You Have Made Me Glad

Good Morning Loved Ones,

I realize there is not much morning left, but I hope this email finds you enjoying this beautiful day and giving thanks whatever your circumstances.

Psalm 92

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. This is not particularly unusual. The unusual thing is that DeDe was still awake. She reminded me of a conversation she had with Pastor Terry. Terry told her that when he wakes up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep he begins to do a Gimme Cinco list right there in bed. Instead of worrying about what the next day might bring and puzzling over how to handle something, he simply begins to think about the things for which he is thankful. Before long his mind is at rest as well as his body and he is back to sleep. It's amazing what can happen when we change the conversation in our heads.

1) I give thanks for the return of warm, sunny days and the opportunity to get on my bike and ride to and from work. I feel so much better when I am able to exercise, and biking is especially good for me because even when I am riding through the city I find myself much more at peace and hopeful than I am in my car.

2) I give thanks for the young people from our WYCO high schools who came to Rotary the last two weeks to speak and compete for our two scholarships. The boys who spoke yesterday were an incredibly talented bunch and were inspirational in their presentations. The first young man spoke of the Buddhist philosophy which says that we must fill our cups before we are able to spill out and help others. He said that he respected Buddhism, but didn't think that was correct. Even though his cup wasn't full he was intent on spending his life helping others and his presentation confirmed my belief that he will do just that. The young women who spoke the week before were equally talented and inspiring and related many stories of overcoming incredible family situations to excel in their academic and service lives. Thank God for these talented, committed young people.

3) I give thanks for my partner in crime, DeDe, who continues to give to her church family, her community, her patients and her family. I'm thankful that we can be partners and work together at church and at her office and in our home. I give thanks for her patience and persistance.

4) I give thanks for Xavier Sagal who, out of nowhere, showed up last night to coach our soccer team. It was great to have a break from having to lead the group for the night and for the team to have a break from me. I give thanks for these kinds of rare and wonderful surprises.

5) I give thanks for the women's and men's bible study groups. Although I have not been able to be present or participate in either of these groups, I have seen and heard wonderful results from their sharing.

Well, it's closer to noon than it was when I started, but still morning. Let's help to calm our worries and troubles by recounting the goodness around us and in us. Change the conversation in your head for a few minutes and see what happens.

Waiting to hear from you!

Pastor Rick
http://gimmecinco.blogspot.com/
P.S. I have started posting my sermons on the gimmecinco blog. So if you missed church or want to check to see what heretical things I said this week, then visit the blog.