1 Chronicles 16:34 "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

The phone rang, the emails dinged, the text messages blipped and it wasn't even 8:00 a.m.  I wondered how I was going to do it all.

I was juggling email messages from our graphics team regarding the issue of our very first magazine "Your Best," wrangling messages about our upcoming devotional, and trying to prepare for a phone interview with a local radio station.  I had noticed as I got out of bed this morning, I was still moving a little bit slower, feeling the fatigue from the weekend's Best Life conference in Iowa.

I typed fast and furiously, prepared my mind for the interview, and then attempted to resolve a couple of issues regarding the upcoming conference, the upcoming wedding for my daughter, a request from a publisher for a book idea, and a desperate need for an upcoming grocery shopping excursion.

The phone rang, and a voice let me know that I had made an error on a college loan application for my child, well the other line rang to tell me that we needed more information for a mortgage refinance.

I stopped.  Just for a moment.  Just for a blip in time, and felt the tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.  The weight of things I had never done before was starting to feel cumbersome.  I bowed my head and prayed, "God, I'm just a little brunette worship director that somehow got tossed into a great big ocean of women's ministry and I'm leading places I've never been.  Couldn't somebody just call and ask me to play "How Great is Our God" in the key of F?"

When have I ever created a magazine or compiled a book?  What do I know about interviews and publishers?  I asked for these things in the deepest parts of my heart and mind, praying that God would allow big and glorious things to bring Him praise and honor.  And now...they were happening fast and furiously.  The upstart year, where I met God for long walks and deep talks, was now coming to an end.  And the busy moments clicked by on the face of the grandfather clock sitting by my desk.

I stopped everything I was doing and sat still to listen.  My itunes had now moved to the song by Cindy Morgan, "How Could I Ask For More?"  As the words spilled out into the afternoon air, I felt the warm sunshine burst through the window and soak into my soul.  Cindy's lovely voice gently prodded my brain to thinking as she sang:

"So many things I thought would bring me happiness... some dreams that are realities today, such an irony that mean the most to me, are the memories that I made along the way.... ....thank you, Lord, how could I ask for more?"

I felt a calming peace as I let the tear run down my cheek, and watched the sun spill onto my hand. Just then, I looked out at a leaf whipping around in the air and blow wildly past the window.  Just like that, in a split second it was gone.  And I realized it's really what our lives are like.  Fluttering here and there for a brief season and then gone.

The comfort of the words of the song, stirred my soul.  As I reflected on where Best Life has been, and where God has led us, from one year ago to today, I am struck with awe.  One year ago this month, we delivered our very first issue of this newsletter.  We were thankful!  We were grateful.  We were exuberant as the team pulled on their hiking boots and hit the trail for where God was leading us....up mountains, through valleys, and beside quiet waters.  This past year, we've been in all of those places.

And for now...in this moment of space and time....I walk through my mind, to visit the places we've traveled with Him.  The dreams I've had as a child are unfolding now.  Dreams of radio and magazines, of books and conferences, of teaching and praying, of organizing and leading....and I hear God speaking a truth deep in the depths of my being.... "You were created for such a time as this.  Everything you've learned has brought you to this moment, Kathleen.  Use it...Use it for Me."  And I begin to list these things as I'm weeping about out loud.  I begin to recite them one by one and begin to genuinely thank God for each thing. Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you.  One by one they are no longer burdens. One by one they are the pieces of our lives...the memories we're making as we go.

It dawns on me once again, that life isn't just about the destination, but about the journey.   It's really about the in-between.  And today, for now, in the whirlwind of the leaves blowing outside, and the seasons changing, I say a prayer and tell God how grateful I am that He is providing this in-between.  And I tell Him that today... my heart is a grateful one.  

Take time today to make your list before God of the in-betweens, and remember to be grateful.

Gratitude 

By Deacon Aaron Wessman

She kept moving towards me.  Each step as she drew closer revealed the depths of her deep, dark eyes that seemed to pierce further into my soul.  Her skin matched her eyes, and both genes and endless hours working in the sun and wind had produced a color like that of night.  The wrinkles on her face matched the tears in her clothing.  They were random, deep, jagged and the result of living in impoverished conditions.  Her hair had never experienced the touch of Pantene or Tresemme.  It was in knots, lined with silver, and split.  She was hunched over, limping as she moved, yet staring straight at me.  Being downwind I caught her smell and felt queasy.   She continued on, staring at me.  Her smile revealed a few brown, pointy teeth.  Yet this was a smile that I will never forget.

There I was, just ordained a deacon in Kenya, Africa.  It was the part of the service where people bring the newly ordained gifts.  I was dressed in beautiful, clean and brightly colored vestments.  My hair was done well, all placed perfectly with gel.  My shoes had been polished the day before. They reflected the hot, African sun with a glair.  My teeth were white and straight-and they were all there.  I had showered the night before and that morning, applying the usual nice smelling deodorants and colognes afterwards.  I faked a smile, but was anxious at the sight of the woman in front of me.

Then she reached out her hand-hands that had held and buried babies, milked cows, scraped soil, formed and cooked bread, and prepared endless meals to less-than-grateful kids.  I reached with my two-college-degree holding, silky smooth, and perfectly groomed hands to hold hers.  The touch was like sandpaper on glass.  She left something in my hand and walked away.  When I opened my hand I found a few red-dirt covered paper shillings.  It was probably more money than she ever would spend.  And yet it was such a small amount that I would probably not bother to pick it up had I seen it on the sidewalk of a city.  She had so little.  I had so much.  Yet she gave me all she had.  I was without words.

I am still haunted by this experience.  I have prayed over it and reflected on it many times since.  Surprisingly, it is not a feeling of guilt I experience.  There are certainly discrepancies with how some people are given so much in life and some suffer with so little.  I know that I have received many, many blessings and so few of them, if any, have been because of anything I could have done.  Yet, it was the person with so little that gave to me, and continues to give to me this day.  In her forlorn state, when she with so little gave me so much, her eyes did not condemn me.  Her eyes simply said: freely receive, and remember how much you have freely been given.

There is a place in the Christian tradition for us to try to eradicate poverty, to struggle for justice, and to constantly give rather than receive.  And yet, sometimes the place that God ultimately wants us to be in our hearts is grateful: grateful for our lives, our families, for Him, and even for the struggles and sufferings that we endure. 

This wonderful Kenyan woman may only have handed me a few shillings, but it was the reminder to be grateful for all I have been freely given that is the gift without price.   Peace!

Thankfulness 

By April Tvinnereim

As I sit here with a cup of tea, cozy in bed, and think about all that I am grateful for, tears come to my eyes.  I am so blessed for God's divine care in my family's lives.

Do you remember as a child how you were taught to say "Please" and "Thank-you?" Psalm 92:1-2 says, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.  It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening."  Are you thankful for what God gives you, even your struggles?

Do you know we are to be grateful in ALL circumstances? 1 Thessalonians 5:18, tells us, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Sometimes that is a really challenging thing to do, especially as we look back and see that God allowed my husband, Tyson, to be laid off. 

We tried to save our first family home from foreclosure. Our credit was ruined and bills piled up. My oldest daughter struggled medically and we thought was suffering emotionally. During this same time, I was expecting our 6^th child. We prayed for God's guidance. We reached out to others, but no one knows your burdens until they have  walked in your shoes.

During this dark time, I memorized a verse, and held onto it, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths," Proverbs 3:5-6.

You are probably thinking HOW could you be thankful or grateful during all this sadness and heartache? Honestly, we were so angry, hurt, and lost, that we felt like we were drowning! How can you be thankful to be unemployed? How can you be thankful that you are going to lose your first home that held so many wonderful memories? How do you encourage others when you can't see the light? How do you sing praises when you have cried yourself hoarse over your situation? How do you help your child that is struggling to understand who she is, when you yourself are falling apart? How do keep your marriage, family, and friendships from ending? How do you cope with all this while being pregnant with a child that wasn't supposed to be possible? God had to work on us and show us that He will give and take away.  He will bless you in His timing; God does answer prayers and will bless you abundantly, but not always the way that you think or hope, and not always when you ask.

It has been 3 trying years, and I still tear up thinking about it all. God has taught us to trust HIM even more, and He's showed us His grace & mercy,  and blessed us while increasing our faith.

My husband went back to college and earned his second degree with high honors.  We are renting-to-own a home from my mother-in-law. My daughter got her medical issues figured out and is a healthier happy teen. We celebrated the birth of my first son!  God has blessed us with real friends, a helpful and praying church family, and supplied us with lessons to help encourage others.  God has provided our needs, as well as some wants, and He gave us an extra abundant blessing.... my second son, and Tyson's new job with Dell.

If you will stop to look for the littlest blessing amongst the storm, you will find one, or more. "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.  Let the whole world know what he has done." Psalm 105:1.

Take a moment today to stop and write the positive things down!   And remember during this season of thankfulness to make time to be thankful, in all of your circumstances. 

White Coat Hypertension 

By Dr. Deb Peterson

Hi, Dr. Deb

It seems like every time I have to go into the doctor's for my annual exam, I'm scared, and consequently it seems to make my blood pressure high.  Should I be concerned and what can I do to lower my blood pressure? 

You are describing what is commonly known as "white coat hypertension". When I first became a physician, doctors believed that this was nothing to worry about, and the high blood pressure resulted due to an individual's anxiety about going to see the doctor.

 New studies with home blood pressure monitoring, have shown that this higher blood pressure is present ANY TIME a person is anxious, stressed, excited, or even just very busy.

The blood pressure readings that are considered normal are now under 130 for the systolic (top number in the reading) and under 85 for the diastolic (lower number in the reading). Medical experts now know that even moderate (10 point or more) elevations above these cutoff numbers can raise the risk of stroke or heart disease.

I now tell my patients that "white coat hypertension" is TRUE hypertension, and we need to have the discussion on starting medication to manage this.

Yours in health and in Him,

Dr Deb

4-5 chicken breasts covered with water and cooked  (save broth)

2 cans already cooked " Canoe Brand" Wild Rice  (15oz cans) Drained

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cups milk

3 stalks celery(chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

1/2 bag baby carrots (cut in coin size)

Use your favorite soup kettle.

Cover chicken with water and simmer till done( about and hour).

Cut up cooked chicken into small pieces.

Saute celery, onions, & carrots in butter.

Add salt & pepper to taste. (I love to add 1 tsp Tastefully Simple Seasoning salt).

You may add a little instant chicken bullion if you like more chicken favor.

Add all other ingredients and broth. Simmer about 1/2 hour. Freezes well, too! This is my families favorite!!!

The Bottom Line: 

Here's Karen Barton's movie review about the new movie "Courageous," in theaters now.

Courageous is an action/adventure and drama movie put out by Sherwood Pictures.  Sherwood Pictures is the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.  This is Sherwood Pictures' fourth movie.  The first three are Flywheel, Facing the Giants and Fireproof.  It is rated PG-13 due to some violence and drug content.

 In this movie, four sheriff deputies struggle to find the balance between protecting the streets and raising their children.  After tragedy strikes, these men reexamine what it means to be a father.  They ask themselves if being a "good enough" father is good enough in God's eyes.  What is God's standard for fathers?  They discover that the Bible gives specific and extensive instruction for fathers and they realize they have been missing the mark at home.  These men decide that they need to make a resolution to themselves, to their families and before God of being the kind of father that God instructs them to be. 

 This movie definitely targets men; fathers in particular.  It preaches the message that children who grow up in a fatherless home, are far more likely to go down a wrong path.  My husband and I went to see this movie together.  The movie really hit home with him.  It challenged and motivated him to be better for our family...as it will for any man who sees this movie.

The negative aspects of this movie, in my opinion, include the less than great acting at times, the occasional cheesy line, the feeling that something bad is going to happen at every turn, and that it seems like the movie is scaring the message into you.  However, the positive aspects of this movie far outweigh the negative.  There is not one swear word or sexual innuendo or comment.  There is comic relief in the character of Javier Martinez (played by Robert Amaya).  It will encourage not only men to be better fathers, but women to be better mothers. 

The final scene of the movie, which I will not spoil here, is so powerful that you will get goose bumps and want to jump out of your seat and join in!  It lays out what is really important in life.  It will make you hold your child(ren) tighter and love them harder.  It reminds us that we "can do all things through Christ who gives us strength" (Philippians 4:13).  Because none of us can be the kind of parent God wants us to be without His help.  And most importantly, the movie gives the clear message of God's salvation to everyone who will accept it.

The Bottom Line: This is one of the most powerful and possibly life changing movies you will ever see!  Go see it!  You'll be glad you did!  (Oh, and bring some Kleenex.  You'll need them.) 

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