THANKFUL THURSDAY!

 calm YOUR ANXIETY!

 How does one do that!

 Give all your worries and cares to God....for He cares about you.  (1Peter 5:7, NLT) 

 How many ways can one say it??

Robert Morgan shares in calm YOUR ANXIETY, God's Word offers a "divine inoculation against the paralyzing disease of worry." (Day 29, P.58)

Eugene Peterson's biblical  paraphrase, The Message, says, "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worry, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns."

Ending today with a cuppa gra-TEA-tude and evening prayers of thanksgiving. 

After all.....it's "Thankful Thursday."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2023!

Happy Thanksgiving from our neighborhood and beyond to yours....

....and from the youngest grands in New York, North Carolina, and Texas!

Sipping my cuppa gra-TEA-tude sweetened with love for so may family and friends! 

Blessings on your day 2023!  

*Macy's Parade Pix---a T'giving Morning Tradition ( w/ 2 special attractions this year.

         

HEART OF WORSHIP!

A heart of worship must be filled daily!

Moment by Moment.

A heart of gratitude.

Grabbing my cuppa grace-TEA-tude, sweetened with grace, I'm working on a heart acrostic for the week.

Honoring

Exalting 

Adoring

Revering

Thanking

Focusing on the radiance of my redeemer, rock, refuge and restorer before I even begin repenting and requesting my need for refreshing from Him. (Acts 3:19-20

I'm going back to the "heart of worship." Won't you join me!

"SONSHINE"

A good beginning to my day starts with a "cuppa."

Today's tea was a much needed black tea with caffeine!

It came came with a message. Its own moniker. "A SIP OF SUNSHINE."

Just what I needed----or thought I needed.

As I picked up my Bible, I knew I needed more. More of Jesus. 

"More of Thee less of me" as a "notation" reminded me.

"I am not enough, but Jesus is." (Cole, 5/8/22)

I'll have a second cuppa and sweeten it with gra-TEA-tude!

SONSHINE! The true sunshine I need in my life comes from Him. 

May God's Son shine through  me today.( Micah 6:8)

RX FOR DESPAIR & STRUGGLES

RX---I could post a pic of LOTS of drug and other pain relieving accoutrements but....that would put the focus on me. I don't want my pain, physical and emotional, to be my ID/significance or leverage. 

Instead Psalm 118:5 reminds me, Out of my distress, I called on the Lord: the Lord answered me and set me free. Simply put but truly a 12+ hour struggle for me. But God...was faithful even when I was not.

Jesus Calling Daybrightener 7/5

As Sarah Young puts it, "I can never be in control of my life's circumstances" but I can trust in His control. Seek to know God better. Christ is central. Stop clinging to the old ways. Continue to be on the look out for God's hand and be thankful.

Regardless of which RX verse gives you the most comfort and relief, take it daily with a cuppa Gra-TEA-tude to the One who gives life in abundance! (John 10:10)

THANKSforGIVING!

Thank you, God.
My heart is so full of gratitude. Only You could bring us all together during these busy times.

Thanks for giving so abundantly to all 17 of us these last 2 days!

I've been sippin' a cuppa gra-TEA-tude daily.

Thank you, LORD for giving me a loving family!!!

TIMELY THANKFUL THURSDAY

No time. No panic. No pressure. 

Having a "blended" cuppa this Thursday morn.

A BIG spoonful of gra-TEA-tude stirred in to my at-TEA-tude cuppa.

Trying not to slosh---

PSALM 100 SERVED WITH A CUPPA

 Psalm 100.

A psalm I had memorized in 4th grade as part of Mrs. Munday's scripture memory assignment. Morningside Elementary School. Ah-h those were the days of prayer in public school. To this day, she remains as one of my all time favorite teachers* and this psalm in the King James translation remains in my heart.

Mama Davenport's Bible, KJV, July 1945

However, today's All to Jesus entry gave me new insight into this memory-evoking psalm.

Author Robert Morgan states that stanza 1 (vv. 1-3) are devoted to gladitude as we "shout to the Lord and serve Him with gladness." Stanza 2 (vv. 4-5) is about gratitude as one enters the His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise

That's why a cuppa spiritual at-TEA-tude this morning to start my day in His Presence---a rich blend of glad-TEA-tude & gra-TEA-tude!

*I still keep the note which she wrote to me in 2009 when I was going through my cancer treatments/surgeries.

CHOOSE: TO GIVE THANKS

Even a note pad of jottings and urgencies can remind one of the importance of always giving thanks.(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Give thanks with a grateful heart.

Click here to "Read and Listen." 

Maybe enjoy the music while sipping a cuppa gra-TEA-tude & pondering Ephesians 5:19-20.

Give thanks with a grateful heartGive thanks to the Holy OneGive thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son 

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"Let the poor say, "I am richBecause of what the Lord has done for us"                                   Give Thanks. (Repeat)

A grateful heart overflows with love and is the result of choosing to "give thanks."

