turkey out. tree in - coming prepared. {grace words wednesday}

turkey out. tree in - coming prepared. {grace words wednesday}



“let us come into His presence with thanksgiving.”
~ psalm 95:2

it's thanksgiving eve morning. is there such a thing? why yes, of course there is. certainly for those who will spend the day in the kitchen preparing everything one can possibly prepare ahead -- for that person, thanksgiving eve morning matters very much.

maybe some of us don't have a turkey or stuffing to whip up this week, but we all have something to prepare --- we certainly all have our hearts to get ready.

some of you have joined me for my daily thanksgiving posts this month and i do hope that has encouraged you a little. (if you want to find them all in one place click on:daily thanksgiving posts).it has blessed me to have some posting accountability, but, if i'm honest, it has also been a challenge. there have been some days when i didn't really feel like coming up with another picture or verse or word. that stuff doesn't always just effortlessly roll off the tongue or out of the computer ... sometimes, but not always. but this month of thanksgiving was motivating for me, nonetheless. and i knew, whether there were two or two hundred of you coming along, it was a good and necessary exercise for me. it was good for me to find the thoughts of thanksgiving even on the days when thanksgiving was not my first thought.

one thing this month of continuous posting taught me is that thanksgiving isn't just about feeling thankful, sometimes it's about preparing our hearts so that we can choose to be thankful. sometimes it's about saying the words in order to surrender the way. it's about deliberately preparing a path for praise. preparing.

and for those of you who are cooking the big meal tomorrow, you know all about preparation, right? it would be very challenging to run out last minute today and be fully ready for tomorrow. we all know what would happen if we threw a frozen turkey in our shopping cart on this wednesday with hopes of cooking it up on thursday. it doesn't work that way. and neither do we. we can't just show up at the table and hope for some really good thursday thanks to be ready in our hearts. maybe that will kinda work ... or maybe it kinda won't.
but whether we're whipping up a meal or whipping out some thankfulness it helps to be ready ... it helps to come prepared.

now, i'll admit, i'm not always the most prepared girl on the block. (some of you laugh). i forget items on my list. i forget my list. i even forget to make a list. this frustrates me (and a few other dear ones) to no end. growing up i had visions of how organized i'd be about things like holidays and the hoop-a-la that accompanies them. i grew up with dreams of everything being "just so" ... but rarely is it ever "just so." sometimes it is just so crazy or just so cuckoo or just so chaotic. but since i've given up a bit on the pursuit of the just-so-perfect, i have come to realize it is not really about the meal or the home or the hoop-a-la anyway, but about the heart. and though i've probably forgotten something on my list already today, i do hope, in this month, i haven't forgotten to prepare my heart.

not just for the meal tomorrow. but for the message of this continuous holiday season which kicks into full gear sometime in the midst of tomorrow. yes, i'm talking about christmas. the christmas message. have you ever thought about how the thanks-giving prepares us for the gift-giving?

since we're eating with friends tomorrow, i'm not preparing a big meal (hooray for me). but i will be bringing along one of our family traditions. my friend, diana, who is hosting, asked if we had any to share. now she might have been talking about a favorite dessert or potato dish, but i am bringing the tradition of putting a christmas ornament at everyone's place setting.

christmas ornaments on thanksgiving? yes!

i started this a few years ago with my family. i put an ornament by each place setting to remind us that thanksgiving must proceed gift-giving. we all know as soon as the turkey is taken out to the trash the mad scramble into christmas mode begins. some of us even have our trees in the garage ready to go. turkey out. tree in. it's like a funny holiday dance. we are quick to move on. i get it. i know why we feel like this. i understand the pressure of preparing. we, too, like to put up our tree the weekend after thanksgiving. and there's nothing wrong with that.

