant's drooping trunk. It looked like it was on life support! Thankfully, my precious husband hid the plants in the garage until after my friend's visit. When my eyes first beheld them I gasped in shocked then burst out laughing. As tears rolled down my laughing face I exclaimed, "These plants are a metaphor of me!"

Watering my plants I realized my sisterhood with them. We'd both traveled a rough journey during this relocation. Uprooted from all that was familiar to me, all that made my life comfortable and easy, I wasn't thriving spiritually, physically or emotionally in our new city. I miss our friends, our church; our neighborhood. Now life is foreign and lonely like a dry wasteland. It's pretty here but I feel displaced.

Some days I chastise myself, angry that I'm acting as if I've been exiled to an awful place. But it's not an attitude of ungratefulness that's stunting my growth. I lack nourishment because I've rushed through my quiet time with Jesus. My plants are a reflection of the way I feel inside, but all is not lost! Just as there are tiny green leaves of new growth pushing through my plant's withered stalks, so there is life in me. This desert season has increased my compassion for those who struggle far worse transplanting, such as our brave military and their families.

As I read my Bible and God's Word washes over my parched soul, I am reminded of His purpose for the uprooting. He is more concerned with character development than comfort; there is something new He's birthing in me. If I let Him plow and plant something beautiful will bloom for His glory. "Father, help me remember the goodness of the past without hanging on so tightly that I miss the new thing you are doing" (Isaiah 43:18-19). Thank you!

Your sister and herald for Jesus,

Mary