CHOOSE: THANKFUL THURSDAY

How easy it is to "choose" to be thankful when one is recipient of "reading gifts" from others. Gifts which show they know me well.

Yet, God's word reminds us to give thanks in everything---even sadness.

Sipping my cuppa gra-TEA-tude this morning has me choosing to do just that---remembering those who have passed in to eternity the past 2 weeks and to be grateful for the time I had with each of them, even though it still hurts.

CHOOSE: TO BE MUCH OBLIGED

Much obliged---was an old-fashioned expression Daddy often used. It was his way of saying "thank you." "Thank you very much!" Actually "much obliged" seemed to be the vernacular of small town rural folks in western Kentucky. My grandmother, Gena Adams, used it too, but she then would view the obliged part, as something she had to do. 

Though obliged does indicate an obligation I'm not sure Daddy saw the obligation as something he had to do, just something he wanted to do. "Desired to do"would have been more a part of his mettle,  as he was always so appreciative of the kindness and generosity of others. Though in fact, most people didn't expect a pay back or a return for the favor. It was just the Hoptown way.

Our friends, the Walkers, heard that our  grandson Owen was in his school's chess club. They gave us an exquisite chess set to  pass on to Owen as a way to encourage his pursuit of that hobby. 

I was definitely "much obliged" and I want Owen to be grateful as well. He never sees them to say thank you so I want to encourage him to write a thank you note. Courtesy is a character trait, I want to instill in him. It's important to learn at an early age to "sip" from a cuppa great-TEA-tude especially when one has been served a large cuppa generous-TEA. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Not because "one has to" but because "one wants to."

Whether one chooses to say, "much obliged," thank you very much or just thanks, gratitude is always the right choice!

CHOOSE: GRATITUDE

Daddy used to begin his day, "thanking the good Lord for everyday He gave Him."

That's not a bad idea as everyday is a gift from Him. 

I sip from my cuppa "graTEAtude" as a reminder.

Today is indeed God's gift.

Choose "Gratitude" as an expression of that and live it out for the rest of the day!

Holiday Gra-TEA-tude

……give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4, NIV)

Amy Grant’s rendition of “Joy to the World” is streaming as I type. How easy it seems to be thankful when one's tuned in to the "music of the soul." 
To me, Christmas carols are just that---soulful music of the wonder of the nativity.

G. K. Chesterton said, "Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

Certainly the wonder of the season adds to my joy…..”And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love and wonders and wonders of His love.” 

A cuppa graTEA-tude rich with the wonder of the Christmas season is a perfect way to celebrate the Lord’s birth.

A BIG cuppa Gra-TEA-tude

 In everything give thanks, (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NASB)

A great verse reminder to give thanks throughout the year---not just on Thanksgiving Day!

Dickens says we Americans have it backwards---we should spend 364 days a year being thankful and set aside one day only for griping and complaining.

Amen! to Mr. Dickens and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Gra-TEA-tude---How full is your cuppa?

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34, ESV)

Didn't we learn in kindergarten to say "thank you?" I didn't go to kindergarten but I learned it from my mother and grandmothers and I taught it to 5 year olds and pre-schoolers for 20+ years.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (2 Corinthians 9:11-12, NIV)

"Happy people are not always thankful but thankful people are almost always happy." Howard Clark said this and WSJ research seems to back it up.
Wall Street Journal says"Giving thanks is good for your health."

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They’re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy, or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections. 

Now, researchers are finding that gratitude brings similar benefits in children and adolescents. [Studies also show that] kids who feel and act grateful tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches, and feel more satisfied with their friends, families, and schools than those who don’t. (WSJ 11-23-10)

Thanksgiving Day comes tomorrow...but  according to Edward Stanford Martin

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow."

I plan on sipping frequently from my FULL cuppa gra-TEA-tue. How about you?

A Grande Cuppa Gra-TEA-tude

And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 
(1 Chronicles 29:13, ESV)

Big things.  Favorable carotid artery report. Good hospital care for relatives. Answered prayers. Seeing a 7 yr old "king" at Kids' Karnival. Lesson input from a daughter-in-law.

Little things. A "positive" phone message. A relevant bookmark. Rye bread for a pimento cheese sandwich. Finding one more Tesco decaf teabag. A quote in a note.

Hard things. Suffering that draws others close. Privilege of praying God's word for others with difficult and challenging prayer needs.

"Giving thanks always and for everything..." as it says in Ephesians 5:20.
Malcolm Muggeridge, who came to know the Lord later in life, says it well, “Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.”

Perfect quote in a note to enjoy with a cuppa gra-TEA-tude, brewed with Tesco decaf, compliments of son, Josh.

"At-TEA-tude of Gra-TEA-tude

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! (Psalm 30:12, ESV)

Chairs were spared. Not just any chairs....but my quiet time chairs. "My" chair. "Thy" chair. Chairs for "me and Thee" as we "commune."

The neighbor's tree trunk was struck by lightening and split in half....crashing past our pine trees  Not hitting our house. Not causing our pine trees to hit our house.