this christmas ornament on the thanksgiving table isn't intended to speed up that process, but to slow it down;to remind us to give the thanks before we get or give the gift. seem a little backwards? perhaps. but what if thanksgiving did come before gift-giving. wouldn't the giving be greater, sweeter, more beautiful if done with a heart of gratitude?


as we prepare our homes and transition from one holiday to another, let's continue to prepare our hearts. let'sturn our attention toward december desiring to be fully in God's presence, keeping in mind that thanksgiving isn't over, but can continue to spill into this next season. the verse i put on this year's thanksgiving ornament is from psalm 95:2: "let us come into His presence with thanksgiving." we come into His presence.we come to adore Him. we come to give gifts. we come to worship the babe in the manger, but let it be our words of thanksgiving which help lead us into the worship of His holy presence.

because, honestly, is there any gift greater? any gift more worthy of our thanksgiving?

this ornament is a reminder that these two holidays aren't in opposition. they aren't fighting for the lime light, but are working together. collaborating. cooperating. making clear the message of Christ. it is because the Christ-child was born in that manger that we have real thanksgiving in our hearts.

oh friends, let's celebrate the season this week and next month ... let's prepare our tables. let's prepare our hearts. let's enter into His presence.
“let us come into His presence with thanksgiving.”~ psalm 95:2

{grace words: thanks * giving * prepare * gifts * His presence *}

dear Jesus, on this thanksgiving eve we long to come into your presence. in all of our holiday preparation help us to prepare our hearts for you. give us words to praise you and hearts that want to pursue you. teach us how to combine our thanks-giving and our gift-giving that we might truly know the blessing of all you've so freely given. amen.




*** don't forget to head over to becky's blog atthe word of God and a cup of joe.becky is wrapping up her series this month on marriage.

St. Paul-Minneapolis archbishop pledges efforts to restore trust

St. Paul-Minneapolis archbishop pledges efforts to restore trust


Acknowledging a need for transparency, for greater communication
and "to be more of a shepherd" than administrator, St. Paul-Minneapolis
Archbishop John Nienstedt sought forgiveness of his clergy in
mid-November while also announcing his latest steps toward restoring the
trust of the Twin Cities.
A Nov. 10 letter from Nienstedt to archdiocesan clergy, following a
recent fall meeting, acknowledged a need for a better pastoral approach
in his leadership.
"I heard the message clearly: we don't need more programs, but more presence," he wrote.
Additionally, he affirmed a call for a more transparent chancery,
more communication, more clerical unity and, ultimately, more than lip
service to repair the broken trust among priests and parishioners.
"There must be a humble and contrite recognition of specific mistakes
that have been made, and definitive steps taken to repair the damage
and rebuild for the future," he said. "Our actions must reflect our
words."







