During November, our family often made an acrostic using the word thanksgiving. We’d list things we were thankful for, using words beginning with each letter. When our children became teenagers, words like telephone, summer, and ice cream topped the list. Now with grown children, I exchange a thanksgiving list with my pen pal each year.

But thanksgiving shouldn’t be limited to a season or holiday. God’s Word says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). Since a thankful heart should be the year-round norm, I’ve used the word thanksliving in this acrostic to share some things I’m thankful for.

T = Talents
I’m thankful for my God-given talents. If I develop them and use them for God’s glory, one day I’ll hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21).

H = Hope
I’m thankful for the hope I have in Christ and the Holy Spirit who spreads hope in my heart. Since I know the God of hope, I can point others to Him, no matter how bleak their circumstances. I often pray Romans 15:13 for others:  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (NIV).

A = Acceptance
Acceptance is a basic human need. As a writer, I’m thankful when editors accept my writing. However, I’m especially grateful that God always accepts me; my worth before Him is not based on my performance or success.

N = News
Although world events may be discouraging, I’m thankful we can always find good news in God’s Word.

K = Kindness
I’m thankful for the many family and friends who express kindness to me in tangible ways. In turn, I want to express caring toward others.

S = Senses
My five senses help me experience life more fully. Beyond my physical senses, I’m thankful to spiritually “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

L = Life
Life is precious and should never be taken for granted. I’m thankful for each new day.

I = Intelligence
I’m thankful for my intellect which helps me think clearly and make wise decisions.

V = Vision
I appreciate physical vision to enjoy my surroundings and spiritual vision to understand spiritual truths.

I = Imagination
Imagination helps me think creatively. As I pray and seek God, He enables me to imagine no limits and to expect him to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians. 3:20 NIV).

N = New Experiences
I’m thankful for new opportunities to grow and for new relationships that enrich my life.

G = God
God is the greatest treasure and reason to give thanks. I’m most grateful to have a relationship with  Him through Jesus Christ.

Listing what I’m thankful for always lifts my spirit. Besides that, the Bible says God is pleased with a thankful heart:  “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me” (Psalm 50:23 NASB).

Why not make your own thanksliving list? After we thank God for our blessings, we can serve Him from the overflow of our grateful hearts.

Take the next step:

5 Reasons to be thankful right now
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“And he charged us to preach unto the people, and to testify that this is he who is ordained of God to be the Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).

Christianity is not a destination, but a journey. That’s why early Christians were sometimes referred to as people of the way. The older I get and the longer I live, the more simple my theology becomes. Jesus Christ came to save the world and to teach me to follow Him and to love and forgive others. It is as simple as that.

But a life of Christian maturity, and I don’t claim to be totally there yet, comes through a process of growing and nurturing in the faith and that requires more than going to church. It is a process that comes over time.

I suggest there are three main elements that foster Christian maturity and growth in the faith:

•    Small  groups
•    Dialogue
•    Teaching

Big churches are great but small groups are better. There is a certain element of trust and intimacy to Christian growth. If you are not in a small group, I encourage you to get into one. Get with other Christians on a regular basis and talk about scripture, talk about life’s challenges and support one another.

Small groups lead to dialogue both within and without your small group. Somehow, hearing yourself verbalize is a real learning experience. The Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis would walk out on the bow of his yacht and speak the words of a business proposal he was about to make. He said he learned a lot and corrected a lot hearing himself verbalize a presentation.

Begin with verbalizing the Scriptures, reciting them aloud and listening to them intently. Our mind stays more in sync and wanders less when we speak than when we read.

Lastly, teach others what you have learned and teach them to teach others. The great missionary Frank Laubach taught much of Africa to read by the “each one teach one” method. I hear people talk about keeping the faith and I say don’t keep it, give it away. It’s amazing how much you can learn when you teach others. You grow best when you help others to grow and it leads to maturity in the faith.

Questions: What are some steps one can take towards Christian maturity? What has helped you the most in growing closer to God?

