There is a familiar hymn that we sing in church named "Count Your Blessings."  The song ask us to count our blessings and to name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God has done.  Many times we think of blessings being of a material nature, but when I think of blessings, it is oftentimes for the intangible things that money cannot buy or replace.  My blessings start with waking up in the morning and being able to get out of bed without assistance from anyone...just based upon the strength that God so graciously gives to me.   I count it a blessings to have an unworried mind...a peaceful state of mind, a loving family and good friends.  I count it a blessings to live in a country with the freedom to worship and praise God.  Even in the toughest of economic times, I count it a blessing to see the gas prices going down and transportation becoming more affordable.  I count it a blessing not to work in a hostile environment, but an environment where people are thankful and pray for others at times when they themselves are hurting.  As the day set aside for Thanksgiving approaches, I will count it a blessing to be able to sit down with my family and enjoy a bountiful meal..giving thanks unto our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for all that He continues to bless us with.  It is the intangile things that I value most in life and it is what helps me to enjoy the tangible things that God has provided, as well.  Whenever I feel a little ungrateful, I have to remind my soul to "Bless the Lord."  This is why I think it is important sometimes to sing the old hymn "Count Your Blessings, and Name them one by one..Count your many blessings..see what god has done".       

There is nothing more satisfying to our lives than to know that we are acknowledged and listened to. It makes us feel important when someone gives us their undivided attention and responds to our slightest concern. On the other hand when we feel that we are not heard or listened to, it can cause us to withdraw and think “what the use,” no one is paying attention. This kind of feeling can lead to prayerlessness in our lives, especially if we forget that God wants to hear from us on a continual basis, and if we forget that God is concerned about the details of our daily existence.

I want to let you in on a secret that I read that energized me to want to re-kindle my relationship with God through prayer. Andrew Murray said “God needs time with us. If we would only give him time…” God not only inclines His ear to us, but He also looks us in the eye. We are not talking to someone up there who is so high above us that He cannot see or hear, but a loving God who wants to be acknowledged by us in a similar way that we need to be acknowledged. He is the one who placed the desire in our hearts to talk to Him, so I encourage you to go ahead give it a try.

You don’t need to use fancy words, you just need a heart that is connected to Him. So, let me give you God’s word from Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Your life can be forever charged and rekindled to trust that God is waiting to hear your call.

In a world of noise, it is hard to find a place of peace.  Sometimes it is not the noise from the outside, but noise from within ourselves.  When our minds continue rehearsing events from the past that is ever present..  This weekend, I was with a group of people who are suffering from inner turmoil and their hearts cry was for some releif.  Many of them cried out for the first time in a long time, because there seemed to be no escape to a place of safety.   As we left each other, there were warm embraces as one by one were thankful that they felt safe to share their burdens and to leave them in the hands of the Lord.  As an act of leaving their burdens with the Lord, each one wrote the thing that had so saddened their hearts, and put them in a basket.  They refused to take them back.  I know that the pain may not be completely gone, but what they were saying is that they were ready to move on and look to a brighter future.  My prayer is that we all could experience peace on a daily basis and rejoice in the one who said "I am the Prince of Peace.  Peace, My Peace I give to you not as the world gives, but My Peace that goes beyond our human understanding." I look for and need that peace on a daily basis. 

I read an article last week and the title was "An American life worth less today."  I found the title interesting so I read it. The Environmental Protection Agency apparently has devalued the American life by $1mil.  Because of our lives (according to them) not being worth as much, less money will be spent on preventing pollution. I am so thankful that God does not devalue our lives.  He tells us that His love for us is everlasting.  We are made in the image of God and that can never be affected by any governmental agency.  We are worth more than $1mil to the Lord.  In fact, Jesus died so that we could have life eternal...that is how much we are worth to Him.  We cannot believe everything that we hear.