In Colossians 1:11 Paul writes a prayer that includes an important teaching about how to become more patient. Paul prayed that the people would be “strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father.” Now that’s interesting. Thankfulness andContinue reading “Growing patience through thankfulness – Fruit of the Spirit: Patience, Part 4”
Tag Archives: thankfulness
The transforming power of gratitude – Colossians 4:2-6, Part 3
Do you ever feel like, as a parent, you are running your own private family Uber? The kids call or text, and you pick them up from practice. You drive them to events, to their friends’ houses, and all over. Or did you ever get a call like this: “Dad, practice finished early, so canContinue reading “The transforming power of gratitude – Colossians 4:2-6, Part 3”
How the aging process can help us evaluate the past year – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 3
Years ago, one of the home-bound members of my church family, who has since passed away, described for the me the process of her ever-decreasing eyesight. She said that it was only during the bright sunlight of the day that she could see around her room. As the months and years went by, the darknessContinue reading “How the aging process can help us evaluate the past year – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 3”
A story of thankfulness to help us during hard times – Acts 12, Part 5
Do you like to watch awards shows? I do. It’s interesting to see who gets awards, and what they get the award for. But more than that it is interesting to hear how they are introduced. Often they are lauded as, “The great and wonderful…” Whether it is an athlete, musician or actor, they areContinue reading “A story of thankfulness to help us during hard times – Acts 12, Part 5”
Four practical ways to count your blessings – Acts 12, Part 4
In this series of posts on Acts 12, we have been trying answer the question: “How How do we count our blessings the right way?” I want to suggest some practical ideas that I believe could help you. First, we have to say the right words, flowing from a humble, grateful heart. Not “I didContinue reading “Four practical ways to count your blessings – Acts 12, Part 4”
Does Michael Phelps have an unfair advantage? (and why it matters for followers of Jesus!) Luke 17:1-19
Quick trivia question: which Olympian is the record holder for the most Olympic medals of all time? Michael Phelps is the correct answer, which if you didn’t know already, you probably guessed by the title! But this picture only shows his medals from one Olympics. Guess how many total medals he has won? Total ofContinue reading “Does Michael Phelps have an unfair advantage? (and why it matters for followers of Jesus!) Luke 17:1-19”
Follow-up to Not Feeling Thankful on Thanksgiving
It was wonderful to sing songs of thanksgiving to God this past Sunday. Great to celebrate communion together, to give thanks (which is the meaning of the word eucharist) to the Lord for his amazing gift of love to us. It was also great to talk more about growing the discipline of thanksgiving at sermonContinue reading “Follow-up to Not Feeling Thankful on Thanksgiving”
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