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Recently I bought my two sons Nike T-shirts.

It was a fraction of what I’d paid. “Ruth,” I said, “you’ve got to tell me about these sales!” And so now, Ruth lets me know what is on sale and where. I love to find a bargain and since Ruth knows where to go, I automatically ask for her advice.

A creative friend of mine always says, “If I don’t know how to do something, I look for someone I know who does it well. Then I learn from them.”

How often have you asked for advice on how to decorate, remove a stain or solve a computer problem? I’m sure you’ve come away enriched–and equipped with the know-how to do something more easily or creatively.

I have been encouraged recently to see women using this age-old tradition of partnering to get ideas on how to share the gospel. Let me share a few examples.

• In March, I attended a luncheon sponsored by the organizers of a conference called Faithlift. After sharing the purpose of the conference, they told us, “If this event would strengthen and build the women in your area of influence, we invite you to make your conference.” What an invitation! And what a response. Over 1200 women, from more than 100 mainline and evangelical churches attended.

• In April, at the Building Together conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada, 36 ministry workshops, presented by a broad spectrum of groups, dispersed excellent ideas for reaching women. As women networked, hearts were strengthened and leaders bubbled over with new courage and ideas for ministry.

Both the luncheon and the conference left me pumped! I knew God was moving in the midst of us as we learned from each other and worked together to get ideas on how to share His love with the lost.

Philippians 1:27 tells us to, “…stand firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.” That’s exactly what is happening as we set aside the things that divide us and concentrate on the things that unite us in Christ.

Women Today, Canada seeks to provide contemporary resources and training and share ideas the Lord gives us. We know the Lord is giving many of you ideas, too. We want to serve the body of Christ, by being a “clearing-house” for ministry ideas that work.

Just like Ruth and I work together to get great bargains, we at Women Today, Canada want to partner with you, your church or organization to learn your ministry ideas and to share ours with you.

It occurs to me that the first fellowship group that ever formed around Christ is probably represented somewhere in your house right now. It has some common shepherds in peasants’ clothes, three princes in royal robes, a man and a woman holding a newborn baby, and a random assortment of farm animals seeking shelter in a run down barn. We have ours actually on the window sill in the dining room because there was no room for them in the inn (the living room, actually).

Together they constitute the first welcoming committee and, in a way, the first small group brought together by Jesus. They are the only people we know about, aside from Mary and Joseph and a handful of others, who had any clue what was going on with this miraculous birth. Angelic appearances had informed Mary, Joseph and the shepherds; the magi had deduced it from the stars.

They represented most likely Jews and Arabs, perhaps multiple races, numerous social class distinctions, different nationalities and religions, and a broad range of intellectual knowledge. And there they were gathered around Jesus, and the one thing they had in common is that they were all invited. They all heard from God. They were hand picked for the occasion. I wonder if you could call this the first small fellowship group.

Given that it was the first fellowship group, what do you suppose they talked about? I can imagine they talked about how they got there — what the angel said, how the stars were positioned in the sky, what the ancient books of knowledge indicated, or how their ears were still ringing from the angelic choir. They must have heard some of the story from Mary and Joseph and they would have been trying to put all the pieces together, while still left with plenty of pieces that didn’t fit. But most of all, I believe they were filled with wonder over why they were there and not someone else.

Today, we’re still gathering together around Jesus. We’re amazed that He invited us. We’re telling stories about how we came to know Him, and we’re talking a lot about how our lives have never been the same since. We’ve been thrown together from all walks of life with one thing in common. We, too, don’t have all the pieces together, but we are most amazed that among all the people in the world, He would choose us.

Question: Do you have a small group? Would it be beneficial to your own spiritual walk to find one, and also to share your own gifts with others?

About this Author: John Fischer

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Our daughter Val and her family were getting ready to go home. They had spent Halloween evening with us and we had a lot of fun. My husband set up a game of croquet downstairs (we used the legs of the chairs in place of the wire hoops), we watched fireworks and had freshly baked brownies with hot chocolate.