Through the letter, Nienstedt also previewed the latest move:
releasing the names of priests no longer in ministry but still in the
archdiocese with substantiated claims of sexual abuse of minors.
Previously, he called for an outside firm to review of all clergy
files.
[Update: The archdiocese announced Thursday that it had
hired Kinsale Management Consulting to lead the review. The firm is
directed by Kathleen McChesney, a former FBI official who left the
bureau in 2002 to become the first head of the U.S. bishops' Office of
Child and Youth Protection.Check back later at NCRonline.org for more coverage on the hire.]
"It is clear to me now that appropriate disclosure is an essential step
in regaining trust and confidence," he said. "This decision on
disclosure will take us to a new level of accountability and in the end,
I believe it will clear away the suspicion and lack of transparency for
which we have been accused."
The disclosure is contingent upon the Ramsey County District Court
lifting a protective order imposed in 2009. Nienstedt explained that
while priests and deacons reserve the universal right to protect their
privacy and good reputation, it hinges upon preserving that reputation
through their actions.
"While it can be painful and feel unfair to have past failings
exposed in the media, it does not excuse Church authority from the
obligation to carry out justice with mercy and concern for human
dignity," he said.
"We must also acknowledge that a right to privacy does not equate to a
right to secrecy regarding serious misconduct in the past. Illegal or
immoral offenses actually committed by a member of the clergy affect the
entire ecclesial community, and so are notthensimply private matters.
"As priests of the People of God, we must be absolutely unwavering in
our commitment to holiness andvirtue.We must also understand that
what may have been tolerated twenty years ago, no longer is: our
standards today are different," Nienstedt said.
Another letter followed the next day -- this one posted on the
archdiocesan website and recorded for Minnesota Public Radio --
announcing the decision to disclose names, but also addressing the
latest MPR report fueled by documents provided by former archdiocesan
canon lawyer Jennifer Haselberger.
The Nov. 11 story profiled Fr. Clarence Vavra, a 74-year-old retired
priest who remained in ministry through 2003 despite admitting in 1995
through a psychological review that he tried to rape a preteen boy
during the 1970s on a South Dakota Indian reservation.
In his open letter, Nienstedt confirmed the report that Vavra engaged
in sexual contact with several boys and adult males and that lapses in
judgment occurred.
"Serious errors were made by the archdiocese in dealing with him. In
the spirit of offering him a path to healing and redemption, too much
trust was placed in the hope of remedying Vavra's egregious behaviors.
Not enough effort was made to identify and care for his victims," he
said, admitting that current standards would have required Vavra's
permanent removal from ministry and immediate notification of civil
authorities.
Nienstedt explained the decision not to defrock but to sequester
Vavra "was based on a desire by the archdiocese to be responsible for
such men versus placing them outside of the Church and unsupervised as
lay citizens who would have no restrictions," saying the Vatican
approved the decision, and "there was an earnest effort to be
responsible."
While he held firm to his contention that during his tenure the
archdiocese has complied in all cases requiring mandated reporting,
Nienstedt conceded that "a full review and analysis" of the
archdiocese's monitoring program is needed and promised "major changes."
For critics, though, the latest actions have had little effect in
rebuilding trust in the archdiocese. Bob Schwiderski, director of the
Minnesota chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,
equated a partial list of known abusers to buying a loaf of bread and
only receiving the heel.

To restore trust, he told NCR, a first
step for the archdiocese should be, rather than make statements from
the chancery, "to go to where the damages, the injuries were inflicted
and be pastoral."

Visting parishes and saying from the pulpit, "We are
here to help," Schwiderski explained, can provide validation for many
victims.
"It is one of the steps for healing and recovery for some. A limited
list is nothing but a continued injury to those that have been abused,"
he said.
The plan of action has also done little to sway Haselberger from the
position she took in the public statement she attached to her letter of
resignation.

In it, she called for the archdiocese to permit a
comprehensive, external review of all archdiocesan clergy files, and
afterward, to remove and make public those discovered to have abused or
who pose a reasonable threat to children.
"Nothing that they've pledged themselves to do accomplishes that," she told NCR Nov. 13.
Before Nienstedt's latest letter, several prominent donors to the
archdiocese made public their decision to halt donations until it
replaces its archbishop.

Oprah Castigates America for Its Racism, Sniffing that Some Americans Need to Die Out, But Regarding the Zurich Incident, Apologizes Obsequiously to the Swiss

Oprah Castigates America for Its Racism, Sniffing that Some Americans Need to Die Out, But Regarding the Zurich Incident, Apologizes Obsequiously to the Swiss



Oprah Winfrey Castigates America for Its Racism, Sniffing that Some Americans Need to Die Out, But Regarding the Zurich Incident, Apologizes Obsequiously to the Swiss for Having Even Mentioned that It Occurred in Switzerland, for even daring mention that it was in their country that she (allegedly) encountered racism.It would be foolish to not recognize that we have evolved, in that we're we're not still facing the same kind of terrorism against black people en masse as was displayed with the Scottsboro boys
said Oprah Winfrey in her BBC interview, before qualifying that with a "but":
Are there places [in America] where people are still terrorized because of the color of their skin, because of the color of their black skin? Yes.
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey had an entirely different approach to Switzerland for the
Zurich incident of racism, minimizing the whole affair before… apologizing to the Swiss!

