Although Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, I enjoy celebrating the time set aside for giving thanks.

Maybe you’re one of those people who already has your home Christmas-ready. That’s awesome for you. I say, To each her own.

Yet, it’s not my cup of tea. Not even holiday spiced tea. For me, I like both feet firmly planted in our thankful holiday before moving on. But the weekend after giving thanks? Then, I’m all about hanging ornaments, positioning blinking lights, and spreading Christmas cheer.

You see, I’m a straight lines kind of girl. So I never like to blur the lines of one holiday and cross over into another one at the same time.

Further, my family knows how much rule-keeping runs through my veins. Perhaps, this plays a role. Regardless of the reason, celebrating holidays distinctly, separately, and in chronological order remains my thing.

ThanksGiving Around the Table

This makes the fourth year to host my immediate family (kids and grandkids) and part of my husband’s family in our home for ThanksGiving. I enjoy everything about it: gathering with loved ones, decorating the table with my little pilgrims and a few pumpkins, and doing a portion of the cooking with my guests bringing dishes to add to our spread.

And the overall menu lands in the top spot as my all-time-favorite meal. A menu of turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, mac & cheese, green beans, sweet potato casserole, homemade rolls, and pies—pumpkin and lemon (my grandmother Clarkston’s recipe).

Yum! I can hardly wait!

ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving

Still, we know the celebration isn’t just about taking our seat at the table to gobble down savory and sweet delicacies. Instead, it’s about ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving.

To encourage our thankfulness along, let’s remind ourselves to give thanks for and to our great God. Because He’s a good, good Father who’s given us many gifts. And He has done great things.

To encourage our thankfulness along, let’s remind ourselves to give thanks 'for' and 'to' our great God. Because He's a good, good Father who's given us many gifts. And He has done great things. #Thanksgiving @FridayKaren
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Then we remind oursleves to give thanks to God through living a life of sincere ThanksGiving by ThanksLiving.

ThanksLiving is ThanksGiving supercharged and supersized.

ThanksLiving is ThanksGiving supercharged and supersized. #Thankful #Thanksgiving @FridayKaren
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But what does this look like? How do we go about it?

Perhaps in part like this acronym.

T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G:

Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

Honor the Lord with our lips and obey His commandments in our heart. (Isaiah 29:13)

Abide in Jesus as the vine for a fruitful life. (John 15)

Number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Keep the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

Satisfy our longing soul and hungry soul with good things from God. (Psalm 107:9)

Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. (Isaiah 12:4)

Increase our praise to God, for His steadfast love is better than life. (Psalm 63:3)

Value our life, and every good and perfect gift from the Father of lights. (James 1:17)

Invite others to the foot of Calvary’s cross and an empty tomb, not ashamed of the gospel. (Romans 1:16)

Name God as Lord of our life, living in righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3)

Gain godliness with contentment. (1 Timothy 6:6)

Happy ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving! 

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LINKUP is open! Join my friend @FridayKaren to discuss giving thanks to God through living a life of sincere ThanksGiving by ThanksLiving. Because God is Lord of our lives. Share your #blog #thanksgiving
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The post Sincere ThanksGiving Through ThanksLiving {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

One of the first posts I wrote, way back in the day, was a tongue in cheek article about anxiety. I can tease about myself but for most people struggling with anxiety it’s no laughing matter. It’s debilitating.

I gave a talk this summer in which I shared part of my story that had to do with panic and peace.

Two words as far from each other as the east is from the west.

For me, anxiety was just part of my life, my journey through this world. When I stepped off the stage I was taken aback at how many others were on a similar journey still seeking answers on how to daily win the battle with the beast.

As I read today’s lesson on mental health in Rick Warren’s  Transformed devotional, I was reminded of this familiar verse:

“Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving, let your request be known to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hears and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

For the longest time I didn’t do this verse well.

Let me get you up to speed. In case you didn’t catch it earlier,

I have a panic disorder.

There – I said it. Actually it’s not hard to say. Gone are the days where people whispered such things. And yes, I’ve had it since I was a little girl. I’m not sure where it came from. Maybe it’s in my genes, or perhaps it was the loud atmosphere in my childhood home. We were yellers. Lot’s of tension. Let’s just leave it at that.

Anxiety manifests itself differently in children than adults and it wasn’t until I was in college that I had my first full-blown panic attack. Although I didn’t recognize it as such. I just thought I might have a little bit of “crazy” in me.

Special isn’t it?

I’d have seasons of attacks separated by as much as a year or more. I remember before I got married thinking about how I was going to explain my “crazy” attacks to my future husband. But I didn’t have to. The stress of a new marriage brought them in to full view. Thank you Jesus! I mean really, thank you Jesus, because  I was able to get a proper diagnosis and solutions on how to cope.

Though now I could control the attacks for the most part (they make drugs for that,) generalized anxiety continued to plague me well into my early 40’s.

I knew the all familiar verse in Philippians quoted above but I didn’t know why it didn’t work for me.

Early on I started naming it and claiming it. I prayed it. I memorized it. I repeated it. I beat myself over the head with it, as if it was some kind of incantation that would work like magic.

But nothing. Not. A. Thing. Changed for me.

These were empty words on a lifeless page. I didn’t know how to apply the Word to my life.

That is, until the importance of my thought life and focus was explained to me. Yes, peace comes with an attitude of gratitude. But hear me when I say, this is not just about please and thank you. It’s about thanking God for something you can’t see and don’t know exists yet. It’s one thing to speak the words thank you, it’s quite another to feel them. In order to feel them you have to trust the One to whom they’re being given. And that requires a relationship.

As I drawn closer to Jesus, now I don’t just thank Him for what I can see, but I thank Him and trust Him for what I can’t—the place of anxiousness, the space I can’t control—the chasm between “Dear God, help me” and my last Amen. It’s there where the Power is at work. When we pray, God sets a plan into motion.

And peace comes with the belief… it is done.

It is finished— taken care of.

My worry was nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago. I can walk away and trust His will is better than mine. I can let Him work out what I can’t do and turn my focus on what I can.
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And that’s better than an incantation. More powerful than magic. And way better than a little crazy.

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Ever had a panic attack? It's pretty amazing the number of people who suffer from anxiety these days. @christy_mobley opens up about the subject on this week's #RechargeWednesday LINKUP party. JOIN US?
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The post A Little Bit of Crazy {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.