I have got to admit that our teaching series focused on discovering the Good News contained in the Book of Revelation has changed my perspective.  I’ve listened to hours of teaching by end-times experts.  I’ve attended seminary classes on eschatology.  I’ve read the same best-selling end-time novels that most of the church has read.  I’ve even taught Sunday School classes on Revelation, but I never discovered the Good News in this book until this series.  What an amazing discovery…that the book Hollywood loves to draw on for its horror flicks and authors use to develop chilling thrillers actually has more Good News written across its pages than bad.  Who would have thought it…that the Revelation of Jesus Christ should be packed with Good News!  

Some have asked that I blog some of the things I shared Sunday evening at our Thanksgiving celebration.  My comments really were a continuation of our ladies noontime book study that takes place every Tuesday at the Venetian Theater.  We are reading and discussing  Mark Buchanan’s book called Spiritual Rhythm and have spent the past two weeks discussing topics like harvest and the universal law of sowing and reaping.  We’ve discussed the Fall season as a season in our lives when we really are reaping seeds sown in prior seasons. And we’ve been talking about gratitude. Here are thoughts on gratitude and harvest that have come from our sessions: Gratitude is the fertile soil from which all blessings manifest. Thanksgiving is not just a reactionary emotion; it is a causative energy. Thanksgiving is the motive power which attracts and magnifies the hidden potentialities of life. Mark Buchanan, in chapter 7 of his book says, “What we sow is what we grow.” In chapter 8 he writes, “Thankfulness is more than an action; it’s an orientation. I am looking forward to the reunion of kids and grandkids about to take place in our home this week, but I have to say that my Thanksgiving has already been rich.  We had such a lively time of worship in both of our services on Sunday, followed by a true thanksgiving time of feasting Sunday night.  It was fun sharing that time with our 43 brothers from Teen Challenge also… and when I thought it couldn’t get any better … ladies showed up at book study today with goodies and more stories of God’s goodness in their lives. I am beyond rich! Let me close with the words to the song we sang in both Sunday gatherings: Give thanks with a grateful heart.  Give thanks to the Holy One.  Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His son… And now, let the weak say, “I am strong,” and let the poor say, “I am rich,” because of what the Lord has done for us … Give thanks. God bless! Pastor Dee

Well, it’s official, I’ve become a “photo-nerd.”  How do I know?  This morning before I left home I grabbed my camera with a sense of anticipation as I walked out the door.  I’ve been working several days a week doing consulting with a state agency in Lebanon and as I left their parking lot last Thursday I noticed a tree that overhangs the pond nearby was a brillient shade of yellow.  It was beautiful and I planned to capture it as a “Kodak moment” the very next Monday.  It was lightly raining, but the sun was shining making each drop of rain all sparkley.  Imagine my disappointment as I pulled into the parking lot and discovered that not one leaf remained on the tree.  It was bare!  In four days time it went from being an overflowing glorious gold to skeletal!  As I’ve thought about the tree throughout the day it’s made me realize how fast life can shift…one day it’s gold, and the next it’s barren.  I think about the words of the Psalmist who declared:  “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it.”  I think maybe the writer of Psalms had my tree in mind when he wrote these words.  He knew that this day would be the only one like it we would have and we should rejoice in it while we have it…things shift quickly!

Rejoicing…

Pastor Steve