A Thanksgiving Blessing

In a previous post I mentioned Tthe Pilgrim's Prayer that has been recorded was prayed on the first Thanksgiving. I suggest our prayer be very similar this Thanksgiving day.

We are grateful for our bountiful and innumerable blessings. We are thankful that God has brought us to this very day, this very hour, this very minute. And we are hopeful that God's providential care will enable us to see the unbounded possibilities of the future. Amen

The Horn of Plenty

The symbol that best expresses the abundance that Thanksgiving celebrates is the cornucopia. The cornucopia is an ancient symbol used in both Greek and Roman mythology. In some myths, the goat Amalthea, whose milk fed the infant Zeus, was said to have a horn that was always filled with whatever anyone wanted to eat or drink. In other tales the Roman goddess of plenty, named "Copia", always wore or carried a horn filled with fruits and drinks. The horn of plenty was always full; its abundance could never be exhausted.

Today the cornucopia sounds the joyful noise of God's bountiful blessings, of the abundant, overflowing graciousness that God makes available in our lives. This horn also sounds a note to remind us that we must use our blessings to bless others. Adapted from "Homiletics"

Now thank we all our God. Have a blessed week. Diana

The Pilgrim's Prayer

What kind of people were the Pilgrims? Clearly, they were fervent Christians who pursued their dream of religious freedom with a dedicated zeal that never wavered.

One hundred one of them crowded into the ship known as the Mayflower and sailed from Lyden, Holland, to a land most of them had never seen. They sailed across a wild churning sea from September 16 to November 21, 1620. A year later, only half of them had survived all of the various afflictions and hardships which came to them.

Nevertheless, they were grateful. They had religious freedom. They had opportunity. They had a New World to explore, develop, inhabit and appreciate. They wanted to thank God. Thus, all who were left, gathered with their Native-American neighbors, and had a joyous celebration of Thanksgiving. It is recorded that they prayed this prayer: "Thanks be to God for the strength which he has given us and the blessing he has provided in bringing us to this hour which is laden with possibilities for the future."

What an appropriate prayer for us today also. Many Blessings, Diana

What Seekers Look for in a Church

Researchers printed a list of six things that mattered most to people seeking a church to join back in 1999. They were:
1. Church doctrine with which they were comfortable.
2. The care church members exhibited toward one another.
3. The quality of the sermons.
4. The friendliness of the members to visitors.
5. The congregation's willingness to serve the disadvantaged.
6.The quality of the programs for children. --The Barna Report

Rockport Church has what people are looking for in their church, if this list is accurate. I guess it is up to you and me to share what is going on in these walls. Have a blessed week. Diana

Greatest Financier

Welcome to my blog. I thought a little joke was in order as we talk about stewardship at worship. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?

Noah--he was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather and pick out your pumpkin at the pumpkin patch in front of the church. God's Blessings, Diana

Make New Friends but keep the Old

This past week I was on vacation with 7 of my closest friends from nursing school 43 years ago. We all live in different parts of the country but still have surprisingly much in common. Some of us are married, some are widowed and one has never married and one divorced. Some have had prosperity, some have struggled with not much money but all of us have worked in nursing in one time or another after graduating from nursing school. We all love helping people, we all have some affiliation with a church and we all care about having God in our life. What a lot of talking and laughing took place even though it rained every day we were there.

I wish for all people good Christian friends who keep us all laughing and talking and caring for others throughout life's journey. Diana

The Divine Original

I am a unique
spiritual creation,
a divine original
with my own special God-given spark,
capable of becoming
a channel for God's love
to pour forth into the world.
This is God's plan.
It is up to me to get into harmony with it. By Charles R. Fillmore

Let us work on looking for our spark given to us by God and carrying forward God's love. Have a wonderful week. Diana

We are Sent by God

Hello Bloggers, As the week begins, I am enjoying a message sent by a Latin- American chorus:
We are sent by God.
Our hands are ready,
To build with God
A world of love.
The angels aren't sent to change
A world of pain into a world of peace.
It's our job to make this a reality.
Help us Lord to do your will. Love and Peace is our work with God, Diana

Football and the Game of Life

Football is on our TV a lot of the time lately and thus this topic found in the Baptist Press for you and me.
Joe Gibbs, the former coach of the Washington Redskins, spoke to a conference of Baptist men in Orlando, Florida. He compared the game of football with the game of life--a game we don't want to lose."We've got to have a head coach. A coach who cares about us. That coach is God. God cares about us. He cares so much that he willingly sacrificed his Son on our behalf. That's love beyond what all of us can comprehend.
Our team, the coach suggested, is really our family. "What you're taking care of at home is more important than what you're taking care of at work," he said. Then he offered this advice: "Don't ignore your wife and your family in order to be a success. The most important thing you can leave in life is your influence at home."
"The Bible," Gibbs pointed out "is God's game plan." If we follow God's game plan, we'll be able to handle any setbacks or losses. Indeed, we may discover that our losses end up being the greatest victories in our life. In closing, Gibbs said, "The real question is: How are we playing ?" Have a good week all you bloggers. Diana

A Thought for Labor Day

From the Internet I took this thought: Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long, and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world.

