Thanksgiving in Every Season

Tomorrow, people in the United States will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, a time of feasting and celebration of love, life and family in the tradition of our country's founding. However, no matter where you reside in this world, I welcome you to join us in the tradition of being thankful for all that you have.

We can all set aside this day as a day for an attitude of gratitude.

To my of my friends and readers around the globe, I wish you all a wonderful day of Thanksgiving. I am thankful for each one of you and I appreciate your allowing me to speak into your lives. Thank you for speaking into mine.

I will close with the following quote. Read through it thoughtfully and take time to reflect on how you can be thankful even through some of the tough stuff.  All of life, the good and the bad, shapes us into the people and leaders we are today and will be tomorrow. We can be thankful for it all with the right perspective.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted:
A time to kill, and a time to heal;

Time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing:
A time to gain, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.

Source: Ecclesiastes 3, The Bible: New American Standard Version

What can you be thankful for? Share below as a comment if you so desire!

Man Does Not Know His Time

I returned and saw under the sun that-

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding;
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
For man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.
Ecc 9:11-12 NKJV

My heart goes out and my prayers go up to the family & friends of Tisha Yearout, a member of Nicklaus Golf Club, who was killed in a car accident on Monday.  According to the Kansas City Star, some of the details are as follows:

A 46 year-old Overland Park woman was killed Monday afternoon in southern Johnson County when the car she was riding in hit a tree...Tisha Yearout's husband, who was driving, swerved to avoid a deer and hit the tree...The husband was unhurt, but Yearout, who was in the front passenger's seat, was killed."

This could be any one of us.  We never know what is coming next in our lives do we? One day our lives are intact, the next day they could be shattered by tragedy.  Since we don't know when our "time" will come, we need to redeem the time that we have, considering the things that are most important - our relationships with others and our relationships with God.  As Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, time and chance happen to us all.  None of us are exempt.  A part or all of our lives can be taken from us without a warning, and all we are left to think is "Why?" Sometimes we may never know why.  It is then that we can find comfort, even though sometimes that is easier said than done, through our relationship with God, knowing that He is in control. 

To ponder:

1) How can you live your life to the fullest now?

2) What do you need to do to build your trust in God's control over your world?

3) Are you redeeming your time?

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Janna Rust is a Professional Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.

Two Are Better Than One

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall, the one will lifet up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

God is so amazing isn't He?  Now, although that is a true statement, I understand that it is coming a little out of left field for anyone who isn't inside my head.  But that is okay.  Let me explain.  The above verse is my favorite verse in the bible regarding friendship.  God does not want us to be alone without fellowship on this earth and He doesn't want us to live life without Him in it either.   Even though relationships can be trying sometimes, we are much better with them than without them, because when we fall and cry "I can't get up!" someone will be there to help.

Back to the "God is amazing" statement.  Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been posting as frequently and the reason once again is that ministry and life have been a little busy of late.  Priorities, priorities.  One of the things upcoming is our church's Spring Ladies' Tea.  In a book I was reading late last night, totally unrelated to my "tea" preparations which have not yet occured,  I came across the verse in Ecclesiastes mentioned above.  I must mention that the verse is our theme verse for our Ladies' Tea on Saturday.  So the amazing part is seeing that verse in a book that I wasn't really planning on picking up again until Sunday (after the Tea) .  It was confirmation again from God to me that our theme is what He wanted to speak about there.  Hence, the coolness.   In addition, since I had not yet planned my opening remarks for the tea, I believe God gave me them hear as well in a story from the book I will share.   God answered my prayers for wisdom last night!

So, without further adieu, I want to share with each of you a story that exemplifies why we should allow others into our lives and not try to do things all by ourselves.  I hope you enjoy it.  So, from John Maxwell's "Becoming a Person of Influence" p. 108-109, here we go with a story of a bricklayer who got hurt at a building site because he tried to get a load of bricks down from the top story of a building without asking for any help:

It would have taken too long to carry all the bricks down by hand, so I decided to put them in a barrel and lower them by a pully which I had fastened to the top of the building.  After tying the rope securely at ground lever, I then went up to the top of the building.  I fastened the rope around the barrel, loaded it with bricks, and swung it over the sidewalk for the descent.  Then I went down to the sidewalk and untied the rope, holding it securely to guide the barrel down slowly.  But since I weigh only 140 pounds, the 500 pound load jerked me from the ground so fast that I didn't have time to think of letting go of the rope.  As I passed between the second and third floors I met the barrel coming down.  This accounts for the bruises and the lacerations on my upper body.

I held tightly to the rope until I reached the top where my hand became jammed in the pulley.  This accounts for my broken thumb. 

At the same time, however, the barrel hit the sidewalk with a bang and the bottom fell out.  With the weight of the bricks gone, the barrel weighed only about 40 pounds.  Thus my 140 pound body began a swift descent, and I met the empty barrel coming up.  This accounts for my broken ankle.

Slowed only slightly, I continued the descent and landed on the pile of bricks.  This accounts for my sprained back and broken collar bone. 

At this point I lost my presence of mind completely, and I let go of the rope and the empty barrel came crashing down on me.  This accounts for my head injuries. 

And as for the last question on your insurance form, "What would I do if  the same situation rose again?"  Please be advised I am finished trying to do the job all by myself.

So the moral is: Sometimes relationships are a pain, but seldom are they more trouble than they are worth.  Lord, I thank You for the friends and family that You have put into my life to not only help me but change me for Your glory.  Help me to appreciate them more as well as show me how to be a help to them.  Amen.