In the scheme of last night's heavy winds and scary thunderstorms, it wasn't a biggie. I know that. Yet, I am grateful my chairs were spared.

If the circumstances had been different, I hope I would have still remembered to be grateful. 

Gratitude. An attitude that needs to permeate my heart.

Not just for now---but for forever.

Regardless of the circumstances, may I continually sip a cuppa gra-TEA-tude, until it becomes my at-TEA-tude of choice.

SABBATH SNAPSHOT : gra-TEA-tude

Grateful to have my own copy of this book, Ruthless Trust the Ragamuffin's Path to God by Brennan Manning---thanks to Wynellen, whose book I first borrowed.

Though I read it sometime ago, I needed to  re-read some parts.

Plus, I couldn't highlight or underline in her copy. My decision, not her requirement.....she probably wouldn't have minded.....that's just the way she is. Gra-TEA-tude abounds for friendship with someone so accepting and giving.

In this sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel, which I have not read, Manning deals with grace and gratitude with an honest, authentic approach. Tho the story in Chapter 1 about the parents and their child with Down's syndrome is beautifully etched in my mind, this time around, I've been taking small bites and spending lots of time in Chapter 2. "To walk in gratitude is a way of living that is inclusive, attentive, contagious, and theocentric." (p. 30) In this chapter, he talks about how being grateful for our lives actually releases us to inner freedom.

Two good quotes from the book are actually from Henri Nouwen:

" Stop wandering around....trust that God will bring you what you need." "For as long as you can remember, you have been a pleaser, depending on others to give you an identity.....trust that God is enough for you." The root choice is to trust at all times......" (p. 23)

"To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives- the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections- that requires hard spiritual work. Still we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God."(p. 31)

One of the most arduous spiritual tasks is that of giving up control and allowing the Spirit of God to lead our lives." (p. 115)

For someone who grew up in a works oriented church and still has a tendency toward self-condemnation, grace is a hard concept for me to grasp. I need reminders and am grateful for the ones this book gives.

"Live free or die is the ragamuffin's motto." (xv)

When the Lord makes us free, we are free indeed (John 8:36)----what a sense of gra-TEA-tude for that truth.

"Med-TEA-tation"

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love, 

(Psalm 107: 7, 15, 21, 31,  NIV)

Psalm 107 begins the PRAISE section of the 44 psalms in this section of the psalter. It is FULL of praise in spite of difficult circumstances.

The psalmist seeks to motivate Lord’s redeemed to praise Him by remembering / recalling / reviewing His mighty acts. I’ve been camped out here for several days with several different teas in my speckleware cuppas, as God has used Psalm 107 to prompt prayers.

Med-TEA-tation is the primary tea. Using this psalm for meditation and prayer, I transitioned to praying specifically for a few friends. I began to seen reasons to praise the LORD---to serve him a cuppa gra-TEA-tude on their behalf.

Captivi-TEA---The Lord delivers his own from captivity---God sets each one free by providing liber-TEA for those held in captivity, first from the Babylonians and later from their own afflictions and iniquities.

Liber-TEA continues to be needed in our own lives. Many cry out to Him for release from the distresses of fears, family concerns and even chronic physical illnesses. Others need for Him to break the chains of depression that they might be brought out from the mental darkness and deep gloom of emotional despair. 

Med-TEA-tation easily led to a cuppa gra-TEA-tude. A cuppa gra-TEA-tude for both God’s goodness and His enduring love as Psalm 107 proclaims.

"tea" blends

1) O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
 ; (humili-TEA)

Nor do I involve myself in great matters,


Or in things too difficult for me. (teachabili-TEA)

2) Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; (sereni-TEA)
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
 (tranquili-TEA)

My soul is like a weaned child within me. (gra-TEA-tude)

3) O Israel, hope in the Lord  (sweetness of Hope in Him) 

From this time forth and forever. (eterni-TEA) (Psalm 131)

 

Sometimes I desire a stronger morning cuppa. Sometimes I need one. Sometimes a longer steeping time helps, but that's tricky because bitterness can be the result. Usually I just defer to master tea blenders and use one of theirs----blends from all the best tea growing regions. This morning I found a psalm that seemed to blend the best "teas" for my morning cuppa.

Psalm 131 is one of the shortest of the Psalms, "but one of the longest to learn" as C. H. Spurgeon says. (Treasury of David, vol. 6, p. 136)

Yet, those 3 verses can provide beneficial blends to my life's cuppa. Humili-TEA. Teachabili-TEA. Sereni-TEA. Tranquili-TEA. Gra-TEA-tude. All blended and sweetened with hope for eterni-TEA)
.

Again, Spurgeon says it well, "Lowliness and humility are here seen in connection with a sanctified heart, a will subdued to the mind of God, and a hope looking to the Lord alone." (Spurgeon, p. 136)

What a sweet "tea blend" to sip and savor as I ponder Psalm 131 throughout my day.