Building Gratitude

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

In every thing, give thanks.  I Thess. 5:18

Two snow days this week. Lots of reasons to grumble and fret. Or, we can follow Paul's advice and give thanks.

Here's my list. 

• Thank you God for unscheduled time
• Thank you God for unread books
• Thank you God for snow plough operators that work around the clock
• Thank you God for a carrier who delivered my daily newspaper through the bad weather
• Thank you God for this amazing creation that includes the beauty of snow

My list could be longer but you get the idea. 

I'd like to elaborate on the "time and books" ones. 

My "to be read" pile is always in danger of toppling over, so I've made real progress on getting it under control this past week. One of the books at the top of the stack was Larry Crabbe's The Safest Place on Earth, the text for our up-coming Bible Study. There is lots to learn from this book but one of the main takeaways is that we all long for spiritual community. I've been pondering on that idea.

Ever notice that when you focus on one idea, you see manifestations of it everywhere?  Psychologists try to explain the phenomenon as the Baader-Meinhof Phenonemon.You can read a complicated version of the theory here. 

Or, perhaps, I am being Spirit led. 

My Christmas wish list always includes books. The volumes that show up under my tree open new doors I might never have discovered on my own. 

Some reads are light (cats and a coffee shop, thank you Jerusha) but the concept of meaningful relationships is central to the story. 

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan was a one-day read yet it was a profoundly moving story. A man, Bill Furlong, in 1985 Ireland, has come from very disadvantaged beginnings yet made a good life for himself. He discovers a suffering child. If he helps her, he puts at risk the life he has built -- business, wife, daughters. This moral dilemma only arises because Bill has explored his relationships at a spiritual level.

. . ."We should not be too quick to censure the weaker brethren . . .because it is not necessarily their fault that they are weak. We must support them. We must offer them our hand. We must allow them to lean upon our shoulder as we make our way through life. If the hand on your shoulder is that of one of the weaker brethren, then do not brush it away, but allow it to remain there until you reach the other side." -- From a Far and Lovely Country, by Alexander McCall Smith.

When I read that paragraph it seemed to echo the thesis presented by Larry Crabbe, about building spiritual communities.

From The Sound of Life's Unspeakable Beauty, by Martin Schleske, translated by Janet Gesme. "A violin-maker does not accidentally happen upon marvellous tone-wood. Our search for treasured timber became a metaphor for the pursuit of something deeper and more meaningful. If the sound of a good violin requires travelling . . . difficult paths and putting in . . . arduous effort, how could the sound of our lives demand less? Did not God give us a longing heart so that we would search for him?"

Another author echoing the central theme of our upcoming Bible Study. (First session is Jan. 31, 2024, 10:00 am.) All are welcome to join this community.

The Friendship Coffee coming up this week on Thursday, is an opportunity to build community. Thanks to those who make it possible.

As the snow melts, my unscheduled time shrinks, but I hope I have made good use of the gift God sent.