Thanksgiving is a Daily Offering

Give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Next Tuesday night my youngest, Carynne, will dress as Princess Purple Sunflower. She will sing songs with her fellow kindergartners about Thanksgiving and generously share her adorableness. Gratitude is sown into the fabric of our country as a tribute to the early settlers of our nation. We set aside a whole day each year to celebrate it. But what is Thanksgiving really?

Clara - last year as
Princess Purple Sunflower

When the Pilgrims first gave thanks in 1621, every other chair sat empty. They lost half their number year one but still allowed gratitude to pour from their hearts. More than shelter, food sources or savvy with the native people, their ability to survive and thrive in this strange new country should be attributed to their basal gratitude. No matter how little they had they were thankful.

Gratitude has just a significant impact on our lives today. The simple act of pausing to acknowledge God's daily interaction in our lives, changes our outlook from dread to anticipation. Nurturing a thankful heart within me was one of the vital steps I took on my road to emotional well-being.

Gratitude allows you to view your children as blessings instead of burdens.

Gratitude changes your perspective of your spouse from commitment to contentment.

Gratitude alters your daily outlook one decision at a time. 

I have to becomes I get to. I need to becomes I'm honored to. 

As we begin to pen our Thanksgiving lists, let's not wait for the fourth Thursday of November. Let's live gratitude on ordinary days.

Days with a menu of macaroni and cheese.

Days with no time to watch football.

Days with too little paycheck and too many bills.

The real power of gratitude isn't pausing once a year, it's giving thanks every day, in all circumstances.

What's your Thanksgiving list for today? Share it in a comment below.

When God Answers

Today I have the privilege of hosting Heidi Kreider as she wings her way around the globe on a virtual book tour. I am so excited to celebrate her book launch and share The Secret of Counting Gifts with you.

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by Heidi Kreider

I sat with 4000 other women. She stood and spoke. She spoke with sincerity and authority... authority that comes from first-hand experience. She spoke of her childhood in Africa. She called herself, "the poorest of the poor." She came to the conference to represent Compassion International. She had been a sponsored child herself. I've not forgotten her beautiful ebony skin and the way she sang "His Eye Is On The Sparrow." 

I came home from that conference changed. I shared Lois's story with my family. We prayed and hoped that through writing and selling a novel our family could reach children around the world who need food, education, medicine, and Jesus. I'm thrilled to say that eight months after that encounter with Lois The Secret of Counting Gifts and the accompanying The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal are now available in Kindle and in paperback through Amazon.com. 

While The Secret of Counting Gifts is a novel, I wrote it from my life experiences. I am a wife of 18 years and a mom of 3. I've spent the past fifteen years at home washing dishes, folding clean laundry, blogging, and teaching my children. My days are full of counting grace gifts with gratitude and asking for grace and forgiveness. I am blessed with rich friendships and have prayed more friends than I care to count through the battle of breast cancer. 

The Secret of Counting Gifts is a story about life, friendship, hardship, and gratitude. It is the story of  Kris McClintock and Liz Bower and their friendship that spans twenty-eight years. Through marriage, babies, and infidelity they stand by each other and hold one another up... until breast cancer delivers the final blow. As she sits by Liz, Kris recounts the trials and blessings that made them who they are. She tells their story and recalls the many "gifts" they have been blessed with throughout the years. She shares of how Liz taught her to notice the gifts in each day and to live with a grateful heart. It is through the telling of their story that the secret of counting gifts is discovered...

I'm excited for the release of The Secret of Counting Gifts and The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal.  It is a direct answer to the prayers of my husband, my children, my friends, and myself.  I look forward to seeing how God will use these books!  Thorought this month, I am on a virtual book tour.  You can see the stops along the way on my website www.heidikreider.com.  While you are there, stop in and say "Hey!" and register for my giveaway... autographed copies of The Secret of Counting Gifts and The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal in a hand-made basket. 

I'd love to hear your story. 

What have you prayed for?  

How has God answered?

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Heidi Kreider is a wife, mother, author and friend. She blogs about life, grace, and gratitude at www.heidikreider.com.

Today Can be my Silent Night

The warmth perched on my lap soaked into my soul. It was my favorite hour of the week - worship with my man and four little girls. My littlest one intertwined her sticky donut fingers with mine as the lights dimmed for prayer.

Eloquent, hear-felt words rolled off the tongue of the speaker but it was a nearly silent utter that captured my ear. "Thank you, God, for my Daddy. Thank you, God, for my Mommy." Sincere thanksgiving dropped from innocent lips.

Later the pastor would preach a stirring sermon on the devotion of the wisemen. I didn't really hear it. My heart pondered the power of simple praise and the unfettered devotion of the tongue who gives it.

Thank you, God, for my husband.


Thank you, God, for my children.

As I rush around checking lists and creating Christmas joy, may I not forget the joy of climbing into my Daddy's lap to inaudibly mouth words of gratitude. Jesus, may today and every day be a Silent Night.

Grateful

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

Today is Thanksgiving. Before I cook the turkey or turn on festive holiday music, I want to pause and allow gratitude to wash over my heart. I am truly thankful for:

• A husband who loves deeply and honestly
• Four daughters who look more like Jesus every day
• An early morning run with my sweetheart and my oldest
• An eclectic mix of Thanksgiving plates that add a smile to the Thanksgiving table
• A church that welcomes anyone who wants to know more about God
• A big city with a small town feel
• Family scattered about whose love I gather in my heart
• Children spread through four schools so each has her special place
• You, my readers, who encourage and challenge me every day. I'm a better woman because of you.
• Our Savior, Jesus, bearer of boundless love and unmatched grace

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

The Dance of Grace

Galatians 6:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (ESV)

Music pulsed through the air as God's people lifted praises high and unashamed. Chris Tomlin's simple, God-inspired choruses had 5,000 singing loud and proud. Among the crowd was my little family of six.

As a particularly stirring song played, I watched my six year old raise her hand in worship. Five little fingers elevated to the One who is worthy. My heart beat a thunder of gratitude to God; I was witnessing a moment of true beauty.

With the last notes of that evening hanging in the air, I read Galatians 6:18, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." This is a verse I've breezed through dozens of times but somehow this time the words played a symphony on the strings of my heart.

I saw grace dance through my daughter's spirit with my own eyes. I tend to think of grace like it's an event but what if instead I considered it as the living, breathing work of God flowing in the heart of every believer? What if grace can waltz through my heart at regular intervals.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I find it relatively easy to be thankful on a day dedicated to gratitude but what about an ordinary day of preparation like today? Today I will clean floors, run errands and do dishes. Is it possible to have a thankful heart in the midst of every day life?

The key is to allow the grace of God to be with my spirit. When I sway through life to the rhythm of God's grace, every ordinary act of living becomes an extraordinary act of worship from which flows gratitude. God's grace can pervade my life because grace is not an event. Grace is God.

As you prepare for Thanksgiving today won't you join me in a dance of grace as we worship the Giver of all grace with thankful hearts?