Thanksgiving
Time for reflection, at least in our household.
Someone asked me once, "What are you thankful for?" A response I heard from a friend at church went something like, "all of the things that didn't happen to me this week."
It took me a few minutes to wrap my head around that, but it does present an interesting point of view.
I didn't lose my job. No one in my family was diagnosed with an incurable disease. My wife (who has been traveling a bit lately) hasn't been in a car accident. While our financial resources are stretched, God has provided what we need to meet our needs and obligations. While I have a slight touch of a cold/flu, I'm not bedridden. (OK, I am a guy, therefore I must whine when I'm sick!)
Gas prices continue to stay lower (except for that $.14 bounce in one day...what's up with that?), our family is healthy, our friends are doing well, and despite all the gloom and doom that everyone is spouting in the media about the economic situation, it appears people are still going out shopping.
What else? Well, we don't have people attacking/blowing up our airports, like in Thailand. We are experiencing a calm, orderly transition from one government to the next. We aren't locking up dissidents, we aren't arresting protesters. We aren't stopping people from expressing their God-given rights. We still have the Constitution, we still live in a (relatively) free country.
All-in-all, I'd have to say, there is a great deal to be thankful for.
Is there suffering, injustice..."evil", if you will, in the world? Absolutely. We still live in a "fallen" world. Are there still people dedicated to doing all they can to combat that evil? Absolutely. And while we may differ on how to approach those evils, and we may have different ideas on what is the best way to promote freedom, independence and liberty, I would have to say that even with those differences, there are good people everywhere standing shoulder-to-shoulder, making a difference, each in their own way. Some people, it's on a huge, world-wide stage. Others, it's in our neighborhoods, our community centers, or even just within the four walls of our own homes.
I have a couple of people I'd like to ask you to pray for, if you are willing. Their names are Steve and Tiffany. I have no idea what their last name are, and I don't really need to know. My wife and I met Steve and Tiffany a couple weekends ago. We met them at the end of the off-ramp from west-bound I80-I35 and Merle Hay Road. They were standing there asking for handouts. I stopped the car at the nearby convenience store, and told Carrie that something was telling me that we should stop and help. Now for those of you that don't know me...I don't usually get big nudges from God like that. But this one was very strong, very compelling.
So, we walked over to this couple, and asked what they needed most. They had been living in a tent/lean-to near the creek about 200 yards away, and everything they owned was in a small, red wagon. It had rained a couple days earlier, and everything was soaked. Steve and Tiffany very humbly asked if we could help them out with enough cash so they could take all their gear and clothes to a laundromat (about 2 miles away), and wash and dry their stuff. We chatted with them a bit more, finding out that they were short of warm clothing, short of food, short of toiletries and essentials....
Long story short, we took them over to the Ramada that was about 100 yards away, got them a room for the night, told them we'd be back in about an hour.
We ran to Wally World, and got clothing, camping supplies, coats, boots, gloves, hats, food, tarp, and rolls of quarters. We spent about $500 that we really didn't have. But God was telling me it was the right thing to do.
We went back to the Ramada, knocked on their door, and piled everything on the bed, gave them both a hug, and left. On the way out, we stopped at the desk, gave the clerk my card, and told him that if they needed anything else to call me, and we'd pay for it.
I went by there this past weekend, and the area where they had been staying is clear. No tents, nothing. So I am hoping that they were able to continue on to wherever they were going, and that they are well and warm. I would ask you all to pray for their safety, their health, and their restoration to their families.
God is good. As I said, we really didn't have any extra money in our budget. Within two days, my wife received a bonus from her work. Amount? Just over $500. It was within a few dollars of the total we had spent.
My prayer for each of you this Thanksgiving is that you take the time to thank God for all He has done, and for all He has protected you from.
...my two cents worth for today.
--Larry Voorhees
Someone asked me once, "What are you thankful for?" A response I heard from a friend at church went something like, "all of the things that didn't happen to me this week."
