By Marti Burger
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this week with family and friends. I want to express my thanks for you, your call and the context in which God has called you to serve. I am so thankful for the testimony of your lives and how God is working in and through you. I know that in the midst of the busyness of ministry we can miss our time with God- but when we stop and reflect, we discover God has been there all the time. We get to experience God’s grace and glory for ourselves and not just those who we serve. I pray for those who are going through difficult times or feel hemmed with troubles that we would continue to turn to God for strength and wisdom. Thank you to those who have exhibited passionate patience in the midst of life circumstances. Thank you for the way that you are alert to whatever God will do next in your life, ministry and family. I love the passion in which many of you live your lives with alert expectancy trusting God but moving ahead in preparation for what God is doing in your midst. As we take time to reflect this week on our blessings I pray that we experience God in profound ways.
My prayer for us is from Romans 5:1-5 from the Message.
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Thank you for living life in front of students and helping them learn process the times of struggles and blessings. May this week be a blessing to you!
By Aune Carlson
Hey all you turkeys!!! Today I am with my family in West Michigan where I growed up 😉 and I am struck by just how blessed I am! Wanna know one thing in particular that has come to mind? Well, it’s that I have the great privilege of serving alongside so many faithful and passionate folks…each of YOU! You’re each gifted in such unique and necessary ways – you serve in varying roles in a wide array of contexts. You love God and others and are an inspiration to me.
I love engaging with you in our Facebook groups (though I prefer when we’re all together in person) and hearing from you when you need some help, a resource recommendation, encouragement, or prayer. I am so grateful for you. I sincerely pray that you are filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude today and that as the season of Advent draws near, a time of expectant waiting, you might be filled anew with joyful anticipation of what is yet to come while remembering and thanking God for what is and has been given you.
By Tanya Constanza
During this season of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for you all. May God pour his love and warmth on you today and always.
