Congregant Doxologies - October 2011
Jennifer
Skinner
“Praise
God from whom all blessings flow.” This is what comes to mind when I think of
the doxology. And the blessings of my
life? Oh, how they have flowed. For 41 of my 42 years on this Earth my
doxology would read as an excessive number of praises to Him for my
ridiculously abundant life. I would
praise Him for my healthy parents and a brother and sister who are my dearest
friends, for a marriage that brings me great love and laughter, for children
who are strong and happy, for home and church and country and friends. And today, I still do praise Him for all of
these things, but last year I was suddenly plunged into some wicked rapids on
the peaceful, lazy river of blessings that had been my life. I stood by helplessly as my brother’s
marriage and his young family dissolved in a heap of betrayal and anger and
lies. I was powerless to stop the pain
caused to him or to my parents and family.
I was shaken and devastated by the deep hurt that God’s people can bring
on each other. My prayers of praising
turned to prayers of pleading and of despair.
Now, as a year has passed and our hearts are slowly beginning to heal, I
have found that the steadfast presence of our faithful God remains so very
worthy of my praise. Today I praise a
God who truly knows my every need. I
praise a God who, when I was stunned by the destruction His people can cause,
sent a different sort of people to me:
decent, faithful, loving people, who listened to and cared for His
broken child. I praise a God who hears
my cries and feels my grief. I praise a
God who takes the sorrow and confusion that seeps out of me and holds it in His
strong hands. I praise a God who
transforms frantic worry into humble trust.
I praise a God who forgives my anger and thaws out my cold heart with
love and compassion. I praise a God who
assures me, that though the current can become rough and threatening, this life He has given me continues to overflow with a flood of blessings worthy
of grateful praise.
Brenda
Nencioni
I’m thankful because I feel God’s presence in my
life every single day. He helps me understand that next to Him, love of
family and friends, kindness and forgiveness are the things that matter
most. Everything else is great but not the answer. God’s grace
helps me make everything right in my heart and mind. Listen for the Holy
Spirit to speak to you, he whispers to you all the time—just be still and
listen!! His love and grace is what puts the smile on my face.
Ed
and Bonnie Abner
We praise God for so many things He has blessed us
with but it took some special additions to really make us appreciate all we
praise Him for. We praise God every day for our grandchildren. Each
of them brings a totally new perspective to the words, love, cherish, hope,
values, character, honesty, and priorities. We praise God for the love
and joy they bring to us. We praise God for the memories we are making
with them and the hope that we have for a better world because of them.
We praise God for re-revealing the role of values and character so important to
their upbringing. We praise God for the complete honesty of
grandchildren, whether they’re commenting on our baldness or our eating habits
or why we like beer. As important as all of the other points are, we also
praise God for reminding us of our priorities. We praise God for
reminding us that the only thing in life we can NEVER get back is time.
Spend it wisely and enjoy all your time together.
Lisa
Korhnak
I praise God for many things, but today I will
write about one…. I praise Him for the friends he has placed in my life –
specifically, my bible study girlfriends of 10+ years. I praise Him for these
women because when I have doubted His presence in my life, they have
helped me believe. When I have needed encouragement or a safe place to reveal
my heart, they have helped me to seek God. I truly believe that God put
these women, three of whom attend Arcola Church, in my life so that I would
grow in faith and trust in the Lord. I thank God for revealing Himself through
these important friends in my life.
Mark Abel
Heavenly
Father,
Thank
you for all the blessings you provide: for my physical and mental health;
for the wisdom you share; for my wife, children, and family; and for the
opportunity to live and experience another day.
Barbara
Ladany
There are an infinite number of things to praise
God for but I chose the top three I always think of, in the order in which they
came into my life. I praise God for my family – Family that always
supported me while I was growing up and continues to this day. Family I
don’t have to clean house for or fix fancy meals for. Family who
sometimes drive me crazy but I wouldn’t want to trade for anything. I
thank God for a family that is connected at the heart even if we are hundreds
or thousands of miles apart and not in contact every day. I praise God
for my children – My children are not perfect but, when I remember to look,
they sure are amazing. They forgive me when I lose my temper; thank me
for making them dinner (even if it’s a failed new recipe that looked good on
paper); talk to me about school and their friends; ask me how my day has
gone and then listen to my answer; return my change after the football game or
youth group outing; reach things on shelves too high for me; and ask me, after
hearing an announcement on the radio, “Mom, have you had a mammogram?” I
loved snuggling them as infants; I love watching the people they are becoming;
and I thank God for every moment in between. I praise God for Arcola
Christian Preschool – I am humbled by the parents who trust their children with
us each day. I am blessed to work with an incredible staff who genuinely
care for each other and each child that comes through our doors. Even
when it has rained for umpteen days straight, we say “The sun is always shining
inside Arcola Christian Preschool” because we see God’s love shine through
those children every day.
Kent Tunell
Heavenly Father, for years I have prayed to you
for guidance, support, forgiveness, and yes, favors. Over those years my
prayers have always been answered. I
thought for a very long time that for some of those prayers the answer was
“no”. I have come to realize though,
that the answer was really “not yet”.
Your grace and wisdom has always been exactly what
I needed and You have always looked out for my best interests, like a true
Father. You have ensured a successful life for me, and prepared me well
for the family You have blessed me with. I have seen many doors close in
my life, but just as one closes, You have always ensured an even better one
opened. Although some have been difficult, even unbearable, the challenges you
have put before me have always been with a purpose, and although not known at
the time, the experiences have taught me well for the blessings You have given
me now.
Thank You, Father, for all the good times, the bad
times, the trials and tribulations in my life. Without the opportunities
and challenges You have put before me, I would not be the person I am today,
and I would certainly not have the wonderful family or friends You have blessed
me with. Please help me to appreciate all that I have been blessed with, and to
live as You would have me, giving back so that others might be as blessed as I
have been.
Brian and Kursten Szabos
On September 14th, 2011, a doctor told us
that our soon to be born baby might not survive or would certainly face health
challenges. We heard what he said; We chose to surround ourselves with
loved ones and fill our hearts with hope as best we could.
Praise God for the strength to hold our heads high and say no to fear
Praise God for the power of Faith
Praise God for the power of prayer
Praise God for the power of friendship and family
Praise God for filling our hearts with hope.
Praise God for the greatest of miracles in the tiniest package.
Thank you God for the blessing of a perfectly
healthy baby, Austin William, born October 5, 2011!