Too much thanksgiving?
View this email in your browser
You are receiving this email because of your relationship with . Please reconfirm your interest in receiving emails from us. If you do not wish to receive any more emails, you can unsubscribe here.
llcf

TOO MUCH THANKSGIVING?

I remember my first Thanksgiving meal. It was November, 1994 in San Antonio, Texas. (We don't have such practice in Mexico). Wow, it was amazing! I had never seen such a spread on a table like this before! The turkey was so big! The side dishes so delicious! The after dinner nap was so good. But what I don't remember is learning to be thankful to God for the bountifulness. As we approach this long American tradition, it is good for us to pause and reflect on our own practice of showing gratitude to God first.

 

Recently, we taught through some parts of the book of Colossians at midweek services with a short series called, The Lost Art of Gratitude, where we looked at all of Paul's mentions of gratitude in his short letter. The amount of times he expresses gratitude in one letter is amazing! Can there be too much thankksgiving? At least once in every chapter he mentions thanksgiving, often connecting it to prayer. 

 

1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you...

4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful...

 

Prayer and thanksgiving go hand in hand. I urge you, friends, to stop and pray and give thanks before you go about the Thanksgiving holiday and give little thought to the Lord. Some ideas for your and your loved ones....

 

1. Post It Thank Yous: Give everyone a post it note w/their name on it, and pass them around so that everyone writes one thing they are grateful for regarding that person, then post them someone for all to read.

2. Dinner Talk: After sitting down w/your meal and giving thanks, initiate a conversation; "Let's go around and share one thing you're thankful for in this season of life". 

3. Give a Special Offering: Read Leviticus 7:12-15 for some context on this principle of thanksgiving offerings. Psalm 107 is understood as a Psalm that recounts reasons why someone might give a special thanksgiving offering.

 

Let us devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful...


-Pastor Joel


PASTORAL PRAYER REQUESTS

  1. Give thanks for the safe arrival of our pastors Sean and Larry from their Philippine mission and Pastor Juan Carlos and assistant, Nicolas for their safe arrival in Guatemala for their mission. 
  2. Pray for our Advent Season, that the church would embrace this season of beholding Christ the King. 
  3. Pray for our Christmas Offering: As we approach the close of a financial year, we trust God to richly provide for our church's need during the month of December. Pray that God would stir the hearts of our church, especially thore begining to grow in the generosity. 

Let us pray for you! Submit your prayer requests in our new App under the "Requests" button! Click here to download on your mobile device!

 

ALL CHURCH PRAYER REQUEST

Al Bacani Cousin’s surgery, friend’s chemo, friend recovering from a stroke.
Luisa Fernandez Derek Perez, 21 y.o., my cousin who was one of the sheriff recruits that got hurt. He had jaw surgery and is recovering. Pray for sheriff recruit class 464 involved and their families.
David Mageo A prayer for me and my family for the loss of our mother, Olivetti Mageo. Prayer that we would see God's purpose for her loss and to stay strong without her. Prayer that we get right with God and to turn away from our wicked ways. Prayer to come together, me and my siblings, as one to move forward. Thank you church, love you guys for all that you do for the Kingdom!
Celeste Gardiner Please pray for peace for my dear friend, Ve (and her husband, children/grands, and sister), who is likely in the last weeks of her earthly life. Pray that God will miraculously heal if that is His plan.
Phan Saechao Amen! Yes, I am listening to God. All the time when I am praying. And yes, God called me to go to three different countries to serve him in the very small Village of Laos 🇱🇦, Thailand 🇹🇭 and Vietnam 🇻🇳. And I have to leave on 12/20/22. So please pray for my financial and safety travel 🧳 thank you 🙏
Brian Sok I lost custody of my kids.
Rhonda Hendricks Pray that God continues to bless me and my family with a roof over our heads at a reasonable price that we can afford. Praying for complete healing and restoration for us all. Amen 🙏🏾
Bud Antisdel Prayers for the recruits that got run over by a 22-year-old male that's out of jail.
Andi Artukovich Mark, a good friend, has asked for prayer regarding his 96-year-old mom, Lea. Her health is declining and she is in tremendous pain. He is asking the Lord to take her pain away and give her His peace. Caring for Lea has begun to be quite difficult, so please add a prayer for Mark as well. Thanks.
Richard Nelson I need to listen to Him more. Pray for the pain in my right leg where they removed a vein to fix my heart.

 

ALL CHURCH PRAISE REPORT

Al Bacani Daughter passed the Japanese driving test
Luisa Fernandez Brother Jose's physical therapy helped after his stroke he had 9/10/22. He is showing signs of recovery but still has a long way to go. Pray that he can stay in a rehab center to maximize his PT exercises. His wife is still trying to get a ramp placed to the house so he can be wheeled in with his wheelchair. Thank you so much.
Lani Silvan The Holy Spirit is leading me loud and clear. All Glory to Father! I feel His awesome presence. I pray I continue to listen quietly and still and to stay obedient
Bridget Hughes Good morning my throat has been giving me problems and my Dr took me off work for a week. I didn't think it was that bad. They tested me for SAR and Covid. So I want to thank God it was negative. And I just need to rest my voice. Sometimes we forget to thank God for the little things that can become big things.
Andi Artukovich I thank the Lord for giving me strength each and every day. His everlasting and unconditional love amazes me.
This message was sent from mail@llcf.org to mail@llcf.org
5951 Downey Avenue, Long Beach, CA, 90805


Update Profile/Email Address | Forward Email | Report Abuse