They were ready to go when Bronson, my two-year old grandson, announced,

“My daddy is a man.”

The statement seemed to come right out of the blue but he communicated much more than the words he spoke. His words and the way he said them said, “I love daddy. I think my daddy is wonderful! I’m so proud of my dad. I am secure and happy because I have a good dad. My daddy is strong and My daddy loves me.” Yes, he said all these things and more when he looked at us and said, “My daddy is a man.”

What are you communicating to the world about your heavenly Father? Is it praise? Do you complain about how He is treating you? Do the words you use to talk about God tell everyone that you think He is wonderful? Think about it.

Father, give us the grace to communicate to others how very much You love us and how wonderful we think You are. Thank You so much for caring about us. Amen.

Seeking and Celebrating the Real Meaning of Christmas

Entering a large grocery store a couple of months ago, I was startled by several large displays near the checkouts and exits.

There, nestled in between the bins of fresh Halloween treats, were stacks of boxed Christmas chocolates and stocking stuffers.

The Christmas season had begun and it wasn’t even October.

Sometimes it seems that the gap between Christmas and the rest of the year is getting shorter. This eagerness to get a jump on holiday cheer is purely practical from a retailer’s point of view: Stores typically make more than half of their yearly sales during these few short weeks. Shopping has become a pretty substantial part of the North American Christmas tradition.

Yet Christmas is and should be so much more than what we buy. Gifts are fun, both to give and receive, but they are only symbolic of a much greater gift:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The love of God came down to earth – now that is something to celebrate!

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the busyness of Christmas. That doesn’t mean we have to lose track of the significance of this time of year, or miss out on the opportunities it can present.

Here are some simple ways that you can incorporate the real meaning of Christmas into your family’s holiday:

• A Savior has been born to you
  Throw a birthday party for Jesus, complete with birthday cake. This can be particularly meaningful for younger children, as it puts Christ’s birth in a context they can relate to.

• No room in the inn
  A favorite Christmas tradition in my family (and in many other families, I have discovered) is a re-enactment of the Christmas story. Several years ago I wrote a formal nativity script for our family. Everyone was assigned a part, from Grandma and Grandpa right down to the newest, three-month-old grandchild. It was wonderful to watch each person – particularly the little ones – begin to explore what the character they were playing might have been like, or how they felt about the arrival of the baby Jesus. Our family has refined our dramatic tradition to include a creative element: Fifteen minutes to make your own costume from anything you can find in the house (or attic/basement).

• Glory to God in the highest
  I come from a musical family, so music has always been a big part of our Christmas celebrations. But you don’t have to be a musician to celebrate the birth of the Savior through Christmas carols, or to share with others the good news of His redeeming love. Gather friends and family and go caroling in a wing at your local hospital or seniors’ residence. Check with your church or other local churches to see if there are any folks who can’t get out of their homes during the holidays and take your caroling to them. Music is a great way to open a door for talking with people about the spiritual context of the holiday season.

Good will toward men

Gift giving is a wonderful way to reflect to each other, God’s love for us. This seems particularly true when we are giving of our time and gifts to those in need. Here are just a few examples:

• Volunteer together (include the grandkids!) – to pack toys and food into hampers that will be delivered to needy families before Christmas or to serve Christmas dinner to the homeless at a downtown mission

• Forgo traditional Christmas gifts – make a donation in someone’s name rather than giving that person a gift; take a child out to eat at their favorite restaurant and then take them to the toy store where they can choose a gift…for a less fortunate child; band together with friends you might normally buy gifts for and pool your resources instead to help a family in need or support a favorite cause.

Good news of great joy

Christmas is a time of unusual openness to spiritual things. Jesus is on everyone’s lips, whether they know Him or not. There is no greater gift you can give those who have not yet met the Lord than to share with them the good news of the real Christmas. Here are some ideas:

• Invite your loved ones to church - many churches go to great lengths when they plan Christmas services, to reach those who do not yet know Christ. Perhaps there is a musical or play that dramatizes Christ’s birth and the meaning of His coming, or a special Christmas carol service. These are not only a great way to spend time celebrating God’s grace with the people you care about during the holidays, but a wonderful beginning for a conversation about their spiritual beliefs.

