Glory Awaits!

November 2023

4 Great Reasons to Be Grateful This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it’s a day many people ponder reasons to be grateful. But how do you give thanks when life hurts?

Moreover, Philippians 4:4 tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” It’s one thing to rejoice in the things we’re glad the Lord has done. But how do we take rejoicing to the next level—rejoicing in the midst of suffering?

This is important for several reasons.

Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice always.
Being grateful stops the grumbling and complaining that the Bible warns us against (Philippians 2:14).
The very act of rejoicing plants joy in us.
Being grateful reminds us of God’s past good care and that brings peace over knowing his good care will continue.

For example, in January, my husband Clay was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We immediately began praying Philippians 4:4-7 together daily—sometimes twice a day.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

We’d recite “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Then we’d take turns rejoicing in the Lord before continuing to recite and pray the rest of the passage. Being grateful before presenting our requests calmed our hearts. While we no longer pray this passage together daily, we each continue to pray it when disappointment derails our peace.

But what can we rejoice in when confronting dreaded news?

Here are four reasons to be grateful no matter what season of life you’re experiencing.

Your Insider Look at Last Month's Writing Results

In October I finished about half the video scripts for Discovering Wisdom in Proverbs. Woo-hoo!

We're still waiting to hear about our proposals for a book on suffering. Meanwhile, Clay is going to preach from one of the chapters this Sunday, November 5, at Crossline Church in Lake Forest, California. The chapter is on Seven Truths About Suffering. These truths have helped us a lot since we got Clay’s diagnosis in January. Come and join us if you're in town!

Valuable New Resources

I created a downloadable prayer guide to go with the "4 Reasons to Be Grateful This Thanksgiving" article above. Find the download form near the end of the post.

VISIT POST

Practical Fun Things to Make You Happy

Terrific Reads

Here are two books I think you'll like, both by Christian authors.

This is a terrific book by one of my favorite authors. From the back: "Our culture teaches us that it's important for women to be strong. The Bible agrees. Unfortunately, culture's idea of what makes a woman strong doesn't always align with the Bible's."

The Right Kind of Strong by Mary Kassian

Here's a historical romance of the WWII Air Force in England for a Christian audience. From the back: "Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love."

A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin

Your Thoughts

Last month I asked how important are the videos that go with the Discovering series of books on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being essential. The replies were all 4s and 5s. Fascinating.