Speaking on the red carpet premiere for her new film, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Winfrey said: "I think that incident in Switzerland was just an incident in Switzerland." "I'm really sorry that it got blown up. I purposely did not mention the name of the store. I'm sorry that I said it was Switzerland," she added.
In other words, a racist occurrence in a foreign country turns out to have just been an incident and, in any case — whatever magnitude the racist occurrence really was — in the same way that Oprah never mentioned the Zurich store name to protect the storeowners, she should — for reasons of diplomacy, presumably, and good manners — have protected the Swiss nation and the Swiss people by not mentioning the country in which it took place…



Meanwhile, Americans she considers racists are the perpetrators of a "kind of terrorism" who need to die…

Double standards, anyone?

Related: Witness the Unbelievable Amount of Racism That Exists Among Conservatives and in the Tea Party

MA in Sustainable Communities-NAU

MA in Sustainable Communities-NAU

I am including information here and below on our
MA in Sustainable Communities
at Northern Arizona University. As you advise students on their future graduate studies, I invite you to
take a closer look at NAU.
Here are some reasons why our program in Sustainable Communities may appeal to students like yours:Program Highlights:Our
interdisciplinary program focuses on issues of sustainability that
affect communities—such as environmental, political-economic, spiritual,
and educational topics.
Students take
core courses
from our interdisciplinary faculty, and electives of their own choosing
as they design their own educational paths to fit their research needs.Students work in community based collaborative
action research teams
during their first year, learning the arts of community organizing.
Students complete a thesis that has both theoretical and applied components.
We offer graduate assistantships, scholarships and tuition waivers
(both in-state and out-of-state) on a competitive basis to graduate
students who are accepted to the program. Students are also eligible for
travel-grants to attend
conferences or for fieldwork.
This program is part of the
Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP),
which provides in-state tuition rates to residents of 14 western states.
We are
now accepting applications from qualified applicants who have or will
have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or
university, seek both the tools and the knowledge necessary
to work toward good and sustainable communities and are motivated and
inspired by the connection between education and activism.See What Our Grad Students Have to SayI hope
your students find our program in Sustainable Communities to be a
natural fit with their passion for social and environmental issues.
Please let us know if you have any questions or would
like more information on graduate education at NAU!Thank you,
Sean ParsonGraduate.Studies@nau.eduSustainable Communities

Holding on to 2013 August Moon

Holding on to 2013 August Moon



While we won't know until we get far enough that we can look back, 2013 doesn't seem a swell year so far, but it ain't bad, really. It is just that, as one goes on, everything seems both more and less precious. Which makes me wish to hold onto the status quo, because a change might be worse. By now, this tall sugar maple at the Tip of the Mitt will have dropped its leaves. And we are here in Idaho feeding ducks on the lawn; they scrabble through the gold of cottonwood leaves for the cracked corn. Tonight is another very cold night with frost crystals on surfaces.

I've lost another book; even though I have a fairly good system of separating books into categories. Last night I was reading again in Elif Batuman's intelligent, wise and witty book called The Possessed; adventures with Russian books and the people who read them. When I read the part about Isaac Babel, I got copies of his biography and his translated diary. I can find the diary, but the biography has eluded me today, and I really want to read it! The story of Isaac Babel is another sad story of repression and death under Stalin, there are so many of these, and I should be able to skip it, but . . .

a lost biography
he always wore glasses
--glittering rime

One thing Ms. Batuman told about Babel is that the last photo, the after-arrest photo, shows him without his desperately-needed glasses--and with a very black eye. And that years later, after things changed somewhat and they released his file, there was ONE SHEET of paper in it, and even that had his death date given incorrectly.

