On Your Feet Again

Good morning, Loved Ones,

Let's go straight to the scripture this morning. This is one of the morning Psalms from the daily lectionary.

Psalm 147:7-11 (The Message)

¹ Hallelujah! It's a good thing to sing praise to our God;
praise is beautiful, praise is fitting.
^2-6 God's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem,
who regathers Israel's scattered exiles.
He heals the heartbroken
and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
and assigns each a name.
Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;
we'll never comprehend what he knows and does.
God puts the fallen on their feet again
and pushes the wicked into the ditch.

^7-11 Sing to God a thanksgiving hymn,
play music on your instruments to God,
Who fills the sky with clouds,
preparing rain for the earth,
Then turning the mountains green with grass,
feeding both cattle and crows.
He's not impressed with horsepower;
the size of our muscles means little to him.
Those who fear God get God's attention;
they can depend on his strength.

Perhaps you feel as scattered as an exile today. Or maybe you have a broken heart that needs bandaged. Be confident that God will put you on your feet again. Rains bring a refreshed earth. Give thanks even in the cloudy and stormy times and depend on God's strength.

My Gimme Cinco for today:

1) I give thanks to God today for reconnecting me with some long lost friends who remind me of youthful days and have helped me to remember that age is a state of mind ---- no matter what my knees say.

2) I give thanks to God for elders and deacons who are preparing for another important meeting Saturday by praying and fasting. I give thanks for the spiritual renewal that is happening among our leadership which is coupled with intentional outreach efforts. (Rise up and reach out, GP!)

3) I give thanks for the simple gift of 12 Good News Bibles from the folks at 1st Presbyterian Church. They will be put to good use in the youth room.

4) I give thanks to God for a communicant's/confirmation class of 12 eager, intelligent, beautiful, gifted, energetic, awesome young people who are ready to learn about and express their faith. (Pray for the 12 more who could also come and participate!)

5) I give thanks to God for Juanito who continues to spend his days off here at the church making great progress on our new bathrooms. He is saving us a ton of money and time. Juan's dedication to Jesus and Jesus' work here at GP is a thing of beauty.


God has put you on your feet again today. So, what is your thanksgiving hymn for today? Put your fingers to the keyboard and write us five gratitude verses.

We're all eager to sing with you!

Pastor Rick