Peering Through Life's Window

Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to think about all of the good things in our lives and be grateful for them. We might also ask ourselves where these blessings come from.  Quite a few years ago when our daughter was in first grade, the school administration put up images illustrating Thanksgiving drawn by the children for an open house.  That night turkeys, Indians and Pilgrims lined the halls. As my husband and I toured the school, we stopped at our daughter’s offering and told her how good it was— of course.  She peered at me with wide brown eyes. “My friend had to take down her picture and do it over.” “Why?” I asked. “Here it is.” Our daughter pointed to a drawing with a boat and some stick people standing around it. “She wrote something on it the first time?” “Did she write over the picture?” I asked. “No, she wrote here.” She pointed underneath the boat. “She said the Pilgrims gave thanks to God, and that’s not allowed.” I wasn’t certain she said what she inten...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING  “The grateful heart is a happy heart,” Dr. George Simon The word thankful was originally thancful in Old English and meant grateful or obliged. Seems the days fly by so fast it’s difficult to keep up, and they’re a mixture of good and bad. In the midst of hard times, pain, illness or sorrow, we often find it difficult to think of much else. When times are good, we tend to take our gifts for granted. But Thanksgiving gives us a moment to step back and look at the many gifts God has given us and be thankful for them. Even in the bad times, we are not alone in the darkness of this imperfect world. God’s by our sides, giving us not only His love and comfort, but support from his almighty power to push us through.   Johnson Oatman, Jr.’s song “Count Your Blessings” encourages me to try to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving in my heart all year long. Here are the lyrics. “Count Your Blessings” by Johnson Oatman, Jr. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-toss...

A Warm Welcome To Susan Aken Hi, Susan tell us a little about yourself and your Bible study. I’m waiting for that phone call from God. Moses, the man God called to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, spoke to God face to face. Saul, who wrote much of the New Testament, met Jesus on the road to Damascus and heard Him speak audibly. How often do we wish God would communicate so directly with us? We want clear directions. We do have detailed guidance from Him in His word, the Bible. To truly understand God and His will it’s crucial to know and comprehend Scripture. God never leads us contradictory to His word and His revelation to us is complete. To truly understand God and His will, it’s crucial to know and comprehend Scripture. God never leads us contrary to His word and His revelation to us is complete. The first step to hear from God is to know the Bible well . He most often speaks to us through its message. We don’t see God’s face, but we can still talk to Him direc...