Thanksgiving to God!!!

Praise God from Whom ALL Blessings Flow!  Praise Him all creatures here below!! Praise
Him above ye Heavenly Hosts!  Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!!!  AMEN!!!

Find your favorite song of Praise and Thanksgiving and SING it!!!  Sing it in the shower, sing it as you are cooking, sing it as you are cleaning for all the guests, sing it as you prepare your heart for ALL God has to offer you this holiday!!!

Remember these Songs?
Give Thanks
Come Ye Thankful People Come
We Gather Together

The Lyrics to the first of these songs are as follows:
"Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks unto the Holy One, Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son. (Repeat the refrain)
And now, let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich because of what The Lord has done for us.  Give thanks....give thanks....give thanks!!!"

Thanksgiving....an act of giving thanks or expressing gratitude especially to God - wow! 
The United States of America celebrates and gives thanks to God for this special day tomorrow - a U.S. national holiday set apart to give God thanks!!! YES, let's do that!!!

As I opened my Bible this morning that my beloved grandfather, "Gramps" gave me in 1962, I was blessed to find this verse and thoughts:
Psalm 138:1
"I will give thanks to you, O Lord with all my heart..."  The latin word for gratitude is gratis or grace. 
What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday??? What grace has been extended to you this day, this month, this year?  Have you stopped to take note of the many blessings that are in your life?  If not, why not do that today or this weekend!!! 

We have so much to be grateful for in the United States.....it is truly incredible!!!  I know my gratitude list swells each day as I stop, breath and think about all that God has blessed me with - a family in Ohio, Virginia, Minneapolis, Tennessee and Texas (that I will miss deeply this year as we celebrate in KC for the first time in 10 years), a son that brings me more joy than I thought imaginable 18 years ago, a job that allows me to serve our military with honor and praise, a church that feeds my heart and soul each week, prayer warriors that support and encourage me by praying for those people and situations that God places in my life,  friends that fill my life with laughter and fun, and finally, God has brought into my life a very special man, named Tim, that I could not be more grateful for this year...........ahhhh..........our God is SO good!!!

I read years ago:  "When we express gratitude something wondrous fills us!!!  Gratitude nourishes our souls immediately and the wonder of the moment swells in our hearts."  Simple gratitude brings simple happiness...simple gratitude shows us what is utterly amazing in our lives.  We have been so blessed, so fortunate, so favored, so richly given abundance....and it is all by the Grace of God alone.

So, let's celebrate!  Let's appreciate and acknowledge what we have been given even on the tiniest level......offer a sacrifice of praise to our Heavenly Father this Thanksgiving and KNOW how much you are loved!!!

Finally here is a fun way to say:  "Many thanks" in many languages:
English:  Many thanks!
French:   Merci!
German: Danke Schoen!
Italian:    Gramercy!
Spanish:  Muchas Gracias!
Archaic:  Much obliged!

And, thank YOU for reading these ramblings and encouraging me to continue to write this blog!!!
Blessings Abound!!!!!!!!  Look for them.............

Chatter with the Angels....

I went to the most wonderful music concert today with The William Baker Festival Singers at the Grace and Holy Trinity Church in Kansas City.  The music was not only exquisite, but the ambiance and acoustics were fantastic!  This KC cathedral exudes the Spirit of God from the beautiful story of Christ portrayed through the stained glass windows, the gold filament doves embedded in the decor and the gothic architecture that points to the Heavens - the music filled the air in this lovely sanctuary and our filled hearts and souls!

One of the American Spiritual songs they sang was arranged by Branden Waddles called:  Ride the Chariot.  The entire concert was sung A Capella (which means vocal music without instruments), however, the very last song was enhanced by an excellent pianist who played the music with all the old fashioned gospel music rhythms!!!  It was so much fun to watch the Festival singers and listen to see how the music shown through these singers, the conductor and the ultimately, the audience tapping our toes to the soulful music!!  What a lovely experience!!!

One of the lines in the last song says:  "Chatter with the angels soon-a in the morning...."
Do you know what Chatter means?  I had to look it up!  We all know what "chat" means:  to converse in an easy or informal manner.  But, "Chatter?"  Chatter means to utter inarticulate speechlike sounds....to talk rapidly, incessantly, or inanely, or to "click" together quickly, as the teeth from cold.   And, to "Chatter with the Angels?"  Ahhh........what a lovely thought!

Think about that!  "Inarticulate speechlike sounds...."  Chatter is right!  Sometimes, we are moved to tears with inarticulate sounds when we experience the Presence of God.  Sometimes, our prayers are not utterable  - we do not have the words - because we are so deeply moved.  When was the last time you were moved to tears?  Or, could not speak a word?  Or, felt the Presence of God?  Or, needed the Holy Spirit to pray for you because there were no words you could speak?

Chatter with the angels.........now THAT is where I want to be the rest of this day!!!
What a lovely experience..........thank you, Lord!!!