• Invest in some literature (booklets, pamphlets or tracts that convey Christmas greetings in addition to the message of the gospel) – these are a wonderful way to share Christ with someone, particularly if you fear that you “won’t know what to say.” Hand these out to your neighbors with holiday baking or chocolates, pass them on to guests you have invited to your church Christmas play, or share them with carolers when you invite them in for hot chocolate.

Enjoy all the good things Christmas has to offer this year as you celebrate the reason for the season:

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Related reading: Give the Perfect Gift this Christmas

The demands of a growing ministry can become front and center in our lives.

Will Bruce, in Guidelines for Praying for Your Pastor states, “life’s pressures will always result in spiritual decline unless one is careful to maintain a close walk with the Lord.”

We all experience that decline from time to time as pressures mount in our individual lives.  It is because we know this happens that we strive to encourage and build each other up. We know firsthand that we cannot expect to show Christ to others if we are not engaged in a growing relationship with Him ourselves.

“A wise and trusted teacher or guide” is the dictionary definition of  a mentor. Mentoring tends to fall into two main categories:

1. Doing: Coming alongside someone to teach a skill or give guidance in the tangible things of life. It is usually definite and specific and often completed in a designated time frame.
2. Being: Coming alongside someone with material to guide them in growing in the intangible things of life, such as character development or spiritual truth.

This second approach is not so structured and may be a one time encounter or a sharing of the journey over time. Our main function is to encourage the person and to point them toward Jesus and the truth of God’s Word. God knows the details of that person’s life and just how His Spirit is working to draw that her to Himself.  He knows the articles and the resources that will meet that person just where she is. He will give you the ideas and the resources that will speak from His heart to the person’s heart.

Our primary task in our ministry role is to stay in fresh relationship with our Lord. It is then that we will hear His still small voice of guidance and His words of wisdom and encouragement to pass on.

Staying fresh in our relationship with God is the key of being active in making small decisions during the day…decisions that draw us closer to God and to the freshness in our souls! We don’t intend for it to happen but somehow a passiveness creeps into busy Christians’ lives. We do ministry, we pray on the run, we read when we get a minute, we encourage where we can, we slip our tithe in the offering…and we somehow slip into a passive relationship with Jesus. We expect Him to do the job of drawing near to us. We somehow begin to offer Him yesterday’s lunch and yet we long for a miracle today.

Take a moment right now and check your own life:

• Do you long for a freshness you once knew in a way that you miss today?
• Can you remember when the last time was that you spent more than 20 minutes in the presence of God?
• Has your prayer time become a hurried list of things God needs to do for you, or have you taken time to ask Him what is on His heart lately?

God makes a promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)  What do you need to do today, this week, to actively choose your relationship with Jesus over the many important and busy tasks that call for your attention? He longs to bring that freshness to your soul!

Make a choice to become active in pursuing God afresh. Actively choose to spend time in His presence, to expose yourself to music that inspires,  to turn off the TV, to invite Him into every decision, to ask Him which fruit of the Spirit He wants to cultivate in your life today, to pray in a quiet corner and not just on the run, to listen for His voice, to read his Word and not just a devotional book, and to ask Him to teach you.

He will be true to His promise! He will come near and refresh your soul. Then you will once again have that fresh lunch to place in His hands to multiply and to work a miracle today.

Father God, thank you for each woman You have brought into ministry.  Thank you for each of their specific roles in the Body of Christ. Give them fresh bread in their times with You so that they will have the freshness of Your truths overflowing in their hearts. Give them insight, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to speak and to do just what the souls around them need so that they can be drawn on in their journey to You.

Bless and protect each of the women you’ve called into ministry. Draw them into quiet places to have their own hearts refreshed with the simplicity of Your truths.  Give them divine insight in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.