Greetings from Austin Street

Blessed Sunday to you all!  All is almost well here at 811. Plumbing problems once again. I am thankful that I live with a dear, skilled and able man who can fix these things!

Dear God, let your Spirit have its way within me. Guide me and teach me along the way.  When I think of what you do for me, my heart is lifted in gratitude and my voice in praise. I ask you Lord to be with Travis this week as he is having dental surgery.  I ask that he has no problems and that his recovery is easy. Bring about the healing he needs.  Lord, you are my source of power that brings strength to my   weakness and enable me to overcome the obstacles in my way. Lord, please remove the mountains of doubt from the minds and hearts of the RCOM and the mountain of anxiousness from my heart and mind and prepare me to be the Avessel of humble preparedness.  I love you Lord in Jesus’ name, amen.

Do you remember when your babies were young and were given a gift or someone said something kind in a complimentary way?  What did we tell them after receiving the gifts or compliments, “What do you say”   We taught our children to be grateful by expressing thankfulness to the giver by saying “Thank you.”

God has been so good to us with extravagant blessings and with an endless storehouse waiting. Lately there have been a number of people who are listing anywhere from 3 to 5 things for which they are grateful for 5 days and then invite three others to do the same.  This is a multitude of gratitude!

Gratitude to God; being thankful to our Lordl, means that we take the time to not just count our blessings, but to  give thanks to the great Giver of Life, our lives! Giving thanks is the foundational response to God’s extraordinary grace.  When we pray in gratitude to our loving God our prayers are at their highest form. Prayers of gratitude are the memories of our heart reminding us of what God has done for us and the hope of what God is going to do for us. Ephesians 5: 20 calls for us to give thanks in all things. It does not say to be thankful for all situations, but to be thankful in the situation.  We offer prayers for healing when we are sick or hurt, but when we are thankful had have a broken heart that is when we begin to heal. It is right and proper for us to give thanks for every gift given to us by God.  But most of all we must humbly “thank you” that God found us worthy of the life of His Son.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

Psalm 103: 1-2

“They must thank the Lord for his constant love, for the wonderful things he did for them.”

Psalm 107:  8

Take joy in the journey praying prayers of thanksgiving as you go. Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene