For these three weeks leading to Thanksgiving (October 10th) the Willoughby Church family is focussing on being thankful. Let’s realize afresh that God has been generous to us and we have much to be thankful for. As we are thankful, let’s also be generous. Thankfulness is at the heart of our covenant response to God. Thankfulness is also good for our mental health – when we replace grasping with gratitude the stress drips off! Remember Psalms 16:5-6:
'The Lord is my portion. He holds my lot. My boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely I have a delightful inheritance.'
Why don’t you give something up (fast) between today and October 10th? You could do this as a family, as an individual, or with friends. Be generous with the money you save – the reflex of thanksgiving is generosity and justice.
Here are some ways you can be thankful:
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At dinner go around the table and ask each person what they are thankful for
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Start a thankfulness journal either a family one or a personal one
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Find a verse on thankfulness that impacts you or your family, copy it, frame it and display it in your home
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Do a devotions before the evening meal individually, with friends or as a family. You might read the texts we will be learning from in church and discuss them: Psalm 16, Deuteronomy 26:1-15, Nehemiah 12:27-43.
You could give up one of these:
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Miss a grocery shop and live off your pantry/ freezer- this doesn’t mean do a bigger shop before hand
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Don’t buy or update an electronic product that you were going to purchase
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If you eat dessert every night miss dessert until October 10th
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If you regularly eat out or have take away miss it until October 10th
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Have plain rice and water for dinner once per week until October 10th
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If you buy lunch for work/ school take a packed lunch
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Instead of serving up dinner for the number of people in your family dish up an extra serving (this means everyone gets LESS) give that extra serving to someone in need.
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Don’t go to the movies
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Don’t pay for a gym class, walk /ride a bike
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Have a TV free day each week
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Have a facebook/ computer free day each week (ouch) are you brave enough to go a whole week or even a month?
You could give to these:
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Make a donation of food or toiletries and/or volunteer to help out at the Langley Food Bank – there are many opportunities, check www.langleyfoodbank.com
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Volunteer to help with the community dinner service at Langley’s Gateway of Hope – Willoughby Church is committed to providing volunteers every Thursday from 3:00 – 7:00pm www.gatewayofhope.ca
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Help fight global hunger around the world by donating to the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee’s “Peter Fish” campaign and encourage others to get involved. Check out www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc_peterfish.cfm
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Give to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of Canadian churches and church-based agencies working to end hunger in developing countries by increasing and deepening the involvement of Canadians in efforts to end hunger. Find out more at www.foodgrainsbank.ca.