HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I'm Thankful ...

Hi, my name is Brittany Tilley and I’m a junior at Western Branch High School. This week Mr. Steve called me and asked me to do a little survey of what people are thankful for. So I went around and asked random anonymous people that I normally come in contact with throughout my day. The 1st question asked of me when I asked a person what they were thankful for was “what is this for?” So I told them “my church.” In hearing this most of my interviewees would automatically begin giving me the generic “church” answers. I laughed and asked them to tell me what they were really thankful for. The following is a list of answers I got, keep in mind this is a very diverse group of answers in no particular order. (Let’s see how many you agree with)

I’m thankful for my family, music, drums, church, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, GOOOOD food, guitar hero, good health, dog, football, cat, life, best friend, smart teachers who care, cheering, Harry Potter, shopping, a house to live in, animal print!, mosh pits, cozy bed, a hard working team, parents who care, mail, big trucks, mudding, kids who clean, God, basket ball, heating and air conditioning, grandparents, the leaves changing, soft toilet paper, SHARPIES!, good grades, coffee!, being tan, pie, vacation, advances in cures for cancer, Chick-fil-A, oxygen, the dictionary, pilgrims because they made us a holiday to get out of school for!, shoes, computers, Jesus, vegetables, Google, the trash man, lunch boxes, gloves and hand warmers at a freezing football games, halo, gym, iPods, art, brothers and sisters, a warm smile, Starbucks, fruit, city workers, college, playgrounds, candy, America, books, record player, Vogue, ballet, cell phones, the ocean, surfing, Spiderman, forensics, singing, decorations, a hand to hold, cars, turkey, knee braces, a good coach, a plasma TV, Christmas catalogs, a bus to drive, babies, laughter, our founding fathers, the Children's hospital of Kings Daughters, flowers, mechanical pencils, and for the love that I have for others and that others have for me.

O Lord that lends me life,Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.~William Shakespeare

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Psalm 100
A psalm For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Homilophobia. What is this? I know. I want to see if you will find out.

phobias

http://www.phobialist.com/

Interesting. Be careful.

"Fear not that life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning."
John Cardinal Newman

I am finishing up a book titled In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Good book about going for it, living with risk, acting in courage and not having to fear if your life had a beginning.

Open House

The Open House this past Saturday, 11-10-07, was a very positve time for Sunrise and Lee Memorial. Both churches had a good number of people in attendance and it was encouraging to see people visiting with one another and introducing themselves to one another. It really is amazing how many relational coonections have already been made as people meet one another and begin discovering the relationships they have in common. Thanks to all who brought food and for those who helped in the kitchen area so we could enjoy the food and drink. Please continue to pray for openess and cooperation. Please begin to spread the word about this partnership and begin to invite your friends to the Candlelight Christmas Eve service that will be held at Lee Memorial on Monday, 12-24-07, from 6:00 - 7:00 PM.

Veterans Day

Armistice Day Becomes Veterans Day
World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.
In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

November (Thanksgiving)

1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Psalm 150 NIV

Weekend Reflections - Clean and Prep Day 11-3-07

Saturday morning was exciting. Without much promotion the first clean up and prep day at Lee Memorial was well attended and everyone worked together to accomplish a great deal of cleaning and room preparation. There was joy in the air as restrooms were cleaned. There were smiles on faces as vacuums were running. There was laughter in the air as furniture was being moved. Teamwork took place. Communication was taking place. Items were moved from here to there and from there to here because we were experimenting and people remained positive and willing to experiment. One of Sunrises foundational principles is partnership. We will work as teams and realize the importance of partnerships. My heart and faith was encouraged as I worked and watched people assist one another, communicate with one another and work in groups to accomplish ministry. People were asking questions. People were introducing themselves to one another. People were meeting people they had never met and then working alongside one another. That is beautiful. That is healthy. That is God honoring and worship. In Philippians 2:1-4 the apostle Paul wrote the following to a young church much like Sunrise and Lee Memorial, "If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." I saw this practiced on Saturday and it was wonderful. I thank God for Saturday. I pray that I will keep in mind and heart Philippians 2:1-4 in my family and as one of the leaders of Sunrise.

Working Worship - Clean and Prep Day on 11-3-07

I had a great time this morning working with people from Sunrise and Lee Memorial. We came together with the purpose of doing some touch up work at the very nice facilities of Lee Memorial. almost 40 people gathered to move furniture, vacuum, dust, clean restrooms, and begin preparing the building for use in late December. I can tell this is going to be fun for both churches and that God is all over this ministry partnership. Joy, peace, cooperation, fun, excitement, planning, work, effort, and purpose are just a few words to describe the mini-miracle that took place this morning. It is obvious that people are praying and seeking to honor God in their personal lives, in Sunrise and Lee Memorial. It is encouraging to serve with people who are seeking to touch lives and make a difference in the Kingdom of God. It is encouraging to form new relationships with people who desire to do the same. Thank you God. Thanks for the opportunity to serve. Thanks for healthy relationships and for the privilege of experiencing your presence this morning in working worship.