RickPage

Ten Thousand Blessings, and Counting November 24, 2016 This Thanksgiving is the first one in years without family.  It's easy to think of things to be thankful for when grandchildren, and children are running around - at least that's true in my situation.  I can imagine some folks distressed about family time.  So, I began the day with an ATV ride around the farm we are staying on.  I'm thankful for the ATV, the farm we are on, the hospitality of the folks who opened it up to us and that we close on our new home in just six days.  As I drove around giving thanks, it dawned on me how often gratitude is about things, and places, and sights and...well, material sort of things.  If we are to believe Paul in 1 Timothy 4:4-5, then I imagine people are something to be thankful for.  That's easy with my wife, my family and people who are easy to like - like much of the congregations(s) I am privileged to serve.  What about EGR (Extra Grace Required) people?  Surprising

One Thousand Blessings...and Counting Election Day November 7, 2016 We started a new sermon series on gratitude and thanksgiving yesterday.  A challenge was issued to begin keeping a daily gratitude journal.  We are calling them A L ttitude journals - borrowing from Zig Ziglar: "Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude." Gratitude to one another is a very good thing, but gratitude toward God is the best of all things.  I don't think God gets enough thanks for what He does.  When we demonstrate gratitude toward God the Bible talks about running and not growing weary, rising up on wings like eagles, and Paul makes the observation that being grateful to God will provide the following, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  I don't know about you, but I really like that.  It would hurt me to be more grateful, to spend five minutes a day recording my