THE THURSDAY PERK meets this week at 9:30 AM. I'd tell you which day of the week we meet, but it's so obvious I'm afraid you might pelt me with rotten tomatoes or something! Use scissors or hair in whatever you wear that morning as we take a look at that Bad Girl, Delilah. Read Judges 16 in preparation for our study. I can promise you a good time. (Just ask anyone who was at Common Grounds last week!) Upcoming Perks are November 17th,(because our usual day would land on Thanksgiving, and somehow I think we all already have plans) and December 1st and 15th. On that morning (the 15th) we'll have a special Christmas brunch, cookie exchange, and Christmas video.) Because of the Christmas holiday season, we won't meet again until January 12th. Oh, the Gaston School District does not have classes this Thursday, so if you need to bring older children along with you, feel free. Just have them bring a book or games or something to keep them occupied in a side room during our study.
COMMON GROUNDS meets next Wednesday, the 16th, at 6:30 PM. Which Bad Girl will we take a look at then? How about that upstanding pillar of the community, Mrs. Lot? You'll find a "Lot" of things to think about as you read through Genesis 19:1-29. It's a sordid story with "Lots" (sorry, I couldn't help myself!) of troubling aspects to it. Not a feel-good Hallmark movie by any means. But you know what? There's some interesting lessons for us in there. So, try to figure out a way to work "salt" into your wardrobe for that evening. Or just bring your favorite set of salt and pepper shakers! Upcoming Common Grounds are November 16th and 30th, and December 14th. We'll take a break during the Christmas season and meet again on January 4th.
Were you thinking of starting ZUMBA this Wednesday? If so, think again, because the Wednesday class is cancelled this week due to scheduling difficulties. But you do have the option of attending tonight, TUESDAY, or THURSDAY at 6:30 PM. Last week four new gals showed up on Thursday and though they didn't know the steps, they still had fun. And I let them borrow the beginner's CD so they could practice at home. When they show up tonight they'll have more of an idea of what to expect. So see, you can join in at any time whether you have previous Zumba experience or not!
Thankfulness for Thanksgiving
Sarah Hamaker, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
With more retailers pushing Christmas by putting up decorations and advertising holiday items before Halloween, the November holiday of Thanksgiving has been pushed to the margins of our busy lives. “I think what has happened is that we have put the ‘holidays’ into one big blob,” says Judy Christie, author of Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas: Having the Holiday Season You Long For. “ We tend to always be looking ahead — we don’t enjoy each moment the way we could. … It’s really part of our culture to rush ahead.”
First Thanksgiving
Over the years, the original religious meaning of Thanksgiving has been vanishing from the day, along with its place as a separate holiday. Today’s Thanksgiving feasts now usually consists of lots of food, fellowship and football. Less emphasis is on thanking God for his good providence in the lives of the participants. This is a marked departure from the early celebrations, which were tied to gratitude of God’s mercy and provision.
Indeed, the whole purpose of the first Thanksgiving was to give thanks to God for a successful corn harvest. On a November day in 1621, Pilgrims from Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts invited the Wampanoag Indians to share a feast. That celebration, which became known as America’s first Thanksgiving, was followed by a second celebration two years later to give thanks to God after the end of a long drought. Throughout the New England colonies from that time onward, days of thanksgiving and fasting to God were held annually or occasionally.
In 1789, President George Washington established the new nation’s first Thanksgiving. Twenty-eight years later, New York was the first state to officially mark an annual Thanksgiving holiday. In 1863, during the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday the last Thursday in November.
That practice continued until 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt switched Thanksgiving to a week earlier in an effort to jumpstart retail sales for the Christmas holidays during the Great Depression. However, backlash against the change had Roosevelt signing a bill in 1941 to move the holiday back to the fourth Thursday in November, where it resides to this day.
“Thanksgiving is one of the purest holidays,” says William Thrasher, a graduate professor of Bible and theology at Moody Bible Institute and author of Putting God Back in the Holidays. “Thanksgiving doesn’t have the clutter that other holidays have.”
The day set aside to give thanks has no presents or much in the way of decorations associated with the holiday. “We should consider Thanksgiving as the beginning of the season of celebrating God’s abundance. We should treat Thanksgiving as a day of conversation and family time,” says Christie.
A Thankful Heart
Lately, people have begun viewing Thanksgiving as the beginning of the Christmas holidays. Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a “negative trigger” for the approaching Christmas season, says Christie. “I like to think of it as the perfect day to change your outlook.”
With a little planning and thought, we can turn Thanksgiving into an attitude check for the rest of the year. “Thanksgiving heralds a really special time of the year,” says Christie. “We can use preparations for Thanksgiving as a way to identify what our priorities are and make decisions that align with our priorities.”
She suggests making a list now about how you want Thanksgiving and Christmas to look and feel like. “Think about how you want your year to end,” says Christie. “Thanksgiving is the start of a season full of joy and peace, so jot down some words to describe the season and write down what you’re thankful for.”
Here are some more ways to recapture the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
Focus on praise. Giving God praise can take the spotlight off of ourselves. “Scripture says we should praise God,” says Thrasher. He recommends using Bible verses, such as those from Romans 5 and 8, and Ephesians 1, to “prime the pump” of praise.
Expect things to go right. How many times do we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas thinking about all the things that could go wrong? Reorienting our thinking can make the season less stressful and more meaningful. “I’m a big believer in getting rid of Murphy’s Law that says ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,’” says Christie. “How many of us focus on that instead of teaching our families to focus on anything that can go right, will go right?”
Write thank-you notes. Use November to write letters of thanks to those who have done something for you that you appreciated. Even children can find this activity rewarding, and you may be pleasantly surprised at what they are thankful for.
Have a prayer of thanksgiving before meals. Asking God to bless our food and families might seem like a no-brainer, but can be one of the things lost in our busy days. “That’s very simple, but in our rushed lives, it’s very easy to overlook,” says Christie.
Hold off on Christmas decorations. Don’t put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. “Doing Christmas decorating earlier doesn’t allow you time to savor Thanksgiving,” says Christie.
Count your blessings. Even if things are less-than-ideal now, most of us have things—both big and small—for which we can give thanks. “Two years ago on the day before Thanksgiving, my daughter was in an accident that nearly took her life,” says Cherilyn Fienen of Independence, Kan. “So the following year, I made a very big deal about Thanksgiving to celebrate the anniversary and to give thanks for her life.”
Give of yourself. Whether it’s helping out a neighbor or fellow church member in need or volunteering at a soup kitchen, serving others “makes our time more fulfilling and meaningful,” says Christie. Even if you can’t give monetarily, giving of your time can be a blessing to others during the holiday season.
Putting Thanksgiving in its proper place can help us to enter the Christmas season with a more joyful and relaxed attitude. “Thanksgiving is something we have to embrace ourselves,” says Fienen. “We have to make it as big and special as Christmas with our own Thanksgiving traditions and fun.”
“Even on our worst days, most of us have been given more than many people in the world,” reminds Christie. “I think Thanksgiving is an important day because it allows us to say ‘thank you’ to God for all we have been given.”
Sarah Hamaker is a freelance writer and editor, and author of Hired @ Home: The Christian Mother's Guide to Working From Home. She lives in Fairfax, Va., with her husband and four children, and is looking forward to savoring Thanksgiving with her family. Visit her at www.sarahhamaker.com.
Okay, ladies, that's it for this week!
Sherrie Ashcraft, Wapato's Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
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