Good night, and thanks for your encouraging messages, Larry and Patricia!






more

Dodd Frank Bill Driving Financial Disaster - Our Nation At Risk

Dodd Frank Bill Driving Financial Disaster - Our Nation At Risk


If anyone ever thought that theDodd/Frank billwould actually help our financial system after seeing how these two knuckleheads brought one the housing disaster, they need to seek professional help.

Why is itso hard to understand anything that is connected to progressive socialist liberal Democrats has to have an underlying agenda that seeks topromote dependency and thereby destroyindividual freedom.Individual freedom to the socialist Democrat is like Kryptonite to Superman. It's on display ever day for all to see. Why do so many turn away from theobvious?Why ignore self destruction?

At least Superman fought those that wanted to destroy him, while millions of this nation welcome the embrace of those that want to destroy our way of life. Why?

The Most Damaging Action Taken Under Dodd-Frank
Source: Peter J. Wallison, "The FSOC Expands 'Too Big To Fail'," The American, July 18, 2013.
July 19, 2013

-->
It was no surprise that the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) decided last week to cite a number of nonbank firms as systemically significant, placing them in line for greater regulatory scrutiny by the Federal Reserve. What was a surprise is that (in the midst of a huge outcry in Congress about banks that are too big to fail) neither Congress nor the administration asked the FSOC to stop the designation process until the too-big-to-fail issue had been fully thought through.

After all, by designating some nonbanks firms as too big to fail (GE Capital, AIG and Prudential Insurance are in the group) the FSOC has created a whole new set of institutions that will now be considered too big to fail, says Peter J. Wallison, the Arthur F. Burns Fellow in financial policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

This is more than peculiar. The legitimate concern of Congress comes from the belief that firms deemed too big to fail have funding advantages over their competitors. The idea that in the midst of this debate the government itself would proceed to make the too big to fail problem materially worse, and extend it to other sectors of the financial system, seems particularly senseless.

Underlying the debate about banks that are too big to fail is the recognition that Title II of Dodd-Frank has failed. That title sets up a resolution system, called the orderly liquidation authority (OLA), for large financial institutions.
The framers of Dodd-Frank believed that the source of too-big-to-fail was regulators' fear that allowing a large financial institution to fail would create serious instability in the U.S. financial system.
Regulators, they thought, would always choose to bail out these large firms rather than risk the disruption that would follow their bankruptcy.The OLA was supposed to end these fears by providing an orderly system for winding down large financial firms, allowing the government to seize and liquidate them without concern for adverse consequences in the financial system. The fact that there is still a belief in the markets and in the political class that too-big-to-fail still exists is a demonstration that the OLA is not a credible solution and should be repealed.

What the FSOC has done will be seen in the future as the most damaging action taken under the authority of Dodd-Frank. It has the potential to turn what are today competitive industries into financial sectors dominated by large, government-backed firms, exhibiting all the indicia of crony capitalism.

Before the baby came

Before the baby came


When Louise's due date came and went I was pretty bummed. I wasn't expecting her early but I was having stronger Braxton hicks then ever before so I thought maybe she would be "on time" or at least not 11 days late like Joe.


This is a pumpkin muffin that I got for stopping by to visit with my friend Jenny. It was so delicious I ate at least 2 on the drive home. The day before I had a really bad day and talking with Jenny lifted my spirits so much.

One Saturday morning I was all alone cause Russ was working and Connie had the kids over to spend the night. I needed to close our irrigation and went out in my flip flops and slipped and totally bruised my tail bone in a bad way. It hurt so bad I cried. I also cried at the thought of how it might make birth so much worse.

Here I holding my new niece Kasey and hoping it would somehow motivate my baby to come out. I hope these girls are always close.

My friend Angela stopped by to give me due date flowers and some yummy treat. The flowers smelled great for days and made me grateful for good friends.

Russ and I got these Kettcar things for the kids to ride around in the yard. They are fine but work best on concrete. I thought they would be able to ride them around the yard easier.

