It is so easy, as you sit around the Thanksgiving table, to thank God for everything. The smell of delicious, fa miliar food, the happy noise of rela tives, and that delightful full feeling of being surrounded with laughter, food and love, all make us quite thankful! But what of the other 364 days? Hard days, lonely days, routine days, work days, school days, church days, what of these? Can we be thankful for these days? Often the answer is “No.” As a matter of fact, we are usually most resentful of these “other” days. To me, there seems to be a definite connection between thankfulness and wholeness in walking with the living Christ. “ How can I trust God?” a teenager asks. “Why do I feel so dried up inside even though I’m active in the church?” a college girl questions. “ How do you get faith?” a mother of three children asks in quiet despera tion. “ Let’s start with thanking God for what we have — right now, right here, and right away,” is always my answer. It seems as we begin to thank God for what we already h a v e (material things) or know (spiritual things), we can begin to see God’s hand. For a number of years I’ve kept spiral notebooks for my prayer time, listing needs each month and leaving a place for answers. The other day, as I checked a 1964 book, I cried with joy as I read each month and remembered and relived God’s goodness to us. The problems that were so huge and fore boding in March of 1964 were beauti fully answered, and I realized with some degree of horror that I had for gotten the request as well as the an swer! So, begin listing your blessings. I’m really grateful to Paul for writ ing, “In everything give thanks.” A mother who has just lost a child says, “ Give Thanks for this loss?” And our heart ponders for a moment, then I read the verse over again . . . “In everything give thanks.” It’s not for everything, but in everything — Oh, such a difference! This summer our vacation ended with the saddest phone call I’ve ever re ceived. A dear friend of mine was call ing to ask if I would sing at her son’s funeral. Dear little Teddy, only a few months away from three years of age, had been hit by a car, survived brain surgery for three days, and then died. In everything give thanks? Yes, this precious heart-broken couple were to find they would pray first for life, then later for complete healing, and then finally for God’s perfect will. It was a process of learning, and God gently led them through each step. It is no wonder then, that at the funeral this beautiful young mother, her handsome husband and children walked — yes, with tears, but with their heads held high and the peace of God in their step! “We sorrow not as those with out hope,” the minister said at the
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NEW PICTURE-FRAM ING IDEAS When framing a picture, whether it is a painting, reproduction of a painting, drawing, collage, photo graph or needlepoint, the type of frame you choose should depend on the style of the picture. These are some of the newer trends in picture framing : Nonglare glass is most often used in framing photographs. Although it is more expensive than ordinary glass, it eliminates the glare caused by reflected light. Mats c r e a t e interesting back ground effects for snapshots. (A mat, usually of paper or cardboard, creates a border between picture and frame.) For example, road maps can be used as a background mat and vacation snapshots mounted over them. Mats can be plain white or colored cardboard or they can be covered with a variety of fabrics such as silk, linen, burlap or velvet. Stripping — thin slats of wood, brass, aluminum or plastic nailed around the outside edge of the can vas — is being used to frame large abstract paintings. Some wood strip ping, such as mahogany and wal nut, is gilded to give the effect of a gold or silver band around the pic ture. Brasswood, pine and fir wood strippings can be painted, usually black or white, or stained. Smaller abstract paintings, watercolors and prints often are framed with strip ping and a mat. Floating frames have a space between the stripping and canvas to give an illusion that the painting floats inside the frame. For those who want to frame pic tures themselves, kits with wood or metal molding are available in vari ous sizes. M e " I ASKED FOR A SIGN . . ." “ And nothing happens — absolutely nothing!” Yes, I know, and even while I an swer your letter you are undoubtedly still waiting while God seems to send only silence. There’s no sudden hail storm, no writing in the sky to “ guar antee” that God is speaking to you more directly than He has already spoken in His Word. The crisis is big and real and you certainly don’t want to be presumptuous. Neither do you want to be pushed into making a ridicu lously wrong move. Like Gideon, you want to feel the wet fleece, or the dry fleece — you don’t care which. You just want to feel or see something! Be assured that you don’t stand alone! All of us who walk with God often face life conflicts that involve urgent decisions. How vital it seems that we “ do something” and do it NOW! The Bible emphatically assures us that God is not a God of confusion. We can know His Will. When our faith is very “ new” or very weak He
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by Joyce Landorf grave, and God tenderly moved and comforted the family. God’s peace, joy and yes, even thank fulness was so obvious to the neighbors and the whole community, that the Holy Spirit was able to win hearts and move people to seeking Christ. Never before was it possible! In, during, through — these are the times to give God our thanks and as we begin . . . He begins! Job, who had lost more than one child, who had lost houses and lands 'besides, remained faithful to God and as the book of Job closes, we are told that God gave him back all that he had lost and MORE. My friend has lost Teddy and this month will be especially hard as No vember 27th would have been his third birthday, but she has learned the se cret of thankfulness, and God will give back all she lost and much more . . . much more. Each Thanksgiving and Christmas at the Landorf house, we have this cranberry salad. It does involve a lit tle work, but I'm practically famous in my family for it. Try it. You too can be famous! CRANBERRY SALAD 2 cups uncooked cranberries (Vz lb.) 2 small oranges 1 cup sugar 1 package lemon jello (3 oz.) 1 cup boiling water Vz cup chopped walnuts V i cup diced celery Marshmallows if desired Put washed cranberries through your food grinder. Dissolve jello, boil ing water and sugar together. Then combine jello mix with cranberries, Cut up oranges, nuts and celery. Place in a ring mold and top with marshmallows. Invert on platter to serve. Serves 6.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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