11/23/09 Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Fresh Evergreen Wreath, Help Meet, B abies, Kids' Quotes
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love by Lois Breneman
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11/23/09 Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Fresh Evergreen Wreath, Help Meet, Babies, Kids' Quotes
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IN THIS ISSUE:
TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING
GRUMBLING OR GRATITUDE?
A FRESH EVERGREEN WREATH
CHRISTMAS VERSION OF I CORINTHIANS 13
TIPS AND TIDBITS
PARENTING TIP: RECOGNIZING FOOLISHNESS
ABC'S OF BEING A HELP MEET
NEW BABIES
PRECIOUS GEMS FROM KIDS
TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING
Author unknown
Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards; I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
Gobbled up the turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees ...
Happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty; may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize;
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.
May your Thanksgiving be blessed!
GRUMBLING OR GRATITUDE?
Our problem in America is not that we don’t know we are to be thankful, but often we choose to complain instead.
By Barbara Rainey - Used by permission from Family Life Today
Does it ever seem surprising to you that God made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years because they grumbled? My kids may have spent thirty minutes in their rooms for griping, but forty years? What a severe discipline! Ouch, it seems harsh.
God clearly is not pleased with grumbling. It doesn’t make Him happy to hear His children complain constantly. Sound like any children you know?
Being grateful is a choice. It’s not a feeling dependent on our circumstances, as we clearly see in the Pilgrims’ lives. They believed that God was in control—“Providence,” they called it. They responded to the circumstances of their lives with a perspective that said, “God has allowed this for our good.”
John Piper has written in his book, A Godward Life: “Remembering our dependence on past mercies kindles gratitude. Gratitude is past-oriented dependence; faith is future-oriented dependence. Both forms of dependence are humble, self-forgetting and God-exalting. If we do not believe that we are deeply dependent on God for all we have or hope to have, then the very spring of gratitude and faith runs dry.”
Gratitude is what we express when we take time every Thanksgiving Day to remember God’s past mercies and provisions and then pause to thank Him for them.
The stories of those who have gone before us inspire our faith. When we consider those great saints listed in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrew 11 or our Pilgrim forefathers or those men and women we know in recent times who have modeled great dependence on God, our faith is stretched and increased. Their example of placing all hope in Jesus Christ encourages us to do the same.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Those who sailed on the Mayflower knew their Bible well. They were convinced that God existed and could only be pleased through faith (Hebrews 11:6).
Someone has said, “Faith is a firm conviction, a personal surrender, and a conduct inspired by your surrender.” The Pilgrims were totally surrendered to God, and they believed that He was leading them to the New World. So they went, confident that He would guide and provide.
The Bible is full of verses on giving thanks. Our problem in America is not that we don’t know we are to be thankful, but often we choose to complain instead. The Psalms contain a number of verses that call thanksgiving a sacrifice:
Offer to God a sacrifice
of thanksgiving.
Psalm 50:14
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving
honors Me.
Psalm 50:23
Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving.
Psalm 107:22
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and call upon the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:17
Why is it a sacrifice to give thanks to the Lord? Because being thankful forces us to take our eyes off ourselves and put them on the Lord. Giving up our self-focus is the kind of denial that pleases God.
As a nation, we have inherited a remarkable gift in our freedom to worship, but we have strayed far from our roots and heritage. We must return to the faith of our fathers. Developing a heart of gratitude is the beginning step in growing a stronger faith. Remember what God has done and believe that He will take care of us in the future.
Adapted from Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember by Barbara Rainey, copyright © 2002. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, http://www.crosswaybooks.org.
CHRISTMAS VERSION OF 1 CORINTHIANS 13
Author unknown
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust.
But giving the gift of love will endure.
Merry Christmas!
Baking Powder Substitute ~ Did you ever run out of baking powder as you are baking, but didn't have time to run to the store? An easy substitute for 2 tablespoons of baking powder is 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. The measurements don't quite match, but it works great!
Find a Zip Code - Just type in any address at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp
Telemarketers' Calling Lists - To remove your name: http://www.donotcall.gov or 888-383-1222
Save Time by Cutting Down on Your Other Unwanted Mail ~ When you receive mail that you'd rather not have to bother sorting through and tossing out on a regular basis, cut out the return addresses, and save them in a special envelope, until you have quite a few. Then sit down and send postcards to these addresses, requesting to be removed from their mailing list. I have even sent postcards to some good organizations who regularly send pleas for financial help, telling them that since I don't have time to read their literature, they would save money by removing us from their mailing list. Simply glue or tape these addresses to 3x5" index cards which make good postcards. Be sure to include your name, address and stamp for postcards. A simple message such as the following could be copied and pasted on the computer in multiples, cut out and then glued to the message section of the card and signed:
To whom it may concern:
Sincerely, (Signature)
Extra Charges for Gift Certificates ~ I went Online to order a requested gift card to a restaurant, but learned it would cost $7.95 extra. So I figured we could give more if we simply gave cash designated for that restaurant.