We went out as a family to Ah-So. Charity swears it puts you into labor. I thought it couldn't hurt and the kids loved it, but no labor.



I had to put this picture In there to document the dress that I wore around the house this whole pregnancy. It was just too comfortable.

One day Russ was out mowing the lawn and I decided to help to make things go faster (he was weed eating) and hoping I could encourage the baby out. Didn't work. But I did have a good time, I love being out in the yard.

Joseph helping at the midwifes. Stephanie gave me a pep talk that made me feel better and told me to come to a bellies meeting that night. She said being around all the pregnant women can start labor. So I went and had a really nice evening.



The baby didn't come that night but she did come the next night, the night of the same day that I gave up hopin that she would come before Joseph did. I stopped caring and that night woke up to some really painful contractions.

2013-11-24 Celebrate The End, But Give Thanks for Beginnings

2013-11-24 Celebrate The End, But Give Thanks for Beginnings


2013-11-24 Celebrate The End, But Give Thanks for Beginnings Deuteronomy 26:1-3 Colossians 1:11-20 I don't know if any of you like to wake up before sunrise on Black Friday and go extreme shopping. Maybe you do but wouldn't admit it in public. It's very exciting. You against the ravenous masses. Kind of like the start of the Hunger Games. Of course, the crush has eased a little in recent years now that stores have started opening the day before on, what do they call it? Thanksgiving. I've done the 5AM Black Friday feeding frenzy. And that's why I will always treasure my nine-gallon wet/dry RIGID Shop Vac from Home Depot. I earned it. I fought for it. My Precious. What have you earned, that you treasure? What have you fought for, in a bold race for the finish line, or for the checkout counter, that holds a special place in your heart? Maybe it's a shop vac. More likely it's a diploma. Or a house. Maybe that dream car. Maybe you earned a the clean bill of health by exterminating extra pounds and bad habits. It might be an "A" in a class taught by the meanest teacher in the world - or maybe just a passing grade. Maybe that guy or that girl whose heart you won, back when you were still romantic. Whatever the prize, you fought for it. You earned it. It's yours. Should someone or something threaten the reward, you'd protect it, maybe even wage a counter-attack. After reaching a goal and collecting the trophy, whatever that is, we switch on the locks. We punch in the code. We go into security mode when the work is done, when we reach the end. --- From the Pilgrims to Bible-times, festivals of thanksgiving were celebrations of The End. For farmers, thanksgiving times marked the end of the planting, the end of the growing, the end of the tending, the end of the harvest. They kept the farm productive another season. The farmers lived through another year and deserved a break. They could relax for a few days. Feast a little. They earned their reward. They could look at the fruits of their labor and cook a few of them, too. They could admire what they had produced, what they'd fought for, what they'd done with their own two hands. They could rejoice at the end. We all do that, don't we? We raise our hands at the finish lines. We dance in the end zones. People prize the accomplished. We celebrate The End. And THAT might turn out to be one of the most important ways God's NOT like us. --- I know you all love reading Deuteronomy. I'm a minister. I'm weirdo and I know it. I love Deuteronomy. It's filled with rules that make you wonder, "Why would anyone ever make THAT law?" Kind of like how UT never had sorority houses because it was illegal for more than eight women to live in the same building. (Because, you know, men are weak.) Finally got that law changed. But if you notice, the sororities are on the other side of the railroad tracks. So, Deuteronomy says that as the people are finally, finally entering the land that the Lord their God has given them - after forty years in the wilderness - at The End - they are to gather up and dedicate the FIRST fruits of the harvest. The First things. The people are glad for The End; God wants the first. --- The Bible talks about more Firsts in the letter to the church in Colossae. Listen to how many firsts it names. He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created [at first], things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created [first] through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. The Israelites of old celebrated The End of their journey with the FIRST fruits of their harvest. In Jesus, God celebrates The First of ALL creation. Jesus is ground of all being, the