”Thanksgiving is more about your attitude than about your circumstance.”

That’s quite a statement! Yet one that rings true.

Fellow author, Lynn Mosher, gives a great challenge to keep a thankful heart at all times.

Choosing to look to God with gratitude in your heart will change not only your day .... but your life as well.

Read Lynn’s article here:  http://powertochange.com/experience/spiritual-growth/hard-to-swallow-thanksgiving/

God bless you.

Warmly,
Gail

The Greatest Sacrifice        

This past week, as we remembered the fallen soldiers who have given their lives for our freedom, we can’t help but also remember the great sacrifice that bought the freedom of our souls!

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  Galatians 5:1

Jesus Christ willing gave His life to purchase freedom for you and me; freedom from the darkness that draws us into behaviors, habits and life style choices that enslave us and take us far from the plan of grace and goodness that He holds for each of us.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event that planet Earth has ever seen. Have you experienced the freedom for your soul that His sacrifice bought?

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Cor. 15:3 & 4

I’m sure God knew how easy it would be for us to forget this great sacrifice as we hurry through our busy days. He actually provides a regular reminder for us.

Remembrance Day in Canada ... “Lest we forget”...
This week I walked into a restaurant and came face to face with a wall of white hearts, each bearing a name of a soldier recently lost in the battle for freedom.

Today is a special day of remembering those heroes and heroines who have courageously stood, and have bravely fallen, in order to keep freedom alive for those who come behind them. To each we are eternally grateful!

Today there are many who share a painful memory of a loved one gone in this brave fight for freedom. For some it is a faded photograph from years ago. For others, it is an empty chair at the dinner table tonight.

We must remember! We dare not forget! Freedom is precious! The freedom to speak, to pray, to write, the freedom to vote, the freedom of religion, the freedom of expression are just some of the freedoms for which precious blood was spilt.

Today, let us pause and remember. Let us pause and give thanks for those brave ones who have brought us this far. Let us pause and determine to hold these freedoms high and dear and to defend them now as they have been defended in the past.

The ancient call to God’s people, the Israelites, to remember the path the Lord had led them on in their journey to freedom is a call that is well worth repeating today. It’s found in the historical record of their journey in Deuteronomy 4:9:

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Father God,
Today I pause to say “thank you” for the freedoms I enjoy; freedoms that were gained at great cost and freedoms that I do not want to take for granted. Comfort those hearts today that ache with the void of a loved one lost in this great battle. Please grant wisdom to the leaders who carry on the high cause of freedom.  Fill our hearts with Your great love and may we each do our part to bring peace today, right where we are, as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy.  We pray this in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.

A friend called and asked for prayer because a “funk”, as she called it (a blue and grabby mood) was hanging on and she felt helpless to shake it.

Have you ever been in a disgruntled, grumpy, “blue funk” and not been able to shake it? As a Christian and a believer in Jesus you have all the resources you need to live in victory and to shake off the sludge that seeks to spiral you downward.

Allowing a disgruntled spirit to settle over you like a blanket will lead to doubt in your heart toward God … and His goodness toward you. It’s true. As believers we need to know how to stand and shake off the darkness that creeps so subtly into our hearts and slowly erodes our trust in our great God.

We sat on the beach watching the waves crash in and wash out. As they splashed against the rocks there was an amazing spray of ocean droplets, shining like diamonds in the afternoon sun.

Later that evening we sat on the same beach. In the semi-darkness of the full moon night we could faintly see the rush of the waves still splashing upon the rocks. We could hear the same rumble as their rhythm beat against the shore.