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Thankful |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 7/15/2010 3:05 PM | Greetings on this steamy day…
All week long I have been singing a song inside my head…”It is good to give thianks…it is good to give thanks to the Lord…” Those of you who were at “Praise on Peachtree” last Sunday know that the theme was gratitude and that song was one of the centerpieces of the service. As I have gone through the week, I have found myself giving thanks for so many things. Big things and small things. Mundane things and extraordinary things. Things that can bring a tear to my eye and things that can make me laugh out loud. And I find myself in a much better place when this happens.
Which brings me to the question of the hour: do I feel closer to God because I give thanks? Or is it my closeness to God that causes me to give thanks? Sort of a chicken and egg thing, really. While still wrestling with the definitive answer, I’m leaning toward to saying yes to both questions. There are just days when the sun shines and the sky is blue and the humidity is perfect and I can’t help but feel God’s presence close at hand. And when that happens, I give thanks. But there are also days when I wake when my knee is aching and the sky is gloomy and the day does not appear to hold a lot of promise for fun activities. On those days, I need to feel closer to God, and so it is somewhat up to me to put on the proper attitude and give thanks. Give thanks that I am blessed with good medical care when the time comes when I really do need to have the knee replacement that the surgeon assures me is coming. Give thanks for the rain that will nourish our small garden that will yield beautiful tomatoes and peppers. Give thanks that I have been invited into so many peoples lives in their most challenging times. Give thanks for the gifts that God has given me to accept those invitations and help.
I recently read this quote from Oswald Chambers: “The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known.” And he didn’t think that was a good thing. I have no idea if Chambers did some sort of systematic study to come up with that thought or what he based it on. But, I have to admit, too often it seems to be true. And too often, I’m the “average Christian” he is talking about. But to paraphrase Rev. Jennifer from this past Sunday, “It’s hard to be critical when you are in the midst of thanking God.” This week has been a good example of that for me. It has been a very busy, and at times, very difficult week. I have been asked to help sort out some difficult issues for folks I care about. I have worked on administrative issues that are boring at best and life-draining, at worst. I have found myself on the verge of saying something snarky about the driving habits of the person in the next car. But I have felt a closeness to God and to the people I have been with because I am thankful that I am able to be present for them. I have smiled through the minutia of administration because I am thankful to have the chance to do work that will strengthen the functioning of the church. I have held my tongue (mostly) about my fellow drivers because I am, well, thankful that they didn’t crash into me.
For me, being “piercingly critical” is akin to somehow thinking I have it all figured out, when nothing could be further from the truth. Being “piercingly critical” conjures up images of the dour, pinch-faced person who, as my mother would say, look they were weaned on a pickle. Being “piercingly critical” most definitely does not describe the person who has found a way to thank God every day for all the good gifts we have been given. I long for the day when I read “The average Christian is the most bountifully gracious and thankful individual known.” But until that day, I will do my best to recognize God’s goodness and give thanks. After all, “It is good to give thanks….it is good to give thanks to the Lord.”
For an updated prayer list and updated list of upcoming activities, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org
For your prayer list:
J.C. Woodward, who was scheduled to have a heart pacemaker installed this week. Please keep J.C. and Marion in you prayers.
Jim Sosebee who continues to struggle with various physical ailments. Please keep Marcia Butler, his daughter, in your prayers as she serves as her father’s main caregiver.
Upcoming Events
Don’t forget that this Sunday is the third Sunday of the month, which means it is Fellowship Pot Luck Sunday. Bring a dish or two to share and join in for some great food and conversation in the fellowship hall.
Don’t forget that next Tuesday is primary election day in Georgia. BCC will once again serve as a polling station for the Silver Lake Precinct.
Don’t forget the upcoming “Cluster Meetings” for our Visioning Process. Tonight, folks who are relatively new to BCC will gather at home of Rev. Jennifer and Eric Heinz; Saturday, folks with children at home will gather at the home of Charles and Debbie Kinney; Sunday, folks without children at home will gather at the home of Dan and Carol Ann Womack; and next Wednesday, July 21st, young adults will gather at the home of Laurie and Barry Hazen. All meetings run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and appetizers will be served.
I hope you can make it to worship this Sunday as we once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together. The Sermon title is “Choose the Better Part” and the scripture lesson is Luke 10: 38 – 42. Have a great rest of the week!
Be peaceful (and thankful!),
Brad | | | Permalink | Trackback |
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