Each month, we have a different prayer theme. I have been pondering the them for May- Thankfulness. I am being led to offer a sermon on thankfulness on that first Sunday in May when the prayer theme bookmark is handed out. As a result, I have been researching scriptures and quotes on the topic of thankfulness. Right now, they are all sort of muddled together in my mind. Let me share a few with you that seem to jump out at me.

  Let me begin with this one from H.U. Westermayer who, when reminding us about our holiday of Thanksgiving said: "The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."


  This suggests to me that thanksgiving is something that sometimes comes from a deliberate action on our part. That colonization of the new world was not an easy thing. Death was a constant reminder of the difficult task that this group of men and women undertook. Yet, somewhere in the midst of the pain and the dying, they found it within their hearts to give thanksgiving. It reminds me of the scripture found in Job 1:21: "...the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."


   I don't think that most of us have that same view of thankfulness. If we are polite we say, "Thank you." but when life confronts us with difficulties and trials it is not likely that the first words out of our mouth are words of thanks. As a pastor, I am often called upon to pray with families that have just lost loved ones. I typically begin with the words, "Most gracious and holy God..." I sometimes wonder, "Do the people I am praying with right now see any grace in this moment of loss?" 


   I think that thankfulness is one of those virtues that we must sincerely strive to achieve. As I encourage you to develop thankfulness in your own life, I close with this quote from Arthur John (A.J.) Gossip who said, "Thanksgiving is the language of heaven, and we had better start to learn it if we are not to be mere dumb aliens there." 


   So look for ways to practice thankfulness--even when you feel least like doing it.

    I don't know about your family, but Easter Sunday is one of those days that a big meal is called for. My mom came for a visit and she fixed us ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs, rolls and a home made caramel cake. I did not go away from the table hungry. My appetite was whetted and I felt full.

     This month, we are praying that we would have a hunger for God's Word--The Bible. I don't know about you, but I know when I am physically hungry. There is that feeling in the pit of my stomach that just won't go away. I know how to satisfy it. All I have to do is eat some food. What I think is more difficult is how to realize and satisfy the hunger of our spirits for the Word of God.

    In March of 2014, I began using a daily Bible reading plan at YouVersion that would take me through the entire Bible in a year's time. I'd like to say that I have completed my journey. After all it's been a year. However, I haven't. The Good News is that I have completed more than 50% of the readings. Over the last year there have been times that I really wanted to do the daily readings--usually about 4-6 chapters--depending upon the book. There have been other times, as evidenced by my not completing it in one year, that I have not wanted to read . If anything, my attempt has taught me how difficult it sometimes is to immerse yourself in God's Word. There have been times when I was pleasantly surprised by what I read and other times (think book of Numbers) that I just plodded on because I knew that eventually, I would make it to the end of the book.

    I can say that I am not starving spiritually, when it comes to God's Word. However, I wonder why I don't crave it all the time, like I would a piece of cherry pie. I wonder, as I struggle with these types of things if the members of my church also struggle with reading God's Word regularly. I'm not challenging you to read through the Bible in a year, but I am suggesting that all of us need to look at how we relate to the Bible and that we seek to be more intentional in our approach to this marvelous revelation of God's plan for the world.

   I encourage you to share your thoughts and let's get a conversation going on this topic.

  Our Prayer Team will begin emphasizing a common prayer theme each month. On the first Sunday of each month, everyone that attends worship will be given a bookmark. The bookmark will address one theme with a brief teaching and a sample prayer. The Prayer Team would like everyone to focus on that theme every time that they pray. We believe that a common focus will help us to let God's power loose in our midst. We believe that God will answer our common prayers.
   We begin on Easter Sunday. The theme for the first bookmark is Praying for a Hunger for the Bible. We hope everyone will participate.