MyLeslieNotebook

I realize as we get close to Thanksgiving that there are things you aren't thankful for. Exams.  Papers. Roommates who don't respect the fact that you sleep and hang up your clothes and throw out food before it gets disgusting. But for some of you, there is much, much more. Life-altering illnesses. Death. Parents with addictions. Homes without love. A past full of tragedy, abuse, or brokenness. And those challenges cloud your outlook on things that might have made you thankful. A good turkey dinner can't stack up to the evil you've seen or heard or felt. It's hard to be thankful for the little things when the big things are terrible, right? So you might be offended at these verses: "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks  to God the Father for everything ..." (Ephesians 5:19-20) "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances ; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus....

Thanksgiving can't get here soon enough, right? I mean, it's a BREAK. A break from class, from your job (as long as you're not in retail!), and from your normal, everyday life. It's a break from studying, stress (hopefully), and, to top it all off, it creates one of the greatest 4-day weekends ever. We're thankful for Thanksgiving. But I'm not content to head into Thanksgiving season with just a thankful heart. And I'm not content for you to do that, either. :) So consider these questions: Why are you thankful? For what  are you thankful? Who are you thanking for those things? I challenged myself several years ago (and I'd challenge you to do the same) to dig into the book of Psalms and analyze thankfulness   according to the men who wrote those immortal songs. David and the other writers were very thankful, obviously, because the word thank in one form or another ( thankful, thanks, thanksgiving ) is found 43 times. But what  they are tha...

I'm wrapping up this series on Psalm 23 in a different way: with my testimony. The last verse of Psalm 23 is somewhat like the summary of the verses preceding it: when I live like a sheep, follow my Shepherd, allow Him to set my path and take care of me, I know Him to be not only a loving, powerful Shepherd but also King of Kings. And when my life reflects that knowledge in faith, "Surely [His] goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever," (verse 6, NIV). I knew Christ was calling me to accept Him as my Lord and Savior starting in elementary school. And, honestly, I told Him "yes" in prayer many times, but I was petrified of walking down the aisle and having all of my church look at me. [This memory is especially funny today, knowing how much I love speaking and leading large groups!] But my courage grew, and at age 13, at a Youth Retreat in Gatlinburg, I publicly became a Jesus follower. I li...