It took me a few minutes to wrap my head around that, but it does present an interesting point of view.
I didn't lose my job. No one in my family was diagnosed with an incurable disease. My wife (who has been traveling a bit lately) hasn't been in a car accident. While our financial resources are stretched, God has provided what we need to meet our needs and obligations. While I have a slight touch of a cold/flu, I'm not bedridden. (OK, I am a guy, therefore I must whine when I'm sick!)
Gas prices continue to stay lower (except for that $.14 bounce in one day...what's up with that?), our family is healthy, our friends are doing well, and despite all the gloom and doom that everyone is spouting in the media about the economic situation, it appears people are still going out shopping.
What else? Well, we don't have people attacking/blowing up our airports, like in Thailand. We are experiencing a calm, orderly transition from one government to the next. We aren't locking up dissidents, we aren't arresting protesters. We aren't stopping people from expressing their God-given rights. We still have the Constitution, we still live in a (relatively) free country.
All-in-all, I'd have to say, there is a great deal to be thankful for.
Is there suffering, injustice..."evil", if you will, in the world? Absolutely. We still live in a "fallen" world. Are there still people dedicated to doing all they can to combat that evil? Absolutely. And while we may differ on how to approach those evils, and we may have different ideas on what is the best way to promote freedom, independence and liberty, I would have to say that even with those differences, there are good people everywhere standing shoulder-to-shoulder, making a difference, each in their own way. Some people, it's on a huge, world-wide stage. Others, it's in our neighborhoods, our community centers, or even just within the four walls of our own homes.
I have a couple of people I'd like to ask you to pray for, if you are willing. Their names are Steve and Tiffany. I have no idea what their last name are, and I don't really need to know. My wife and I met Steve and Tiffany a couple weekends ago. We met them at the end of the off-ramp from west-bound I80-I35 and Merle Hay Road. They were standing there asking for handouts. I stopped the car at the nearby convenience store, and told Carrie that something was telling me that we should stop and help. Now for those of you that don't know me...I don't usually get big nudges from God like that. But this one was very strong, very compelling.
So, we walked over to this couple, and asked what they needed most. They had been living in a tent/lean-to near the creek about 200 yards away, and everything they owned was in a small, red wagon. It had rained a couple days earlier, and everything was soaked. Steve and Tiffany very humbly asked if we could help them out with enough cash so they could take all their gear and clothes to a laundromat (about 2 miles away), and wash and dry their stuff. We chatted with them a bit more, finding out that they were short of warm clothing, short of food, short of toiletries and essentials....
Long story short, we took them over to the Ramada that was about 100 yards away, got them a room for the night, told them we'd be back in about an hour.
We ran to Wally World, and got clothing, camping supplies, coats, boots, gloves, hats, food, tarp, and rolls of quarters. We spent about $500 that we really didn't have. But God was telling me it was the right thing to do.
We went back to the Ramada, knocked on their door, and piled everything on the bed, gave them both a hug, and left. On the way out, we stopped at the desk, gave the clerk my card, and told him that if they needed anything else to call me, and we'd pay for it.
I went by there this past weekend, and the area where they had been staying is clear. No tents, nothing. So I am hoping that they were able to continue on to wherever they were going, and that they are well and warm. I would ask you all to pray for their safety, their health, and their restoration to their families.
God is good. As I said, we really didn't have any extra money in our budget. Within two days, my wife received a bonus from her work. Amount? Just over $500. It was within a few dollars of the total we had spent.
My prayer for each of you this Thanksgiving is that you take the time to thank God for all He has done, and for all He has protected you from.
...my two cents worth for today.
--Larry Voorhees
Comments
Or perhaps you just don't understand the difference between sharing and bragging.
As David Crockett once said, "It ain't braggin' if it's fact."
I'm just saying--you're off to a grand start at becoming that politician that you so want to be. Good job outta you!
--Larry