The Creator’s Comfort - 30 Days of Thankfulness

I love my comforter.

Winter is coming to the Upper Midwest. The sky is darker, and days are shorter. Cold winds blow through my street and my spirit at this time of year.

Sometimes, I think I’d rather just curl up with my comforter and catch a few thousand sets of forty winks, instead of piling on layers of winter wear and facing the season.

But the real Comforter calls.

Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.
    So why are you afraid of mere humans,
    who wither like the grass and disappear?

Isaiah 51:11-12, NLT

God Himself is our Comforter, especially during the bleakest seasons and the darkest days of our lives.

I rediscovered this recently and personally, walking through a tunnel of trial. Maybe you did too.

Slogging my way through a season of struggle with a chronic and progressively disabling health condition, I was stunned to learn of the death of a loved one in our extended family.

The news devastated the entire clan, both for the current loss and for his passing near the second anniversary of the death of another dear one in the family. In fact, we had lost five loved ones (from both sides of the family) around the same time over the past several years.

I’m not sure anyone in our church even knew of the tragedy.

For health reasons, I haven’t exactly been a regular participant at worship services. It’s amazing how easily we can become unplugged when we don’t show up often. Unfortunately, medical concerns have kept me lately from the high-amp setting of particularly exuberant and enthusiastic gatherings. The mix is simply dangerous for me.

Close friends rallied around our family, as we grieved. Colleagues and comrades came to honor the one we had lost. Others penned notes of encouragement and love, both on paper and online.

Certainly, we appreciated the sympathy and support from these fine folks.

But the ultimate comfort came on a much closer level, as the Holy One touched hearts where no one else could.

I am thankful for the Comforter.

God sees into the hidden corners of our deepest sorrows. His hand reaches into our hurts. And He holds us when we cannot hold up our own heads.

For what are you thankful?

Image/s:

Passer-payez - by Leo Leopold Boilly

1803

Public Domain Artwork – copyright expired

Wikipedia Commons Photos

Thankful at Thanksgiving

Adapted from public domain artwork

 

Related Items:

20 Sincere Sympathy Card Statements to Comfort Those Who Mourn - What can you write in a sympathy card? Sometimes the simplest words are the most difficult to find. Here are 20 tender and true phrasings for sympathy card notes. Some include statements of faith, while others are simply comments of personal compassion.

Mended and Commended - A Poetic Pace on Wondrous Grace: "Laden with a load, I sorrowed; Ill-contentment, bought and borrowed. Inner scorn my truest friend, Trying hard, truth to suspend...."

Soul-Worn - a Poetic Piece on the Great Release - What happens when a soul is tired, sorrow-filled, with cares enmired? Can one be freed from darkest night and live in Heaven's brightest light?

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share

The Bible is the Best - 30 Days of Thankfulness

Treasure hunts are intriguing, challenging, and fun.

As a child, I loved finding and following clues on treasure hunts. Occasionally, folks would create such searches for birthdays parties and special gatherings. What fun it is to traipse around, looking high and low for a secret prize.

Forget Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey and Musical Chairs.

Take me to a treasure hunt, and the kid in me comes right back.

I’ve even created treasure hunts. Ask my kids. Because I love to write (particularly poetry), I’ve had a blast devising rhymed hints and hiding them all over the house and yard. My children have deciphered these little ditties to find Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, and other goodies.

God has given us a treasure hunt as well.

The Bible gives us many clues about God’s character, His ways, and how we can find Him.

I am thankful for the Bible, God’s holy Word.

Without it, I’d surely be lost.

I have tried hard to find You –

Don’t let me wander from Your commands.

I have hidden Your word in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

I praise You, O LORD;

Teach me Your decrees.

Psalm 119:10-12, NLT

The Bible is a beautiful blessing, especially when I open the Book and dig into its bounty.

 

For what are you thankful?

Image/s:

Reading the Bible

by Rushay Booysen

Creative Commons Licensing

Wikipedia Commons Photos

Thankful at Thanksgiving

Adapted from public domain artwork

Related Items:

• How to Make a Jesse Tree for Christmas - How can families refocus upon the true meaning of Christmas? The Jesse Tree family tradition offers excellent teachable moments for parents and children, while tracing the Bible story of God and His people, from Creation to the coming of Christ.
• The "Why" Chromosome - Should a Woman Preach and Teach?  - Should a woman preach and teach in the church? This debate has persisted for centuries. What ought women to do with their spiritual gifts? Would God give women teaching and preaching gifts, if He did not intend for them to use these talents for His glory?
• A Yearling's Reminder - Learning Holiness from a Horse? - Getting kicked by my startled yearling made me think about how God loves us. How often do we suddenly get startled by something that happens to us and kick out, even at the One who protects us? How He loves us!