PARENTING TIP: RECOGNIZING FOOLISHNESS
For more practical ideas on developing honor in your family consider the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, in You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. Used by permission
One of the greatest sources of sibling conflict is foolishness. Children often don't recognize the future consequences of their present actions. Billy trips his younger sister. Karen teases her brother until he cries. Martin takes his sister's CD player and uses up the batteries. All of these are examples of children not anticipating the consequences of their actions.
One of the ways that you can recognize foolishness is to listen for the flags. Excuses like, "I was just kidding" or "I didn't mean it" or "I was just playing around" or "I didn't do anything wrong" are all cues that a child is not taking responsibility for foolish behavior. Children often evaluate life in terms of black and white and when they do something foolish the behavior may not have been wrong. These children don't recognize that a good behavior can sometimes be wrong because it leads to something bad.
The first solution is to help children learn to take responsibility for their part of the problem. This is hard for many children who view mistakes as a sign of weakness. Help children take responsibility for foolishness and you will go a long way to teach them about wisdom.
You might ask, "What could you have done differently to avoid this problem?" This question helps children look at an offense a little differently. Instead of evaluating it based on right or wrong, now the behavior is judged based on its foresight and wisdom.
Of course the solution for foolishness is to help children learn wisdom. You want to help them anticipate the consequences of their actions. Tell stories of people who didn't see what was coming. And of course pray with your children because God says in James 1:5, "If you lack wisdom, ask God."
http://www.heart4home.net/blessings/alphabet_help_meet.htm
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18
Admit when you are wrong
Be positive
Cuddle
Do it his way
Encourage him
Fix his breakfast
Give back rubs
Hug often
"I love you" should be said many times daily
Joke around in a playful manner
Know his needs
Listen to him
Manage your home well
Never hold grudges
Open your eyes in the morning and smile
Pray for him
Quit nagging him
Reminisce about good times
Show respect and honor
Trust, and earn his trust
Understand his need for reverence
Vulnerability is a feminine trait; cultivate it
Wink at him!
X is for private times
Yearn to please him
Zealously guard him with your love
NEW BABIES
(Ladies, if you would like your new baby or grandbaby's birth announced in Heart to Heart, please send me an e-mail with the details. Thanks!)
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! ... From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise. - Psalm 8:1-2
Zachary Jarron Buck was born on October 17, 2009. He is the third child of Nathan and Alison Buck in Ohio, joining his two big sisters.
Annabella Louise Moon was born on November 6, 2009. She is the third child of Jeremy and Megan Moon and the fifth grandchild of Rich and Paula Moon. They all live in Ohio.
I told my grandson Garrett, 12, that no one had ever taken a pic of me holding my camera and I would let him do it, being the oldest grandchild. When we downloaded it I told him I thought I looked really old so we put it into Photoshop and laughed our heads off removing every wrinkle and flaw until I resembled an alien. He put it back into raw mode and said, "This is the real Grammee!" I was about to tear up when he then commented, "And this picture of you is as good as it's gonna get!" I could hardly breathe I was laughing so hard...he was too when he realized the implications of his remark. He tried to make it all better which only made it all the more hilariously worse. I love kids and their blatant honesty!!!" ~ Janis Williamson in Tennessee
This is a snippet of conversation between Rachel (age 4) and myself that was sparked by the discovery that there was no linguine in the cupboard to go with dinner.
Me: "Oh well, perhaps it's for the best. Daddy said that too much pasta upsets his tummy."
Rachel: "It doesn't upset my tummy!"
Me: "Maybe we could have baked potatoes instead."
Rachel: "But I like pasta. God made me that way! He didn't make Daddy..." (Pause.)
Me: "Oh? So who made Daddy?"
Rachel: "China."
Me: "Daddy was made in China?"
Rachel: "Yes!"
At this point I could no longer keep a straight face. Nor could her older brother, Edward. I told my husband, Dave, while we were eating some delicious baked potatoes with our dinner, and he was highly amused too.
Hannah: "Thank you!"
Dave: "You're welcome."
Hannah: "I'm Hannah!"
We're keeping our two oldest grandchildren from out-of-state for four days - and loving it! As I write this, the first fun and busy day has come to a close. But two year old Ryan Elizabeth did not want to go to bed at the designated time and cried in her porta-crib for a minute when her big brother, Justin, 6, whispered to me outside of her bedroom, "I know how to get Ryan to sleep. I've done it before!" I asked him what he did to get her to sleep, and he told me, "I just talked to her and sang to her, and she settled down and went to sleep." So he sweetly did just that, and she really did go to sleep for him in only a few minutes! Later he told me it is a skill. True! What a gem of a Big Brother! And a gem of a grandson! ~ Lois
So many ladies are going through very tough times and need our prayers!
Some have lost loved ones and others have lost jobs, homes or their good health.
Pray each day for the protection of our troops, as well as for their families left at home!
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