Winsome

Did you know that George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789 although some were opposed to it? It fact there was discord among the Colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving. However, Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, eventually became the catalyst through journalism to help establish a day of thanksgiving. After a 40 year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hales efforts became a reality, so that in 1863 President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a National Day of Thanksgiving.

I thought that was interesting in light of the day we live in. Some people scoff at the idea of God being the source behind all good things. Plus, the challenges in our world today are fairly difficult. We can even focus on circumstances and forget that God is in control. I want to help us look past the challenges and disappointments of life and focus on God’s faithfulness. We are going to study our last “W” which is a sermon entitled: “The Best ‘W’ of All.” It is going to be a glorious Sunday to be together as we lift up our praises to God.

It’s Thanksgiving time, and of all people on the face of the earth we understand the importance of gratitude and the good God who is behind all things; so let us come to our worship service this Sunday with a song of thanksgiving on our hearts.

We Worship

Let me begin with something I read this week about worship:

You can no more command someone to worship God than you can command someone to appreciate other pieces of beauty. Can you imagine saying to a grandmother, “Now listen: In just a minute I am going to take you into the nursery to show you your new grandson for the first time. When you see him, you want to get tears in your eyes, draw a sharp breath, and then say, ‘Oh my, he is beautiful!’ Ok? You ready?” No, no. Life doesn’t work that way, and neither, therefore, does the worship of God. A person needs to see and understand God and God’s work first – worship is the response that naturally follows.

Are you ready for our second “w” in this special series in November entitled “www.newharvest.now”? How high on the priority list is worship in your life? Would you call New Harvest a deeply worshipful church? What does worship mean to you? If you want to do a little reading ahead, open the Bible to Hebrews 12:18-29 and get ready for Sunday morning at New Harvest Church. This is an exciting time in the life of the church and I hope to see you.

Let me just say that I believe that this holiday season may be one of the best we have ever had as individuals and as a church. The challenges of the economy will help us reprioritize the kind of focus that God intends for us during these special holiday times like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope this will be one of the best holiday seasons for you because what really matters will rise to the top for you and me.

The Deborah Factor

This Sunday I begin a three-part series on some specific topics that I believe are very important to the health of our church. I have entitled the series “www.newharvest.now.” Each of these topics are separate and the only connection is they all begin with “w.” I will only tell you about the first. You could begin with this statement, “Women want to be treated as equals not sequels.” Or how about this statement, “Cosmetics is a boon to every woman, but a girl’s best friend is still a near-sighted man.” I am not sure that is a compliment, I just thought it was funny. Or this statement from Will Rogers, “There is two theories to arguing with a woman, neither one works.” “Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.” Margaret Thatcher said, “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” That’s a good lead-in to our message this Sunday, found in Judges 4. The title of the message, “The Deborah Factor.” I hope you will make your way to New Harvest at 9 or 10:45 am this Sunday, November 9^th.

Just a personal note of gratefulness for my trip to Southern California. I enjoyed a few days with both of my daughters. There was a swim meet, a dinner date, great conversations and a lot of laughs. The Lord is blessing Karissa and Hannah in their educational pursuits. I am proud of them.

This has been a busy week as planning begins for ministry during the holidays. We have Thanksgiving Boxes, Angel Tree gifts, a Christmas Special, Children’s Choir, extra music, Women’s Brunch and more. It is going to be a wonderful holiday season as we thank God for his goodness to us and celebrate the coming of the Lord through the Christmas story.