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share

Appreciating the Almighty – 30 Days of Thankfulness

I’m a bit behind here, but jumping into 30 Days of Thankfulness. This blogging event leads us into a month of gratitude, right through Thanksgiving and into the start of Advent.

Because I adore a challenge, I’m starting with the alphabet, as I adore the Almighty. Even as storms swirl, both meteorologically and personally, Father God covers us with His strong arms and holds His beloved close to His heart.

The eternal God is thy refuge, 
and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27a, KJV

I am thankful for the Almighty.

Does your life feel stormy?

Cyclones and crises come in all sorts of forms, from everyday hassles to health horrors and full-out hurricanes. But God is able to answer the call of any who desire to trust Him.

Maybe He stills the storm, or maybe He simply holds us dearly till the tumult has subsided.

Today, I thank God for who He is – the Almighty, the All-Wise, the Awesome One. He is Abba Father, the Amazing Ancient of Days.

To Him belong all Alleluias.

For what are you thankful?

Image/s:

God the Father

By Cima de Conegliano

Circa 1515

Thankful at Thanksgiving

Adapted from public domain artwork

Related Items:

• Top 10 Bible Verses for Thanksgiving - On Thanksgiving, we gather to share food, fellowship and thanks for God's blessings. What treasured Bible verses are most appropriate for sharing at Thanksgiving? Here are our top 12 favorite Bible verses for Thanksgiving cards and greetings.
• 9 Favorite Thanksgiving Hymns - Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting upon thankfulness, which points many hearts to God. Folks gather to worship God at Thanksgiving. What sacred and traditional hymns are most suitable for Thanksgiving?
• Beckoned Homeward - A Sonnet Scripted for the Sacred One - This sonnet is composed in the traditional format, meter and rhyme scheme of the Shakespearean sonnet. Celebrating in sonnet form, the poem salutes the great value of God. How much better is a single day serving God than a thousand days in the dark?

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share

Maintaining memories of 911 heroes

This September 11^th marks the 11^th anniversary of the tragic and terrifying terrorist attack on American soil. This infamous date gives us pause to ponder the horrific loss our nation suffered.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center toppled in New York City. The Pentagon took a tremendous hit. And a plane filled with valiant and persistent passengers crashed in a Pennsylvania farm field, instead of at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The internet, TV networks, radios, and other communications channels trumpeted reminders of this mind-blowing and disastrous date in American history.

Like so many fellow Americans, I read this morning’s many poignant posts and forwarded lots of touching and inspiring photographs and quotes. I stopped to pray again for the families who lost loved ones on that dreadful day.

And I thanked God that we live in a nation where we generally feel safe. We go about our daily business unimpeded. Despots do not threaten our faith, our professions, or even our lifestyles.

Still, we complain. We mope. We gripe about imperfections in our land.

Some of these rumblings may actually lead to positive changes, particularly in an election year, when candidates of every stripe and their followers consider real issues that affect us all.

Amid these considerations, I stepped out to log a few miles in my running shoes. Then I saw this.

Perhaps I need not mention that the homeowner that assembled this visual tribute today frequently displays political placards supporting candidates and causes with which I tend to disagree rather strongly.

But today that does not matter. Not one bit.

Take a closer look. 

OK, the folks in the photo are not real. But they certainly remind us of the most genuine among us all.

We remember. Surely, we remember. And, although our country is far from perfect, we may indeed be grateful that we live in such a land. Certainly, our fallen finest deserve another “Thank you” and a solemn salute.

Image/s:

Photo by Linda Ann Nickerson

Nickers and Ink Creative Communications

Related Items:

• 9/11: 3 Reflections on a National Tragedy - What do you remember about September 11, 2001,  and its aftermath? Where were you when the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers? How did this terrorist-driven tragedy affect your life and the lives of so many of us?
• Burning in Our Hearts – We will not forget the courage and sacrifice of the firefighters and other rescuers who lost their lives in the tragic terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. This rhymed poem offers a tribute to the fallen.
• 10 Individuals Reflect on 9/11 - How did folks feel when terrorists hit the U.S. on September 11, 2001? Ten diverse people (including an airline employee and an FDNY deputy chief's daughter), answered these questions: Where were you on September 11? How did the tragic events impact you?

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share