Thankful for you...

Our CR TEAM would just like to take a minute and tell all our CR participants how thankful we are for each of you! 

Friday nights wouldn't happen if you all weren't there - doing what you do!    We have volunteers each week that cook, clean, lead, serve, put up signs, take down signs, wash dishes, put up the massive moon bounce, and so so much more!  We are thankful for all that you do for this ministry.  We hope that each of you are blessed this Thanksgiving. 

We will be there Friday night at 6 PM and we hope to see you then!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grateful Beleivers,
MRCC CR TEAM

Psalm 107:1
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Christmas Memories

I just want to say thanks to everyone who donated to help buy gifts for kids sponsored through the Anna's House Foundation.   We took up a donation on December 3rd and... 

we raised more than $925!!  

The night of the contribution I found myself overwhelmed with emotion.  My husband asked me on the way home why it was such an emotional thing for me.  I just thought I would share my answer with all of you.

I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas morning.  Running in to the tree to see just what Santa had brought me.  While my family was not wealthy I always got that one gift I really wanted.  I remember having so much joy. Imagining some child not ever having those memories breaks my heart.  Having the chance to be a part of maybe bring one child that joy really means a lot to me.  I hope that these kids can remember this Christmas.

God tells us to love one another.  To me, this is just one way we can all show love to a child we may never meet.  Again, Anna's House is a Christian organization that helps Christian foster families.  So, I also feel that we are helping those families, who may not have the funds, show those kids they do love them.  In turn, maybe someday the love these families show them will translate to a relationship with Christ. 

As you can see by the pictures here, we were able to provide...lots of clothes, toys and, of course, cars with flames!

There was more money than we needed for these gifts.  We offered to buy for more children, but Anna's House did not have more in need.  Since that was the case we gave Anna's House the extra money.  They plan to use it to help provide these same families with food this Christmas.

 

I feel so blessed to have joined with each of you in providing gifts for these children whom we may never know.  Thank you for all you donated, whether it was your money or your prayers.

Merry Christmas!

Grateful Believer,

Chellie

Give Thanks

THANKSGIVING... Have you given thanks for your blessings lately?              

I was asked to share some thoughts for the blog entry this week as our nation pauses to give thanks.  Actually, I think it has become more of a precursor for the dropping of the flags to start the Christmas race, but all in all, it does at least get some of us to consider being thankful.  If not daily, at least once a year. 

God has given us all many things to be thankful for.  For me, it is my family, my health, my friends, my recovery (both physical and mental), and then a whole list of things too numerous to count.  But, as in all things good, there is the other force at work in this world that wants to steal our happiness and our thankfulness.  Satan attacks on every front – we have to be ready for his arsenal of hurt.  And, as long as we are alive, we get no reprieve.

There are some verses in the Bible that really speak to me, but there are others, well to be honest, some of them are hard for me to comprehend.  But this passage in Colossians 3: 12-17 is one that is very encouraging to me.  This passage talks about putting on the new elements that make us God’s chosen ones.  What more could we be thankful for than to have an opportunity to get to change who we are to become someone new –someone blessed with the love of God.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

I love those last words... “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  I really try to give God thanks in all things and I try to do it daily.  But, I’ll be honest, some days, I don’t do it.  I let my busy schedule or other events dictate my activity, and I let thanking God slip through the cracks. 

So in closing, let me just ask you, what are you thankful for?  Have you told the person(s) responsible for your blessings how thankful you are for what they have done for you?  Have you told God how thankful you are for what he has done for you?   

This is a wonderful time to be reminded that we have so much to be thankful for.  But being reminded doesn’t mean much if we don’t do something about it.  Give Thanks!

…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus…. 

I Thessalonians 5:18 

Grateful Believer,  

Bob