Happy Thanksgiving.........

It is important today as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving,
that we remember how truly blessed we are in this Country, and
that all blessings flow from our Heavenly Father. So as you
prepare to celebrate this Holiday, be sure to give thanks to God
for all of your blessings?

I am closing this message today with a poem that I hope
you will enjoy.

AUTUMN IS NATURE'S MASTERPIECE

Autumn is Nature's masterpiece
When every tree's aglow;
Before the leaves have fallen
And the hills are white with snow.

The bounty of the harvest
Is a treasure to behold,
For the fruits of our labor
Are more valuable than gold.

There's a change in the weather
That fills the heart with cheer;
With the holidays approaching
In the twilight of the year.

There's a feeling of Thanksgiving
That comes to one and all;
When we count our many blessings
As the leaves begin to fall.
Poet: Clay Harrison

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may God Bless You!

FOUR WIVES...........

FOUR WIVES

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most
and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took
great care of her and gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd
wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to
his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might
run away with some other men. He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very
considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante.
Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife
and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great
contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care
of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and
although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to
die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4
wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be! Thus, he
asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing
and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me
and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away
without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the
merchant's heart.

The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all
my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to
remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've
always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you
follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this
time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your
grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was
devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter
where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She
was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved,
the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I
could have!"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives. The 4th wife is our body. No
matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll
leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife? Our possessions, status and wealth.
When we die, they all go to others. The 2nd wife is our family and friends.
No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the
furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. The 1st wife is in fact
our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual
pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us
wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now
rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.

-- Author Unknown

Frogs..........

FROGS

A group of frogs was traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into
a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit.

When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs they
would never get out.

The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. The
other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead.

Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and
simply gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could.

Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering
and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.

When he got out, the other frogs asked him, "Why did you continue jumping
Didn't you hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He
thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

------------ --------- --------

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to
someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill
them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.

The power of words....it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging
word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob
another of the spirit to continue in difficult times.

Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another. May
your words be a blessing to someone today.

-- Author Unknown

The Blessing of Graditude.by Charles Stanley

The Blessing of Gratitude
Colossians 2:6-7

Believers have the amazing privilege of praying to their heavenly Father. But it may come as a surprise to some that bringing requests to God is just one aspect of our communication with Him. Another important part of prayer--which, sadly, is often overlooked--is thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6).

In fact, the Father wants His children's lives to be characterized by gratefulness. His Word tells us that an appreciative attitude should be evident in our worship (Ps. 95:2-7; Col. 3:16), giving (2 Cor. 9:12), relationships (Phil. 1:1-3), and even the way we approach spiritual battles (1 Cor. 15:55-57). In other words, thankfulness to the Lord should permeate everything we do (Rom. 14:6).

In the Scriptures, the Lord mandates our gratitude (1 Thess. 5:18), which some people find perplexing. But He knows how a grateful attitude affects our hearts. Thanking Him ...

• Keeps us aware of His presence.
• Focuses us on Jesus Christ; pride diminishes when we remember life is about Him.
• Drives us to look for His purpose in our challenging situations.
• Reminds us of His goodness, which leads to hope and submission to His will, even when we don't understand the reason for our pain.
• Encourages continued dependence on Him.
• Replaces anxiety with peace and joy.

When we maintain an attitude of thanksgiving in both happy and difficult seasons, our lives will feel purposeful and fulfilling. But more importantly, God will be glorified. Ask Him to bring blessings to mind so you can say "Thank You."

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God,
With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
In Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers' arms
Has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
In this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns
With Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.
--Martin Rinkart c. 1636
(translation by Catherine Winkworth)

A Heart of Graditude...by Charles Stanley

A Heart of Gratitude
Psalm 100:1-5

The Bible instructs us, "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18) That directive might seem easy when life is going well. But if painful circumstances arise, expressing gratitude can become difficult.

It's interesting to note that this instruction to thank the Lord in all things was written by Paul--the apostle whose loyalty to Christ earned him severe persecution. You might wonder how he was able to be grateful to God.

While many situations weren't to his liking, Paul knew that His riches in Christ Jesus far outweighed any earthly discomfort. Consider the blessings he so valued, which are available to all believers. First of all, we are invited to have a personal relationship with the one true God--the sovereign, omniscient, and omnipresent Lord of all creation. Second, our Creator loves us with an everlasting and unconditional love. Third, He sent His Son to die as payment for our sin-debt so that we could spend eternity with Him. As a result, when we place trust in Jesus, we are freed from the fear of death.

And the list of blessings keeps going: God adopts believers as His children and seals them with His Spirit (Eph. 4:30). He has a plan for every life--and bestows special gifts and empowerment to make it happen. He also promises to meet every need through His limitless resources (Phil. 4:19) and provides His Word and indwelling Spirit to guide us.

No wonder Paul was grateful! Count his blessings as your own, and let God know how appreciative you are.