Have a wonderful week. Diana

The Good We Find in Loneliness

Jesus knew the value of being alone with God and nature. Recall the occasion when he sent the disciples on a boat trip to the other side of the lake? Then Matthew writes, "After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray"(Matthew 14:23). Being alone with God can help us focus on the mission God has for us. It can also enable us to find the stren gth needed to carry out the work God would have us do. Carl Sandburg once said "A person must get away now and then to experience loneliness. Only those who learn to live with loneliness can come to know themselves and life." God bless your week, Diana

The Bible in 50 Words

I enjoyed this writing by an unknown author:
God made.
Hope died.
Adam bit.
Love rose.
Noah arked.
Spirit flamed.
Abraham split.
Word spread.
Joseph ruled.
God remained.
Jacob fooled.
Bush talked.
Moses balked.
Pharaoh plagued.
People walked.
Sea divided.
Tablets guided.
Promise landed.
Saul freaked.
David peaked.
Prophets warned.
Jesus born.
God walked.
Love talked.
Anger crucified.

Blessings this week, Diana

Knowing God

Dear Bloggers,
The Stephen Ministry program is alive and well at Rockport. A Stephen Minister is a caring Christian friend who walks beside a hurting person. A Stephen Minister is a lay person who has received 50 hours of training in how to provide distinctively Christian care. We have 18 such people in our church. If you are in need of someone to talk to, call the church office and ask to speak to me about possibly receiving a Stephen Minister.
Sometimes the troubles and trials around us can seem overwhelming from our viewpoint, but as we grow closer to God and focus more on God's Kingdom, we begin to see that God is much larger than any of the problems we face, and we begin to understand that God is indeed able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Here is a prayer out of my daily Upper Room: Dear Lord, help us to see our world the way you see it. When troubles arise, help us to remember that you are greater than anything that may happen to us. Amen Have a wonderful week, Diana

Family of God

From Mark 3:35..."Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister." Obedience to God, therefore, makes us the family of God. Let us at Rockport try to fulfill the promise. Have a blessed week.
Diana

Communion at Home

Hi All,
I thought I would remind everyone that Stephen Ministers can give communion at home to anyone who is unable to get to church on Communion Sundays. All Stephen Ministers have gone through training by Rev. Gordon and have portable communion kits to administer the elements. These elements have been consecrated at the communion service each month just as is the communion served at the worship service. Call the church office if you would like this service. Communion is this next Sunday, August 1st at church. Gods Blessings, Diana

Stir Up a Hunger

So many wonderful things are going on at Rockport. We have free ice cream on Wednesday nights drawing big crowds, trail groups going on theatre trips, bike trips, book study group, and golf outings, and always outdoor worship each Sunday this summer. Spread the word and watch us grow.
At worship yesterday we had a "Ministry Through Music" sermon. Marty Miller sang beautiful worship songs and one song in particular touched me and I would like to repeat it:
Day into night
You can turn the dark into light
You can take a soul that was lost
And turn it around
Lord on my own
My heart can turn as hard as a stone
But You can make it tender again
With Your love
Chorus:
Stir up a hunger, stir up a hunger in my heart
Nothing will satisfy me, nothing else will do
Stir up a hunger
A hunger in my heart
Stir up a hunger in my heart for more of You
Have a blessed week. Diana

Family of God

We are having a busy church week. This weekend we had a funeral and a wedding, both with receptions after the services. This next week we have another funeral. One active church member said to me how close he felt to our church through working to make a reception or event come together with other church family. We might consider growing closer to Christ through Mark 3:35... "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister..." Obedience to God, therefore makes us the family of God. Let us try to fulfill the promise. God's Blessings, Diana

A Prayer for Independence Day

The outdoor chapel was beautiful for Independence Day this past Sunday. Communion was had by all. I found this prayer for the 4th, from an Episcopal Church prayer book:

Lord God Almighty, in whose name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have the grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Blessings this week, Diana

The Art of Being

The outdoor chapel was beautiful this morning for worship. Our Vacation Bible School children sang songs they learned this past week in VBS and we had a report on our annual conference at Lakeside. God was in our worship. The following is a reading from Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Saratoga, California and something worth repeating:

Be understanding of your enemies.
Be loyal to your friends.
Be striong enough to face the world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Be generous to those who need your help.
Be frugal with what you need for yourself.
Be open enough to believe in miracles.
Be willing to share your joys.
Be eager to share the sorrows of others.
Be a leader when you see a path others have missed.
Be a follower when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty.
Be the first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds.
Be the last to criticize a colleague who fails.
Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not stumble.
Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.
Be loving to those who love you.
Be loving to those who do not love you, and they may change.
But above all, be yourself. Have a blessed week. Diana

Happy Father's Day

Hello to everyone, and especially to all the fathers on this Father's Day.What blessings our families have given to us! What a blessing our church family is to us! After all, we are all God's children and he is our Father.
Have a good week, Diana