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I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today, and honestly, I just about blew off blogging at all.... The thought of making a "gratitude list" seems annoyingly Pollyanna-ish at the moment... I'm more in the mood to curl up on the couch with some empty calories and numb my brain with a Monk marathon or a good book.
....and yet....
Despite my current feelings, I know that we are commanded to give thanks in ALL circumstances.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
- I Thessalonians 5:18
If Paul and Silas could sing and praise God when they were chained up inside a Macedonian prison, then I can certainly come up with ten things for which to be thankful in my own better-than-chained-up-in-prison circumstances....
...and so, I continue to count.
Today, I am thanking God:
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# 491. ... that I am not, in fact, locked up in prison or otherwise persecuted for my faith.... a privilege which many of us take for granted here in the United States...
And along those same lines, we need to remember to pray for the thousands of Christians around the world who are not free to worship as they wish. They are being fined, boycotted, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed (along with their families) simply for professing faith in Jesus.
Clicking on the above link will take you to the Voice of the Martyrs website, where you can get informed about the persecuted church and how you can help.
Clicking on this link will take you to a website where you can help persecuted Christians make a living by purchasing their handcrafted products. There are a lot of items that would make great Christmas gifts, and you would be supporting a great cause.
# 492. ... for a day nationally designated to the giving of thanks.
# 493. ... for the life and memory of our family friend, Charlie, who passed away a few days ago. (Please keep his family in your prayers...)
# 494. ... that God promises to be a very present help in trouble.
# 495. ... for the new life and the new marriage we celebrated at two different showers this past weekend.
# 496. ... for the smell of woodsmoke.
# 497. ... for some unseasonably warm days.
# 499. ... for Friday (or Saturday) night Thai.
# 500. ... for 500 blessings and counting...
Linking up at: