Friday, November 30, 2012

Thanksgiving :Day 30











I'm thankful for my Savior, my family and my friends. Thankful that my kids are walking the path they are on and that I've been blessed to be married to their mom for 18 years and have known her for 20. I'm thankful that they help make me a better man each day as I grow as a result of my relationship with them. I'm thankful for the lessons of the past - especially the ones I've learned from and for continued growth opportunities ahead in the future! I'm thankful for the life I've been given and pray that I'll always strive to live it to the fullest. Stay thankful my friends...never stopped giving thanks for what you have as many have much less than you and I do and consider themselves rich. Take time to pause daily and count your many blessings as you continue your journey in this life! 

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage others!

Blessings,

rlk  

Thanksgiving: Day 29




 
 
So thankful for friends who have allowed us to borrow their car the last several months so I could get to work and get my son to his school shuttle!
What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage others!
Blessings,
Randy  

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 28


Thankful for the courage & example of those who have made it through tremendous adversity & now are helping others rise above!


What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to bless others.

Blessings,

rlk 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 27












Thankful that I don't have to worry about tomorrow because each day has enough trouble of it's own. #OneDayAtATime

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage someone else.

Blessings,

rlk  

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 26













I'm thankful for the gift of music! Especially music that soothes & uplifts my soul & that brings great enjoyment to me! 

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage others.

Blessings,

rlk 

Monday, November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 25


I'm Thankful for my home church - a place that my entire family enjoys being a part of, is challenged, and is growing.

What are you thankful for? Share a comment here to encourage others with!

Blessings,

Randy

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Celebrating Advent!



The last Sunday of November is officially the First Sunday of Advent which for many helps kick-off the Christmas Season of Celebration!

It's been my observation that other than some decorations, many churches don't incorporate Christmas, Christmas focused messages or Advent anymore into their Christmas Celebration services leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

This is disappointing to say the least because Christmas and Easter (Resurrection Sunday) are two of the best times of year to share the love and light of our Savior Jesus through proclaiming all He did!

Unfortunately many churches today miss the opportunity to share meaningful Christ focused messages during these times either in their quest to be "relevant" (which anything more "traditional" is seemingly thrown out) or it doesn't seem to fit into “their plan” just to name a few "reasons". 

Either way it's a missed opportunity to share Christ through two amazing views: #1 through His birth and #2 through is death and resurrection!

The same may be said for how we "observe" communion today in many churches as we barely explain it - if at all - the elders don't serve it, and people partake of it without any context to the significance of it. (That’s a good topic for future blog post)

Let me share from my heart to yours that I believe Advent can help provide a meaningful context to how we celebrate Christmas!  Clearly, Advent observance isn't about some "meaningless ritual"  rather it's about the remembrance of His birth - His miraculous entry into the world as a lowly babe!

Do you know that Advent means "Coming" or "Arrival"? So, why wouldn't we focus on His coming/arrival during Christmas where we celebrate His Birthday?!

I share all of this because I wholeheartedly believe that Advent can be a fantastic way for us to: #1 remember the significance of Christmas and #2 help focus our hearts, worship, celebration on the birth of Christ - the reason we celebrate CHRISTmas in the first place!

With this in mind, if you happen to be someone who enjoys incorporating Advent into your Christmas Celebration or maybe you never have, I want to share the following link to the "Celebrating Advent Guide" I put together to share with you!  

Pick you your Free copy here: Celebrating Advent

This simple guide will help provide the basics to help you Celebrate Advent as a church, as an individual or if you have a family - celebrate it as a family!

If your church doesn't incorporate anything directly related to the message of CHRISTmas let me encourage you to consider incorporating Advent into your own home as you count down the days to CHRISTmas!

Even if you don't incorporate Advent into your Christmas Celebration this year - may this simple guide encourage you by pointing you all the more to Christ and help you prepare your heart to celebrate Him - His Coming (Advent) Birthday that we celebrate on December 25th!

No matter what, may you help fight to Keep Christ in your CHRISTmas celebration!
Have a wonderful Christmas! Feel free to share this post and guide with others!

Lastly, If you decide to use this guide, I would love to hear from you (leave a comment here or e-Mail me directly) and would love to know how it helped walk you through Advent - pointing you to Christ!

Because He is the reason for the season,

rlk

P.S. This guide is meant to be a simple tool/guide - a starting point - to guide you in your observance. As you'll see, there are suggested Scriptures and Prayers you can use or you can obviously do your own prayers. Again, this is just a tool to help guide you through your observance. 

You can use this word-for-word each year or again, create your own by adding scriptures from your own studies and of course your own prayers focused on the theme on each week of advent. No matter what, have fun, make it personal as you approach Him with a humble and thankful heart!


Thanksgiving: Day 24










I'm thankful to have the basics like food, clean water, shelter and more that we often take for granted!

So blessed!

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage others!

Blessings,

rlk

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 23




 
 
 
 
Thankful to have a job where my boss & the team I work for/with seems to value what I bring, what I contribute to the team & for the most part who I am. It's been a long time since I can wholeheartedly say this and I'm thankful. 
What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage others.

Blessings,


rlk

Friday, November 23, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 22












Thankful to have spent the day surrounded by family. Reflecting now on God's goodness!

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to encourage others.

Blessings,

rlk

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 21













I'm thankful to have 4 days off to hopefully enjoy a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend with family & friends.

What are you thankful for?  Leave a ccomment here to encourage others.

Blessings,

rlk

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 20




Thankful that God will always be my strength even through my weaknesses & flaws! 
 
What are you thankful for? Leave a comment here to share with and encourage others!
 
Blessings,
 
rlk 

Thanksgiving: Day 19



I'm thankful again to have a roof over my head especially when it's stormy (windy and rainy) outside! I'm mindful of the fact that others aren't as fortunate to have a home and my heart and prayers goes out to them this Thanksgiving. I pray that the opportunity to permanently find a path off the streets will come to them soon!

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment to encourage others!


Blessings,

rlk

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 18


Thankful for the gift of prayer - Communicating with God from the heart and Interceding for others!

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk
 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 17




I’m thankful for the trials of life because as hard as they are - they bring about perseverance, character and hope!

See Romans 5:3-5

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk
 
 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 15 & 16


I'm thankful to still be employed after lay-offs took place this week!

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!


Blessings,


rlk
 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 13


I'm thankful for the the simple pleasures of life! Like a good cup of coffee, music, and more!
What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk
 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 12



Today I'm Thankful for the sacrifice and service of our Veterans (and their families) past and present! 

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 11


Thankful for a wonderful day that was my brother-in-laws wedding! Thankful to have a new sister-in-law too!

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 10



Thankful for a friend who was willing to take time out today to look at an issue with our little Honda!

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk

Thanksgiving: Day 9



Thanksgiving Day 9: Thankful to have been a part of my brother-in-law's wedding rehearsal & to soon have a new sister-in-law! 

Blessings,

rlk 

Friday, November 09, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 8











As the temperatures begin to drop, I'm very thankful to have a warm home to come home to and relax in!

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,


rlk

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day 7













I'm thankful for the people in my life who care enough to see past the "1st impressions", "perceptions" and my flaws to discover and come to know who I really am! 

What are you thankful for? Share a comment on this blog to encourage others!

Blessings,

rlk

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

A Prayer for America on Election Day





Thought Dr. Al Mohler had some great things for us to focus our prayer on during this election time and on election day via the below linked message!

A Prayer for America on Election Day from Albert Mohler: http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/a-prayer-for-america-on-election-day.html 

Whatever you do and whoever you vote for - remember to pray for our country, leaders, etc. May God be honored in our lives and in our government!

Blessings,

rlk

Thanksgiving: Day Six



I'm thankful to have the right and privilege to vote and that I'm able to exercise my right to vote! I'm also thankful that no matter who wins, I can pray for them and our country! 

What are you thankful for? 

Take time to share with others by leaving a comment here!

Blessings,

rlk  

Monday, November 05, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day Five


I'm thankful for a friend that knew the cause of the electrical problem with our minivan and helped fix it! 

What are you thankful for? 

Take time to share with others by leaving a comment here!

Blessings,

rlk  

Thanksgiving: Day Four










I'm thankful that even though I don't know what the future holds, I do know Who holds the future! 

What are you thankful for? 

Take time to share with others by leaving a comment here!

Blessings,

rlk 

Sunday, November 04, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day Three













I'm thankful to be blessed with a wife who unconditionally loves and supports me even when I'm a knucklehead sometimes! :-)

What are you thankful for? 


Take time to share with others by leaving a comment here!

Blessings,

rlk

Friday, November 02, 2012

Thanksgiving: Day One and Two













I saw this quote from Harry Ironside recently about Thanksgiving:
 

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” ~Harry Ironside

We have much to be thankful for if we simple stop and consider how blessed we truly are!
Unfortunately, in this day and age we are trained to be less content and less thankful than any other generation. This is especially true with the constant releases of new technology that we just have to have or else our lives will be terrible or something. I'm sure you can think of many other issues, items, situations, etc where maybe you or someone else isn't very thankful for what they have or been blessed with....let's strive to be different! 


Let's be people where thankfulness is natural response no matter the circumstance.
This is tough sometimes but not impossible - especially as we are not alone in the day-to-day battles. We have God's Spirit, His Word, and other believers to help prop us up, strengthen us, and remind us of how we should be living!  


Every November I try to share in one form or another what I'm thankful for. I'm going to strive to do that here on my blog for the entire month.

Meant to start posting yesterday but wasn't able to post.

Let me encourage and challenge you to take the time to do the same either here or through e-Mail, Social Media, or tell someone what you're thankful for! Do this the remainder of the month!

So here are the things I'm thankful for from yesterday and today:

Day One: I'm thankful for my family and friends.

Day Two: I'm thankful to have employment especially during these tough economic times.

What are you thankful for?

Please go share with others - as you have much to be thankful for!

Blessings,

rlk