A Day to Remember

Author:
Pastor Tom Ek

Your Story Matters: Share Your Thankfulness This Thanksgiving

This year’s Christmas wrapping paper is out at IKEA.  By that I mean, on display and available for purchase.  At least it was two weeks ago—it could be out by now.  And by that I mean, sold out for the season.  Most years that’s a sure sign Halloween will soon be here; IKEA is already out of its Christmas wrap.  (Wouldn’t you think they’d learn to order more?)

In any case, these signs of the advancing calendar remind me to put out an invitation for Thanksgiving.  Not to come to our house—we’d love to have you stop by sometime, but it’s a long trip and we’ll be elsewhere Thanksgiving week anyway.  This invitation is to anyone who might consider offering a witness during our Thanksgiving service on Sunday morning, November 24th.  

It can be refreshing and inspiring to hear from someone besides the preachers once in a while!  Might you have a personal word to share with your church family?  Has God been working in your life in a special way of late?  Have you sensed the Holy Spirit moving in new directions?  Do you have something in particular that is resulting in gratitude to God these days?  Would you consider sharing a thanksgiving reflection or recent “God-sighting” with your church family on Thanksgiving Sunday?

Are you one of those folks who can’t imagine speaking in front of a crowd?  First of all, we’re all friends, and second, we’re not THAT big a crowd.  And beyond that, if you’d prefer, you can simply write out your thoughts and we’ll have someone else read it on your behalf, signed or left anonymous.  It can be anything from a phrase or sentence up to a whole episode of how you’ve observed God at work around you.  You can thank specific people for their acts of kindness or simply praise God more generally.

The Psalmist says “It’s a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to his name.”  Indeed, it is a healthy exercise for each of us, and a wonderful encouragement to hear it from our friends and loved ones in the church family.  Are you thankful?  Give a witness!  Please let me know if the Lord is working on you to participate.  Further details and a reminder invitation will be provided here in a few weeks.

"Honor Listening": Applying Our Ears and Our Hearts

How well you listen to other people?  Are you “all ears” when someone needs to talk, or does everything “go in one ear and out the other?”  Well, it depends, doesn’t it?  On the situation, on who it is doing the talking, and on any number of other factors.

One of the greatest complements we can give to people is our undivided attention.  But even when that is our intent, often we forget to apply what we know about listening well.  And what does listening well entail?

In our service this Sunday we will be considering the third of our six Relational Affirmations, “Honor Listening.”  What does it mean to commit to “listen with care” and “without interrupting,” and what does “holding our own opinions with humility” have to do with it?  Come this Sunday and see if you find answers to these questions.  If you’d like a preview of the scriptures that will inform our topic this week, you’re invited to look at Proverbs 2:1-11 and James 1:19-27.

Would you like to see a copy of our Relational Affirmations document?  We have special copies posted in plastic frames at various spots around the church, and will have extra copies of the document available for you to take off the table in the entryway next to each Sunday’s bulletins.

Hope to see you on Sunday!