origin and the glue that keeps everything from spinning away to destruction. It goes on: he [Jesus] is the beginning, the firstborn - from the dead - so that he might come to have first place in everything. The people saw The End; God saw a new first. When people looked at the cross they thought they were seeing The End, but what God saw was a mysterious re-writing of that ending into a new beginning, where the end, the last, became the first: The firstborn Christ of new life. And what did humanity contribute to this beginning? Some boards and some nails and the spilling of blood in a twisted attempt to create The End. God took The Worst End and turned it into a New First. --- Think of the Ends you've celebrated, the goals you've met, the rewards you've earned. Think of the happy endings. Now, think of The Ends that you dread. The unhappy endings. Endings of life, or of relationships, or of blissful moments that skip away so fast. What makes some endings so good, and other endings so bad? Maybe it's a matter of choice. We celebrate the endings that WE choose. We celebrate the ends that reflect back our own hard work back. Our work. Our effort. Our sacrifice. This is what we celebrate. The celebrations not only reflect it, they magnify it. Magnify us. I did it. I earned it. It's mine. It's - in a way - it's me. On the other hand, we mourn the ends that remind us of how little control we have to change anything. Bad endings are failures. Bad endings are thieves that steal our time so precious. Bad endings reflect and magnify all the countless things over which we have no power. Good endings equal power. Bad endings equal no power. Or put it another way: when we have power, we can create our own good ends. When we are powerless, things are bad and will likely get worse, and probably end badly. Isn't that how it goes? --- Imagine being a farmer who works the ground for months. Finally, that first little shoot produces. That one little bean plant pushes through the soil. Oh, what a good feeling. The investing, hard work and early rising has paid off. There's the reward. Your reward. Deuteronomy says, hold on. That's the piece that belongs to God. Wait, that's not fair! God's taking the prize you worked for. God's stealing the happy ending. God is stripping you of the great sign of your power. God wants you to just give it away. We might think God's asking a little too much. But on the cross, the firstborn of all creation, in whom all things hold together - on the cross God strips himself of his power. God just gives away his power of firstness. On the cross, God does what God's been asking the people to do all along. God yanks away his own reward. On the cross, God shoves aside the power of a happy ending in order to make room, make room for a first. And the first grows out of soil so powerless. --- George and I were talking about the theme for this year's Stewardship season and he said, "You know it can sound kind of trite to say, 'Count Your Blessings.'" It can sound kind of trite when things are bad and someone tells you, "Count your blessings," because they don't know what else to say and things are going generally better for them at the moment. To me, blessings are the opposite of rewards. Rewards are what you've earned by your own power. Blessings are what you stumble into. Blessings remind you that no matter how much you work and plan, there's uncountably more that you're totally powerless to control. The best you can do is receive a blessing, with gratitude, and with the knowledge that you neither deserve it now, nor could you ever. Call it luck. Call it grace. Just call it for what it is. A blessing is a beginning. Someone a long time ago might have said a blessing is the "firstborn of all creation." Before you can count your blessings, though, you have to see them. And you can only see these beginnings when you stop focusing on your own ends. --- Thanksgiving is this Thursday. Before you slice into the harvest meal, do take a few moments to reflect back on the year. Reflect back on what you've accomplished. There's nothing at all wrong with that. Reflect on your victories. Reflect on how far you may have come since Thanksgiving 2012. But then, after you've finished reflecting on yourself, refocus your eyes on what you haven't done, what you're powerless to have done, and yet which came to you out of sheer luck, or God's grace, or whatever you want to call it. Think about the things you have no control over, but which, you know, were kind of nice. Uncountably nice. Celebrate the end of a year. Celebrate the ends you've achieved. That's OK. But spend some time giving thanks for the unplanned beginnings that came your way. Thank God for the new life that sprang up, while you were busy doing other things.