Beauty Abounds

How often do you take the time to slow down and just appreciate?

Appreciate the blessings in life.

Appreciate the little things.

Appreciate the big things.

In this fast paced and oft times increasingly negative world we live in, it's much too easy to miss the beauty,  yet there is beauty all around us.

There is beauty in a smile.

There is beauty in the giggle of a child.

There is beauty in the changing seasons.

There was beauty in the ice formation I found on my windshield the other morning.



In the words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it."


In every passing second there is beauty.  Stop and appreciate.



Where do you find beauty?

Giving Thanks

Today is a snow day.  In Oregon snow days are God's way of saying, slow down.  Every once in awhile like in 2008 it is God's way of saying stop!  As one that tends to live a fairly fast paced life, this is at times very difficult for me.  But it is good.  It is good for me to slow down a bit and appreciate being still and enjoy the beauty of the season.  That is what I am doing today.

As Thanksgiving approaches I find myself thinking about how this holiday is much like snow day.  Thanksgiving is a day set aside to slow down and focus on the things we are called to be focused upon each and every day.

I appreciated Pastor Dale's message on Sunday.  It was a good reminder that being thankful is a choice.  We are to choose the path of thankfulness every day; even when we may naturally resist it.  What does this really look like?  What does it look like to live out the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:1, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus?"  We were encouraged to put into practice five statements to God to help us in this journey of thankfulness, and to discover the power that comes with the heart of a thankful person.

• Lord, I choose to be thankful today because it is Your will and the path of blessing.
• Lord, I choose to be thankful today for who You are and what You have done.
• Lord, I choose to be thankful today despite any painful or unpleasant circumstances.
• Lord, I choose to reject any despairing, critical, or complaining attitude today from taking control of my mind and emotions.
• Lord, I ask You for the strength and courage to live this way today in order to become a more thankful person.

I have much to be thankful for this year.

• I am thankful for the amazing family God has blessed me with.  A wife that loves and support me, and two kids that I am privileged to parent. 
• I am thankful for the many opportunities He has brought my way to love people in a way that He is seen and glorified.  
• I am thankful for the church family He has graciously allowed me to be a part of and serve alongside.  
• I am thankful for the ups and downs of this year,  the times of not knowing what was around the next corner, as they afforded me the opportunity to experience faith in a brand new way.

I am also thankful for humor.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Inventory

Thanksgiving is truly my favorite  holiday.  It is pure, simple, noncommercial, and focused on the very thing God calls us to be ... thankful.

May we all spend some good time this year taking inventory of all our blessings, even the chicken nuggets!



Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thanks Living

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - U.S. President John F. Kennedy


May our giving of thanks be more than words and thoughts, but may it translate into our everyday lives. May our lives be living testaments to the great things God has done, and continues to do. May we be overflowing with thankfulness.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!