A Note From Tom: October 5th, 2012
Hey, everyone!
Hope you're having an awesome day, full of cool stuff happening! And even if you don't have those, you can have a day full of thanks, anyway! I was just reading this morning in 1 Thessalonians 5, where the Apostle wrote, "In everything give thanks!"…Maybe not "FOR everything" but at least "IN everything" that happens, there are tons of reasons to be thankful!
F'r instance…tonight the Braves might not win the National League wild card game ( tho' they might!) but at least we can be thankful they made it into the post-season!
There are millions of reasons to be thankful…if you're looking for them!
I was listening to this guy on the radio talk about how he has 4300 baseballs at home that he's collected from Major League baseball stadiums! They aren't all foul balls he's caught (he only has 124 of those) or home run balls he's snagged (he only has 11 of them)…Some are balls he's caught during batting practice before the games…Some are balls umps have tossed to him as they leave the field…Some are balls players have thrown to him as they're warming up in the outfield (it helps to know some Spanish and Japanese phrases, he tells us!)…But he does have Barry Bonds' home run ball #724, and the last home run ball hit out of Shea Stadium, and two of the last ten hit out of old Yankee Stadium!
How does he get so many? What's his secret? It's simple!
When he leaves the game, he wants to take a baseball home!
He's a brother collecting baseballs!
That's why he's the only dude over twelve who still brings his glove to the game! That's why he buys tickets for aisle seats! That's why he sits in the rain in the center field bleachers instead of under the over hang like the "fake fans", as he calls 'em! That's why he doesn't care all that much if his favorite Mets are losing all season!…"The more losses, the less fans at the park! And the more balls for me!"
If he was collecting plastic drink cups like kids do at Neyland, he'd have a bunch at the end of the game… If he was collecting programs folks leave lying around, he'd have thousands at home…But who wants those!? He wants baseballs! That's why he has so many!
What's all that got to do with you and me? Well,…
If I want reasons to complain, these are supereasy to find! If I'm planning to gripe all day, things to grump about come and find me! But 1 Thes 5.18 says those aren't what God wants for me! Check this!…
"Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus!"
It's our Lord's will for us to give thanks! If I'm going to give some, I have to find some! So, I'm going to go around looking for reasons to be thankful!
Ed Dobson is a former pastor who is suffering from…actually he would say he's dying from…Lou Gehrigs Disease. It is a fatal, incurable degenerative disease where, one by one, your muscles fail to work. He has millions of reasons to not only complain, but to despair. But as his muscles gradually become weaker and weaker, he has learned that if his heart isn't filled with thanks, it will get weaker too. Like his body, without thanks, his soul will quit! And he can't let it happen!
He learned the secret of heart health one day at home…
He knew he needed to find reasons to thank God in a difficult and potentially dark situation. He was in his bedroom at the time. So he just started there! Jesus said to go in your closet…So he did! And he thanked God! For his ties…for each one…one by one…And then his pants…each pair…and his shirts…each one! One by one! He moved out of the dark closet…Things were brightening up! He opened his drawers! He began to thank God for his drawers! I mean, his under drawers! I mean, his underwear! Each pair! His socks! Each pair! In fact, each one! And in just a few precious minutes, his heart was filled with thanks! And when your heart is jammed packed with thanks, it miraculously makes room for other things! Like joy! Like peace! Like praise!
Now Ed says every day, as he gets weaker and weaker, in giving thanks, he's getting stronger! He starts each day with…
"Thank You, Lord that I woke up today!
Thank You, Lord that I can walk to the bathroom!
Thank You, Lord that I can still use the bathroom by myself!
Thank You, Lord that I can still brush my teeth!
Thank You, Lord that I can still eat breakfast by myself! My right hand doesn't work, but my left still does!
Thank You, Lord that I can still dress…still walk…still talk!
Thank You, Lord!"
One of my favorite writers says, "Looking for reasons to be thankful, instead of focusing on worries or fears, is like looking putting on a new pair of glasses. Life looks different through the lens of thanks."
Tina and I are pumped for tonight! Hopefully the Braves will beat the Cards!
We can't wait to hear this…
"Here's the pitch…(WHACK!!)…It's a high fly ball to center! It's going!…GOING!…It's GONE"
I wonder who's gonna find the ball and take it home?