Fall

November 16
Gorgeous day, driving East Texas backroads, windows down, Christmas music blaring, fall is showing off, colors on trees, leaves dancing across the road, life is good, God is amazing, restore my soul.

Still, and always, Thanksgiving!

Donald Kampfhenkel’s favorite word in the Bible was “manifold.” Donald taught a Sunday School class of about twelve little two-year old girls (boys were in short supply that year) at the first little church where I served as preschool minister. They loved Mr. Donald, my little red-headed Ashley among them, as evidenced by the fact that every time I walked by the room and peeked in there were at least two or more of them in his lap, or sitting by him at the table, or listening intently to a book he was reading, or building a block tower beside him in the block center. I always wondered why manifold was his favorite word in the Bible, but figured it was something manly, because he worked on cars and air conditioners. I think they have manifolds in them, or so I’ve heard. Or perhaps he understood 1 Peter 4:10, about employing his gifts, and serving, and therefore being a steward of the manifold grace of God.

“Great is Thy Faithfulness” is one of my favorite thanksgiving hymns. I know it’s not specifically written for our American Thanksgiving Holiday, but what greater blessing do we have than His great faithfulness?! And knowing His complete providence? I also like it because it reminds me of Donald Kampfhenkel and what an amazing preschool teacher he was to twelve little two-year old girls way back when…

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Still, and always thankful…
Becky


P.S. “Manifold” means many and varied, multiple, diverse.

Thanksgiving

We're decorating for Christmas, but folks are still asking me if i had a good Thanksgiving. Hence, this post. I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving has got to be the very best holiday in the world. Thanksgiving....You can’t even say the word without being grateful.

Very early in our marriage, Duane and I adopted a principle for living on the planet: “Everything I have, I have because God has given me.” Sometimes the “everything” didn’t seem like very much. Sometimes it has seemed bountiful beyond our imaginations. More often than not, tears well up in our eyes because we are so astounded at His Providence. And we’ve always found ourselves with enough….Maybe not as the world counts it, but we’ve always had what we needed. The kids might have not thought so growing up, but we never sent them to bed hungry, we never sent them to school naked, and they’ve never been homeless. Maybe our house wasn’t as fancy as someone else’s, but their friends were always welcome there, and I usually set an extra plate for dinner just in case one of them stopped by. Maybe our yard didn’t get yard of the month one single time, but it was the “gathering place” and the neighborhood kids still hang out on in our porch swing that dangles from the big live oak in the side yard. Maybe having things isn’t what it’s really all about after all. Because it’s not ours to begin with.

“Be ye glad” is an old Acapella song that keeps flickering around in my brain this "Thanksgiving". The words say something like this

Oh be ye glad, Oh, be glad.
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full
By the grace of the Lord
Be ye glad,
Be ye glad,
Be ye glad.

(I knew there was more to Thanksgiving than just turkey.)

Everything I have, I have because God has given me. (Contentment.) All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. (Providence.) Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. (Thanksgiving.)

my favorite thanksgiving poem

i stretch
soul - length
secure and confident
that naught of hate, disgust, contempt, or unconcern
can taint His love.

how good to be
in Him
forever free.